I was thinking that the bolt on the side can be removed entirely with no adverse effect. It looks to me like it is there just for mounting the spring. I guess it would be easy enough to test.
I think you are right again. The bolt on the side does provide a stop, but of course that would also be accomplished by the proposed longitudinal bolt head on top. Good problem solving on your part.
I’ll probably will still mill a piece of square stock as I proposed earlier, but I think what you suggest will also work well. Again a good idea.
Given how cheap this tool is, it is still worth purchasing 2 just in case one breaks. I’ve used a lot of force on mine and I dont see it being particularly easy to break it in normal use.
Perhaps it depends on the “model”. My Aliexpress model failed after a not too thick graft. I would in no way expect a second unit to hold up better. I’ve found two pieces of junk aren’t really much better than one.
But… if the Amazon model is better, then that’s a go, imo.
Also, maybe I got an extra junky/weak model from Aliexpress.
1 Like
Mine was from Ali as well. I wasn’t hard on mine I just used it as a grafting tool with scions not more than pencil size or close to it. Now I can use it as a hammer if I like.
1 Like
Or a conversation piece. It’s such a contraption, who could guess what it’s used for, especially one that’s broken?
1 Like
I took a closer look at mind and can see how tacking it back in place will be problematic.
One of the problems I had with mine was some damage to some of the softer woods by the anvil. I decided to try to pad it. I took a piece of 3M Scotch 2242 which is more rubber than tape. It does not stick well itself, but it has a little thickness to it. I laid it on top of the anvil and then put a piece of electrical tape over it to anchor it in place.
Next I closed it to cut the tape. I then use a little more electrical tape to secure the cut ends in place:
It is a little hard to see from the pic but there is a gap for the blades to go through and it closes and cuts fine. This would have been easier if I had removed the anvil. padded it, and then replaced it, but I didn’t want to mess with adjusting it just right.
Just thought I’d pass this on if anyone else is having a similar issue.
2 Likes
What softer woods are you using? I used them for figs which are quite soft.
This is THE tool and method recommended for grafting plumerias which are extremely soft.
I don’t have an issue with persimmon or Jujube, but for apples, the anvil can rip the bark slightly on the back side of the cut. When I looked that the pictures some folks have posted, I came to the conclusion that there are a number of Chinese companies making these knockoffs, each a bit differently. I notice that the anvils in some of the pics folks posted are finished like the rest of the tool. Mine are silver in color and made of a different kind of metal. They look like they were cast. They seem a bit rougher. This could also be why some are breaking and others are not. They all probably stole the same plans but came up with slightly different ways of manufacturing them.
1 Like
The anvils I have on my red tool are nearly as good as on the Raggett tool(but Raggett is better). They are also made of cast iron and are very closely matched to the cutting blades.
I also bought another tool at that time from Alibaba that was a bit lighter in color. The anvil was entirely different and made of some light aluminum material. The fit wasn’t as good at all. The tool was significantly lighter if I recall.
1 Like
That is another thing about Chinese knock-offs. There is nearly zero QC. I’ve noticed this in the remote sensing camera market as well. They have high-end features, very good picture quality, low cost but a short lifespan and one guy can get a really good one and the next a lemon. I’m guessing the cast on my anvils were just ratty and overlooked. I’ve only heard of a few folks complain about the same minor issue I was having with slightly damaged cambium.
2 Likes
So I finally got some time and made a new vertical shaft. Dan had a good hack to fix it if the nut on the bottom of the shaft pulls out. But if someone wants to retain the spring action, as it was original, here’s what I did (I doubt anyone on the forum is going to make one of these for themselves, but someone may choose to hire it done at a local shop.)
The slot isn’t pictured in the original one, but it’s there, it’s against the table (photography isn’t my strong suit).
I made the replacement out of a piece of 3/4" dia. 18/8 stainless round rod, because that’s what I had on hand. Really a piece of 5/8" square stock common 1018 steel would have been easier. Stainless is a lot harder to machine.
I made the replacement bar a little bigger because I didn’t like all the original slop between the casting which rides up and down on the bar. It took several attempts to get a good fit, as I kept machining the bar smaller and smaller till it fit tight. I also had to file a small chamfer on the corners to get a good fit. The original was about .510" dia.(I say about because the original wasn’t even square). The replacement I made at .525".
I made the slot tighter too. I cut it with a 3/16" end mill. The hole in the end for the spring is a simple 3/8" hole bored all the way down and stops just short of the other end.
For the roll pin which holds the spring in place, I just used a 3/32" in pin (and hole).
If you flip it around the other end looks like this:
I had to neck down the end of the replacement bar to fit in the base casting. The neck extends .100" past the shoulder. The dia. of the neck is .508" I had to file the corners just a bit and chamfer the ends to get it to fit in the base casting, and it’s a really tight fit at that. I had to tap on it with a hammer to get it to go in the base.
The tapped hole for the screw is an M6 X 1.00. I could have used an SAE tapered machine screw, but I just decided to reuse the metric screw which came with it originally.
(Just a quick word on tapping for anyone interested. Don’t use those cheap taps sold at the hardware store, unless you are going to tap something easy like aluminum. Otherwise they are prone to break. Once you break a tap off in a hole, you are up the creek without a paddle. Broken taps are nearly impossible to get out, unless you have some special tools. Stainless is even harder to tap. I used a brand new high quality sharp tap for this hole and was still putting quite a bit of torque to tap it. I was a little worried the tap was going to break.)
Here is the part back in the tool.
The part fits real tight and won’t break loose now, unless the bottom casting breaks.
11 Likes
Nice work.
You have a gift for machining, Mark.
Dax
1 Like
Nice work!
1 Like
Very nice work!
Even if the tool breaks over time , you can reuse it on the replacement tool.
1 Like
What address do we send our tool to, to have these modifications made?
1 Like
Machining time is expensive. If you aren’t satisfied with the clone but don’t have a milling machine/tooling/skills to use one.
a good choice would be to get the original –
https://www.amleo.com/grafting-tool-top-grafter/p/FCTG/.
This one is sturdy, made of steel and makes better cuts than the clone. You won’t have to make any mods to it.
I was lucky to find one at a very low price.
1 Like
Clicked the link and almost crapped my pants…
$ 465.89
2 Likes
Unfortunate given how difficult it is to find toilet paper these days!
6 Likes
Just saw this response Derek. Sorry for such a late response.
I’d probably direct folks to their local machine shop to get the alteration made, because I’m short of time. If you can’t find a decent machine shop to make the modification, let me know and maybe I could find some spare time to do it. PM me, if you can’t find a good local machine shop.