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Traceman · Jun 24, 2003

Got me a part-time job(as if I needed one) at the local college teaching G-code CNC programming and machine operation. Kinda fun so far. I have been teaching the mills for a few weeks now and will start teaching lathes next week.

I was wondering if anyone had any cool ideas for something to make on the lathe for a project that beginners could program manually?
It is a small Haas Lathe.

WILLEO6709 · Jun 24, 2003

The classic and timeless tapered nose center punch comes to mind. spherical radii, taper turning on the point, workpiece holding for subsequent ops, knurling, cheap material, sounds like a good trainer part to me.....

davestea · Jun 24, 2003

I was at a tool company show years ago and they had two of these huge (garage size) sliding door lathes - one with white delrin and one with black delrin cutting out salt and pepper shakers - still have mine some where. Screw off tops and all.

kinda cool and I was amazed to watch them come off the machine every few minutes - gallons and gallons of coolant pouring over the tool.

jayemmtee · Jun 28, 2003

Traceman
When I was an apprentice many years ago one of our college CNC projects was the manufacture of chess pieces on the small CNC training lathe.
It was nothing elaborate just several differnt profiles that demonstrated us using profiling tools, grooving tools etc
The profiles were drawn on graph paper a the points generated were used as our cutting path.
If you look at any basic chess set you can see the feasibility of doing something like this on a small lathe.
By the way If you really want to show of you can transfer the pieces over to your cnc mill and do some work there to. Your students imagination being the only barrier to what can be made.

just an idea for you

doug925 · Jun 28, 2003

Traceman, are you teaching a N. Harris?
I have a great Beer Bottle that a machine tool manufacturer was making on thier lathe at the Houstex show, and giving out. It is 1.5 dia. the same profile of a full size bottle, but this one unscrewed to reveal a nice thread and pocket inside. The bottle btm. was faced, turned, drilled, threaded, and finally parted. The top was faced, turned, threaded, and parted. You might even remember seeing it at my shop when you were here. If you want to try the bottle, come on by and pick it up.
DOug.

Traceman · Jun 29, 2003

Yes Doug,
I am teaching at North Harris. I believe they used that same piece you are talking about as their project last semester. I may roll with that since it includes most everything they have learned.

Thanks for the replies guys. I definitly have some food for thought.

johnfly · Jul 9, 2003

a local vo-tech school had an open house where they handed out alluminum disks about 1.5 dia. and .25 thick. they had a cnc lathe facing and parting then they put them in a cnc mill and with a centerdrill engraved the school logo on the disks. made excellent handouts..

jbhill · Jul 10, 2003

Back in college we did a number of 6" long scaled bowling pins from 2" aluminum stock. It was a fun project for showing the speed and contour capability of CNC lathes. We found the bowling pin dimensions here: http://www.topendsports.com/bowlingscience/dimensions.htm. Jason

Traceman · Jul 10, 2003

Sounds good though I can not seem to find the page you are referring to on that link for the pin deminsions.

dhg2 · Jul 14, 2003

At Texas A&M, many moons ago, we made trailer balls. Nothing fancy, just a typical 1-7/8" threaded shank hitch ball. Had all the straight and curved profiles, threading, parting, etc. to make a well rounded little project, and something useful most people would recognize and maybe even use.

HTH,
Doug Giraud

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