(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best dimensional measurement products

Not an expert, but

I'd focus on the drive train issues first, get all those tires working, might be a lost cause before going any deeper, but others will have to help with that, I take that kind of stuff to my mechanic.

Brake pedal could be that it's low on brake fluid, or one of the brake calipers is stuck.

My quad has a foot brake like that and a hand brake, but the foot brake only brakes 1 tire. That tire has two brake calipers on it's roter, one to the foot break and one to the hand brake. So the hand brake is all 4 wheels, and the foot brake is 1 wheel. There is a master cylinder on my hand brake and another on my right rear tire (foot brake). If my foot brakes master cylinder runs low or springs a leak, my pedal goes through the floor like in your pic but I'll still have brakes on the hand brake. It's like a double/emergency braking system. If my hand brake goes out I can down shift (engine brake) and lay on that foot brake to brake and not hit a tree...
___

Fuel wise, it's likely carburetor being old. The carburetor should have a primer on it that injects gas into the carb when you press/pull it. Those generally have a diaphragm in them (rubber) that tends to go bad over time and cause a fuel leak.

If you can find a diagram of the carburetor that would help emensely.

Really though, you should take the whole carburetor off, take it apart and give it a bath in carb cleaner (no plastic/rubber in there) and clean all the jets out.

Also, they make rebuild kits for most carb's that come with all new jets, and pilot screw etc. See if you can find one. I typically just replace them all, easier and then I have spares.

Also, inspect the carb's vent hose and make sure it's intact and not clogged. Check the fuel line too, for damage/rot.

You should also remove the gas tank and clean it out. Take the petcock off and inspect the filters and valve, then clean the whole gas tank out so there's no dirt/bad gas in there.

Then check/change the spark plug(s). Before running it though, I'd check the valve clearance on the valves, guides on that online.

Once all that's done, it should run good and not leak gas.

Then you can address your other issues.

Pending how old it is, there are some parts I might replace just because:

• Voltage Regulator
  
• Starter Solenoid
  
• Starter
  
  If the current ones are working, call them spares.
  
  Starters and solenoids are cheap, voltage regulators OEM are expensive, but you can buy a few after markets pretty cheap to have spares.
  
  Tool wise, I can recommend at least the following:
  
  
• Wire/Brushes
  
• Jack/Lift
  
• Compression Tester
  
• [Feeler Guages] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BYGIR4) You want these to go from at least .002 to .014 inches
  
• [Caliper] (https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Electronic-Digital-Caliper/dp/B000GSLKIW/) If you need to measure float height, you want to be accurate.
  
• Angle Finder Useful for float height, as most carbs need to be held at a specific angle for accurate float height adjustment.
  
  Then your typical ratchet sets, air tools, impact guns, etc.
  
  And socket extensions (long ones) because getting to some things is a royal pita.

> It may all be junk

If it works, and you don't have something better, then it's good enough. You don't need name brand anything, particularly when you're starting out. If you find something isn't up to snuff, replace it when you actually need to.

> A bunch of the tooling (mostly the taps) have some rust

If it's just surface rust then don't worry about it too much. If it doesn't rub off by hand, don't go making matters worse by trying to "polish" it with anything aggressive. Just add a light coating of a thin oil to stop it from rusting more. Taps, drills and the like are considered consumables. Properly cared for they can certainly last for years but if you are using them, eventually you'll need to replace them.

> Some end mills are obviously chipped, but otherwise I'm not sure how to tell which are sharp vs. not. Is it as easy as "this cutting edge looks dull"?

Pretty much yeah; although you don't usually need "razor" sharp; and in fact some materials cut better with a slightly dulled edge (brass comes to mind). Don't worry too much about discoloration from heat either unless it's real bad. A light tan on HSS tooling that's been put to use isn't a big deal but if its closer to dark brown / blueish / purply (and you're positive it's not coated or have carbide) then it's probably shot.

> Where do people get raw stock?

Depends on the project. If Its something that needs to look pretty I'll get fresh material from somewhere. If it's just a few pieces I might go online (Metals Depot usually isn't bad on pricing but it depends on what you can get locally). If I need a lot (weight wise) I'll call up some of the local fab shops and see if they have drops or will let me add onto an order of theirs for a discount.

If it's something that looks don't matter (for myself, structural etc) I'll troll the local metal salvage yard. Price per pound they can't be beat and you can get some crazy stuff you wouldn't otherwise be able. The downside is it's a lot of work and very inconsistent. When I make the trip out I tend to grab things I don't actively need but think I might at some point (case in point, I had about 150lbs of 2" plate sitting in my pile for almost 2 years before I found a use for it, but had I needed to buy it "new" it would have been prohibitively expensive).

> What kind of material should I start with.

Whatever is cheap that gets you comfortable with the equipment. Unless you're working on a project that calls for the "good" stuff, the cheapest simple mild steels and aluminum will be your bread and butter. Brass is also very easy to work with but tends to be more expensive (local market dependent of course). You could also look into various machining plastics (Delrin, hdpe, uhmwpe ec) but not having bought any myself I don't know how those run price wise.

Tool steels (O1, A2, S1 yadda yadda) are nice in that you can make your own tooling with it, but unless you ALSO happen to have a heat-treating oven that can reach and hold +/- 1800F you're having to farm out the heat treat to another shop; and sadly it's usually more cost effective (both time and money) to buy what you need; unless you love the "I made it" aspect.

Before you get too heavily invested materials wise you need to research appropriate feeds and speeds for your tooling and material. There is a decent amount of "wiggle" in what you should be running at, almost an art in knowing how to adjust for your exact piece of material and tools but it's a critical bit of knowledge if you expect to get a decent quality finish without a lot of manual sanding and polishing.

> anything else critical that I'm missing

I didn't see an indicol (offbrand is fine so long as it fits your gear) in your pictures but I could have missed it. You'll need an appropriate indicator as well. You'll need those to accurately tram your head in (making sure it's perpindicular to your table) as well as indicating your vises in (parallel to your tables axis). You can work around it, and indicate other ways but you'll (eventually) need the indicators anyways and the indicols themselves are useful in other ways.

Glad I could help. (Maybe? ;)

Good turning down the accelerations and jerk I had to do the same thing and it does help.

So for the glass bed, I bought [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QQ5Q3BI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) which has been excellent for me despite some of the bad reviews. I also bought this thermal pad. It has to come from china which is kinda a pain but it delivered pretty quickly and is HUGE compared to some of the other ones on amazon. That means I can use it for other projects and have replacement pads, which is nice.

Here's a great guide for this and for most things related to this printer

I also went ahead and upgraded to a Micro Swiss nozzle which has been a really nice upgrade for me. I also upgraded the filament feed lever because I like fancy aluminium replacement parts and the plastic one didn't seem like it was going to make it in the long run.

A note about shipping: They are FAST. I hit order and within fifteen minutes my order was out their door and on it's way.

The final thing I did was purchase a shim set. At my work, we do a LOT with 3D printing. We've found that using shims to set the nozzle exactly .2mm off the bed is the best way to get the printer to excel on the first layer. If you are confused on how to use the shims to achieve this, I can take a picture.

EDIT: When using the glass bed you're going to have use Elmers Disapearing Purple School Glue to get prints to stick. It's cheap and has been giving me excellent results. I may switch to Elmers Glue-All which we were using at work for Nylon prints and Gahddamn is that stuff great for nylon prints.

EDIT: RECALIBRATE YOUR ESTEP. This fixed a lot of my infill and layer problems because now my extruder is laying down the correct amount of filament.

Description

This is my good friend playing with my M16 Saturday. The photo is a frame from a short video. Apologies for the audio - lots of wind and the blast was so extreme, my phone didn't even seem to record it.

Technical Part

I built this upper from an old Mega Arms monolithic upper receiver I snapped up right after they announced they were ceasing production of them. The barrel is a Rainier Arms Select stainless 10.5" 5.56. The muzzle brake is an AAC brakeout (gen 1). I bought that particular brake because I have an AAC 762-SD and I don't want to erode the hell out of the silencer baffles. The brake acts as a sacrificial baffle, basically. To my extreme delight, it also seems to hold the rifle almost perfectly still. Bonus!

When I tried the upper for the first time last weekend, it basically wouldn't run at all without a silencer. It sort of worked with military spec ammo, but Wolf and PMC wouldn't cycle the action at all. I did a little googling and found that others had had similar issues with 10.5" barrels and had solved them by opening up the gas port to .078".

So last week, I took the upper apart again and measured the gas port using a set of plug gauges I'd previously bought. The gas port on the barrel accepted a .073 minus gauge with an interference fit. Since tearing down and rebuilding uppers isn't exactly a great time, I decided not to bother with trying intermediate sizes and went straight to .078, which happens to be 5/64". I didn't want to risk fucking up the rifling with the drill bit, so I didn't use my mill or even a power drill to open it up. I just put the drill bit in a #2 morse taper drill chuck from my lathe and twirreled the chuck between my thumb and index finger and let the weight of the chuck drive the bit. It only took a few seconds and afterward, the gas port accepted the .078 pin with a slip fit.

Today my friend and I decided to go on a 'rifle hike' out in the desert to see the remains of an old stone house. Before we left, he zeroed his rifle and I function tested my upper. It chewed through a magazine of Wolf and a magazine of XM855 equally well. Incidentally, the Wolf cycled the action at what seemed like well under 700 RPM while the XM855 ran at a good 850 or so. We shot the video using XM855 after the hike before we took off for home.

I really wonder why they sell barrels with gas ports too small to actually work. As you can see, the gun is ejecting like the gas is just about perfect at .078.

TL;DR;

10.5" 5.56 AR-15 barrels should have .078 gas ports, but sometimes don't. Also, 10.5" 5.56 AR-15s are pretty obnoxious :)

Thanks everyone for the advice everyone, I probably would have bought them had I found them yesterday, but I decided to go the DIY route. Since picking must be a very budget conscious hobby for me, I went ahead and took the plunge and bought the important tools. I figured making my own pins would be difficult and require a lot of crazy equipment, but I looked into it and realized it was a lot easier than expected. So just for anyone who's curious, here's what I got:

• $50 Kwikset rekey/pin set from eBay. 200 of each type of pins, 8 types of pins. Clips, followers, springs, and anything else needed to reassemble locks. That leaves enough pins to make absolutely every security pin that I know of, as well as any others that I find from watching people pick challenge locks. There are a good variety of these sets, so you can save some money here by getting only 50 or 100 of each pin type if you prefer. I just decided to start off big so I hopefully never have to buy another.
  
• $35 Rotary Tool. Used for a huge variety of DIY projects, including and excluding lockpicking. There are some cheaper options, but in my opinion you're better off buying at least a decent one to start so you don't have to upgrade later.
  
• $7 Needle File Set. Used in conjunction with your rotary tool as cutting/smoothing tools
  
• $25 Base Vice. Also is very useful for holding locks while picking.
  
   
  
  So in total $112 for all the components needed to make as many locks as I can imagine, many of which can be used for other projects.
  
   
  
  To add supplies for a few other DIY projects I also added:
  
  
• $6 Rotary Tool Bit Set. Used for various DIY projects.
  
• $9 Cutting Wheels for your Rotary tool.
  
• $6 Wood Plank. I'll use this along with the dremel bit set above to make a nice pinning tray.
  
• $2 12" x 0.5" x 0.023" Stainless Steel Feeler Gauge. Used to make picks, tension rods, etc. making it $2 per 2-3 tools. If the thickness you want is expensive/in short supply on amazon you can buy directly from the manufacturer here but in my experience the shipping is slower and the price is usually a ~$0.10 higher per 12" rod. If you really get into making DIY tools you can buy stainless steel feeler coils from easterngage which are 25' x 0.5" x 0.15"/0.18"/0.23"/0.25"/0.26" or any thickness you want really. For 25', depending on the thickness it'll cost you anywhere from $50.64 to $64.95. You might need the 1" wide coils for making double sided tension tools.
  
   
  
  So another $21 brings it to $133 plus $2 per 2-3 tools that you need. Add in this $6 case and a few $4-$6 practice locks around aliexpress (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5th, 6th, 7th), and you've got a great starter kit that sets you up to DIY anything you might need in the future. I also took advantage of Peterson's mega christmas sale (plus the 10% discount code they gave us) and got a ~$25 order of $1-$3 picks to start me off

I own a Craftex CX-601, which is a very similar machine to the one you've decided on.

On the vice, I would recommend either buying a vice that someone else owns and can confirm is good...or only buy one you can see in person. I bought a 5 inch Taiwanese vice, and I'm pretty disappointed with the quality of it. It was on-sale, and I figured it would "do fine" while I looked for a Kurt or other super nice unit on Craigslist. Turns out it does "do fine", but the moveable jaw was shimmed instead of machined square. Not good. On my table a 5in vice is a good size, but I probably could have gone with a six. Consider upsizing yours to a 5in vice.

It's worth looking to see if you have any tool shops nearby that carry milling machines, even ones of a different brand. Armed with your machine's measurements you can find a "similar" sized bed on a floor model and see what a 4, 5 and 6in vice will look like. That's what I did before ordering both my mill and my vice size.

All the clamping kits are basically the exact same in the box, probably from the same company. Shop around, you can save even more money:
http://www.amazon.com/Anytime-Tools-Slot-CLAMP-CLAMPING/dp/B007DMLBRE?ie=UTF8&keywords=clamping%20kit%201%2F2%20t-slot&qid=1458758346&ref_=sr_1_6&sr=8-6

http://www.harborfreight.com/58-piece-combination-step-block-and-clamp-set-3-8-eighth-inch-16-nc-studs-1-2-half-inch-clamps-5952.html

I own that end-mill set, very happy with it.

You have two edge finders listed, a Mitutoyo edge finder and a Fowler edge and centre finder. You only need the one combo unit, and this Mitutoyo is cheaper: http://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-050103-Center-Finder-Diameter/dp/B002SG7PPM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458758586&sr=8-1&keywords=edge+and+center+finder

You are missing a holder for your horizontal dial indicator, which I'm presuming you're ordering for squaring up your head to the table, and your vice to the table. The magnetic base you have is great for checking run out of the spindle, and movement of the work, but not ideal for squaring up the head. I started with a clamp like this:
http://www.amazon.com/HHIP-4401-0401-Universal-Indicator-Holder/dp/B01BHHY92E?ie=UTF8&keywords=universal%20indicator%20holder&qid=1458759060&ref_=sr_1_21&sr=8-21
Which I wasn't too happy with. It works, but it's pretty easy to upset the clamp alignment and you have to start over. I have since ordered this unit: https://www.accusizetools.com/egaa-z986-zero-set/ but haven't had a need to re-square my head or vice yet. Doesn't look like it's available on Amazon though.

I notice the mill you're looking at has the option to add the X-axis power feed for $299. If you can stretch the budget, definitely go for it. I figured I would "add one later" and even though I still plan on doing so, man am I cranking away on that handle a whole lot.

It's not cheap, but I find this set of drill bits to be quite handy: http://www.amazon.com/Woodtek-928828-Boring-Machinist-Titanium/dp/B008RE2CSY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1458759539&sr=8-6&keywords=115pc+drill+bit+set

Hard to say for sure without knowing his shop, so you'd probably want to try to scope out any recommendations for specific stuff to see if he already has something similar before you buy.

A good suggestion that I think always works well for any budget is to go to a local hardwood dealer and just pick out a selection of interesting exotic lumber, any woodworker will always appreciate getting cool woods to use in their projects.

If you want to have some ideas for stocking stuffers / tools though I'll list some cool things that I think are not super common that I enjoy owning or make my life easier.

Tiny-T Pocket rule

6" precision t rule

A really nice miter gauge

Router setup bars

A nice marking knife

Marking gauge

Magports

Tapeboss

Grr-ripper

Dozuki & Ryoba

Alexa (Alexa, what is 5 and 3/8 times 16... Alexa set reminder for 30 minutes to spray the second coat... Alexa order shop towels... etc, it's actually really useful, and it plays music too)

Shop apron

Quick sanding strips

Digital Angle Gauge

Digital Height Gauge

Anything from Woodpeckers is pretty much guaranteed to be great, albeit kinda pricey

Congrats, just got mine 2 months ago.

SeeMeCNC forums are awesome. Start reading every new post.

Best upgrade I've done: PEI Bed

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013HKZTA
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y7D5NQ

~$30 in upgrades; all my prints stick and pop off with ease. Also, the underside of every part is glassy and smooth. So good.

Buy "feeler gages" to assist with leveling the bed.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Proto-J000AA-Master-Feeler/dp/B001HWDOK8/

My bed leveling process is kinda like this:

• Set the Z=0 spot, should be where you feel friction when pulling a single, blank piece of printer paper between the nozzle and print bed.
  
  
• Edit the radius of swing in the EEPROM settings per the instructions (I missed this the first time through).
  
  
• Setup and run the tower calibration script.
  
  
• Figure out what the gap is for the central point with the feeler gages; mine was between .006" and .007" (.006" fit, .007" didn't).
  
  
• Now use those "Go" and "No-Go" gages to check the three tower points.
  
  
• If you need to adjust all three towers in the same direction, change the EEPROM radius instead, 0.2 steps.
  
  
• Every few tower calibration runs, re-calibrate the Z=0 point. It will shift as you move screws and change EEPROM settings.
  
  Let's see, what else. If you can spare the cash, I moved to Simplify3d for all my slicing needs ($100~$150 for the license). Love it. If you can't afford it, maybe you'll find a way.
  
  Also, get ready to do a bajillion calibration runs. I mean it, don't be in a rush.
  
  Find a nice 20mm box off thingiverse or whatever, and you're gonna want to print that repeatedly while you dial in your settings. Once that's set, move on to the hollow pyramid, or the 5mm stairs.
  
  I seriously printed at least 20 of each of these while I dialed in my settings:
  
  
• Extrusion Multiplier
  
• Retraction Settings
  
• Speed
  
• Infill, Outline Overlap
  
• Printing temp
  
• etcetcetc
  
  ASAP, move over to PLA. Prints so much nicer for me than ABS.
  
  Oh, before you go to PLA, make sure you print 3x of the layer fans housings (not just 1x) and order up 2 more of the "squirrel cage" fans (centrifugal fans) from SeeMeCNC. edit: I spliced the single pair of layer-fan wires into three right at the connectors, I didn't bother running extra wire for them.
  
  Oh, and one other big improvement I made was putting connectors in-line with the hot-end and for all the fans. This way, if I have to replace a fan or upgrade the hot-end I don't have to cut and splice wires, I can just pop it off and connectorize another new one. Here are the connectors I used:
  
  
• Hot end, high-current lines
  
• Crimp tool
  
• 1 2 3 4 for the lower-current fan lines and thermistor lines.
  
  That was probably too much info -- just take your time and try not to get frustrated while you get things all set up. It is not a plug-'n-play object, it requires care and feeding.
  
  ... oh, and have fun! Whatcha gonna print?

After looking through a lot of reviews, this is the one I got:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KDUD67G

It isn't just how accurately they can measure, but how repeatable the results are, as well as how well they zero out and maintain that zero. This one was one of the best-tested ones without going to the $120+ Mitutoyo. It is definitely superior to the really cheap Harbor Freight / Frankford Arsenel / etc (pretty sure they are all the exact same ones rebranded).

Edit: I used this to successfully build a 1911 from 80% as well as regularly for reloading. I've also had other known good items (gauge pin sets, gun parts, etc) to provide a reputable comparison and test of its accuracy.

Much more than you think or feel unstable at. I still wouldn't want to put it past 30°, but that's just me.

At any rate, the angle finder helps a lot with your feelings on the matter and gets you experienced with the truck a little more.

You could also check out a simple clinometer for the truck like this one.

I would prefer something digital for me, but simple is good and a great option as well.

Can you recommend me one under $30?

Maybe one of these?

These are in Canadian $

Digital Vernier Caliper Tacklife Upgraded Stainless Steel Caliper 3 Units Conversion With Thumb-Roll Accurate Setting|Auto Off Mode|±0.001" Accuracy|6" Range--DC02 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B071X63837/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_25oTDbK5CP5K2
$25


Digital Caliper Tacklife 150mm 0-6'' Vernier Caliper with 2 inches Wide Super Clear Display Auto Off for Length Depth Step Values, Plastic Material- DC01 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07DHLS3TF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_c6oTDb1NBFVFF
$17


Neoteck 6 inch/150mm Digital Caliper + Feeler Gauge Set, Stainless Steel Electronic Vernier Caliper Fractions/ Inch/ Metric Conversion https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B074M6LX1N/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_o6oTDb5D39CHZ
$32

What is a feeler gauge set?

I wouldn't worry about it at all then, personally, I'd just mix alittle concrete and patch it right up and call it a day. But if you want some peace of mind, you can get something like this which will let you monitor the crack and see if it is growing. But pretty much all concrete slabs will eventually get some cracks in them, it's just the nature of concrete. My garage is detached and on a concrete slab and I have a number of cracks in the slab. It's even worse in my area because I'm in NJ where it gets quite cold, so cracks are pretty much expected in any concrete slab you lay.

pair of calipers. pretty cheap on amazon and should be a standard tool for 3d printing.

here is a pair for $13 shipped
https://www.amazon.com/SE-784EC-Digital-Caliper-Metric/dp/B003MA08VQ

personally I would go with something better.

These are well reviews and liked and come with a case

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00INL0BTS/

$40

I would invest in some case gauges and headspace gauges. This way you can do a plunk test to make sure they're in spec without actually doing a plunk test in the firearm. I tend to check every 5-10th round to make sure they all seem to be in spec.. There's nothing worse than loading 200 rounds and find out that you maybe accidentally changed something or something moved and they're all out of spec.

I use the Wilson Case Gauge and it works really well. Lyman has one for about $21 you can try. I was going to get that one and changed my mind after I heard a story or two about the Lyman one not being stainless steel and got rusty.. but I live in the desert and don't have a swamp cooler so I shouldn't have to worry about that. Didn't think about it at the time.

Right now for a cheap way to trim, I use the Lyman E-ZEE Trimmer attached to my power drill.

You'll also want a good pair of calipers. I use the Hornady Digital Caliper and it works well enough.

If I think of anything else, I'll update.

RCBS Kit $300

Hornday Calipers $25

You need a case trimmer. I went for the WFT.

Then you need dies (sizer/seater). You can spend as little as $50 or so for this, I went with the most recommended which was Redding and cost $160.

All of this made sense for me because I knew I was going to keep it forever. But if you have the funds to do it right, do it right and dont skimp. Because even if you should decide in a year you dont want to do it anymore, you are more likely to be able to sell good components than cheap ones, and at less of a depreciation. I bought all this stuff a year ago, and I bet I could get an 80-90% return if I were to sell it now.

Just keep a few things in mind: Reloading, especially as a beginner, takes time. Expect 100 rounds of .308 from start to finish to take you 4ish hours. And add to the cost, you can see already that $500-600 is about where you will land with just components (accounting for the cost for a tumbler). Now components, lets do the math for 1,000 rounds. You have to buy Brass (expensive, 100 costs $50-80, but they are obviously reuseable), bullets (lots of 500 for $170, so $340 for 1k), powder (can be hard to find, and if you have to ship can be expensive, think $40/lb, 7lbs should get you a tad more than 1k rounds, so $280 for 7lbs+hazmat/shipping+$50ish), and primers (sold in lots of 1k for about $32, $27 hazmat shipping fee unless you pick up locally/ship with powder).

On the conservative side, assume you spend $500 on components to be ready to reload. +$70 (brass avg), +$340, +$330, +$32 = $772 for 1,000 rounds, just in components.

Now you are at about $1200-1300 for 1,000 rounds. But your next 1,000 are only components, so $772 (ish) per 1k from then on out.

But if you aren't even sure you want to do this for a long time, you may not make up the cost difference of the equipment. Which is where one of the fallacies of reloading lies, don't get into it to save money. Get into it to have complete and total control over the product that you shoot. If that's not worth it to you, just buy factory ammo.

Lastly, going back tot he $1200-1300, lets average it again to $1250, how much ammo can you get for that, right now? Assume you find Federal Premium Gold Medal Match 175gr (you wont) boxes of 20 are $35. Thats 35 boxes, or 700 rounds. Or you could go Hornady 168gr for $26.50. Thats 47 boxes for $1250, or 940 rounds.

Disclaimer, its early, still drinking coffee, please correct math if I screwed up somewhere (it's been known to happen). My close friend wants to build his first precision rifle, and he fell into the newbie mistake of thinking he could skimp on things, like optics. I wont say I demanded he 'spend twice what he did on the rifle, on the glass' or anything like that. But I told him I already spent more than his rifle will cost on reloading gear, which he can use, so he wont have to. So he has to spend at least $850 (Vortex PST 6-24x FFP) on his scope to use my gear. I think getting into this style of shooting you need $1k for the gun, $1k for the optics, $1k for reloading. There will be some the gun/optics category to fill in for accessories, or add to the reloading budget, but if you cant spend $3k for a .308 setup, shooting .308 is going to be too costly for you anyways.

Just from my experience, sometimes the print bed can get dusty if I don't use it for a long time. Something like Acetone works well to clean the bed if you have glass. My printer doesn't have a bed height probe, so I also use a feeler gauge to set the initial height.

Something like this will do it.
https://www.amazon.com/ABN-Valve-Offset-Feeler-Gauge/dp/B01IPWOAOQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481432332&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=feeler+gauge&psc=1

Let us know if you are able to solve it.

you look close, use more brake clean and a rag and more elbow grease to try and get that residual gasket off. a razor blade will help some. hopefully you have a machinist straight edge and feeler gauges for piece of mind, if not it is a worthy investment for what you are doing.
https://www.amazon.com/Starrett-380-24-24-Inch-Steel-Straight/dp/B0006J4GKK
and
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Proto-J000AA-Master-Feeler/dp/B001HWDOK8/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1465746330&sr=1-1&keywords=feeler+gauge

take an afternoon and make yourself a template. Put the bit in, make a groove an inch or 2 long at many different depths, measure and label them. Then just use that to quickly setup the router for your desired task.

They make guides that are already done like this.. But its a simple task that you could have fun with.

personally i have both of these digital / physical but tend to favor the physical version mostly.

I'm just getting into reload/custom loading and my buddy suggested this, it's real cheap but works perfectly for OAL, diameter, etc,

Clockwise Tools DCLR-0605 Electronic... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018D9JPPA?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Wow, I've never seen a nozzle temp that high for PLA.
I've considered going at a lower temp for the build plate. I'll try that.

The Buildtak is very similar to the original Ender surface.

I'm going to order this Caliper, I think. Comes with a set of gagues so maybe that will help.

https://www.amazon.ca/Neoteck-Stainless-Electronic-Fractions-Conversion/dp/B074M6LX1N/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1536243511&sr=8-4&keywords=caliper

I saw Jason Rose from Rupes using this gauge in a video and it is the one I was going to get. If it is good enough for him, it should be good.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LNX7KQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_sFNwCb5X24P9E

For everyone here : thread pitch gage. Machinist's favorite tool. Also favorite tool of someone trying to operate a 1985 cr125 with 30 years of shitty owners (ie: has fucking standard bolts in some of the holes instead of metric)

edit: thanks price zombie!

You can get better than .005" via feeler. The easiest 'kit' is just a $12 dial indicator.

With that, you need a 2x4 scrap to attach it to, some runner width scrap for the miter slot, and a 2"x12" scrap to simulate your blade. (The stick method gives you another 2" accuracy on each end to reduce your error.)

It's ugly, but works like a champ. - http://imgur.com/a/sIR04

Once you have your blade aligned, check your fence next. That's often a large cause of pinching problems.

If you want a medium-range one i.e. good enough but replaceable for everyday/student use, my research led me to these. They have a unique display with large-format decimal in/mm as well as full-format fractions (of an inch). From Clockwise Tools:

• 6-inch (~$20)
  
• 8-inch (~$34)
  
• 12-inch (~$48)
  
• Data-tranfer cable for automatic entry into Excel, etc.
  
  It is not a clone of the cheaply-mass-produced ones, or a clone of the other one or two styles.
  
  I've had my eye on them for a while but then my friend's drill was stolen off the porch or garage when it was half open. So until I talk with the door-to-door flyer distributors, I should put that first...

Metric offset feeler gauge made setting the height easier and more precise. Try something like this :

ABN Universal Standard SAE and Metric Offset Valve Feeler Gauge 16-Piece Blade Tool for Measuring Gap Width/Thickness

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IPWOAOQ

Your best bet is to get an angle finder

GemRed 82412 Digital Level Box Protractor Angle Finder Level Gauge Bevel Gage Inclinometer with Backlight and Magnetic Base (82412 Angle gauge) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WQLHG2G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_VXeGyb32QZHYW

I wouldn't fuck around with trying to thread match it exactly. Cut or lathe an appropriate top section and epoxy or jb weld it in.

Or, remove the threads from the casing and just shove your top piece in there.

Also, thread pitch measuring tools are like $10
https://www.amazon.com/Uxcell-Metric-Whitworth-Screw-Measuring/dp/B00N41CX6G

THIS. DeepSkull is dead on here with the cheap indicators and expensive indicator holders. I've got both expensive and cheap indicators. And I've got both cheap and expensive holders. On a little hobby machine (and especially when starting out in machining) you won't often see a difference in cheap and expensive indicators. You will definitely see a difference in cheap and expensive indicator holders.

I've used a few, and NOGA's are my favorites. The longer the arm, the better. I also prefer having a fine adjustment on the base and not on the arm. Doesn't wobble while you adjust it if its on the base.

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/NOGA-Standard-Holder-Magnetic-Base/dp/B001VY07VQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1494561300&sr=8-5&keywords=noga+indicator+holder

Yeah, I feel your pain in trying to get a level bed, and at just the right height. Seeing as you have the same printer, you might be interested in getting one of these https://www.amazon.com/AccusizeTools-0-001-Dial-Indicator-P900-S102/dp/B00SG6CIVO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484159862&sr=8-1&keywords=accusize+dial+indicator And mount it with this http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1998242

Makes it quick and easy to see how much variance there is on the bed height. I run some simple g-code that moves the probe around a 10x10 cm square centered on the build plate.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-CEM-DT-156-Paint-Coating-Thickness-Gauge-Tester-F-NF-Probes-1250um-/171398634717?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27e8279cdd

EDIT: Better recommendation: http://www.amazon.com/Extech-CG204-Coating-Thickness-Tester/dp/B005LNX7KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399171046&sr=8-1&keywords=extech+coating

http://www.amazon.com/SE-784EC-Digital-Caliper-Metric/dp/B003MA08VQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453590190&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=digital+caliper&psc=1

=)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VY07VQ/

$87.99 + $8.16 shipping on amazon (ha I bought this one when it was amazon prime eligible). I use it every day

Oh I just saw you said 2 fine adjustments...

FWIW, I've been impressed with these for the price.

I watched this video and it convinced to me to buy an iGaging OriginCal digital caliper.

This is a watch item. As it looks like it's pulling away, I'd put in sealant and attach a Foundation Crack Monitor to see how much movement it has from now through following years.

https://www.amazon.com/CRACKMON%C2%AE-5020AV-Reinforced-Foundations-Retrofits/dp/B00UVUJG3G

I would get an indicol holder like this for a bridgeport.

You would see if it is getting larger:

https://www.amazon.com/CRACKMON%C2%AE-5020AV-Reinforced-Foundations-Retrofits/dp/B00UVUJG3G

Mount it in an out of the way spot, and just watch it. Chances are nothing will happen. Which is what you want.

Can always glue one of these to your windshield if you feel the need ;)

You just need something like this. The metal thing with the two notches is for bending the top (ground) electrode. The wire feelers are exact thicknesses and you just pull it through the gap to measure the distance.


You'll see feeler guages that have flat blades like this. Those are for measuring/setting valve lash and you can't be accurate on a plug with those.

I happened to have one of these laying around.

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Protractor-Inclinometer-Backlight-Magnetic/dp/B00WQLHG2G/ref=pd_lpo_469_bs_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YD0K12RKN83PK0GPXT1S

It was amazingly easy to do with this. I don't think it would be difficult with a speed square either though.

This

http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-Breech-Lock-Press/dp/B0050Z5A6E

Plus this

http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-45-Die-Steel/dp/B000N8QLNE/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1462373534&sr=1-1&keywords=45-70+dies

Then a caliper
http://www.amazon.com/SE-784EC-Digital-Caliper-Metric/dp/B003MA08VQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1462373575&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=digital+caliper&psc=1

All that is left is primers, powder and projectiles.

you can clean your old brass is dish soap and a small wire brush from a gun cleaning kit

Depending on your clearance, these offset valve feeler gauges might work... They only go to 0.127mm, tho.

Non-mobile: this one.

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-digital-caliper-47257.html (when on sale or with coupon for ~$10-$12)

http://amzn.com/B00INL0BTS

http://amzn.com/B00KDUD67G

Here is the desktop version of your link

iGaging has a decent one.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KDUD67G

https://www.amazon.ca/Neoteck-Stainless-Electronic-Fractions-Conversion/dp/B074M6LX1N/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549892126&sr=8-3&keywords=Vernier+Caliper+digital

• Grab one of the angle saw blade finders (here's a cheapo one on Amazon)
  
• Find the 45, Calibrate the miter gauge, boom, have the accurate 45

GemRed 82412 Backlight Digital Level Box Protractor Angle Finder Level Gauge Bevel Gage Inclinometer Magnetic Base (82412 Angle gauge) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WQLHG2G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1mNXAb9QFNJMT

Could be plunger style gauges too, https://www.amazon.com/Wixey-WR25-Digital-Height-Gauge/dp/B006WMRVS4

I have an older iGaging brand of digital calipers, but the newer models look very nice, per this review. Avoid cheap crappy models from CHINA, per other videos by the same person that made this review. A good model should last you a very long time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqZx_FNbSs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AQEZ2W

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KDUD67G/