Here's an update for everyone that everyone has been waiting for...
The first bunch of steel cylinders are done and are almost 100% dead on.
*the cylinder in the lower right corner is 0.5mm shorter than the rest as per the updated version.
There are however a couple of minor differences from the original cylinder sent to me from User1402.
1. The catches on the side is the most obvious one. The original tomen has a bit of a lip causing the catch to be smaller than it should be. There was no way for me to duplicate this without going with an EDM machine (which I don't have) and the mill will only do so much. So the catch is a little taller than the original. However, looking at the original bulldog cylinder, they're identical.
2. The A stamp is slightly larger. Instead of 2mm tall, it's around 2.4mm.
3. No washer blocking things. No way I was going to even attempt that.
4. No picture of it, but the flutes were done with a ball nose end mill whereas the original Bulldog cylinder (as well as most other cylinders) are cut with a cutting wheel on a horizontal milling machine. I don't have access to this so a ball nose end mill and CNC were my only choice. This creates a bit of a shine that looks like a sharp line down the center of the flute. I'm going to test a scrap piece with some red scotch bright on a rotary tool to see if I can give it the same kinda look as the original bulldog and get rid of the "line". If you look up a pic of a bulldog cylinder and zoom in on the flutes you'll see what I mean. The lines on the original are along the length of the flute whereas mine aren't.
Everything else seems to be the same. I checked, double checked then checked again before checking once more to make sure the measurements I was getting off the steel versions were as I was reading them off the original and the blueprints that tomenosuke had published. I'm fairly certain that I have it all dialed in correctly now.
I will be sending things out Tuesday or Wednesday (Monday is a holiday and everything is closed) to User1042 to verify all works as it should then I'll be able to start completing the rest and getting them out as they're completed.
I want to apologize again to everyone for taking such a boatload of time on these things and for going ghost time and again. I'm doing what I can to work on that aspect of my communication.
This whole month the shop is closed, so all I'm doing now is working on these. No waiting on the machine to clear up and no taking off the setup at night to ready the machine for the next day's work. Each time I had to set up, it would take me at least half an hour or more if it didn't want to cooperate. Now I can set up once, leave it and keep going until I'm done.
And for some viewing pleasure... some of the in-process machining of the final steps...
Side catch - flat end mill
T-slot
Ball nose end mill - had to go with a long end mill due to clearance issues... and I get to 0.4mm from the face of the jaws when the end mill reaches the end of the flute.
So from here on out, these things will be making their way to a blaster near you. Thanks again to everyone who's been patiently waiting for these and for your understanding with what I've gone through since starting this.
All the best,
Ted