Machinist Kalc Programs

I hope you enjoy this free chart that covers drill letter sizes from A to Z. Conversions are decimal equivalents as partially shown below. Print out the conversion chart or save to your smart phone so you will have this readily available whenever you need it.  Thanks for visiting www.MachinistKalc.com .  

In case you're just finding MachinistKalc.com, I want to let you know that you will, first, need to download the GraphNCalc83 calculator app onto your iPhone in order to use my programs from this website. I'm not affiliated with this app or the creator in any way. It's simply a great app that I use to double check my own calculations as a machinist. Woodworkers and hobbyists will likely find many of these calculator programs helpful as well.  Since my iPhone is always with me, it's easier to use this app than it is to carry a TI83 calculator around or a Machinery's Handbook. I thoroughly check these programs before releasing them. However, I want to stress that these are to be used for double checking your own calculations and not as your main source of calculating. Please see my disclaimer page for more information .  In this free package, you'll receive the NPT (National Pipe Taper), NPS (National Pipe Straight), and BSPP/BSPT (British Standard Parallel Pipe/...

Decimal Equivalents of Number Size Drills is our August 2023 tip. If you frequently use numbered drills, you'll want to print this PDF and keep it nearby at all times. You'll be able to easily find the decimal sizes for drill numbers 1 through 80. Please contact me if you have any problems downloading the PDF or if you have any questions or recommendations for tips. If you haven't done so already, be sure to sign up for my newsletter at the top of the page so you don't miss any monthly tips or new GrafnCalc program releases.  Thanks for visiting www.MachinistKalc.com . 

Using Common Angles and Standard Pins to Calculate Gibs and Dovetails In this PDF download , you will receive standard pin diameters in fraction and decimal form from 3/64 inch (0.04688) to 2inches (2.000) for 45- and 60-degree angles for E, F, and G. Thanks for visiting www.MachinistKalc.com today. These tips are some of the best tools a machinist can have. I also have more Machinist Tips available. 

Troubleshooting Drill Problems If you’re doing a lot of drilling and you’re running into a few problems, I think you’ll like today’s tip. Some common problems you will run across with drills is the breakdown of outer corners, rough holes, oversize holes, and more. Download this general troubles and causes sheet to keep in your toolbox so you can correct your problem and get back on track quickly. Thanks for visiting www.MachinistKalc.com today. I hope you find these tips to be helpful tools .

Can you imagine a world without threaded  nuts and bolts? When you think about it, almost everything in the world is held together by nuts and bolts - vehicles, homes, bridges, chairs just to name a few. You could say that our lives are literally hanging by a thread.  Of course, threads are used in other materials as well such as pipes. And threads come in different pitches; some are standard and some are metric; some are internal and some are external. And it's a machinist's job to make sure these threads are precise for the jobs they must perform. So, as a veteran machinist with over 40 years of experience, I have posted a few thread tips and created some GraphNCalc83 programs to help you double check your calculations for external pipe threads , internal pipe threads , and for diameter calculation  over three-wires of 60 degree threads. Image courtesy of  Dan Cristian Pădureț via Unsplash I'm so glad you visited www.MachinistKalc today. Be sure to sign up for ...

A hexagon, as mentioned in a previous post , is often used in nature due to its amazing strength. One of the earliest hexagonal written thoughts dates back to 36 BC when Roman polymath, Marcus Terentius Varro, reported that the hexagonal shape makes the most efficient use of space and building material. (Source: Wikipedia ) From that point, builders and manufacturers have been busy as bees using the hexagon to build their man made creations.  Image courtesy of   Meggyn Pomerleau With that being said, a machinist often uses two of history's genius hexagon inventions - hex nuts and bolts with hex heads. These handy fasteners allow for an excellent grip without slippage when tightening. As machinists, we also make plenty of hexagons in our career. That's why I decided to revisit my hexagon tips  and GraphNCalc83 programs I created to calculate a  hex angle , hex point 1 , hex point 2 , and  diameter calculation for hex and square. My coworkers and I use...

I have updated the External Pipe Threads Program for GraphNCalc83 to include 1/8-27, 1/4-18, and 3/8-18 pipe OD threads. The NPT OD threads GraphNCalc83 program now has 3 menus to better serve your needs as a machinist. Refer to the images below.

Threads on nuts, bolts, pipes, and other hardware and equipment hold our world together. And a machinist makes sure those threads are correct so everything will stay together longer. Threads make the use of our lathes, micrometers, as well as other machines and machinist tools possible. External male threads need internal female threads to mate or fasten objects together. The screw is made of two simple machines – the inclined plane and the wedge - so that it can move forward while also holding objects together so that the threads are unable to slip from their position. Image courtesy of FLYD The varied uses of threads, thread angles, ridge pitch, coarse and fine threads, thread depth and diameter, and other variations make each thread unique for its use. Each of these variations plays a major role in how the threads can be used without stripping. So, you can see how important it is to get your measurements correct when making these types of parts that require threads. Of course, I...

Nature uses hexagons because of the strength it provides. Also, of squares, equilateral triangles, and hexagons, the hexagon packs together more cells in one plane, using less space, than the other two do. In nature, the hexagon shape is found in tortoise shells, snowflakes, honeycombs, and bees’ nests. You’ll find many more examples if you care to inspect this further. If hexagons are good enough for nature, it’s good enough for manmade products as well. Engineers have been using the hexagon for their creations for hundreds of years. Some, like bridges, houses, and other buildings use this concept because of the strength and use of less space. Using hexagon shaped floor and wall tiles are other ways to not only use less space but also as an eye-appealing way to decorate. A soccer ball, made from hexagon and pentagon shapes, helps the ball maintain its shape as it’s being kicked around, improves the ball’s aerodynamics, and helps players maintain control (Source: https://soccerwhizz....