Fun to watch this process. By the time I was a Tool and Die apprentice, and with Bridgeport mills, the buttons were an antique. Neat to see how they worked. Great video.
I got them from an old timer when I was an apprentice. I tried to do what they told me about in the stories I heard. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Using a wiggler with a needle point makes locating the intersection of scribed lines quicker and more accurate. This would have been the usual procedure in a tool room back in the day. The lathe face plate is really the best way to do this kind of work. Clamps with jack screws make locating the die button so much easier. Holes often have counter bores, snap ring grooves, etc. that are easy on the lathe and difficult with just a drill press. Good video that shows techniques used back in the day that are still useful in the home shop and that a good machinist should be aware of.
You're right about the wiggler and being more accurate. I thought about the wiggler but wanted to show the you didn't have to be accurate with your initial hole and the button would locate the proper location. I guess I failed to get my point across. I should of used the wiggler and just told everyone what I was doing. I did mention the Lathe face plate, but only referred to it as a plate. I do know after working in job shops all my life is that if you did a job in a drill press someone would tell you that you should have done it in a mill. And if you did the job in the Mill someone would have told you should have done it in a lathe. My point being, there are many different ways to get the job done . But you're right , the best and fastest way would have been in a lathe. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I remember when I was given those Toolmaker Buttons. I was an apprentice Toolmaker/Machinist and an old retired Toolmaker gave them to me and told me to use them whenever doing precision work. Little did he know what the future of machining held for Toolmakers. Thanks for watching.
I had soooo much fun doing that video. I learned from the old timers that used that kind of tooling. They were great people and great Craftsman. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. Until next time, Enjoy.
Nice video Glenn! I'm working on a transmission adaptor to put a M5OD-r2 (late 80s-early 90s F-150 5 speed) behind my 8BA flathead in my 50 Ford Tudor sedan. I used the flathead bell housing to transfer punch the flathead pattern to the work piece (6061 alm 1" thick) drilled and countersunk the holes cut out the shape and bolted it to the block. I spent probably 2-3 hours fixturing a Windsor pattern bell housing to the adapter and centering it to the crank with a dial indicator via the center transmission support hole in the bell housing. Transfer punched and drilled the dowl holes. Re checked the center and measured 0.020" on the indicator. Which means I'm 0.010" off of center. Spec is 0.005" and since you can get offset dowls I'm calling it a win. (All of this was before I got the mill.) My point is you can get offset dowls, so the manufacturing process isn't always accurate either. And it makes sense if they were using fixture plates to drill holes in production. Second, same car. In 49 Ford went to independent front suspension on cars, it is a set op of trunnions on the A-frame ends and a king pin through the knuckle. (No ball joints yet.) The upper and lower trunnion threads are 3/4" 11 thread pitch. Normal standard for 3/4" is 3/4" 10. I found this out when I started to make a repair of the left lower A-frame. The hole is badly rounded out and the bolt threads through the ends of the A-frame as well as the trunnion. Thought you might find that interesting about the weird thread pitch on a production car. Have a good week!!!
You sound like a busy guy. You know, in 1949 machining standards was just getting started. The 3/4-11 threaded holes may have been a mistake due to an apprentice making the bolts to the wrong pitch. Don't waste the bolts just change the hole. Did you know that back then a bolt made by one company didn't necessarily fit specs of another company. 🤔 Anyways, Thanks for watching, Hope you enjoyed the video.
Hello Doc, Those Toolmaker Buttons bring back lots of memories. I was 18 years old and the man that gave them to me was retired and about my age now. So many memories. 😉
Interesting little vid, I'd heard of toolmakers buttons when I was an apprentice back in the sixties, never got to use any myself but I knew what was involved. Personally I would have opted for a face plate or four-jaw on a centre lathe but hey, whatever gets the job done, All The Best from Somerset, England.
The Buttons were given to me back about 60 years ago or so. I think a face plate on a lathe would have been easier also. I was kind of trying to reenact the story I was told back then. Thanks for watching and commenting.
wonderful......I have wanted to use the tool makers pins I have... but never knew how... now I do, but I will have to buy some gauge blocks I have been wanting... man, that was tedious......thanks so much for showing this old man the old ways.... my height gauge with scribe and dial indicator has spoiled me as far as marking out holes.... Cheers from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Paul
Hello Paul, I was an apprentice Machinist/Toolmaker in the 60's and the man that gave me those tools was a Retired Toolmaker. Every day at lunch he would stop by the shop and tell machining stories that took place in the early 1900's. I think of him often. Thank you for watching and commenting. Life is good 👍 .
The book is from Henry Fords Trade School. He had his own School to teach his Apprentice Machinists. Great man great book. Thank You for watching and commenting.
I like the use of these machinist buttons, but good results can be obtained inscribing a cross in dye, as you did. But then, we have to use a center punch on the intersection. This is for keen eyes and skilled hands. Next, use compasses to inscribe a circle, only for diameters of 1/2” and up. Then the punch again: mark the four intersections of the two lines with the circle. The placement must literally be spot-on! Tap only lightly, just once. Use a true (the point and shaft being concentric) centerpoint in the drill press, to find the central punchmark. Keep the press down lightly and fix your workpiece. First, use a center drill for the initial hole. Next, use a drill of which the cross section (I mean the area!) is 50% of the final drill, to pre-drill. The last and final drill should cut exactly halfway through the 4 punchmarks on the circumference of the inscribed circle, as a quality check. Machine and tools must of course be 👌. (As I was tought in the early ‘80’s- we were the last I think.)
Interesting, thank you for sharing your experiece. I am a self taught hobby machinist building small stationary steam engines and enjoy learning new things, well in this case old things.
those buttons are a huge help, using those and trig you can divide a distance be it a circle or line with astonishing precision, we are talking so precisely your body heat will start messing with measurements. found that out when dividing part of a circle sector of 5mm steel into equal parts (if continuing all around it would have been a 640 tooth gear) , things didn't mesh quite properly first go, turns out I could do about five buttons or so, then had to leave the steel be for abou half hour before continuing, it was my body heat warping it enough to become troublesome.
@@GlennNowOnTH-cam it worked out, sadly it was just a small series of bit over 300 parts, and there was no good way to do it otherwise as radius was so large, 2 meters so dividing head was out and this was mid 1980s so CNC was expensive for small series...
Whilst the accuracy is coming from gauge blocks via the indicator, the speed (or lack) comes from hand skill and touch - the right tension of the screw on the button that allows it to move a little, the weight of the hammer used to tap it in, and the operator's knack with the hammer. "tapping in" used to be a key skill, and speed with it developed with practice. A beginner takes a long time to dial something in with a 4 jaw, Abom79 doesn't.
I fully agree with everything you're saying. As far as Adam goes, He is just a Very Talented Man and Manual Machinist. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I'm glad I mentioned that thread size in the video. I never messed around with guns, but that would make sense. I remember the old timers when I was an apprentice machinist. (Almost 60 years ago) They all seemed to go with that size. Interesting. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Wow, That is the coolest 😎 . That is special. I often thought about the people that went to that school. I hope this video brings fond memories. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I used a center cutting 4 flute end mill. And, yes a drill bit would follow the previous threaded hole. The first threaded hole was to fasten the button, then place the button in the proper place with the help of the gauge blocks. Indicate the proper place on the drill press and stab (To use down force only) in the new proper hole location with an end mill so that the new hole is in the proper location. The key word is Precision. How close do you want the hole to being in the Proper Location. [.01 or .0001]
OK, you got me. Yes I used an end mill and yes the end mill wasn't invented until the 40's. I got lazy and didn't want to take the time to sharpen a drill properly. From my understanding a drill bit cut very short and ground with a flat bottom was used. Flat bottom drills where also used to drill half holes (holes on the edge of a part) they don't deflect as easily, making them perfect for this application.
@@GlennNowOnTH-cam Sorry, it wasn't meant to be a gotcha question. Historical machining practices are fascinating...and the only ones I can afford to do 🤣 Any chance you'd make a video about these types of drills? Geometries and such?
It was a good question. I knew when I was putting the end mill into the drill press I could hear the Old Timer that gave me the buttons saying Glenn you know better than that. But my laziness got the better of me. Thanks for watching and commenting. I will try and put together a video to show how I sharpen a flat bottom drill. It is quite the pain in the butt.
Her-MAFF-rodite, meaning it has parts for either gender, likely to measure next to a vertical surface going down like a cliff or going up like the base of a wall. The bent arm is probably reversed for the second case.
Watch making companies used this too . All of the old ways are very important to know . They are the foundation of what we have today . 😊
I agree with your comment, Old ways are important and the Foundation of what we have today. Thank You for watching and commenting.
I'd almost forgotten how we used toolmakers buttons and wobblers back in my apprentice days. Thanks for the memories.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Fun to watch this process. By the time I was a Tool and Die apprentice, and with Bridgeport mills, the buttons were an antique. Neat to see how they worked. Great video.
I got them from an old timer when I was an apprentice. I tried to do what they told me about in the stories I heard. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Fascinating illustration - and a learning exercise for you too. These old techniques shouldn't be lost or forgotten, as they still have their uses. 🙂
Thank you so much for watching and commenting.
Using a wiggler with a needle point makes locating the intersection of scribed lines quicker and more accurate. This would have been the usual procedure in a tool room back in the day.
The lathe face plate is really the best way to do this kind of work. Clamps with jack screws make locating the die button so much easier. Holes often have counter bores, snap ring grooves, etc. that are easy on the lathe and difficult with just a drill press.
Good video that shows techniques used back in the day that are still useful in the home shop and that a good machinist should be aware of.
You're right about the wiggler and being more accurate. I thought about the wiggler but wanted to show the you didn't have to be accurate with your initial hole and the button would locate the proper location. I guess I failed to get my point across. I should of used the wiggler and just told everyone what I was doing. I did mention the Lathe face plate, but only referred to it as a plate. I do know after working in job shops all my life is that if you did a job in a drill press someone would tell you that you should have done it in a mill. And if you did the job in the Mill someone would have told you should have done it in a lathe. My point being, there are many different ways to get the job done . But you're right , the best and fastest way would have been in a lathe. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thaks for that ,eye opening window in the past.😅
I remember when I was given those Toolmaker Buttons. I was an apprentice Toolmaker/Machinist and an old retired Toolmaker gave them to me and told me to use them whenever doing precision work. Little did he know what the future of machining held for Toolmakers. Thanks for watching.
Wow that was an eye opener into the past. Many thoughts arise from that and yes I am glad we have the tools and methods now!
I had soooo much fun doing that video. I learned from the old timers that used that kind of tooling. They were great people and great Craftsman. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. Until next time, Enjoy.
Nice video Glenn! I'm working on a transmission adaptor to put a M5OD-r2 (late 80s-early 90s F-150 5 speed) behind my 8BA flathead in my 50 Ford Tudor sedan. I used the flathead bell housing to transfer punch the flathead pattern to the work piece (6061 alm 1" thick) drilled and countersunk the holes cut out the shape and bolted it to the block. I spent probably 2-3 hours fixturing a Windsor pattern bell housing to the adapter and centering it to the crank with a dial indicator via the center transmission support hole in the bell housing. Transfer punched and drilled the dowl holes. Re checked the center and measured 0.020" on the indicator. Which means I'm 0.010" off of center. Spec is 0.005" and since you can get offset dowls I'm calling it a win. (All of this was before I got the mill.) My point is you can get offset dowls, so the manufacturing process isn't always accurate either. And it makes sense if they were using fixture plates to drill holes in production. Second, same car. In 49 Ford went to independent front suspension on cars, it is a set op of trunnions on the A-frame ends and a king pin through the knuckle. (No ball joints yet.) The upper and lower trunnion threads are 3/4" 11 thread pitch. Normal standard for 3/4" is 3/4" 10. I found this out when I started to make a repair of the left lower A-frame. The hole is badly rounded out and the bolt threads through the ends of the A-frame as well as the trunnion. Thought you might find that interesting about the weird thread pitch on a production car. Have a good week!!!
You sound like a busy guy. You know, in 1949 machining standards was just getting started. The 3/4-11 threaded holes may have been a mistake due to an apprentice making the bolts to the wrong pitch. Don't waste the bolts just change the hole. Did you know that back then a bolt made by one company didn't necessarily fit specs of another company. 🤔 Anyways, Thanks for watching, Hope you enjoyed the video.
@@GlennNowOnTH-cam Not as busy as I'd like to be. But we are getting there.
Informative as always Hulkster. I always like learning the "old ways." We can all learn from history.
Hello Doc, Those Toolmaker Buttons bring back lots of memories. I was 18 years old and the man that gave them to me was retired and about my age now. So many memories. 😉
Interesting little vid, I'd heard of toolmakers buttons when I was an apprentice back in the sixties, never got to use any myself but I knew what was involved. Personally I would have opted for a face plate or four-jaw on a centre lathe but hey, whatever gets the job done, All The Best from Somerset, England.
The Buttons were given to me back about 60 years ago or so. I think a face plate on a lathe would have been easier also. I was kind of trying to reenact the story I was told back then. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Fascinating
They sure are.🤔 Thanks for watching.
wonderful......I have wanted to use the tool makers pins I have... but never knew how...
now I do, but I will have to buy some gauge blocks I have been wanting...
man, that was tedious......thanks so much for showing this old man the old ways....
my height gauge with scribe and dial indicator has spoiled me as far as marking out holes....
Cheers from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Paul
Hello Paul, I was an apprentice Machinist/Toolmaker in the 60's and the man that gave me those tools was a Retired Toolmaker. Every day at lunch he would stop by the shop and tell machining stories that took place in the early 1900's. I think of him often. Thank you for watching and commenting. Life is good 👍 .
Very nice work sir. That book looks interesting. A piece of history. Love it
The book is from Henry Fords Trade School. He had his own School to teach his Apprentice Machinists. Great man great book. Thank You for watching and commenting.
@@GlennNowOnTH-cam that really sounds great
Very cool, always wanted to know how to use those buttons
I'm sure that I am forgetting something. 🤔 It was a long time ago. Thanks for watching.
I like the use of these machinist buttons, but good results can be obtained inscribing a cross in dye, as you did. But then, we have to use a center punch on the intersection. This is for keen eyes and skilled hands. Next, use compasses to inscribe a circle, only for diameters of 1/2” and up. Then the punch again: mark the four intersections of the two lines with the circle. The placement must literally be spot-on! Tap only lightly, just once.
Use a true (the point and shaft being concentric) centerpoint in the drill press, to find the central punchmark. Keep the press down lightly and fix your workpiece. First, use a center drill for the initial hole. Next, use a drill of which the cross section (I mean the area!) is 50% of the final drill, to pre-drill. The last and final drill should cut exactly halfway through the 4 punchmarks on the circumference of the inscribed circle, as a quality check. Machine and tools must of course be 👌.
(As I was tought in the early ‘80’s- we were the last I think.)
Thank You for this information. Sounds like you know what you're talking about. Always appreciative of proper instructions for the shop.
Interesting, thank you for sharing your experiece. I am a self taught hobby machinist building small stationary steam engines and enjoy learning new things, well in this case old things.
Hobby machining is a great way to spend your time. Do you ever film your projects? Thanks for watching and commenting.
those buttons are a huge help, using those and trig you can divide a distance be it a circle or line with astonishing precision, we are talking so precisely your body heat will start messing with measurements.
found that out when dividing part of a circle sector of 5mm steel into equal parts (if continuing all around it would have been a 640 tooth gear) , things didn't mesh quite properly first go, turns out I could do about five buttons or so, then had to leave the steel be for abou half hour before continuing, it was my body heat warping it enough to become troublesome.
That's an amazing story. But I know what you mean. Hope your project worked out. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@GlennNowOnTH-cam it worked out, sadly it was just a small series of bit over 300 parts, and there was no good way to do it otherwise as radius was so large, 2 meters so dividing head was out and this was mid 1980s so CNC was expensive for small series...
Them were the days. 🙂 where there's a will, there's a way.
Very interesting and informative 👍
Thank You, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Now it only takes
$50,000 worth of machines to do that.
Don't forget the Computers and Software needed to run those machines.
Whilst the accuracy is coming from gauge blocks via the indicator, the speed (or lack) comes from hand skill and touch - the right tension of the screw on the button that allows it to move a little, the weight of the hammer used to tap it in, and the operator's knack with the hammer. "tapping in" used to be a key skill, and speed with it developed with practice.
A beginner takes a long time to dial something in with a 4 jaw, Abom79 doesn't.
I fully agree with everything you're saying. As far as Adam goes, He is just a Very Talented Man and Manual Machinist. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Not sure if it's related or not but 5-40 threads are very common on pre WWII firearms. Less common but still used on some modern ones as well.
I'm glad I mentioned that thread size in the video. I never messed around with guns, but that would make sense. I remember the old timers when I was an apprentice machinist. (Almost 60 years ago) They all seemed to go with that size. Interesting. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Only metric is used nowadays.
my dad went too that ford school,grand pa went too hersey scool in penn
Wow, That is the coolest 😎 . That is special. I often thought about the people that went to that school. I hope this video brings fond memories. Thank you for watching and commenting.
yes ,i still have the work books too@@GlennNowOnTH-cam
Are these 'toolmakers buttons' also called 'machinists buttons'?
I was taught this sort of approach in the 1970s!
Machinist/Toolmaker Buttons. I've heard them called both. I've also heard them called layout position Buttons. Thanks for watching.
What did you use to drill it before you reamed? Wouldn't a drill bit follow the previous threaded hole?
I used a center cutting 4 flute end mill. And, yes a drill bit would follow the previous threaded hole. The first threaded hole was to fasten the button, then place the button in the proper place with the help of the gauge blocks. Indicate the proper place on the drill press and stab (To use down force only) in the new proper hole location with an end mill so that the new hole is in the proper location. The key word is Precision. How close do you want the hole to being in the Proper Location. [.01 or .0001]
@@GlennNowOnTH-cam Thank You. Now the real question is, how did they do it in 1934? As the endmill wasn't invented until the 1940's
OK, you got me. Yes I used an end mill and yes the end mill wasn't invented until the 40's. I got lazy and didn't want to take the time to sharpen a drill properly. From my understanding a drill bit cut very short and ground with a flat bottom was used. Flat bottom drills where also used to drill half holes (holes on the edge of a part) they don't deflect as easily, making them perfect for this application.
@@GlennNowOnTH-cam Sorry, it wasn't meant to be a gotcha question. Historical machining practices are fascinating...and the only ones I can afford to do 🤣
Any chance you'd make a video about these types of drills? Geometries and such?
It was a good question. I knew when I was putting the end mill into the drill press I could hear the Old Timer that gave me the buttons saying Glenn you know better than that. But my laziness got the better of me. Thanks for watching and commenting. I will try and put together a video to show how I sharpen a flat bottom drill. It is quite the pain in the butt.
Her-MAFF-rodite, meaning it has parts for either gender, likely to measure next to a vertical surface going down like a cliff or going up like the base of a wall. The bent arm is probably reversed for the second case.
Thanks for watching and commenting on my video.
Yeah,go back to how they did it in 1934.First thing,take off your safety glasses
Lol, safety wasn't a big concern back then🤔. Not until Unions came about.