Awesome! Yes, yes I do like seeing how everyone solves the little problems. Only thing I would be worried about is that it's a bit to set up every time, but if you've got hundreds of them on your list probably no hesitation
For sure. Next time I set it up, I'll probably cut double what I need. And the setup should be much quicker next time, since I know what I'm doing now. :)
@@forgeperformanceand4x4 not bad! We keep using it more then working on it (can't be a bad thing) but do have a bunch of content filmed for a future episode (whenever that is)
That weird blooper at the end was hilarious. Thanks for including that. I really enjoy these little problem solving demonstrations, because even though we might not encounter the same scenario, you have encouraged us to think more creatively about how our tools can be put to work. In general, one of the things I appreciate about your channel are the explanations of method and technique to achieve your goal. You work smarter, not harder.
A friend of mine that I grew up with in his dad's machine shop ended up owning his own shop and his tooling was only as fancy as it had to be. What works and is only as complicated as necessary is what is required. Good job!
I've seen choppers made to do this sort of thing in shops. The usual solution seems to be to take a pair of wire cutters, strip the soft handles off, bolt one handle down, and use a solenoid with a spring to pull the other handle. Then a foot switch or button to trigger it. The tool is set up vertically with the handles away from the operator with some sort of little jig, often made from something like Masonite or MDF or aluminum. Usually the blade area is small enough (and possibly guarded) so that it is hard to injure yourself, even when you are zoning out. It's a lot easier to get your fingers rapped by the handle coming down if for some reason you reach around back when you trigger it.
I'm really enjoying seeing the process as you take an idea you had for your own lathe, through a project for your shop, and turn it into a side business. There are interesting lessons here around the differences between building something for yourself and building it for other people's hard-earned cash. And watching you scale the process is fascinating. Please keep making videos about these type of things.
Hello James, I like this as it showed some simple logic and setup that most people could do without expensive equipment... More like this please... Take care. Paul,,
As a noob in electronics, I laughed so much at your method. I'm also jealous of your setup that seems to work so well, way more than the traditional way to do it... and you know, I'm also jealous of your equipment. I would like to have your problem instead!
Great video, im not a machinist but i watch these because i like the precision involved in machining. I also like the problem solving concepts that come in to so many of these videos. Good work!
James, thank you for sharing this type of problem solving. I think you give the best explanations of your thought processes in your videos than virtually any other channel I watch!
Love it! Your system works beautifully but a simpler (and smaller) option would be to add a stop to your flush trim cutters. I did that years ago to a wire stripper: drill a hole in the cutters, tap the end of some aluminum round bar, and a stop collar on there as an adjustable stop. Still going to be hard on your hands but at least it’s repeatable so you can focus on your tv show instead :)
Fixturing and jig design is entire science and engineering realm unto itself.....I've seen some really ingenious designs over the years, and even gotten a chance to machine a few. Thanks for the vid on this realm of engineering.
I know absolutely nothing about electronics, but your thought process to solve the issue you were having is fantastic! Excellent solution to your problem, and seems to work very well!! I love seeing the setups and even though they may never be used by myself, who knows, I may have some type of problem where I can use portions of your setup for something. Thank you for sharing!!
I appreciate people sharing tips like this. Yeah it's not a process I do or have a solution I have need for but sharing what the problem is, the trouble shooting done with the obstacles along the way is insightful and may ultimately help me in the future for some problem I come across
Worked as a ladder logic programmer on tube cutting machines using same style blade but high quality German ones. They mostly went to the medical industry and used an encoder wheel to measure out the cuts but your cutting action reminded me of them. They were set at a smaller angle and used a pneumatic for sawing action. The entire setup was held with magnets in a delrin block recessed with steel pins the blade would lock into.
Unless you are a true genius, you will never come up with a solution to a problem entirely "out of the blue". It is always a compendium of various bits and pieces you have built up over your life, aka "experience". So I have found it is always helpful to watch other people solve problems, you are getting a refined dose of their life experience distilled down to the pieces that allowed them to come up with this particular solution. Thanks for sharing!
Yep, like the format and I like the solution. I too am cutting up a bunch of these connectors, so I've just ordered a milling machine to make the job easier. Thanks.
Was great seeing a problem solved with what you had available.looks like you'd be faster by about an order of magnitude - no better feeling by knowing you've saved that much time.And saving the pain in the hands is worth it. In a previous job I had there was an operator in one product line tasked with cutting heatshrink to length, and this was done by hand. I saw this a few times, and realised it could be cut on an old cable cutter tweaked to handle heatshrink instead of cable. A shift's worth of manual cutting could be completed with a load of the (500 ft) heatshrink roll in the cutter, press start, then collect the bucket of cut heatshrink 15 minutes later.
anything with the thought process / problem solving process described is super cool. As you mentioned even possibly helpful at some time in the future.
Interesting use of the mill there James, probably not something I will need myself but a neat solution to the situation. As I get older I find anything that reduces the amount I use my hands is worthwhile, I may have the onset of arthritis as I have worked them hard all my life !
Great video. Always interesting to see examples of other's ingenuity and how they solve problem issues. Always interested in watching these kinds of videos.
@@vcarriere not if you offset each blade by the thickness of the plastic on the pins. Then your only ever cutting one section at a time but with way less time to do so.
Hi, thanks for the nice video and also all of the your other videos. A tip I do have for cutting those pinheaders down: if you have an Arbor Press you can make a holder for the razor blades quite easily and use that for cutting them down. The setup is much done every time you have to use it. Source: Working in the electronic manufacturing and we have such a tool.
Brilliant. I don't have a mill but I have shot hundreds of those connectors across the room snipping them by hand. Almost makes it worth buying a mill for. 🤔😄
Hi James, I like it thanks for showing it. Your right it helps watching others solve problems. I would not have thought about the collective error if indexing on the plastic. So the video was worth the price of admission, lol. Thanks again!
I’ve done something similar in an arbor press with a utility knife blade on the ram. Cutting chunks of soft rubber to size. Fixturing was not as simple as the mill table. Love your safety concepts! My setup had a wide open blade and gives me the creeps each time I set it up.
Thoughts to feed the algorithm: Lightweight spring to push or a weight on a string pulling the part towards the cutter? I wouldn’t think I would take much force to get that pin to touch the stop block after each cut, and you could position your safety rod to keep the part down as the blade cycles back up. 3D printed guide to allow more than one stick of pins to be fed into the cutter?
We did the same thing to cut a nylon .093" dia rod to length. We'd get an order for a couple thousand every month or so. We made a fixture with modules for every different length we made, then chucked them in the Bridgeport. Clamped a razor in the quill, and went to town.
I did this at work using a pneumatic cylinder and carpet cutting blade to do the cytting. I had a gear cut to drive them forward. Hardest part was getting sensors to count the pins. I had to make a plate with a 0.010 hole to reduce the area the sensor can see. We used a straight blade because it's in a clean environment and there is less debris than a saw blade would use. I believe there is glass fiber in the plastic bodies because it wears down the blades regularly.
Bro, I haven't been a really long time sub and just a few moments ago had one of your older videos jump up on my feed. I have to say that your personal transformation from 2018 up to now is awesome. I wasn't really paying attention to the videos as messed around in fusion when your Lathe VFD video started. Same intro, same voice, but the Clough42 was a quite a bit heavier. thinking back, I always thought you were flexing with the weights, but I understand now that you made getting fit a personal mission. Thanks and keep doing what you do.
So awesome! I love these videos. I just finished my vfd on my G0602 following your videos and it was a breeze! (Well, except for that stupid motor removal ☺) Thank you! Now I'm on to the ELS. I got your kit already and again, your videos were super helpful! Thanks for all the amazing solutions and excellent content!
That was very informative, Clever and simple…that’s always better than most other options. You’ll never get a clean cut because the plastic used is too brittle for a clean shear. Because I have a lot of small electrical components, I would go for a 12 volt or 24 volt dc motor with a speed controller running at about 25,000 rpm and mount a thin kerf slitting saw to an arm…like a chop saw. I really, really like how you used the vise jaws to align the strips for cutting. With a smooth cut, registration isn’t so much an issue….but admittedly, my solution is far more complex than yours. It’s greatest strength is that I have all the parts to cobble it together without several trips to the local hardware store or shop and wait from Amazon or EBay or other online source. Good stuff, as always!
Interesting solution to something that shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. I worked for the company (Berg Electronics) that invented the strip headers you are using. One of the more frustrating aspects of this product line was folks propensity to cut pieces to length rather than just snap them apart. The little notches along the length are there to initiate a clean break between pins. Try using a duck-bill pliers and a twisting motion and you will find that quite a lot of pieces can be snapped off in about a second or two each. No sharp edges involved.
I always buy the longer ones and cut them down. Way more versatile and way cheaper too. I do lament the loss of one of the pins every now and again if I'm not careful. Only 2 minutes in, though. [edit] I'm not doing production runs so there is that!
Brilliant, well thought out as usual! Hobbyist that do not have a milling machine could use a drill press to mimic your method. They would have to prevent their spindle from turning, perhaps by lightly clamping rectangular stock, on the top and bottom of their V-Belt and just touching the front or rear pulley, thanks for sharing.
What I think.... Yeah it doesn't matter what you put up. All you content is great. Really done well and informative. Just post whatever you ask yourself "should I post this?" It'll be worth it. For the guillotine, That was a good idea.
I enjoyed hearing about what you had tried prior to finding the ultimate solution. It's very expensive if you don't already have the mill and vise, though!
Love the safety measures. Half expected a vertically mounted track that you could load and would slice them horizontally but then if one jammed it could make a mess.
Great job. Use what you have at hand to do the job. Them you teach some one how to go about thinking it through to do that job. Once you have it figured out you can set things aside and do it again fast next time. That is what I like about this channel.
I think this is brilliant! The roi may not be there to do this, but I'd imagine that you could build off this idea to fully automate the process by spring loading the feeding. Could even move the whole thing off of the mill with a 3d printed jig and a small pneumatic piston or electromagnetic solenoid to perform the function of the quill in your current set up.
I had to build a little "Pnumatic Chopper" for exactly the same thing although six pins in my case. You would think that responsible adults with good technical educations would be able to count to five more reliably than we apparently can. I will admit that your sledge hammer to kill a fly ratio is much larger than mine. lol. Thanks James for the video as I can now explain to my wife why I needed to build my setup just because I couldn't reliably count to six.
Not that it matters too much, because you have a brilliant solution already, but since you mentioned it (cutting error accumulation)... Maybe the cutting error could be reduced by using a single bevel blade (like a: Personna 61-0021). Use the flat side tight against your vise to make a clean shear on the stock side and hopefully that would give a more accurate reference edge to register on your stop block. Thanks for all your great videos!
Awesome! Yes, yes I do like seeing how everyone solves the little problems. Only thing I would be worried about is that it's a bit to set up every time, but if you've got hundreds of them on your list probably no hesitation
For sure. Next time I set it up, I'll probably cut double what I need. And the setup should be much quicker next time, since I know what I'm doing now. :)
@@Clough42 just for fun, how long does it take to cut a run of 600?
@@boherrmannsen8219 about ten minutes to shear them on the mill.
Hey Ryan how's that lathe goin'
@@forgeperformanceand4x4 not bad! We keep using it more then working on it (can't be a bad thing) but do have a bunch of content filmed for a future episode (whenever that is)
That weird blooper at the end was hilarious. Thanks for including that. I really enjoy these little problem solving demonstrations, because even though we might not encounter the same scenario, you have encouraged us to think more creatively about how our tools can be put to work. In general, one of the things I appreciate about your channel are the explanations of method and technique to achieve your goal. You work smarter, not harder.
This is an ideal solution for this application. It is always enjoyable to see how people solve serial production problems; thumbs up.
A friend of mine that I grew up with in his dad's machine shop ended up owning his own shop and his tooling was only as fancy as it had to be. What works and is only as complicated as necessary is what is required. Good job!
I've seen choppers made to do this sort of thing in shops. The usual solution seems to be to take a pair of wire cutters, strip the soft handles off, bolt one handle down, and use a solenoid with a spring to pull the other handle. Then a foot switch or button to trigger it. The tool is set up vertically with the handles away from the operator with some sort of little jig, often made from something like Masonite or MDF or aluminum.
Usually the blade area is small enough (and possibly guarded) so that it is hard to injure yourself, even when you are zoning out. It's a lot easier to get your fingers rapped by the handle coming down if for some reason you reach around back when you trigger it.
Thanks for that!
Well thought out as usual! I do like it when you stray from your “normal” content. Seeing any engineer’s solution to a problem is always fascinating.
I'm really enjoying seeing the process as you take an idea you had for your own lathe, through a project for your shop, and turn it into a side business. There are interesting lessons here around the differences between building something for yourself and building it for other people's hard-earned cash. And watching you scale the process is fascinating. Please keep making videos about these type of things.
Hello James,
I like this as it showed some simple logic and setup that most people could do without expensive equipment... More like this please...
Take care.
Paul,,
Yup because a bridgeport mill is a cheap equipment . . .
@@zumbazumba1
As far as machine tools go, they are!
@@zumbazumba1 a small drillpress would do the same job, or just diy something
As a noob in electronics, I laughed so much at your method. I'm also jealous of your setup that seems to work so well, way more than the traditional way to do it... and you know, I'm also jealous of your equipment. I would like to have your problem instead!
On of those things you poke your eye out you hadn't done sooner. Smooth and simple
Very satisfying solution, I loved the fact you considered the compounding cut length and stopped the part on the pin. Attention to detail!
Great video, im not a machinist but i watch these because i like the precision involved in machining. I also like the problem solving concepts that come in to so many of these videos. Good work!
James, thank you for sharing this type of problem solving. I think you give the best explanations of your thought processes in your videos than virtually any other channel I watch!
That’s a super cool solution! I like the video format, so nice man. No crappy music. No silly quick edits. Just clear to the point video. 👍
That is very clever ! And the hand stop I wouldn’t have thought of that . That’s really cool !
I love seeing low budget fixes that are very clever to make a monotonous chore quick, easier and kinda fun. Keep up the good work! Love the channel
A GREAT demonstration of "Need a tool, make a tool". Thanks for sharing.
Love it! Your system works beautifully but a simpler (and smaller) option would be to add a stop to your flush trim cutters. I did that years ago to a wire stripper: drill a hole in the cutters, tap the end of some aluminum round bar, and a stop collar on there as an adjustable stop. Still going to be hard on your hands but at least it’s repeatable so you can focus on your tv show instead :)
Love the little joke at the end! Perfect expression
It is very satisfying to find multiple uses for existing tools. Great idea.
Fixturing and jig design is entire science and engineering realm unto itself.....I've seen some really ingenious designs over the years, and even gotten a chance to machine a few. Thanks for the vid on this realm of engineering.
I know absolutely nothing about electronics, but your thought process to solve the issue you were having is fantastic! Excellent solution to your problem, and seems to work very well!! I love seeing the setups and even though they may never be used by myself, who knows, I may have some type of problem where I can use portions of your setup for something. Thank you for sharing!!
I appreciate people sharing tips like this. Yeah it's not a process I do or have a solution I have need for but sharing what the problem is, the trouble shooting done with the obstacles along the way is insightful and may ultimately help me in the future for some problem I come across
"Catch the parts nicely as they fall" famous last words. That first one really had it out for you
Worked as a ladder logic programmer on tube cutting machines using same style blade but high quality German ones. They mostly went to the medical industry and used an encoder wheel to measure out the cuts but your cutting action reminded me of them. They were set at a smaller angle and used a pneumatic for sawing action. The entire setup was held with magnets in a delrin block recessed with steel pins the blade would lock into.
Unless you are a true genius, you will never come up with a solution to a problem entirely "out of the blue". It is always a compendium of various bits and pieces you have built up over your life, aka "experience". So I have found it is always helpful to watch other people solve problems, you are getting a refined dose of their life experience distilled down to the pieces that allowed them to come up with this particular solution. Thanks for sharing!
Don't work hard work smart. Awesome solution for this problem.
Good solution to a vexing problem. Video format is great.
Yes, I did find that interesting, and clever! A simple solution that works brilliantly.😎
Yep, like the format and I like the solution. I too am cutting up a bunch of these connectors, so I've just ordered a milling machine to make the job easier. Thanks.
Super clean, safe, elegant and satisfying 👍🏻😉
so soothing to watch, great solution as you said using what you had. I love the tiny boring bar!
Good video, I think that this problem solving process is a great value because there aren't a whole lot like this on TH-cam. Great content all around!
Nice solution! I like seeing how other people solve problems. Subscribed.
What a great little setup, I'm sure your hands are already thanking you.
Yes- The problem solving process is always valuable. Good stuff!
Was great seeing a problem solved with what you had available.looks like you'd be faster by about an order of magnitude - no better feeling by knowing you've saved that much time.And saving the pain in the hands is worth it.
In a previous job I had there was an operator in one product line tasked with cutting heatshrink to length, and this was done by hand. I saw this a few times, and realised it could be cut on an old cable cutter tweaked to handle heatshrink instead of cable. A shift's worth of manual cutting could be completed with a load of the (500 ft) heatshrink roll in the cutter, press start, then collect the bucket of cut heatshrink 15 minutes later.
Thats so genius! Simple and very efficient
Great project. Excellent engineering. Even OSHA shouldn’t complain. 😉😉
anything with the thought process / problem solving process described is super cool. As you mentioned even possibly helpful at some time in the future.
Thanks for "shearing". Brilliant solution.
Interesting use of the mill there James, probably not something I will need myself but a neat solution to the situation. As I get older I find anything that reduces the amount I use my hands is worthwhile, I may have the onset of arthritis as I have worked them hard all my life !
Great video. Always interesting to see examples of other's ingenuity and how they solve problem issues. Always interested in watching these kinds of videos.
love the shorter video format!!! and its an amazing idea for the pinheaders
make a 7 bladed guillotine jig, do the whole strip in one motion and you don't have to set up your mill every time you have to do this
Or a single bladed one for the people who give his videos a thumbs down :-)
@@BrilliantDesignOnline Ouch!
7 blade is 7 time the force
Then put the blades in a circle, and make them spin really fast
@@vcarriere not if you offset each blade by the thickness of the plastic on the pins. Then your only ever cutting one section at a time but with way less time to do so.
Hi, thanks for the nice video and also all of the your other videos. A tip I do have for cutting those pinheaders down: if you have an Arbor Press you can make a holder for the razor blades quite easily and use that for cutting them down. The setup is much done every time you have to use it. Source: Working in the electronic manufacturing and we have such a tool.
Brilliant. I don't have a mill but I have shot hundreds of those connectors across the room snipping them by hand. Almost makes it worth buying a mill for. 🤔😄
Hi James, I like it thanks for showing it. Your right it helps watching others solve problems. I would not have thought about the collective error if indexing on the plastic. So the video was worth the price of admission, lol. Thanks again!
i found it very insightfull , clever use of machines which most people will only use for their intended use case
Work smarter, not harder. I like seeing simple solutions like this.
This is fantastic! I like to see how other people solve problems too!
Very clever concept James but knowing you this will be fully automated very soon. It will keep you awake at night! Keep them coming . please !
I’ve done something similar in an arbor press with a utility knife blade on the ram. Cutting chunks of soft rubber to size. Fixturing was not as simple as the mill table. Love your safety concepts! My setup had a wide open blade and gives me the creeps each time I set it up.
Brilliant - simple & beautiful solution
Always a pleasure to watch. Very creative, thanks for sharing!
Yep, already has me thinking about a variation on the theme to cut some wipers for the box ways on my horizontal mill. Thanks James.
I like learning your thought process.
Thoughts to feed the algorithm: Lightweight spring to push or a weight on a string pulling the part towards the cutter?
I wouldn’t think I would take much force to get that pin to touch the stop block after each cut, and you could position your safety rod to keep the part down as the blade cycles back up.
3D printed guide to allow more than one stick of pins to be fed into the cutter?
We did the same thing to cut a nylon .093" dia rod to length. We'd get an order for a couple thousand every month or so. We made a fixture with modules for every different length we made, then chucked them in the Bridgeport. Clamped a razor in the quill, and went to town.
Love it! Simple solution using what you have on hand. Thanks for sharing.
I did this at work using a pneumatic cylinder and carpet cutting blade to do the cytting. I had a gear cut to drive them forward. Hardest part was getting sensors to count the pins. I had to make a plate with a 0.010 hole to reduce the area the sensor can see. We used a straight blade because it's in a clean environment and there is less debris than a saw blade would use.
I believe there is glass fiber in the plastic bodies because it wears down the blades regularly.
Very nice! Working with the things you have and keeping safe.
Bro, I haven't been a really long time sub and just a few moments ago had one of your older videos jump up on my feed. I have to say that your personal transformation from 2018 up to now is awesome. I wasn't really paying attention to the videos as messed around in fusion when your Lathe VFD video started. Same intro, same voice, but the Clough42 was a quite a bit heavier. thinking back, I always thought you were flexing with the weights, but I understand now that you made getting fit a personal mission. Thanks and keep doing what you do.
Thanks! And you're welcome! It has been a journey for sure.
Awesome video. Reminds me of Robert Renzetti's caliper cutter tool for wire/heatshrink.
Times like this i am greatful for my children
So awesome! I love these videos. I just finished my vfd on my G0602 following your videos and it was a breeze! (Well, except for that stupid motor removal ☺) Thank you! Now I'm on to the ELS. I got your kit already and again, your videos were super helpful! Thanks for all the amazing solutions and excellent content!
The PanaVise model 502 mini arbor press is great for this sort of thing. I use one with simple 3D printed tooling for various tasks like this.
That was very informative, Clever and simple…that’s always better than most other options.
You’ll never get a clean cut because the plastic used is too brittle for a clean shear.
Because I have a lot of small electrical components, I would go for a 12 volt or 24 volt dc motor with a speed controller running at about 25,000 rpm and mount a thin kerf slitting saw to an arm…like a chop saw.
I really, really like how you used the vise jaws to align the strips for cutting. With a smooth cut, registration isn’t so much an issue….but admittedly, my solution is far more complex than yours. It’s greatest strength is that I have all the parts to cobble it together without several trips to the local hardware store or shop and wait from Amazon or EBay or other online source.
Good stuff, as always!
Genius!!!!Cheers from the North!!!
I like that format, it's exactly about thinking before doing;) Thanks!
What a clever idea; I love it. Thanks for sharing.
Interesting solution to something that shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. I worked for the company (Berg Electronics) that invented the strip headers you are using. One of the more frustrating aspects of this product line was folks propensity to cut pieces to length rather than just snap them apart. The little notches along the length are there to initiate a clean break between pins. Try using a duck-bill pliers and a twisting motion and you will find that quite a lot of pieces can be snapped off in about a second or two each. No sharp edges involved.
Necessity is the mother of invention. 😎
I always buy the longer ones and cut them down. Way more versatile and way cheaper too. I do lament the loss of one of the pins every now and again if I'm not careful.
Only 2 minutes in, though. [edit] I'm not doing production runs so there is that!
James, you can now justify getting a slotting attachment ( Shaper attachment ) for the mill. Enjoyed, Gary
Brilliant, well thought out as usual! Hobbyist that do not have a milling machine could use a drill press to mimic your method. They would have to prevent their spindle from turning, perhaps by lightly clamping rectangular stock, on the top and bottom of their V-Belt and just touching the front or rear pulley, thanks for sharing.
Awesome solution to a painful problem!
Hi James.
Love your work.
Regards
Robert
What I think.... Yeah it doesn't matter what you put up. All you content is great. Really done well and informative. Just post whatever you ask yourself "should I post this?" It'll be worth it. For the guillotine, That was a good idea.
I enjoyed hearing about what you had tried prior to finding the ultimate solution. It's very expensive if you don't already have the mill and vise, though!
I suspect it might work as well built using only a cheapo arbour press and a drill vice. All it requires is one linear axis with a bit of leverage.
Neat solution. I have a similar fixture for my arbor press. Never tried my mill.
I found that interesting AND clever! 👍
Love the safety measures. Half expected a vertically mounted track that you could load and would slice them horizontally but then if one jammed it could make a mess.
U come up with some real good procedures
Very well engineered. Thanks.
Nice life is all about solving problems. Well done...
Great video I also get satisfaction and problem solving It helps to overcome the boredom.
Both….. very clever and interesting 👍👍😎👍👍
Simply Marvelous. What a treat to watch. Thanks
You had me at reach around.😂
Great and smart video, and the last part of the video made me laugh a lot. Thank you. Keep it up.
Great job. Use what you have at hand to do the job. Them you teach some one how to go about thinking it through to do that job. Once you have it figured out you can set things aside and do it again fast next time. That is what I like about this channel.
I love these types of projects
Yes, as you said: keeping this stuff tucked away in the back of your head can be quite useful!
I think this is brilliant! The roi may not be there to do this, but I'd imagine that you could build off this idea to fully automate the process by spring loading the feeding. Could even move the whole thing off of the mill with a 3d printed jig and a small pneumatic piston or electromagnetic solenoid to perform the function of the quill in your current set up.
Interesting & Clever….enjoyed…simple/smart solution
I had to build a little "Pnumatic Chopper" for exactly the same thing although six pins in my case. You would think that responsible adults with good technical educations would be able to count to five more reliably than we apparently can. I will admit that your sledge hammer to kill a fly ratio is much larger than mine. lol. Thanks James for the video as I can now explain to my wife why I needed to build my setup just because I couldn't reliably count to six.
Keep solving and keep sharing. Awesome!
Not that it matters too much, because you have a brilliant solution already, but since you mentioned it (cutting error accumulation)... Maybe the cutting error could be reduced by using a single bevel blade (like a: Personna 61-0021). Use the flat side tight against your vise to make a clean shear on the stock side and hopefully that would give a more accurate reference edge to register on your stop block. Thanks for all your great videos!
Loved it amazing idea and saves you time and pain