home made duplicator

[fishing bum wannabe]

I suppose anything is a possibility. But the direction of the spin would simply force the cutter down, into the bed, and if there is a issue with the wood grabbing, as it does with any hand held turning tool, the wood would pop out of the centers. I don't see this as anymore dangerous than hand held turning chisels. If they grabbed and snapped out of your hand, they would literally be a spear.

I have made 2 dozen or so blanks with this setup and haven't felt the least bit uncomfortable.

[This message has been edited by fishing bum wannabe (edited 01-20-2003).]

[saltybugger]

Otay no problem, something I was thinking of if it was loose would be to add a larger "handle" to the block, that way you'd have better leverage if something did happen.
Safety first....

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[img]http://www.****************/images/banana.gif[/img]
My wife says I never listen to her...or something like that.

[capesams]

FWB......GOOD for u...a great job on that dupy thingie...thanks,,,,,,,,,,the best cutting tools comes old metal files, nice steel to work with.

[fishing bum wannabe]

I have some 1/4" square metal lathe bits that are HSS and are perfect for this application. Another source for bits would be a HSS drill bit. Carefully grind off the flutes (keep the bit from over heating by constantly dipping it in water) and grind your cutter shape right behind where you cut the flutes off. The end that goes into the chuck may or may not have the same temper. A 1/4 drill should be big enough.

[Jig Man]

A regular duplicator will not get a smooth surface either. Still have to sand. I do not see that as a problem with your set up. For a cutter, one could buy the duplicator cutters from Penn State Industries. These are the same ones used in their duplicators. The carbide ones work nice. Will still have some sanding to do as the surface is rough. I set up my templates to allow for about 0.1 inch to be removed from sanding after turning.

Jigman

[keeperreaper]

awesome idea. The plug blanks look great.

[Sudsy]

Originally posted by fishing bum wannabe:
Another source for bits would be a HSS drill bit.

I have a few old spade bits lying around. Do you think they'd work, or are most spades made of softer metal with just a hardened cutting area??? I don't use the things too often so I really don't know that much about em.

I have made tools out of old files and they work great. Just be prepared to spend a lot of time at the grinding wheel.



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"If you liked your job as much as you like fishing, we'd be millionaires." - My Wife

[NJCoastFlyFish]

WOW What a great idea

And this is why I love this site so much

[gary2]

Thanks for the awsome tip.I am using a machinist lathe to do my plugs,it was gift from a friend.Working pretty good and maybe I can make a duplicator using this tip.
bassmaster is that lathe and saw still available????
thanks again gary

[bassmaster]

Originally posted by gary2:
Thanks for the awsome tip.I am using a machinist lathe to do my plugs,it was gift from a friend.Working pretty good and maybe I can make a duplicator using this tip.
bassmaster is that lathe and saw still available????
thanks again gary

yep

[fishing bum wannabe]

Following are some additional details of the duplicator.



This shot shows the duplicator riding against the template and the cutter cutting the plug. I have added handles for better control. Thanks Salybugger for the idea.



This shot gives a good view of the template and the guide it bears against, as well as the cutter and the plug blank. Note that the guide and cutter are in vertical alignment. This picture was tacken before the addition of the handles to the cutter and before the knobs were added. Also note the "fuzz" on the plug from the bit. Plugs made with the duplicator need a lot more sanding than those made with chisels.



On my lathe I have to stradle a single tube that is used for the bed of the lathe. The jig is actually mounted to the the table the lathe is bolted to. It has bolts with knobs to make it quickly removeable. Bolts and knobs are also used to hold the template in place. The holes in the temple are drilled oversize to allow for adjustment.



Same view with duplicator in normal turning position.



A view of the template. I created the template by scanning an existing plug on my son's flatbed scanner, editing it in photoshop, printing it out on my inkjet printer and glueing it to blank template material. I then shaped the template using a block plane and a sanding drum. I was amazed at how accurate the dimensions were in the final print out. Using dial calipers to check it, I found that the scanned pattern deviated no more than .01" from the original plug!



It took an hour to make the template, including scanning a plug, working the image in photoshop, shaping the template and running two test blocks to get the setup I wanted. After that it took 1 1/4 hours to turn 13 identical plugs. Because the design of the Bottle Swimmer is so critical, I carefully measured each plug with the calipers as I sandeded and kept the deviation to plus or minus 1/32". If I were turning 13 same plugs by hand it would take all evening and they would be no where near as accurate or consistantly shaped. This is much better than I was doing with calipers and a template. And with the duplicator I had a zero rejection rate! Sanding is critical in the final dimensioning. Because I am using pine, and even 150 grit cuts quickly. You have to be careful about not sanding too much or too little. I have a piece of 150 sanding belt that is very clogged. I use this a lot because it cuts slower, and gives me a lot more control.

I ground a pointed bit with the top at a 15 degree angle so that cutting right to left you get a fast stock removal, shearing action. You can remove almost an 1/8" per pass. Moving the cutter left to right you get a scarping action which is slower and better as you get closer to the finish cut.

Next I need to refine the mounting to the bench, and the mounting of the templates so that I don't have to go through all the trial and error test cuts to get everything right. If anyone has any ideas on how to improve the duplicator I would love ton hear them. This is definately a work in progress. But first there is the jig to make the heads on the bottle swimmers.

Slipknot and MrPogie share the blame for all the effort that has gone into this project. On the upside, my only cash outlay so far has been for the bolts and knobs, a total of under $7.00. That appeals to my Scottish heritage. After all I started making plugs to save money. What ever happened to that objective?

[This message has been edited by fishing bum wannabe (edited 01-23-2003).]

[Bernzy]

Great post and pics
Nicely done!!

Bernzy

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Have you hugged your airbrush today??

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

i know what i'll be making this weekend.

[bassmaster]

nice Job I got a lathe like that one You have...

[gary2]

FWB
Supper pics just can not get any better than this!!!!!!!!!!gary