WTB 12" Long (or longer) Parallels

Good Evening,

I'm looking to buy a pair of long (12" or longer) parallels to use on setups and table adjustments on my new to me 20" Gemco shaper. I have been perusing Ebay but most affordable pairs have seen better days. I'm hoping to have better luck here.

Thanks for your time and patience.

Joe

I found it easier and cheaper to make my own. For non hardened parallels, I used Coreprints 24” straight edge castings. Just beware if you use that maker’s castings that they need a heat stress relief cycle. For hardened, keep your eye out for 01 steel drops. Worked out locally for me, not sure about your location.

L7

lucky7 said:

I found it easier and cheaper to make my own. For non hardened parallels, I used Coreprints 24” straight edge castings. Just beware if you use that maker’s castings that they need a heat stress relief cycle. For hardened, keep your eye out for 01 steel drops. Worked out locally for me, not sure about your location.

L7

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Thanks much for your suggestions, I may need to go that route as I am not having much luck otherwise.

Joe

jbacc said:

Thanks much for your suggestions, I may need to that route as I am not having much luck otherwise.

Joe

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You will not. EVERYBODY fabs 'em.

Grind shops exist. Easy work for them, that last nudge.

Decent die steel is often ground close-enough as-had anyway, you but cut from the same incoming lot and de-burr.

Tried that first? How many sizes did you REALLY need? Low enough risk.
Worst-case, off to the grind shop. Best case DONE in one!

And then the custom ones can last for many years of less frequent use and more care at it.

We'd do the same with the common "fits a KURT!" (and every OTHER vise, common or otherwise..) ones

... if they weren't too dirt-cheap and too often abused to bother wasting the time.

Uber-precision metrology is another animal from daily-drivers.

I did say "grind shop"? More than one level of capability set there as well.
Lapped and certificated ... if you have the budget for that.

TANSTAAFL but Timken or Latrobe "Graph-Mo" wasn't overly DEAR.

thermite said:

You will not. EVERYBODY fabs 'em.

Grind shops exist. Easy work for them, that last nudge. And then the custom ones can last for many years of less frequent use and more care at it.

We'd do the same with the common "fits a KURT!" (and every OTHER vise, common or otherwise..) ones

... if they weren't too dirt-cheap to bother wasting the time.

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Thank you.

I bought some ground, oil hardening, flat stock to help on aligning 3 doublelock vises on my VMC's, it comes 3' long and reasonably priced I thought.


https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn...tock?searchterm=ground+stock&navid=4287924320

Also useful to make your own as a first project to assess the condition of the shaper’s ram and how much flex the table has.

L7

kustomizer said:

I bought some ground, oil hardening, flat stock to help on aligning 3 doublelock vises on my VMC's, it comes 3' long and reasonably priced I thought.


https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn...tock?searchterm=ground+stock&navid=4287924320

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Moses Glick and several others now and then have odd lots salvaged from the toolrooms of shuttered biznesses, too. Starrett, Timken, and other "usual suspects". Some still pristine in wrappers. Some with a rust-rash. Still damned good steel, so... stash some.

"Back in the day" Timken WAS our "go to". Disston. "the saw people".. . diverted to fine steel and NOT saws, War Two.... by the government ... they were that good, was another.

Essentially ALL of our incoming made a FINE set of parallels, nought but power hack saw and de-burr. Full stop. Buy the best? Precision in the preparation comes along with it.

SHAPER? Get real! Decent horizontal mill beats it.
A shaper ain't never going to be a PLANER! Not at two FEET of ram travel it ain't! Always have to deal with ram overhang, leverage, flex, and ..gravity.

And "gravity" is about as persistent a f**ker as ever held boot, paw, or motorsickle tire to the ground!

Same tooling? Can be, surely.

Whole different concept of what qualifies to be classed as a "plane" surface, though. Same as a bedway grinder vs an ignorant radial-arm De-Walt with a grit blade!

Next thing you know? You are into "hand scraping" and settin'-up to die of old age and grumpiness of the ass muscles. Wherever they reside.



Ground die steel exists. Grind shops exist.

Run what THEY got!

jbacc said:

Good Evening,

I'm looking to buy a pair of long (12" or longer) parallels to use on setups and table adjustments on my new to me 20" Gemco shaper. I have been perusing Ebay but most affordable pairs have seen better days. I'm hoping to have better luck here.

Thanks for your time and patience.

Joe

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Here's some that may work?

Used Straight Edge Lot | HGR Industrial Surplus

I have no connection with them other than a customer.....

Kevin