Making Custom BT40 Arbors for the Milling Machine! | Shop Made Tools

We’re tackling a satisfying shop made tools project: making three custom BT40 extended arbors for our milling machine! These arbors are designed to hold adjustable boring heads, and they’ll make future jobs faster and more efficient.
We kick things off by machining the main shanks on the lathe, turning down the OD and cutting the external threads. Next, we set up the lathe to cut the taper, using a BT40 arbor to dial in the cross slide angle. Once the tapers are perfectly cut, we complete the detailed lathe work on all three tools. The project doesn’t stop there! After the lathe work, we move to the mill to cut the drive slots in the arbors. Finally, we deburr the edges on the pedestal grinder and send the tools off for a tufftride nitriding treatment, giving them enhanced corrosion resistance and durability. We’re stoked with how these shop-made tools turned out—proving once again that having the right tools makes all the difference. Watch as we take you step-by-step through this detailed machining process!

In this video we are using:
- Hafco TM-1740G Lathe
- Hafco BM-63VE Milling machine

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About Us:
We're a down-to-earth real life machining and fabrication workshop in Australia. We specialise in helping business in mining and earthmoving to keep their machines running smoothly. We love working on broken parts and the bigger the better! We upload new videos every week showcasing machining, welding, line boring, honing and all the other awesome stuff that goes down in our workshop. Learn how we tackle different projects and see the satisfaction of creating something useful. Subscribe to stay updated on our latest jobs and projects! Follow us on Patreon for even more content and behind-the-scenes glimpses or find us on Tiktok, Facebook and Instagram for a chance to connect with us.

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[CuttingEdgeEngineering]

What’s your favourite part of this shop made tools video?! For us, it’s the success of cutting a quick short thread and the satisfaction of seeing it all come together 😍 Drop a comment and let us know your thoughts!
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✍Leave a comment below with your questions or thoughts.

[darrellhendrix]

"Couldn't find the tool i was looking for so decided to make my own". That statement sums up the reason i am up at 2am local time to tune in to the latest video from CEE. As always thanks for sharing.

[JonathanDeaux]

I once took a contract to rebuild 2000 water meters in the 80's. Involved removing two connections on the water meter ends, remove the meter, and replace with a rebuilt one, then take a ton of meters to the shop, open them up and rebuild. I fabri-cobbled a tool from steel pipe that allowed me to remove the top of the meter onsite, replace the internals, sight glass, and gaskets. I finished the job a month early. I still have that tool, will probably never use it again, but I enjoy looking at it. Nothing more satisfying than to make a tool, especially when it can nearly double your productivity.

[utGort]

I like the way they ship 4140 solid bar to you marked fragile.

[bartcolosino]

I'm blown away by the $100 in materials and 3 hours of shop time. I can't believe you were able to make these in such a short amount of time. Homeless, Kurtis and Karen, thank you for sharing your work and passion with us every Friday.

[rovert]

The photography is worth a million views. Well done to Karen. Brilliant skills all round.

[wk]

I had a tool and die instructor at a trade school who said "if I cut myself inspecting your project on a burr you left you fail the whole semester." Guy was a great instructor. Taught me a tremendous

[mapo]

Kurtis' talent is immense.
Thats why this channel is so successful. You know youre in for a treat no matter what.

[greenshortscouk]

Karens's cinematography is perfect for the subject. The multi-angle views, split screens, slow mo etc. are all just so good. I don't know if you have additional lighting, but it's certainly not dull and dingy :)

[joekanicki]

Sooo much talent in that shop! Never cease to be amazed at Kurtis skills and Karen videography. Homey even impressed with his bed trick. Cheers from Texas!

[Skeedii]

I was confused by the lack of the forklift entrance

[RamaChandran-pm]

I am a retired material scientist, but I love watching and learning about all sorts of machining without CNC, etc. This is by far my favorite, where various machines and machining are done not just for hobby or restoration but for real heavy-duty industrial equipment. This was how all machining was done back in the day, and very glad to see it is still a skill that is valued somewhere in the developed part of the world

[Finding_Nematodes]

I would like to thank Karen for capturing so clearly the delightful sound that the 16mm end mill makes.

[EuphoricBloodLust]

"For most jobs, the tooling is good... for exceptional others, it can be better... can't find anything better so let's make better"
I will never not love that attitude.

Homeless' one-pooch-band with the happy grunts and tail wagging percussion was an adorable touch too

[vincemck]

As usual a beautiful looking tool custom made....Kurtis is an artist...."better than a bought one mate"

[bobgleaser]

Some of this stuff with the lathe set up and work should be seen in EVERY high school machine shop. Priceless education.

[jamesdavis]

For short threads like that, I thread from left to right with the tool upside down, spindle in reverse.It’s totally stress free threading.Try it sometime.

[samheumann]

I love all the shop made tools, demonstrates proper planning and execution. Fascinated by the angle replication of the taper. Thanks for sharing.

[flightofarrow]

Thanks! I cut three pieces of pvc and screwed them to my tool cart so my hammers didn’t clutter up the tray was pretty proud of it, I watched this and started laughing at myself, you guys are master craftsmen

[scottminer]

I just love that little dog. It shows how much you love him by how much he loves you two. His eyes tell the story. Good on you both. Cheers from Canada.