This weekend I thought I had finished all the machining on my toolholders. Yesterday, I had to remake the height adjustment disks. I had made them 1.12 in diameter, this interferes with the screws that hold the tool in place.

The size of the Aloris adjuster disk is 0.980. I remade the disks at 1.0. There is enough clearance now.

I’m waiting for the rest of my chemicals to arrive, then I’ll hot blue the toolholders, at which point they will be done.

There is still another 12 inches of steel for toolholders. When I was putting the three new ones into production, I realized that I did need to make some 5/8 toolholders.

I joyfully started the process. This was tramming the head of the mill. It was off 0.0005 over 8 inches. I didn’t adjust. I then had to dial in the vise. It was out less than 0.0005 over 6 inches.

First step, cut the bar to length, 6 and 6.25. With the new apron, my scale was where I needed it. Quick and easy.

The saw is cutting well, I’m using my spray bottle of water-soluble oil to keep everything nice and cool. The blade stops.

The pulley belt seems not to be working. Groaning, adjusting, realizing that some idiot had mounted the motor wrong.

I get everything “fixed” and put back, the belt rides up and off the pulley, yanking the motor around on its tensioning post.

I fight this thing for an hour in the heat. Give up.

Later, I went back for try number two. This time, as I’m watching the thing not work, I see brass shavings showing up on the face of the motor housing.

Everything is rattle loose. I’ve killed the damn motor. Frustrated, back into the house.

A replacement motor is going to run me $250. I do not have $250 for the shop. We talk about it at the dinner table.

The decision is to hold off until after graduation of the kids (high school), and I was going to beg you guys for a motor.

After dinner and a show with my lady, it is out to the shop to read the motor plate.

As I take the motor out of the saw, the step pulley is loose and comes off the motor shaft.

The set screw that locks the step pulley to the shaft has backed out. The damn thing was just spinning. There are things that still need to be fixed, but the panic is over.