Need tool post nut milled (Phoenix)

TXNinAZ · Mar 4, 2017

I hope this is permissible- I didn't see a more appropriate place to post. I've got a new lathe and bought an Aloris post and holders on eBay, but the nut is obviously not the size I need for my compound. I'm looking for someone to mill down my nut to fit in my compound. A 20 minute job, but I don't have a mill, so it's a job I can't do myself. Measurements were with a Mitutoyo caliper, so far from exact, but I wouldn't think it needs to be. Can someone local do this for me? Thanks!!

onecut · Mar 4, 2017

You say you cant do it yourself if you put a 4jaw on and face it with a lathe tool-if you have to reduce the across flats size put an e/mill in your chuck and bolt the nut to top of compound-Quicker on the Mill

Monarchist · Mar 4, 2017

onecut said:
You say you cant do it yourself if you put a e/mill in your chuck and wind the cross slide across just take small cuts grip it in your old toolpost or clamp it to crosslide.The nut could even go in a 4jaw and be faced with a lathe tool-Obviously a 5minute job on a mill

Some among us have even made theirs with a carbide-toothed Lowes "Kobalt" carpenter's sliding mitre saw and a goodly ration of patience.

wheels17 · Mar 4, 2017

I was faced with the same problem when I got my lathe before my mill. I used hss tooling and held the nut in the 4-jaw chuck that came without the lathe. With no 4-jaw you are stuck with the end mill for width. For thickness, mount it on a bolt in your 3-jaw. Cutting forces will keep it tight on the bolt, but be sure it is up against the jaws. Low speed, light cuts, and you will be all set

MetalCarnage · Mar 4, 2017

As the others have said...

The lathe can be used in many different ways, including as a "horizontal mill". Here are some pics of the nut I made before I had a mill to do it with:

Cutting down the width on each side with a heavy interrupted cut.

Then set it in flat and took down the thickness. I used a live center to help center the work on the threads.

Fitting to the cross slide

That's just one way to do it. You could also hold an endmill in the chuck and cobble together a fixture to hold the nut on the cross slide and "mill" it down (light cuts and carefully, decided it might be a p.i.t.a. so I chose another way)

FWIW

-Ron

dgfoster · Mar 4, 2017

Carnage's solution is pretty straightforward and a good one. One suggestion I might make , if you go this route would be to make the nut from stock about half as long as he did. The long tails shown add nothing strengthwise and they just take longer to cut down and they may actually get in your way. . If the tails are long enough to prevent rotation, you will be good.

In a pinch hacksawing to near lines and filing to lines would also be plenty good for your tee-nut. Aluminum is much quicker to hand cut and plenty durable. Half to one hour job.

Denis

Onepass · Mar 5, 2017

Way back in the distant past I was a 15 year old that bought my first lathe- a flat belt/ cone head 15" Springfield. I didn't have any tool post at all and very little money. I did have a four jaw chuck screwed on the spindle. With some scrap metal, visegrips and a lot of determination I made a square tool post. The only other machine tool I had was a drillpress.

Monarchist · Mar 5, 2017

Onepass said:
Way back in the distant past I was a 15 year old that bought my first lathe- a flat belt/ cone head 15" Springfield. I didn't have any tool post at all and very little money. I did have a four jaw chuck screwed on the spindle. With some scrap metal, visegrips and a lot of determination I made a square tool post. The only other machine tool I had was a drillpress.

Quick and dirty wants two studs or bolts, stack of 2 or 3 ignorant washers hacksawed each side for clearance in the tee slot.

Cutter bit between 'em is stacked to on-centre + atop whatever shims make the height.

Bar across the top, snugged down on the studs/bolts and use that rig to make a proper TP outta wotever is not meant to be chips.

SOMEBODY 'back in the day' of leather belts and tired men, LeBlond, IIRC, had a nice forged "factory OEM" rig that was much the same.

SIP6A · Mar 5, 2017

If you want to stick it in the mail with the drawing I will be glad to do it for you
Todd Warriner
PO Box 332
Lambertville, MI
48144

janvanruth · Mar 5, 2017

All the answers giving the possibility to make it in the lathe have one problem: how is he going to hold the tool? :crazy:

onecut · Mar 5, 2017

Hold the tool(shanked tool) in lathe chuck

Sachmanram · Mar 5, 2017

janvanruth said:
All the answers giving the possibility to make it in the lathe have one problem: how is he going to hold the tool?

I think that we are all assuming that he is replacing an existing lantern style tool post with the Aloris that he bought on Ebay... ?

Brian

Monarchist · Mar 5, 2017

Sachmanram said:
I think that we are all assuming that he is replacing an existing lantern style tool post with the Aloris that he bought on Ebay... ?

Brian

Onepass and I were starting with no toolpost of any kind. Scraps, washers, nuts & bolts - even vise-grips.

Compound, cross, are handy, but even a carriage is not absolutely necessary.

Does help to have a powered spindle with at least a faceplate. If all one has is a 3-J, pull the jaws and tee-nut it AS a faceplate.

TXNinAZ · Mar 5, 2017

Wow you guys are inventive. I have no tool post at all, so some of these ideas will not work. I had a couple of local guys reach out to me and offer to do it, and one of them has the compound and nut right now. This is exactly what made me interested in metalworking and machining in the first place- solving problems and making it work in more ways than one. So great!

EPAIII · Mar 5, 2017

Lathe, schmathe! You can make that nut with a hack saw and file. And a tap, of course. And some sweat.

SteveBausch · Mar 5, 2017

If I was desperate, I'd look in the Unistrut catalog, see what might work...

TheOldCar · Mar 5, 2017

EPAIII said:
Lathe, schmathe! You can make that nut with a hack saw and file. And a tap, of course. And some sweat.

What this (and an earlier post) says, is how I fit my first t-nut on my first lathe. Chinese Aloris copy that came with the threaded blank; carefully marked, cut with my Milwaukee portable bandsaw and started filing. Worked great!

Monarchist · Mar 5, 2017

TheOldCar said:
What this (and an earlier post) says, is how I fit my first t-nut on my first lathe. Chinese Aloris copy that came with the threaded blank; carefully marked, cut with my Milwaukee portable bandsaw and started filing. Worked great!

You used ELECTRICITY? We shall have to start calling you "TheYoungCar" then..

ratbldr427 · Mar 6, 2017

Monachist I'm young enough to have grown up surrounded by electricity,but a portable bandsaw!!Them rich kids had all the toys!

Monarchist · Mar 6, 2017

ratbldr427 said:
Monachist I'm young enough to have grown up surrounded by electricity,but a portable bandsaw!!Them rich kids had all the toys!

"Surrounded", Hell!

I was "invaded" by electricity as a four-year old.

Had wall sconce sockets above the bed. I'd climb up the ironwork headboard, stick one finger in the socket, get thrown onto the bed with a loud 60 Hz buzz in my ears just to entertain my kid brother.

Things poor folks will do for amusement when there weren't no such things as telebision.

Folks could have afforded a few more light-bulbs to FILL those damned sockets, I'd have had to settle for something saner.

Such as ...... pouring gasoline down rat-holes, waiting for it to evaporate and blend with air, then following with an expertly aimed Ohio Blue-Tip wooden match.

Kids just don't get to have fun like that these days...

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