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Keyway cutting tips needed

sconisbee

Aluminum
Joined
Jul 21, 2006
Location
Cornwall UK
what is the best way to cut 2 symmetrical 6mm key ways on two sides of a tapered section of shaft. This would be on a vertical manual mill.

I know its a simple question but its not something i have come across before normally theres only 1 key on the tapered sections. If it helps, overall shaft length is 210mm and its an 8 degree taper on one end with a threaded section on the very end.

thanks
 
I would use a dividing head with the job in the chuck.Swing up to the correct angle and mill first keyway.Index 180 deg and mill second one.
Mark.

Was that a trick question?
 
How would you hold the shaft if you were only going to cut 1 keyseat? Are you going to use an endmill or a woodruff style cutter? That gives some idea of how to approach the problem.

For simple 180 degree indexing, such as cutting opposing keyseats, I often clamp an extra vee block to the shaft. You can then indicate the base of the vee block, or align it with a square on the mill table. For a woodruff type keyseat cutter you may be able to clamp the shaft in a vise and turn the vise on the table to align the keyseat to the mill travel. Then you have to decide whether to turn the shaft or swivel the vise to cut the second keyseat.

A dividing head may well be the best way to do the job, but my dividing heads are both large units. For a one off job I can take the long way around and have less time in the work than if I have to install and remove a dividing head.
 
Ironically my dividing head is currently sitting on the mill table, just needs bolting down. I've been so off and lost in lathe land these last couple of weeks that anything mill related seems way too complicated cause its more than 2 axis' to worry about:D I only got a little Cornish brain ya'll know:crazy:

Still I also like the idea of the extra v-block.

Sami, I'll have your marbles DHL'ed to you as soon as i find them, assuming they are in the same place:D:D
 
If you have a shaft that is too long to use a dividing head , I have tack welded a small metal
bar on the end of the shaft , so I can set a level on it .
Then I rotate the shaft 180 and set the level on the other side of the block .
I have one square head with a level that I hide away for these special jobs .
You would be amazed how accurate you can get by just bumping the bubble to the line .
Sometimes I need to saw longer pipes with an angle at each end that need to be oriented in the same plane . ( like for hand railings ) . I made up a tool using a large ViseGrip pipe pliers that I welded a flat bar on the side of the handle. Then using the level , I index the pipe in the vise to set the first cut 'level' . Then I flip the pipe over and set the 2nd angle as described above .
FBB
 
I'd use a keyway cutter, clamp the shaft in vee blocks on the table, indicate the taper to the X axis, cut the keyway, then reset the blocks or you could rotate the shaft using the cutter as a stop in the groove, then cut the second keyway.
 
I only got a little Cornish brain ya'll know:

Sami, I'll have your marbles DHL'ed to you as soon as i find them, assuming they are in the same place:D:D

If you had said you were Cornish I wouldn`t have asked if it was a trick question.:)

If you send the marbles DHL,you`ll both have lost them forever.The worst parcel delivery firm in the UK.

Mark.
 
If the shaft can be held in a collet, I would mount it in a square or hex collet holder, make one keyway and flip the collet holder it to do the other side
 








 
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