golond

Wow, thanks for sharing such an excellent trick!

Great question. When you machine the first four sides, you're using the squareness of the fixed jaw of the vise itself to give you the necessary 90 degree reference angles. The vise should be checked regularly for squareness, and your cuts should also be verified to make sure something hasn't gotten misaligned (or a chip caught under the workpiece, etc)face 1. The first cut is completely arbitrary, and is only providing a flat surface that is not square to anything yet.face 2. You create the first 90 by virtue of having the first machined surface flush with the fixed jaw of the vise.face 3. You create the second 90 by flipping the part upside down with the first machined side still against the fixed jaw, and ensure that it is parallel to the second face by putting that against the botto...

Great question. When you machine the first four sides, you're using the squareness of the fixed jaw of the vise itself to give you the necessary 90 degree reference angles. The vise should be checked regularly for squareness, and your cuts should also be verified to make sure something hasn't gotten misaligned (or a chip caught under the workpiece, etc)face 1. The first cut is completely arbitrary, and is only providing a flat surface that is not square to anything yet.face 2. You create the first 90 by virtue of having the first machined surface flush with the fixed jaw of the vise.face 3. You create the second 90 by flipping the part upside down with the first machined side still against the fixed jaw, and ensure that it is parallel to the second face by putting that against the bottom of the vice (or an inserted parallel)face 4. This is basically the same as face 3. You use the existing square sides to align the piece in the vise, and your resulting face is parallel to the bottom face, and at 90 degrees to the other two machined sides.face 5. At this point you have what is basically a perfect rectangle, extruded, with no guarantee that the remaining unmachined sides are square to anything. If you were to put it in the vise without some 90 degree reference, you could machine the surface to have one side 90 degrees to whichever side is against the fixed jaw of the vise, but it could still be rotated around the other axis (clockwise and counterclockwise, if you're looking at the front of the piece. Imagine how you would need to clamp the piece if you needed to machine a 45 degree angle instead. There's no 'built-in' 90 degree to reference, so you have to introduce a known angle by using the machinists square.face 6. Once face 5 is done, you can use it as a reference for the final face by placing it against the bottom of the vise (or an inserted parallel) to ensure the perfect angle.

Just in case anyone else runs across this post, this version of the HF flashlight doesn't require destructive dismantling. It unscrews not at the front like the original instructable, but at the very back where the push-button is. Just the 6mm knurled part where the lanyard hole is will unscrew from the body, and the battery-holder will be exposed. Your problem will likely just be a leaking battery causing corrosion and bad connections, but if you need to remove the lens PCB you can push it out from behind using significant pressure. The lens is press-fit into the housing, not glued.

Many thanks for the link. Was looking over their product listing but was only finding sheets that were VERY expensive, or were only rated to 100F.

Hi Cristian,If the wires are properly sized for the current you need, then the solder will not get hot enough to melt. I'm guessing you're trying to use current from your wall outlets? You'll be using 12 or 14 gauge wire, depending on the amperage needed by your project.Wires inside power transformers for your home appliances are often soldered to the circuit board. The problem would be if your wires are too small for the current you use, they would get too hot. An example would be if you used a headphone wire to try to power your fridge. There would be too much electricity flowing through a small conductor and the whole length of the wire would get hot. The plastic insulation would be more likely to melt before than the solder, however.Stranded wire for higher voltages is much better w...

Hi Cristian,If the wires are properly sized for the current you need, then the solder will not get hot enough to melt. I'm guessing you're trying to use current from your wall outlets? You'll be using 12 or 14 gauge wire, depending on the amperage needed by your project.Wires inside power transformers for your home appliances are often soldered to the circuit board. The problem would be if your wires are too small for the current you use, they would get too hot. An example would be if you used a headphone wire to try to power your fridge. There would be too much electricity flowing through a small conductor and the whole length of the wire would get hot. The plastic insulation would be more likely to melt before than the solder, however.Stranded wire for higher voltages is much better when soldering larger wires. The solder will 'wick' into the strands and provide a much better electrical connection. There isn't much of a mechanical bond if you try to solder large solid copper wires together (thinking house wiring style wire here).PLEASE use a mechanical bond to connect large wires. Never rely on just solder to hold things together, especially when dealing with lethal currents. Home improvement stores will sell crimp-on style connectors that will let you splice 12 or 14 ga. wires together without soldering, or you can even use wire nuts used in house wiring. Combining soldering with one of these mechanical methods will yield the best electrical connection.Since I don't know exactly what you're doing I'll go ahead and say: It is against building code and EXTREMELY dangerous to splice cables inside a wall. It must be done in a junction box using appropriately sized wire nuts.Be sure to insulate your splices!

Loos great! Nice work on those custom-carved handles. There's something special about having something that is uniquely yours. Thanks for posting pictures!