Trombone Hand Slide Tool (lathe project)

This is one of the recent lathe projects that we have just completed.  It was a very fun, yet interesting assignment.  I say that it was interesting because of how it was presented to us.  Most of our normal projects we are given have some type of tool that we can copy information from.  This project however was presented with just a name of the tool, a picture of what it looked like, what it's used for, and what types of instruments it would generally be used on.  It was our job to research all the sizes of the trombones and find out what the dimensions of the tool were going to need to be set at.  All-in-all, once you figured out the sizes, it wasn't that hard.  I did however learn that next time I cut steel, I shouldn't use so much cutting oil during the machining process (let's just say I had a big mess to clean up once I was finished).

Project Flute

 

Ladies and Gentleman, I would like to present to you my project flute.  We received our flutes back sometime during the middle of the first semester.  Our goal was to learn how to regulate and remove lost motion with correct venting, how to properly install / fix a pad, how to properly fit tenons, and so much more. 
When I received this particular flute, it did not work.  It even had a piece of tape on the case from the school that said "Does Not Work."  After I did my inspection, I could see why it wasn't playing.  The D and D# trill key pads were falling out, 30% of the pads needed to be replaced, a spring had fallen off of the A key, all of the keys were improperly vented / regulated, most of the corks needed to be replaced, and the head joint tenon did not fit properly.  Let's just say, I had my work cut out for me.
Once I received my training on fixing most of the problems dealing with flutes, I quickly got to work.  I am proud to say that after many hard learned lessons that I have been able to get it playing again.  I'm still fighting with shimming pads so that they seal perfectly, but other than that, everything else works great.  I'll have to make sure and update this post when my pads are sealing at 100%.

Project Clarinet

 

 



Valve Stem Lathe Project

 

 

This project began with the stock piece of brass shown in the second photo.  With this stock piece, it was our job to copy an already existing valve stem.  To complete this task we needed to take very specific measurements, face both ends, drill and tap one side, and turn / use a die on the other side.  Most of the steps were pretty straight forward.  The hardest step was making sure your measurements were spot on (give or take 0.002"-0.003").