I have various projects working on and building things which interest me for one reason or another. At this point most of them listed here are machinery related, however, every once in a while I may start up a Linux or tech project. My favorites will undoubtably consist of multiple disciplines.
Project: South Bend 9A
Projects intended to improve the setup, tooling and / or usability of my 1943 South Bend Lathe Model 9A. Setting up my garage based shop will also be featured here, as I learn what works and what does not work. I have short term plans to improve storage and power distribution.
Project: Lewis Horizontal Mill
Projects intended to improve the tooling and / or usability of my Lewis Horizontal Mill.
This is a slow moving lower priority project until I have the time to move the mill into my garage shop. The first project on the mill might be to refurbish the mill and build more storage for tooling
The bulk to the work initially done on the mill, will be to familiarize myself with the techniques of milling procedures, operations, measuring and perhaps a little bit of tool building as I learn more.
Project: 24-Pound Naval Gun
This is a fun little project for the South Bend Lathe and Lewis Horizontal Mill. Inspired from a Popular Mechanics article from 1969, this project is designed to improve my lathe and mill skill set and build a model .45 caliber 24-pound naval gun with carriage.
The 24-Pound Naval Gun was the deck gun deployed by the Ironside Frigate USS Constitution.
Project Updates
 24-Pounder Naval Gun Barrel Turning – Part 2As part of my 24-Pounder Naval Gun model project, after laying out the pattern onto a 2 inch piece of bar stock, I decided to… |
 24-Pounder Naval Gun – Rough Layout – Part 1The 24-Pounder Naval Gun model I am building is approximately 1.8 inches in diameter and about 9.5 inches in total length. The barrel tapers along… |
 Ubuntu on a Dell PowerEdge 1900 as a Home ServerThe ideal home server setup for me runs on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Server Hardware Currently, my home server is running on an old Dell Poweredge… |
 Mikrotik Routers – Reclaiming my Home Network – Part 2For my home network, I have used many different routers to secure my systems from Internet Traffic. I am not fond of the cheap routers… |
 Reclaiming my Home Network Part 1Reclaiming my home network switch. I don't always need 24 ports, until I do.... For the bulk of my professional career network computer systems, I… |
 Gib Screw Locking ToolOver the July fourth holiday this year, I decided on an impulse project to build a gib screw locking tool for my Lewis Horizonal Mill.… |
 Headstock Spider – Boring DownOnce I had the Headstock Spider out of the Lewis Horizontal Mill, I needed to open up the bore to have a snug fit on… |
 Headstock Spider – Drilling and TappingDrilling a hold at 180 degrees for the South Bend 9A headstock spider The headstock spider for my south bend 9a lathe made some great… |
 ER32 Collets for the Lewis Horizontal MillAfter acquiring a Lewis Horizontal Mill, I took stock in my inventory of tooling. My current skillset in milling is that of a complete "newbie"… |
 Lighting up the South Bend LatheNow that I have a few months working on the old South Bend Lathe, it has become crystal clear that I need to improve the… |
 South Bend 9A Status UpdateSouth Bend 9A with an aligned tail stock, rewired motor, new tool post and cleaned up from 80 years of use. It was been sometime… |
 Project South Bend – Cleaning 80 years of grimeWhen I picked up the Project South Bend 9A lathe from its previous owner, it was in perfectly servable shape. But... it was dirty. There… |
 Milling a South Bend Lathe T-NutOriginally, the old South Bend came is a lantern style tool holder. I am sure a skilled machinist can swap tool bits with a minute.… |
 Equatorial Mount -Turning AxlesSince deciding I wanted to start an Equatorial Mount for my budding astrophotography career, I have been going searching for parts. As luck would have… |
 German Equatorial Mount planningAs a photographer, I have long understood the need for a good tripod and camera mount when operating in low light and thus a need… |
 South Bend Lathe is upgraded with new tool postLast year, I was fortunate enough to acquire a 1945 South Bend lathe Model 9A. Prior to the 1960's the history is known, but after… |
 Project South Bend 9A – Aging “The General”Getting Closer to Chips on the South Bend 9A AKA "The General" In July, 2018 I was gifted a South Bend lathe, model 9A which… |
 South Bend 9A Lathe – Project General RelocationIn July, 2018 I received a phone call offering me an old South Bend 9A lathe and a mill. I will not go into the… |
 Destination4x4.com start upDestination4x4.com I own and operate a website called Destination4x4.com. I started the website about two years ago with the primary goal of keeping my website… |