help the rookie with a lathe fundamental question

[dalmatiangirl61]

You got it. I kinda like rusty scrap... it's CHEAP. Given, I forge with it, so the rust just flakes right off.

I happily paid $40 for a big hydraulic cylinder today, it has a 3.5" rod that I have an immediate need for about 6" worth, which would cost $142 from Mcmaster + shipping, and I will have about 2' leftover.

 

[52 Ford]

There's more than one way to skin this cat.

First, the aforementioned center punch. You use a center head or similar method to roughly lay out the center of the shaft and then lay into it with a big old center punch and hammer until you have enough of a punch mark to use for a center. Put your part in the lathe and set the center into the punch mark and turn the shaft. Alternatively you can use the punch mark to start a center drill, insert the center, then turn the shaft. At this point you can try to turn the shaft complete, then spin it and attempt to get it centered while it's sticking way out there or you can spin it around, set up a steady and roll on the fresh turned surface and center the second end then finish turning. This is not the best method for a beginner.

Another way is to set the shaft up on a mill with the end of the shaft facing the spindle, then mill the end and center drill, reposition to the other end, mill that end and center drill. Then move the part to the lathe and start turning.

One more: make an end cap with centering set screws and a center in the end or use a live chuck in the tailstock to cut spots on the OD for the steady rest. Set up the steady and run on the spots, then face and center the first end. Spin the part around and face and center the second end. Remove the steady and turn the shaft.

I like the last idea. Didnt consider that.

 

[EmGo]

Does you gotta have all them extra bits on the ruler? Looks like it'd make it hard to center up big rounds.

Snotnose ! You know they slide off

Is your Ford a Vicky ? With the retracting hardtop ? Those were too cool !

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Another way is to set the shaft up on a mill with the end of the shaft facing the spindle, then mill the end and center drill, reposition to the other end, mill that end and center drill. Then move the part to the lathe and start turning.

He is a rookie, so he is not allowed to use the mill yet, he must file the ends square!

 

[CarbideBob]

Hey all
Once I get to this point sometimes I try to gently drill a center to I can finally get the damn tailstock in and then I clean up the piece for real.
However, the issue im having is, TAPER!!! .....
any help much appreciated.

Some or many are not paying attention to the OP and process.

 

[awander]

Any taper that you are getting after turning the piece has nothing to do with whether or not the drilled center at the tailstock is close to the center of the piece.

Taper can be caused by:
-tailstock misaligned (either horizontally or vertically, or both)
-headstock misaligned
-bed twisted

Getting the center in, well, the center of the work WILL make things easier, and minimize material waste.

 

[52 Ford]

Snotnose ! You know they slide off

Is your Ford a Vicky ? With the retracting hardtop ? Those were too cool !

LOL Nah. It's a 1952 Ford F1. The cool thing is, "technically" it was my first truck. I got that before I got my F150.

If your wonderin' -
239Ci flathead (106HP)
3 speed column shift
Made in Norfolk, VA (Which is cool since I was born and live near Richmond)
Factory paint was black

It's sitting in the barn in primer right now. Think the odometer says 180K (original) miles on it with no rebuild. Talked about a clapped out engine. Gotta remember, this is 52, oil and filters SUCKED. It DID ran when it was parked! Needs a clutch, though.

Going to swap the body onto a modern chassis so I can enjoy it, and while the body is on the new chassis (thinkin' big block, prolly a 460), I'm going to restore the original.

I have some pictures of it, that I WOULD post, but they're on my VERY broken phone and the barn it's in is on land the next county over. Ain't driving out there just to take a picture or two.

1952 Ford F1 Pickup - My Dream Car this one is a restored and has been customized, but as the stock bits, this is very similar. Not sure how I feel about the spotlights... kinda pointless in my opinion.

 

[52 Ford]

Some or many are not paying attention to the OP and process.

Just reading that quote makes me thing twisted ways or off center tailstock.

I assumed (you know what they say about assuming) he was just having trouble getting the center drill started in the middle of the stock.

 

[52 Ford]

He is a rookie, so he is not allowed to use the mill yet, he must file the ends square!

And I think that fancy robot lathe contraption is CHEATING! Carbide is grounds for dismissal as well. Freehand ground HSS only.

 

[eKretz]

Some or many are not paying attention to the OP and process.

Horsepucky. He asked more than one question. I should hope he has a handle on how to adjust for taper. If not, someone else can field that one. Like maybe the guy who would rather point out that nobody else did...

 

[HappyWyo]

I happily paid $40 for a big hydraulic cylinder today, it has a 3.5" rod that I have an immediate need for about 6" worth, which would cost $142 from Mcmaster + shipping, and I will have about 2' leftover.

For those who may read this thread who are new to machining, we need to give them a warning. Chromed hydraulic rod is often induction hardened. It will destroy your band saw blade, and your tooling. You can machine it and cut it with diamonds and ceramic tooling. As we know ceramic tooling needs high speed, something you usually don't want to do with a large rod. We always use a hardness tester when confronting chromed rods. Knowing your metals ahead of time will save you a lot of head aches. Also mentioned is that chromed rods is 1045. But we use a lot of chromed 4140, for it's strength. Steelsupply.com is where we get it.

 

[52 Ford]

For those who may read this thread who are new to machining, we need to give them a warning. Chromed hydraulic rod is often induction hardened. It will destroy your band saw blade, and your tooling. You can machine it and cut it with diamonds and ceramic tooling. As we know ceramic tooling needs high speed, something you usually don't want to do with a large rod. We always use a hardness tester when confronting chromed rods. Knowing your metals ahead of time will save you a lot of head aches. Also mentioned is that chromed rods is 1045. But we use a lot of chromed 4140, for it's strength. Steelsupply.com is where we get it.

That IS a very good point. Bad practice to assumed a beginner knows something. Best to do a "file test" before cutting unknown stock with a saw, anyway.

Tying into a different thread (that I made) - maybe dry cut saws are better for harder stock, versus an HSS dry cut.

Hey - if you want to discuss this father, please say what ya gotta say on my "carbide cold cut saw" thread. Should still be on the first couple pages of the General forum.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

For those who may read this thread who are new to machining, we need to give them a warning. Chromed hydraulic rod is often induction hardened. It will destroy your band saw blade, and your tooling. You can machine it and cut it with diamonds and ceramic tooling. As we know ceramic tooling needs high speed, something you usually don't want to do with a large rod. We always use a hardness tester when confronting chromed rods. Knowing your metals ahead of time will save you a lot of head aches. Also mentioned is that chromed rods is 1045. But we use a lot of chromed 4140, for it's strength. Steelsupply.com is where we get it.

Hmm, that might explain the piece I got last week, the rod end that had been welded on cut off easily, went to cut the threaded end off and bandsaw just skated, ended up using the angle grinder to cut about a 1/4" deep groove around it and the bandsaw finished the job just fine. So can it be annealed?

Edit: Yes it looks like I can annealing 4140

 

[52 Ford]

Hmm, that might explain the piece I got last week, the rod end that had been welded on cut off easily, went to cut the threaded end off and bandsaw just skated, ended up using the angle grinder to cut about a 1/4" deep groove around it and the bandsaw finished the job just fine. So can it be annealed?

Can it be annealed? I don't see why not. Maybe an Oxy-fuel torch.

By the way, you aught to try a diamond metal cutting wheel for your angle grinder, if you haven't already. There IS a trade-off since they aren't like the super friable, normal cutting discs, they don't cut as aggressively, but they don't wear don't NEARLY as quick and you get WAY less grinding dust and sparks.

I like them because you maintain roughly the same depth of cut even when the wheel is just about worn out.... and they take a LONG time to wear out (relatively speaking, of course).

Lenox makes them - and a bunch of other companies.

Be careful you don't bend them. Sorta FUBAR at that point.

 

[Yan Wo]

Care to explain the process? Allowed to operate the lathe? sounds pretty condescending.
I also dont see how you are going to do that on a part that is not round as I stated the material was.

Your attitude -- inferred from the above "condescending" remark -- is likely to encourage much more of the same kind of remarks. So get ready to duck!

 

[johnoder]

Find the centre of the bar end with dividers,mark and centre punch,then drill a centre

Basic stuff - done without even touching the lathe - which can be assumed to be properly equipped with rests as needed

lathe bore too small? Too bad - lathe is not suited to the job - like its too short

Instead of looking at you tube, for a change you could actually learn something in a real book - like this one

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1617/5795.pdf

have fun

Oh! and if you are blessed with a collection of seemingly useful junk, such things as this follow rests can be had for the thinking and doing

Follow Rest Rig

ph

 

[michiganbuck]

The very minimum is to spend $10 and own/read How to Run a lathe (book).
About pages 43 to 45 (in my copy) gives simple advice for what you ask.
*looks like pages 37,38,39in the book john posted in post #36.

If PM had to answer such simple questions to every guy who buys his first lathe the site would fail.

Book one
How To Run A Lathe: For The Beginner: How To Erect, Care For And Operate A Screw Cutting Engine Lathe: South Bend Lathe Works: 9781603864671: Amazon.com: Books

How to Run a Lathe: The Care and Operation of a Screw Cutting Lathe: O'Brien, John Joseph, O'Brien, Miles William, South Bend Lathe Works: 9781614274742: Amazon.com: Books

You can down load free-> *But it is better to have your own book in hand.
Good to read the whole book

 

[rscott9399]

This is such a typical Internet forum haha I ask a seemingly simple question and get flamed

Here is the part you guys all missed I have not asking the simple question like you think I am asking more detailed question because I am chasing tenths of taper and how you center your work on a machine that doesn’t have a large enough spindled bore matters and using stock that is not round

This is not a simple matter of using dividers and just an FYI I have a PhD and engineering and have been running the machine shop for over a year and have made many projects.

My question is centered around extreme precision not how to use the lathe without killing yourself I’m not a moron and I don’t appreciate the condescending crap that you guys are throwing out there

I’ll tell you what really will make this website fail, treating all of your new members like garbage and making them never want to post a question again which will then yield them then getting hurt because they won’t have good information.

If the answer really is Turning between centers
Then that is some thing I would take into consideration and have not done before and would simply seek out somebody that could teach me the methodology so I don’t end up dead

However I have no doubt you all will tell me how I’m stupid and should stick to playing video games and never step foot in the machine shop again because that’s how things are around here apparently

And by the way there’s nothing wrong with watching YouTube videos I would argue for my learning perspective it is far more beneficial than reading a book from 1940

Have no fear I won’t post another question here so you guys can go flame somebody else

 

[michiganbuck]

roscott9399
I am surprised that With that, under your belt how you could ask how to find the center on a part..

QT: (This is not a simple matter of using dividers and just an FYI I have a PhD and engineering and have been running the machine shop for over a year and have made many projects.)


My friend john Whooly actually machined and built an air compressor at college getting an engineering degree. I have it out in my shop, it is likey 60 years old and still works. He may have even poured the casting.

QT: [Have no fear I won’t post another question here so you guys can go flame somebody else]

In perhaps 5 years you may see why this site is a success, and the hobby sites are so boring with the exact same questions asked thousand time.

QT: [If the answer really is Turning between centers
Then that is some thing I would take into consideration and have not done before and would simply seek out somebody that could teach me the methodology so I don’t end up dead]
That is all in the 1940 or so book

Likely you could ask a thousand questions and not know what that book could teach you in a week or two.

 

[henrya]

That’s really rude.

You got helpful answers and then spit up on everyone.
HTFU snowflake.