Page 294 - Making things move_ DIY mechanisms for inventors, hobbyists, and artists

Chapter 9 Making Things and Getting Things Made 271

CAUTION If your part is long and you need to back the drill bit out to
clean it off, do so with something other than your finger to avoid getting cut
or burned from touching a hot drill bit.

11. If your part is longer than the drill bit, remove it from the chuck and reverse it.
Double-check to make sure you didn’t knock the drill bit off center, and then
mount the piece in the chuck in the opposite direction. Repeat the preceding
steps to complete the through hole.

Working with Round Parts
A tube cutter is the most economical way to cut tubes without deforming them. If a
C-clamp and a pizza cutter had a kid, it would be a tube cutter. The clamp keeps the
tube or rod positioned against a sharp, rotating blade, so you can cut into the tube
evenly without crushing it and get a clean edge.

If you will be doing a lot of work with circular parts and shafts, a lathe can make your
life much easier. Professional lathes can cost tens of thousands of dollars, but small
hobbyist-style lathes start around $700 (from Micro-Mark at www.micromark.com/
MICROLUX-7X14-MINI-LATHE,8176.html, for example) and will handle most small
jobs easily. A lathe is ideal for drilling holes in the center of rods and shafts or removing
a tiny bit of material from the outside of a shaft so it fits perfectly into a wheel or
bearing. Metal lathes are meant for precision work, but wood lathes are designed for
more artistic-type work, such as fence posts and baseball bats.

Cutting
You can use many tools to cut things. After scissors, a close second is an X-Acto knife,
followed by the knives on multitools (such as Leatherman products). A Dremel tool
with a cutting wheel can handle small jobs in wood, plastic, and softer metals like
brass and aluminum. Tin snips or sheet metal snips (like McMaster 3902A1) are good
for thin metal jobs, and a hacksaw can be used for larger or thicker pieces. For even
larger pieces, a band saw is a common piece of equipment to have in a shop. It comes
in vertical and horizontal configurations, and can be used to cut just about any material
if you can adjust the speed and the blade.