Saturday 11 April 2009

Nutty tip

If you want to use a nut, but find there is not enough room for it, here is an easy bodge that I have used a few times: -

Just take a nut one size below, drill it out and tap it to the size you wanted. This is very easy to do because the outer thread size of the smaller nut is about the same as the tap drill size of the bigger one, so you only really have to drill the thread away.



The nut on the left is a proper M5 nut, the one on the right is an M4 nut tapped to M5. Obviously it will have a lower maximum load but it can get you out of a hole.

3 comments:

  1. Hi, well the comment is not really related to the post but...
    I want to build a RepRap, I already made a mini-milling machine controlled by parallel port through EMC, so I have all the XYZ axis in place and such I guess the only thing part missing is the plastic extruder and related electronics?
    However, I have minimum tools with me (not even a G-clamp and a proper vise), and found that the RepRap extruder v2.0 requires RP part! Though I live in China which means there are cheap machine shop around...
    Anyway, I would be very appreciate if you could throw me some random pointers about converting a milling into a RepRap, in particular - building a extruder from nothing.

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  2. If you have a milling machine you should be able to mill the RP parts. That is what I did for the previous version of the extruder.

    The easiest way to make the nozzle is with a lathe, but you could probably do it with a drill press, or get a machine shop to make it.

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  3. Hi Sam

    This may help you.

    http://staff.bath.ac.uk/ensab/replicator/Downloads/Afghan_lathe/Afghan_Lathe.html

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