Frankford Arsenal X-10 Caliber Conversion Stand

I needed a place to put the shell plate and tool head while taking measurements to design and build accessories for my Frankford Arsenal X-10. So, I whipped together this handy caliber conversation stand…

The stand is comprised of two printed parts and two store bought parts. The shell plate stand cradles the shell plate and shell plate retention ring/round ejector. Additionally, there is a provision for a 1"x3" card stock label at the front of the stand. A 3/4" x 2 1/2" pipe nipple connects the shell plate stand to the tool head holder. A 5/8"-11 bolt threads into the tool head holder to secure the tool head to the stand.

The non-printed parts can be acquired at your local hardware store. Below are links to the items I purchased from my local big box hardware store.

3/4" x 2 1/2" MIP nipple
5/8"-11 Bolt

Print Settings

Set supports to on, resolution to 0.2, infill density to 15%, wall count to 4, and your top and bottom layer count to 6.

Also, arrange the shell plate stand right side up and the tool head holder upside down. This will ensure the best possible quality for the threads for the given supports used.

Post-Printing 

There is not much post processing that is required asides from removing support material. The threads should be ready to use off the printer.

To assemble, thread one end of the pipe nipple into the shell plate stand. Twist until hand tight. Next, thread the tool head holder onto the other end of the pipe nipple. Twist until hand tight. Make sure to orient the squared off side to the front.

The Excel file contained in the zip file is a template to create the card stock labels that can be installed into the provision at the front of the shell plate stand.  I've also included an stl file for a blank label plate and a few pre-modelled calibers if you chose to 3d print custom labels instead of using card stock.

The holes at the base of the stand are there if you choose to affix the stand to a piece of wood or some other surface. The intended fasteners to be used are #10 Flat Phillips wood screws.  

If you choose to keep the powder measure reset bar attached to the powder measure when removing the tool head from the press, you'll need to mount the Shell Plate Stand to something that can accommodate the powder measure reset rod protruding below the Shell Plate Stand.  I would not recommend using a longer pipe nipple.  It would result in the overall standing being too top heavy and would result in a high likelihood of the whole thing falling over.