new compression block

[ken75]

many of you know i make 3/8th dowel shafts . recently i wanted to reduce some of them down , but compression blocks are costly . so in a conversation at work with a millwright i asked how hard it would be to mill a tapered hole through a block of steel ......well today he hands me this my new compression block 3/8th to 11/32nds and i think this one will hold the heat a while . its a slab of stainless steel shaft

[gstoneberg]

Nice, looks heavy duty for sure.  Welders and millwrights are good friends to have.

George

[stringstretcher]

Look great.  I have tried the compression block from 3 rivers, also had one made out of brass bar stock with each size hole in it, but I always end up going back to hardwood.  If my blocks are not the right temperature, they will twist a shaft off in a second, but find that it does not happen with wood.  No really sure why.  And I use IPE and if the tolerances start to run big, I just drill another hole.  JMO

[criveraville]

That looks like it will hold up. Let me know how it works

[half eye]

You sure was not kiddin when ya said heavy duty........shafts are probably lookin for a place to hide as we speak.

[beetlebailey1977]

Oh yeah that will work perfect.  He turned and bored it on a lathe.  Thats how I would have made it.

[JW_Halverson]

Careful you don't drop it on your foot...it's likely to be able to compress more than just arrow shafts!

Keep us posted on how it works.

[ken75]

lol JW i usually wear steel toed flip flops but maybe thats just a south georgia thing !!

[Auggie]

Have heard that compressing shafts reduces the spine. That seems the opposite to me,anyone have the explanation?

[JW_Halverson]

The heat and compression crushes the outside layer of wood, the core wood remains pristine so there is actually less wood structurally maintaining spine.  You keep all the wood and maintain physical weight, but reduce the spine weight.

[chessieboy]

I did something similar but I drill a 5/16th hole in an old hinge.  I had a bunch of 11-32 shafts that were too heavy in spine.  I chucked the shafts in a drill and ran them through the hole.  It worked perfect.  It not only took off the ugly paint they were dipped in it just barely skimmed the wood and dropped them about 5 lbs. 

[Auggie]

Thanks JW, learned something today.