Story of the little discarded beat up Vee block

[thehomeengineer]

Hi Paul

As it had a drilled hole in it, I didnt consider the Vee block being hard. When cutting the block it was clear it was made of cast iron and not steel. Very good point though and something I would have had to consider if it wasn't for that hole.

I have just started another project I am working on which is harden steel. This is a Dickinson No.2 morse taper lathe tool post holder which I intend to machine to make the main body of a live spindle. To anneal the holder it was placed in the house wood burner for 24 hours and covered in embers and left to cool for 24 hours in the wood burner. I checked to make sure it was soft enough to machine with a file. The holder is know ready for machining to take bearings either end of the holder for the main shaft of the live spindle.

Thank you again for your interest and comments
The Home Engineer