Custom Billet Shift Knob for Toyota Tacoma (2-1/4" diameter). ***Utilizes factory boot.***

Here is the Bullard. It's the only piece in the building I haven't tinkered with. I will have to one day, but certainly not going to volunteer (at least until it gets a few repairs that make it safer).

 

In B&W, that looks like it is right out of the child labor era when they used to have them picking shavings out of the chuck while running.

 

Love those old machines. The place i'm working in today has several nice old pieces. A Devleig, Pratt & Whitney, and Giddings & Lewis Jig mills. A Bullard similar to that one.

Lights are off because everyone went home for the day but here are a few pictures.

 

They certainly don't make them like that anymore.

We parted with old Monarch, Warner and Swasey, Cincinnati, Bridgeport machines for newer imports (all Summit) about 5 years ago. The difference in quality is huge. We still have a nice LeBlond Regal and Monarch Series 60 to compare with, and I'll bet those two outlast all of the Summits.







My desk.


Spin around 360 and all of the following is there.

 

Sad and very true. The Mazak isn't a bad machine, but they definitely have a limited useful life. That was the first CNC I learned to program and run. It had live tooling and a y axis. I got pretty damn good at dealing with all the limitations of Mazatrol.

 

We had a SQT15MS(simulated Y) with a sub until 2 years ago, and I program a Doosan Lynx remotely that has a live Y. Mill-turns were my jam at the last place of employment, mostly 15MSY's and 5005x machines there (on the mill side) ... fun place with VERY interesting work.

I have a love/hate relationship with Mazatrol. I really think it hurt the industry (along with Hurco's Ultimax). Those are the 2 biggest players, anyway ... IMO.

We are dumping a lot of money into those '98 Mazaks because our machinists are dependent on Mazatrol ... and corporate is too cheap to replace them with another Mazak now that they aren't cheap anymore. G-code is foreign to most in my co, and it really hurts us as far as skill is concerned. Mate that with ego and cognitive dissonance, and nobody is willing to move forward after seeing what it takes to program the Lynx.

We also have a few 2 axis Pumas that some are doing well with down south, so I am hopeful. They are using the Manual Guide i (conversational), so I'm still not happy about the future when those wear out.

/ rant

BUT YISSSS, I fucking love actually using Mazatrol ... there is no quicker way to make chips and all it takes is a little imagination to utilize it. Our machines don't even have EIA/ISO option, literally have to make it work. Haven't been stumped in 14 years. MNP and MMP are annoying to write, but with a lot of patience you really can do just about anything.

 

Here is what I learned to code on back in 1997. Hardinge CHNC I w/ basic Siemens. No CAM either, just my fingers and a calculator.

I eventually got a hold of mastercam v9 to program a CHNC II and Conquest 42 before the Mazaks really took off.



My first mill work was in 2004. 500-5x work for Northrop Grumman, didn't really start small there ... but there was a really long time of nothing but observation and writing excel files.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

 

Yes indeed it is.

 

Why exactly are these not recommended in cold climates.

Anyone have one gone through a North East winter?

 

Solid Al in Canadian winter. Upgraded to Ti...much more tolerable

 

The main reason is inability to test within delrin material specifications.

Delrin will supposedly maintain its properties to -40, but within the context of the knob structure brings more variables to the table.

These knobs have only seen sustained temperatures of -15 to -20F so far (unless I get more folks reporting in on that).

My worry is thermal contraction of the delrin over the base knob material (which would contract much slower than the delrin would). The colder it gets, the more interference there would be in the fit. It would theoretically fail/crack once it went below the low end of the specs.

So far, so good ... I almost lifted the disclaimer after this past winter, but I will feel better if it stays up.

The math is buried somewhere in the thread, and discussed on a few occasions throughout.

 

Found it. This post through #553.

 

Excuse my ignorance here but.

Delrin is the metal used, or the plastic that attaches the shifter to the boot?

 

Delrin is the black plastic part(s).

 

Something just dawned on me- I don’t know why it hasn’t till now buuutttt- I currently have the trd ball as my shift knob and have use a rubber grommet for the shift boot to keep it in place.

Does the trd collar on the new shift knob attach my boot back to the knob? If so does this version just connect easily?

 

Yep, you just need to remove the OEM chrome pc and replace it with my delrin collar. Those install instructions can be found through the link in my sig, or at the bottom of the first post.

V1's will be coming a few weeks after I get back from vaca. (V1 and V2 descriptions can be found at the top of post #124. Pro tip, just go to the first post and click the link on the very top line.)

 

Thanks for the info. I'm very interested in buying one, but this concerns me a little.

Our winters are long, but we rarely ever get temps near 0°. When we do it's only a day or two

 

Got mine installed. Very nice work! Thanks again! @7r41lbr34k3r

 

Wow, that was quick. The label says 2-day ... and that was more like 16 hours.

 

That's awesome. Mine will be here tomorrow. Can't wait!