The Home Machinist!

Getting back on track, how do y'all suggest cutting the o-ring groove? I ground a tool the width of the groove, but it creates chatter and the bottom of the groove is not perfectly smooth. Would I be better off creating a tool .045 wide and facing out the groove?

I've decided to get an expanding mandrel and give that a shot simply because it is the cheapest option right now. Moving forward I'll buy a chuck with 2 part jaws so I can learn how to make and use soft jaws.

Thanks Patio, I should have looked in the library before I asked Harold to point it out to me. Since I have on piece jaws, I guess I'll have to look for another chuck...

PixMan wrote:If you don't have the milling machine and/or tooling to make your own soft jaws, you can buy them cheap for Huron Machine Products.

http://www.huronmachine.com/

How do I figure out which type of soft jaw will fit my chuck and do you typically put soft jaws on 3 or 4 jaw chucks?
-Capel

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm a real newbie when it comes to the lathe. So far I've learned how to cut both internal and external threads. Of course, I had to learn how to grind my own tools first. Some of you would probably look at my cutting tools and laugh, but I certainly see the value o...

Harold_V wrote:Soft jaws.

Harold

Harold, are you suggesting the soft jaws chuck on the .250" flat on the end?
-Capel

I have a part that I'm not sure how to hold. It has threads on both ends and an o-ring groove on both ends. While there will be a small "flat" between the threads and the end of the part, I don't think .25" is enough to hold the part in order to thread the opposite end and create the ...

Well, I made some progress. I first drilled the Delrin rod as shown in the picture above. Since I could not get my boring bar in the hole, I read all the suggestions and then went by Lowe's to see if I could find something quick and cheap. I came up with the tools shown below. I found what appeared ...

Thanks for the feedback Glen. McM-C wants $400 for their boring bar like that! I've been looking at other sources without a lot of luck. Here is where I've looked: CDCO Shars Tools4cheap Enco Can you recommend some other places to find one that does not cost $400? Also, where can I find drill bits l...

Glen, I was not trying to plunge the bar through the hole. I was trying to open up the hole from the inside out. The tool was ground for turning and I was facing. Had it worked, it would take me 10,000 passes to get that deep. I'll have to revisit the tool geometry and/or get a solid carbide boring ...

I cut 2 short pieces and cut 16 tip threads on the outside of one and the inside of the other and they fit! I even ground my own tool to cut the internal thread. Man was I pumped! Then I got down to the real problem. I found a long 1/2" wood bit and chucked it in the tail stock to bore the init...

The bore itself does not need to be extremely accurate. +/-.100 is acceptable, however, the first .500 will be threaded with 16 tpi UNC thread. 1) Can one of you guys point me to a resource for reaming? As a newbie, it is not a process that I'm familiar with. 2) I'll be making a threaded cap to go o...