You probably already know this, but tolerances are important. If your product is a standalone part with only one component, tolerances may not be as important.

One of the great advantages of CNC over manual machining is the ability to create holes of almost arbitrary size using an end mill that follows a helical path.

 Cutting threads is an important element of machining. Even if you aren’t into making your own, custom-sized threads, it still helps to know how to create them. We’ve seen customers get pretty creative with their machines and cutting methods, but with a Tormach mill, there are three main ways to cut threads.

Picking out the right drill can be challenging for novices like myself, especially when you take into account the material, flutes, coatings, point styles, tolerances, length, and other factors. But one of the first hang ups I encounter are the different types of sizes – letter sizes (A-Z), wire gauge (#s), fractional sizes (inches), and metric sizes (mm). My knee jerk reaction is to buy a handful about the size I need, labels aside. What’s with all these different systems anyway? Aren’t they just the same tool called a bunch of different names? Here’s what I learned.

Years ago, when I was starting out as a DIY machinist, my limiting factor was always the ease and convenience of rough cutting stock.

As the oft repeated adage goes, the design process is more often than not an evolutionary process rather than a revolutionary one. Nowhere is this more true than the case of our newest product, the RapidTurn.