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Are Stevenson's ER Blocks Useful

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IanT25/10/2017 19:08:31
2147 forum posts
222 photos

Or you could buy an old flat iron (50p at a Car Boot) Neil and machine it so that it holds the ER block at your lathes centre height... my EW in this case...

Still a work in progress but you will get the general idea. It really started out as just a practice piece (for the shaper) and it was a bit 'porous' in places - but it occurred to me that this would be a useful application for it. Still needs a swing away clamp, holes for the EW boring table T-slots and a bit at the back so both the block and the work can be set repeatably.

Regards,

IanT

ER32 Block holder.jpg

Edited By IanT on 25/10/2017 19:10:50

Ketan Swali25/10/2017 21:48:13
1481 forum posts
149 photos
Posted by JasonB on 25/10/2017 16:35:00:

I'm almost certain they are JS design but Ketan has them made elsewhere.

Yes, here is the story behind it. John was a great practical ideas person. On one of my regular visits to Johns place we would discuss ideas over lunch at the local chippy. He would come up with a new idea, sketch it up and we would explore the possibility of getting the product made, keeping in mind that such a product would need to be made under a certain cost, with certain projected sales targets. I would take the sketch, go back home, and explore the viability, going back and forth, until we were both happy. He would then make the prototype. Then pass it to our Alan or the factory which ARC appointed, to come up with final production drawings, which he and I would check, make changes as necessary and approve. ARC would then review making costs based on MOQs and sales potential and discuss with John. If we both feel the project may be viable, ARC takes the gamble and puts into production.

The key guiding figure for the idea and development was John. There are many people he came across in life who could tell you similar stories. Many of his ideas went into production with some of the other people in a similar way, but there was no mention of John in the development of such ideas. He never wanted money for this in the form of licence or royalty. He was paid as a consultant/sub-contractor for his time and prototype. Of coarse over time ARCs relationship with John became very close, and there were many favours done both ways. When ARC launched the first product he had developed/worked on, he was pleasantly surprised that we named it 'Stevensons'. From our point of view, we wanted to give him recognition. The marketing publicity followed naturally as an additional benefit.

The same trend of 'Stevensons' followed there after with every product ARC developed with him.

Rest assured, for each successful project we worked with John over the years, there were countless other projects which we worked on together which failed to see the light of day, for some technical or financial cost reason. There are one or two project he was working on with us before he died which might yet progress into production in the coming years may be, but it is difficult to say if and when.

Ketan at ARC

Nick Hulme26/10/2017 14:32:05
750 forum posts
37 photos

Ketan,

Were there any non-viable commercial projects which might be viable home projects?

If there were, subject to the approval of John's family of course, perhaps they might make good articles for the magazine, subject to finding a willing engineer to execute, photograph and document a "Stevenson's Project"

- Nick

Involute Curve26/10/2017 15:22:04
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337 forum posts
107 photos

I've been meaning to get a couple of these for a while and this thread reminded me, so I just ordered a couple from Arc. which lead to other stuff getting added to the cart......

JasonB26/10/2017 17:25:48
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25215 forum posts
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1 articles
Posted by Nick Hulme on 26/10/2017 14:32:05:

Ketan,

Were there any non-viable commercial projects which might be viable home projects?

The Stevenson self cleaning tea mug was not that viablesurprise

Ketan Swali28/10/2017 10:41:21
1481 forum posts
149 photos
Posted by Nick Hulme on 26/10/2017 14:32:05:

Ketan,

Were there any non-viable commercial projects which might be viable home projects?

If there were, subject to the approval of John's family of course, perhaps they might make good articles for the magazine, subject to finding a willing engineer to execute, photograph and document a "Stevenson's Project"

- Nick

Sorry for the late response Nick. At present I can't think of anything, but if something comes to mind, I will refer it to Neil.

Thanks, Ketan.

thaiguzzi28/10/2017 11:03:55
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704 forum posts
131 photos

Yabbut, when will someone make and sell square and hex ER collets? That's another advantage 5C has.

I have a pretty much complete set of 3C, some square, most round, no hex, the Stent T&CG has a 3C tool holder, the Boxford takes 3C and my mill uses homemade TG 3C hex and square collet holders. Only thing wrong with 3C is the 1/2" capacity...

Sorry, back to the OP's question - yes, very useful. Nothing quicker for putting a hex on some round. Before I made these, my only option was the RT, which, by the time it was on the mill table, bolted down, chuck fitted, etc, was painfully slow in comparison.

Edited By thaiguzzi on 28/10/2017 11:14:09

Andy Pugh04/12/2018 15:17:20
67 forum posts
1 photos

I only just found this thread (looking for octagonal blocks, as it happens).

As this seems to be a compilation thread, here is a link to another way to use the blocks

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=131421

Not for work-holding at all, but to use a coaxial indicator as an edge-finder.

Edited By Andy Pugh on 04/12/2018 15:17:44

Neil Wyatt04/12/2018 18:16:52
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19226 forum posts
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86 articles
Posted by JasonB on 26/10/2017 17:25:48:
Posted by Nick Hulme on 26/10/2017 14:32:05:

Ketan,

Were there any non-viable commercial projects which might be viable home projects?

The Stevenson self cleaning tea mug was not that viablesurprise

ROFL!

I think the basic theory was that any dirt would be carefully coated over with a layer of tannin

Martin Connelly04/12/2018 18:33:26
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2549 forum posts
235 photos

Andy, if you want something that goes beyond the square and hex blocks consider the Stevenson's 5C indexing head with ER32 adaptor and nut as sold by Ketan.

Martin C

Vic04/12/2018 18:43:32
3453 forum posts
23 photos

Yes, I’ve found my spindexer very handy at times.

Chris Trice04/12/2018 18:54:44
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1376 forum posts
10 photos

MSC/J&L have had similar blocks in their catalogue for a while. How original is the idea? I think one of Tubal Cain's videos also shows similar blocks for 5C collets. I even made some for myself ten years go to take morse taper collets for the purpose of resharpening milling cutters.

Michael Gilligan04/12/2018 18:58:09
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23121 forum posts
1360 photos
Posted by Chris Trice on 04/12/2018 18:54:44:

MSC/J&L have had similar blocks in their catalogue for a while. How original is the idea? I think one of Tubal Cain's videos also shows similar blocks for 5C collets.

.

I suppose the 'originality' came with adapting a very old idea to an ER version.

MichaelG.

.

img_0948.jpg

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 04/12/2018 19:05:50

JasonB04/12/2018 19:03:26
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25215 forum posts
3105 photos
1 articles

5C blocks have been around for along time and is likely what inspired JS to come up with the ER ones. As Far as I can remember ARC had them before MSC, though a quick glance at the MSC catalogue only shows 5C

JS also came up with the idea of the custom nut and adaptor to fit the JS indexer, though the same indexer without that feature has been around for quite a while.

Edited By JasonB on 04/12/2018 19:06:07

Andy Pugh04/12/2018 19:21:46
67 forum posts
1 photos

Posted by Martin Connelly on 04/12/2018 18:33:26:

 

Andy, if you want something that goes beyond the square and hex blocks consider the Stevenson's 5C indexing head with ER32 adaptor and nut as sold by Ketan.

 

If I want to accurately index I have this:

https://bodgesoc.blogspot.com/2017/05/harmonic.html

And a D1-4 5C collet chuck. (Or I could hold the ER32 block in a 3-jaw or 4-jaw chuck)

Edited By Andy Pugh on 04/12/2018 19:22:03

steamdave04/12/2018 20:11:10
526 forum posts
45 photos
Posted by thaiguzzi on 28/10/2017 11:03:55:

Yabbut, when will someone make and sell square and hex ER collets? That's another advantage 5C has.

Harold Hall described collets for square material that would fit inside a standard ER (or probably any other) collet.
I had several Burnerd multisize square collets and I never ever used them!

Dave
The Emerald Isle

Chris Trice04/12/2018 20:51:47
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1376 forum posts
10 photos

I've always found a close fitting split sleeve over square or hexagonal stock works well.

Howard Lewis06/12/2018 18:09:16
7227 forum posts
21 photos

ER Collet blocks are very useful. Had just finished making (bodging) mine (ER25 and ER32) when Arc started selling J S's version.them. They are far better product than mine.

Like others, just wish that ER collets for square or hexagon were available.

Howard

John Haine06/12/2018 19:09:13
5563 forum posts
322 photos
Actually you can hold square material in an er collet by catching the corners in the slits. Not for heavy loads since you can't insert the material right through the collet but useful for grinding tools for example. I did this yesterday to make the tangential bit for my Unimat toolholder.
Andy Pugh06/12/2018 19:15:51
67 forum posts
1 photos
Posted by John Haine on 06/12/2018 19:09:13:
Actually you can hold square material in an er collet by catching the corners in the slits. Not for heavy loads since you can't insert the material right through the collet but useful for grinding tools for example.

I wonder whether the collets would still work if you were to wire spark-erode a square hole into one?

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