Thread: A little knowhow please?

Hi ElDubya,

I apologize if I didn't get the gist of what you were asking but if you are thinking of doing a large batch of these then getting a quote from a company that does CNC machinery maybe the way to go? However, if you are thinking of just a few I would make a form tool(s) out of HSS to the desired shape(s) using round brass bar the next nominal size up from the largest diameter required. You can get lathes with copy attachments that may do the job.

Regards
MH

You could make a ball turning tool like this
http://bedair.org/Ball/ball.html

Kev

Hi
From my somewhat limited lathe work knowledge I would say if you are not experienced at ball turning freehand that you most certainly require a ball turning tool.

The tool fits in the tool post of the lathe and holds the HSS cutting tool and guides it through a selected radius.

I have not seen these tools on the Australian market,but know they are available in the US.
If you want to make a tool there are plans available but you need to Google them on the net.

There are a set of tables published for freehand ball cutting in Volume 1 of the Machinists Bedside Reader by Guy Lautard.That volume is available through Plough book sales for around $80 from memory.

Grahame

A "form tool" has the desired profile ground into it, and the form tool is just presented to the workpiece at a 90 degree angle.

An example is at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_bit#Form_tools

Or near the bottom of
http://www.sherline.com/grinding.htm

Cheers,
Andrew

Ahhh, brilliant. Thanks guys, that's the info I was looking for

On something soft like brass is a pretty small diameter like 10mm then a form tool would be ideal.

Hi

A tip when machining brass - to avoid brass swarf going all over the place (even down inside your shirt) is to place a hand brush over the cutting area.

Regards
MH

Thanks for everything fellers, appreciate it.

Hey guys,

Is there a way to make a vertical table so you can use your lathe as a mill? Should I have searched and has this been answered? Am I lazy?

Please help

You possibly maybe able to purchase a milling attachment for your particular lathe,or find another type that you can adapt.
They will normally attach to your cross slide,this maybe by either attaching directly to cross slide or you may have to remove your compound and attach that way.
Some lathes have a TEE slot cross slide that the milling attachment mounts too.
If you are not after a milling attachment you may be able to adapt an Angle plate to your cross slide and mount your work piece to that,either way they are a handy thing to have allthough the type of work you will be able to perform or depth of cut and ridgidity of the set up may be limited.

I use my lathe as a mill quite often for small jobs , like cutting keyways in shafts ,cross drilling ,and cutting slots etc. The vertical slide lacks some rigidity so light cuts are only able to be taken ,depending on the material being machined.A good set of ER collets and collect chuck is also required for grippng the end mills .

I have a vertical milling slide for my lathe which attaches to the cross slide table by way of tee slots .
I machined an adapter that fits onto the cross slide with the Myford spindle thread so I can mount chucks on the vertical slide .I also have an angle plate that bolts to the cross slide which makes a horizontal table.
A small vice also fits the vertical slide.

In the pics below I used a broken drill to make an end mill to machine a slot it the aluminium disc.
Kev.

Thanks for that Kev, that's given me some ideas for mine.

Cheers all.

Dubya,
Found another ball turning attachment that maybe easier to knock up ,has drawings and dimensions.

http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/baltool/balltool.html

Kev.

Awesome Kev, that's just what I need!

You're a great bloke, I don't care what they say about you :P