Tom Lipton

Articles • January 10, 2018 • Tom Lipton

Flat stones for fine finishing

Abrasive stones commonly found in machine shops are fine for run-of-the-mill deburring and abrading, but absolutely not suitable for precision stoning. For that, you need a pair of carefully prepared, precision-ground flat stones.

Articles • November 29, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Clever tools for finding an edge

The Shop Operations column in the December 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering covers a few clever tools for finding an edge.

Articles • October 12, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Perpendicularity: key to machining good parts

Checking perpendicularity is a recurring theme on the shop floor—one that deserves detailed discussion and special tools, according to the Shop Operations column in the October 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

Articles • August 25, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: A fresh look at 1-2-3 blocks

Many machinists fondly remember their early training or apprenticeships when they made 1-2-3 blocks from scratch under the watchful eye of a master toolmaker. These young machinists carefully machined the blocks oversize, heat-treated them and then ground them to size. They quickly learned that precisely holding size and geometric features to close limits is more challenging than it seems at first glance.

Articles • August 3, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: Consider a 4-jaw independent lathe chuck

In the August 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering, Shop Operations Columnist Tom Lipton challenges readers to take a good look at the venerable 4-jaw independent lathe chuck. "Many machinists may have never used one. Hopefully, my call to arms will change that, and a whole new world of workholding will open up to them."

Articles • July 19, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: Get your bearings

High-quality metrology feedback is one of the cornerstones of precision manufacturing, but that's easier said than done, according to the Shop Operations column in the July 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Articles • June 7, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: Catch a tiger by the tail

Most folks who run an engine lathe often work on the ends of long shafts, or rods, that protrude unsupported out of the headstock. Depending on the shaft diameter and how much unsupported length sticks out, this operation can be dangerous because of the high potential for shaft whip. However, with the proper tooling, this operation is a cinch to perform safely.

Articles • May 1, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: A better way to shorten screws

Every person who works in a machine shop probably has at least one task they absolutely hate. For Tom Lipton, who writes Cutting Tool Engineering's Shop Operations column, one task stands out above most others: shortening small screws and fasteners. He says he just doesn't not like to do it.

Articles • March 30, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: Workholder setup reduction

To reduce setup—as well as overhead costs—in a job-shop environment, first examine the workholding methods, according to the Shop Operations column in the April 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Articles • September 1, 2015 • Tom Lipton

Miscellaneous tips and tricks

This column, which is my final installment, is like that special odds and ends drawer in your toolbox, the one with all the weird stuff in it for which you can't seem to find the perfect storage space.

Articles • July 1, 2015 • Tom Lipton

Strengthening shafts, tubes

Shafts and tubes are straightened using the same flame straightening techniques used for plates. An easy way to straighten a shaft is in V-blocks or, better yet, mounted between centers in a lathe using piped coolant.

Articles • May 1, 2015 • Tom Lipton

Applying flame straightening

Shop Operations columnist Tom Lipton addresses flame straightening corrections in the May 2015 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.