Long rambling yarn alert: 'Way back in the day - 1961 - when I started my apprenticeship in a Navy yard, my first rotation was in the shapers. Since the Navy lives in salt water, its machinery and fittings have to be corrosion resistant; meaning salt water piping was copper nickel with bronze flanges attached with monel nuts and bolts. Miles of flanged pipe; thousands of fasteners. For some reason in those days, monel fasteners were hard to obtain even though each ship represented a market for tens of thousands in 1/2, 5/8, and 3/4 nominal sizes so we had automatic, cam operated 5 spindle turning machines running 24/7 churning out monel fasteners from hex bar stock. This was expensive but it was the height of the Cold War and every Navy asset possible had to be rushed through overhaul to meet fleet committments. Sometimes there was no monel (60 nickel, 40 copper) hex barstock to be had and us apprentices made it in 3 ft lengths on the shapers from round barstock. Pallets and skips of 3 ft lengths. For nearly a year when the Bennington and Coral Sea were under overhaul the shapers were manned 24/7 off and on making monel hex to feed the turret lathes and fill the FSS inventory with a couple overhaul's worth of commonly used hex monel fastener products - a much more expensive evolution probably increasing per fastener cost ten times normal procurement. But this was the Cold War, 15 months before the Cuban Missile Crisis. We made hex stock exactly the same way as Adam demonstrated: calculate the stock removal, set the tool, take one cut 0.020" feed, 11 strokes a minute, index, etc. 6 cuts, one length of hex stock. If it passed the box end of a new wrench, good enough. On a good shift, one man could shape thirteen 36" sticks of 1 1/2" dia monel bar to 1 5/16" hex. Lordy, I got tired of shaping hex stock.
As a former production engraver I have an extremely high tolerance for repetitive mind numbing tasks.To-wit what may appear to most people as boring is not even remotely so to myself.So bring it on!! I find it very entertaining as well as informative
When faced with production work, a good tradesman challenges themselves. Whether trying to do more in a hour or making the process faster and more efficient.
Thanks for sharing the fact that you did make a mistake in fabricating the hex and reviewing a couple of ways to rectify the error. Being willing to admit mistakes is the sign of a true professional. That small part of the full video was the most valuable section; I’m sure that those of us learning truly benefited from your example.
I haven't been in a machine shop for decades, don't own any metal working machines and I wouldn't know how to operate them anyway, but damned if I just didn't spend 25 enjoyable minutes watching a craftsman at work. Thanks, Abom79.
You are "nuts" man :) absolutely love all your work. The precision, dedication and craftsmanship you provide for us humble YT viewers is stunning. And also the work you do to yourself to lose weight. It shows man, truly. I wish you the best of luck towards your own personal self as well as your trade.
Dear Adam. You are simply the best. I’m a computer guy from Boston and I’m telling you I think you helped me find my calling. Your videos are up against funny cats and babies eating lemons. You win. It’s not even close.
Adam, my friend, you are a good teacher! sometimes I forget that I am not as smart as I think I am. This is what you taught me: watch the entire clip before commenting!
Had turned out really beautiful. I love the way Adam is such a perfectionist about everything. Just show you the type and class of work that he does. And not a bit afraid to admit to his mistake. Wonderful work just wonderful.
Adam, I have to admit, when I hear the music start playing my face drops a little because I know it means the video is over. I know that's kind of selfish but I just really enjoy watching your videos. Thank you!!!
I try my best to keep them at a happy medium length for all of my viewers, usually shooting for about a half hour. The really long run videos didn’t do quite as well.
yeah its a happy medium but for me, there is nothing better than watching a video like this when getting ready for bed. I learn best just before and also it relaxes me totally to great to get into sleep mode
I'm a fabricator and a gamer yet your videos are the ones I look forward to the most. It's like watching just greatness. And I'm learning so much about tool and die and machining. Thanks Adam for the great content.
Well, just NUTS. Be it milling or using the shaper or the lathe, your work is hands down outstanding. Great job on the math for the over all shape of the nut. Kudos to you sir.
I don't know what I''m more impressed with.. that the math worked out so well or that you so accurately go a circle of 3.434 or what ever it was. good measuring on spring calipers!
Holy smoke! You still have a shaper? The last time I worked on a shaper was in about 1973. I was in Egypt in 2006 (military business) and saw a monstrous shaper in one of their workshops. Never saw such a huge thing (Russian made). Excellent type of machine - old school!!
Adam is a Master Machinist, *and* Adam is a Master Teacher. I would _love_ to be his apprentice! A true master is *sure* of their skill. They have the confidence that comes from all of that training and experience they needed to accumulate to become a master. So they go, "I made a mistake." with no problem, because they know they are human, and thus subject to making mistakes.
It will take a little time getting used to seeing that 6 jaw chuck. That shaper is awesome to watch. Thanks for the valuable example of "how it's done."
Sir I would love just to spend one day at your job or shop just to watch and learn , these videos do wonders but nothing beats hands on with the noise and all
I guess you could put the nut on the thread gauge and rechuck it to put some rounded corners on to make it nicer in the hand Heh, i bet if you collected your big chips together including some of the colourful ones, and encased them in clear resin for paperweights, they'd sell like hotcakes :D
Those Shapers are a Neat Machine. I had one in the late 70s and Loved it. It was a Baby compared toy yours. I believed I sold it when I moved to Nv. Wish I could get it back.
You should explain why the pivot on the clapper box is at an angle when cutting with the side of the tool. I think folks would find that interesting. Beautiful job/video as usual. And your looking good too.
Thank you. I knew why, but thought it would be interesting for Adam to explain how that angle works to clear the tool coming back. The guy that planed my Bridgeport's ways used an air cylinder to lift the tool on the backstroke but still had to set that angle correctly for clearance. An interesting, but essential detail in machine setup that I find makes it all the more interesting.
Thanks again, watching this reminded me of when you helped me out finding thread length on my project I asked about on instagram. The lens adapter works great and was spot on.
On your thread triangles. What if instead of the piece of hose you have connecting them, you had a piece of spring steel that was tensioned slightly inwards to hold itself against the threads?
For laying out that hex on the stock - once you've punched a center mark you can just run a layout line from center to the outside as a radius. From there you can use an angle gauge or block - anything thats a known 60 degrees and radiate lines out from the center 60 degrees apart. From there, so long as you are confident its a true enough circle just connect the points from the outer edges for your flats
in the right hands, those shapers are impressive lol. capable of so much more than I would have thought for something that just goes back and forth. thats what i get for underestimating things i guess.
Adam, Great =video. At first I was wondering why you made up the thread gauge..but at the end you mentioned making more bars etc so I get it. You were using all the toys and having more fun than the law allows! All the best to you! Eric
In the first video he shows the parts to a spare one; they form the pivot that allows the tool to lift up on the backstroke so it doesn't drag on the part. I suppose as the tool drops back into place the sound is like clapping, hence the name.
Funny how a 4” part looks like 2” in the hands of Abom. Keep up the good, quality work. I dont comment much but Im an avid follower and fellow machinist in the aerospace industry.
Would it be possible, in lighter cuts, to make a holder with multiple cutters in the shaper? Like being able to pull two chips per stroke? And if that works, why not 3 or 4, or more? It's got a long stroke and all.
Awesome videos man!! I watch them all the time. Glad I found your channel. You do great on editing and keep your videos very interesting and still show and give a lot of info an also insight. I have taken in so many goo tips and tools from you and your videos. I wrote down that book I am going to add it to my collection.
Love the red dykem,don’t care much for the brush on method,years ago I came across some dykem in a spray can,I think DuPont made it,works great and it leaves a very thin coat of applied correctly. They might still make it.
Are you going to make a BFW - you know, a wrench- to fit this nut? Also, I'm glad you're planning to set up for smaller boring bars. I'm sure you'll need to make internal cuts on smaller diameter work. Internal keyways , flats and splines are operations a shaper is really needed for.
Long rambling yarn alert:
'Way back in the day - 1961 - when I started my apprenticeship in a Navy yard, my first rotation was in the shapers. Since the Navy lives in salt water, its machinery and fittings have to be corrosion resistant; meaning salt water piping was copper nickel with bronze flanges attached with monel nuts and bolts. Miles of flanged pipe; thousands of fasteners.
For some reason in those days, monel fasteners were hard to obtain even though each ship represented a market for tens of thousands in 1/2, 5/8, and 3/4 nominal sizes so we had automatic, cam operated 5 spindle turning machines running 24/7 churning out monel fasteners from hex bar stock. This was expensive but it was the height of the Cold War and every Navy asset possible had to be rushed through overhaul to meet fleet committments.
Sometimes there was no monel (60 nickel, 40 copper) hex barstock to be had and us apprentices made it in 3 ft lengths on the shapers from round barstock. Pallets and skips of 3 ft lengths. For nearly a year when the Bennington and Coral Sea were under overhaul the shapers were manned 24/7 off and on making monel hex to feed the turret lathes and fill the FSS inventory with a couple overhaul's worth of commonly used hex monel fastener products - a much more expensive evolution probably increasing per fastener cost ten times normal procurement. But this was the Cold War, 15 months before the Cuban Missile Crisis.
We made hex stock exactly the same way as Adam demonstrated: calculate the stock removal, set the tool, take one cut 0.020" feed, 11 strokes a minute, index, etc. 6 cuts, one length of hex stock. If it passed the box end of a new wrench, good enough. On a good shift, one man could shape thirteen 36" sticks of 1 1/2" dia monel bar to 1 5/16" hex. Lordy, I got tired of shaping hex stock.
As a former production engraver I have an extremely high tolerance for repetitive mind numbing tasks.To-wit what may appear to most people as boring is not even remotely so to myself.So bring it on!! I find it very entertaining as well as informative
When faced with production work, a good tradesman challenges themselves. Whether trying to do more in a hour or making the process faster and more efficient.
Oh, I just love watching that shaper. Also enjoyed your way of setting up the piece. Wonderful video, as always. Thanks Adam.
Thanks for sharing the fact that you did make a mistake in fabricating the hex and reviewing a couple of ways to rectify the error. Being willing to admit mistakes is the sign of a true professional. That small part of the full video was the most valuable section; I’m sure that those of us learning truly benefited from your example.
Love the new music and congratulations on your weight loss. Health is number one....after all, you want to be able to enjoy all your great toys.
I haven't been in a machine shop for decades, don't own any metal working machines and I wouldn't know how to operate them anyway, but damned if I just didn't spend 25 enjoyable minutes watching a craftsman at work. Thanks, Abom79.
You are "nuts" man :) absolutely love all your work. The precision, dedication and craftsmanship you provide for us humble YT viewers is stunning. And also the work you do to yourself to lose weight. It shows man, truly. I wish you the best of luck towards your own personal self as well as your trade.
Dear Adam. You are simply the best. I’m a computer guy from Boston and I’m telling you I think you helped me find my calling. Your videos are up against funny cats and babies eating lemons. You win. It’s not even close.
Even better than Russia car crash videos? ( 😉 )
diggerop when the tool hits the chick? nah.
Adam, my friend, you are a good teacher! sometimes I forget that I am not as smart as I think I am. This is what you taught me: watch the entire clip before commenting!
It's just so satisfying watching a giant hex nut being made with a shaper.
Beware the machinist who says he doesn't make mistakes. I make them more than I'd like to admit. Nice video Adam.
The shaper is definitely my new favorite tool to watch, that thing is an absolute beast.
Had turned out really beautiful. I love the way Adam is such a perfectionist about everything. Just show you the type and class of work that he does. And not a bit afraid to admit to his mistake. Wonderful work just wonderful.
Adam, I have to admit, when I hear the music start playing my face drops a little because I know it means the video is over. I know that's kind of selfish but I just really enjoy watching your videos. Thank you!!!
I try my best to keep them at a happy medium length for all of my viewers, usually shooting for about a half hour. The really long run videos didn’t do quite as well.
yeah its a happy medium but for me, there is nothing better than watching a video like this when getting ready for bed. I learn best just before and also it relaxes me totally to great to get into sleep mode
Outstanding as always Adam! There is something so calming about the sound of the shaper.
Just bough a shaper today. Cannot wait to get it to add to my home tool collection. I think it is a 14" model.
Nice! You'll love it!
One of your best videos! When you get the nut finished up you can use the bar to make a box wrench head to fit.
I so miss these shaper videos. I was hoping you would bring a shaper into the new shop so we have old and new represented well. 😃
I'm a fabricator and a gamer yet your videos are the ones I look forward to the most. It's like watching just greatness. And I'm learning so much about tool and die and machining. Thanks Adam for the great content.
Watching those corners meet up was so gratifying
I have watched the shaper acquisition, restoration and development from the very beginning. I love every episode.
Me too. Amazing machine.
making hex nuts the 'old' way. excellent video Adam, thank you
Your chip-launcher sure does a good job shaping metal!
Shaper kicking chips like bullets. I love it
As usual awesome work. By the way I love your guest appearance in This Old Tony's channel!!
Well, just NUTS. Be it milling or using the shaper or the lathe, your work is hands down outstanding. Great job on the math for the over all shape of the nut. Kudos to you sir.
Just old fashioned machining. Thanks So much my friend.
Man that shaper aint no joke...... It's slowly becoming one of my favorite machines in your shop. Great work... love what you do Adam.
2 nuts are always better than one.. very nice shaper work..
I don't know what I''m more impressed with.. that the math worked out so well or that you so accurately go a circle of 3.434 or what ever it was. good measuring on spring calipers!
The go pro mounted to the head of the shaper is my favourite view.
I had just as much fun watching as you did making those extremely cool hex nuts. Seriously good skillz
You made the setup look easy brother! And the G&E continues to prove useful for some many projects!
I thoroughly enjoyed watching those little pieces of metal fly off with the smoke trails. (cutting the hex part)
The sound the clapper box and the cutter makes is so satisfying! Hypnotic =) Great video and great work.
That's production shop style threading!! Love to watch a shaper work, especially when she's peeling off the big chips. See you next time.
That's a serious set of Nuts!
Great job for the shaper.
Thank you for sharing and look forward to your next video.
Craig
Oh man, watching you cut threads is amazing! You literally go 5x the speed I do! Quick draw McGraw, is right!
Holy smoke! You still have a shaper? The last time I worked on a shaper was in about 1973. I was in Egypt in 2006 (military business) and saw a monstrous shaper in one of their workshops. Never saw such a huge thing (Russian made). Excellent type of machine - old school!!
i think we all need 10 hours video of working that last machine khhhh ting khhhhh ting khhhhh ting
Adam is a Master Machinist, *and* Adam is a Master Teacher. I would _love_ to be his apprentice! A true master is *sure* of their skill. They have the confidence that comes from all of that training and experience they needed to accumulate to become a master. So they go, "I made a mistake." with no problem, because they know they are human, and thus subject to making mistakes.
It will take a little time getting used to seeing that 6 jaw chuck. That shaper is awesome to watch. Thanks for the valuable example of "how it's done."
This has been a fun project to watch. Looking forward to seeing the boring bar in action
Sir I would love just to spend one day at your job or shop just to watch and learn , these videos do wonders but nothing beats hands on with the noise and all
I must say.....the making of that nut was pretty awesome. Something about the shaper that’s just plain cool.
I guess you could put the nut on the thread gauge and rechuck it to put some rounded corners on to make it nicer in the hand
Heh, i bet if you collected your big chips together including some of the colourful ones, and encased them in clear resin for paperweights, they'd sell like hotcakes :D
Looks like the perfect application to use a shaper gauge and micrometer to set cutter height. Neat process Adam
That shaper is mesmerizing to watch. It does a great job.
Those Shapers are a Neat Machine. I had one in the late 70s and Loved it. It was a Baby compared toy yours. I believed I sold it when I moved to Nv. Wish I could get it back.
You should explain why the pivot on the clapper box is at an angle when cutting with the side of the tool. I think folks would find that interesting. Beautiful job/video as usual. And your looking good too.
Angle the clapper opposite of the direction of travel, so the tool swings away from the work on the return stroke.
Thank you. I knew why, but thought it would be interesting for Adam to explain how that angle works to clear the tool coming back. The guy that planed my Bridgeport's ways used an air cylinder to lift the tool on the backstroke but still had to set that angle correctly for clearance. An interesting, but essential detail in machine setup that I find makes it all the more interesting.
Thanks again, watching this reminded me of when you helped me out finding thread length on my project I asked about on instagram. The lens adapter works great and was spot on.
On your thread triangles. What if instead of the piece of hose you have connecting them, you had a piece of spring steel that was tensioned slightly inwards to hold itself against the threads?
I love the sound of that shaper. It’s very soothing. :)
An other joy moment, thx! Your sure speak fluent machine!
I liked the math showing how to figure it out and lots of shaper work thanks
I like your precision... I do that in my wood working. There are some of us that like that. Thank you.
Love that shaper Adam, looks like you are enjoying it too! Great video!
For laying out that hex on the stock - once you've punched a center mark you can just run a layout line from center to the outside as a radius. From there you can use an angle gauge or block - anything thats a known 60 degrees and radiate lines out from the center 60 degrees apart. From there, so long as you are confident its a true enough circle just connect the points from the outer edges for your flats
Or a compass.
That shaper can take some serious cuts. Pretty nice finish too.
Damn that was fast thread cutting! with no relief AND a shoulder. crazy!
Would love to see a FLIR camera capture the operation of the shaper - both the chips flying and the piece heating/cooling off.
Your getting darn good with that shaper Adam .. ENJOYED !!
That shaper is cool
Is there a reason that you didn't use the lathe to mark the centre and to scribe the minor circle while the nut was still in the lathe chuck?
Nice work Adam always nice to see a little Shaper action.
As someone who did CAD/CAM for 27 years - Geometry is a Wonderful Thing!
Great Episode!
Thanks Much!
Happy Thanksgiving 2019!
those were the big boy chips I was looking for Adam, good shaper work man!!!
That was so fun to watch. However, you are such a tease. Hearing the music at the end is a mood killer.
Can’t give it all away at once Chad! 😂
Wow that 6 jaw chuck is awesome
So insanely jealous of that shaper! Can't wait for my own shop to get one.
Adam keep up that Abom weight loss great determination !!
in the right hands, those shapers are impressive lol. capable of so much more than I would have thought for something that just goes back and forth. thats what i get for underestimating things i guess.
I must look out for an old small shaper. Much more versatile than I thought.
Emma Ritson has a manual one.
Nice machine, I used one 27 years ago in school. Never had a shaper where I work.
There are attachments available for caliper jaws that are handy to scribe with and measure bolt hole cirles,etc.
Yup Dad is always the fastest handle spinner in the west. I do most of our CNC work so I’m not as quick/comfortable manually threading.
pretty awesome to see this done on the shaper tho as opposed to the mill using a hex collet or something similar - pretty cool use of the shaper there
Adam,
Great =video. At first I was wondering why you made up the thread gauge..but at the end you mentioned making more bars etc so I get it. You were using all the toys and having more fun than the law allows!
All the best to you!
Eric
Damn dude talking about splitting a hair. You was dead nuts on that line.
i have no idea what a clapper box is but i cant wait to see the next part of this series
In the first video he shows the parts to a spare one; they form the pivot that allows the tool to lift up on the backstroke so it doesn't drag on the part. I suppose as the tool drops back into place the sound is like clapping, hence the name.
That chuck is nice
Hello Adam, Looks like you are doing very well with your weight loss program. Best of luck with it. Nice video too. Take care. Doug
Wooah. That shaper is like an angry dragon, spitting smoke, metal and fire!
Dude, I dig that Starrett bevel protractor!
Excellent videos! I’m addicted. Tons of useful knowledge
Funny how a 4” part looks like 2” in the hands of Abom. Keep up the good, quality work. I dont comment much but Im an avid follower and fellow machinist in the aerospace industry.
"Machinists have tolerance issues" and the unhappiness of the 10 thou booboo on the nut is proof. :-)
Really like watching that shaper work, to cool.
Wow I bet I couldn’t get a repeatable measurement using those triangles. Great skills Adam. Regards Chris
Would it be possible, in lighter cuts, to make a holder with multiple cutters in the shaper? Like being able to pull two chips per stroke? And if that works, why not 3 or 4, or more? It's got a long stroke and all.
Awesome videos man!! I watch them all the time. Glad I found your channel. You do great on editing and keep your videos very interesting and still show and give a lot of info an also insight. I have taken in so many goo tips and tools from you and your videos. I wrote down that book I am going to add it to my collection.
Love the red dykem,don’t care much for the brush on method,years ago I came across some dykem in a spray can,I think DuPont made it,works great and it leaves a very thin coat of applied correctly. They might still make it.
Dykem still makes it in a spray can. Its shelf life is a bit shit though.
Plus its hardener to control where exactly it goes due to over spray.
Each type has its own uses
The aerosol can is good for larger workpieces. It puts out too much overspray for my liking, the brush has more control, especially for small areas.
I love how it's just firing chips out of there
Very nice job Adam. Good video.
That shaper is a beast. I expected you would need to do multiple cuts to get the depth on the flats.
Wow what a cut that's crazy the machine is a brute.!
You are looking good adam. Keep up the good work.
Are you going to make a BFW - you know, a wrench- to fit this nut? Also, I'm glad you're planning to set up for smaller boring bars. I'm sure you'll need to make internal cuts on smaller diameter work. Internal keyways , flats and splines are operations a shaper is really needed for.
Looking good with the loose fitting shirt, Adam!
That shaper flat out throws some hot projectiles lol