The Home Machinist!

There's a place for centerless belt sanders-----but precision stock grinding isn't it. American sources of stainless used to use that process after rolling, but the material was left about .003" oversized to allow for a finish cut to achieve nominal size. I purchased a large amount of 1-7/8&quo...

One word on #2, it's not chuck run-out you have to worry about. There will still be an axis of rotation at the center line of the spindle, it just won't be in the center of the part. The problem is that if the tail stock is not perfectly aligned on the spindle axis, THEN you get the boring behavior...

There's at least a couple things you can do to get them properly oriented. Both cases require that you know how to find proper center of the shaft with the cutter. One method is to mount the shaft in a V block, which in turn is mounted to the table of the machine. Find center, then cut one keyway, t...

Best way is to indicate the taper attach in with a .0001 indicator on the center of a known good taper. Once you get it zeroed from one end to the other, turn as many as you like. Great way to make the preliminary setup, but the machined part should be checked with a sign bar or plate. Setups such ...

Second, there used to be such a thing as Hard Steel drills which were made specifically to drill hardened steel. With them you could drill a hole in a file. Many people thought they were no good because they weren't using the drill properly. In proper use, these drills need a high rotational speed ...

How much of the front of the wheel do you feel is reasonable to be exposed? (I will make gaurds, along with a side cover). I just gave mine a visual---and found it to be approximately 120° of opening, 60° above center and 60° below center. It's important to have a generous amount of the wheel expos...

Having operated centerless grinders in my day, your report comes as no surprise. What's hard to accomplish is to have others understand that such material isn't all it's cracked up to be. many insist on its quality. I know better, and now you do, too. Drill rod is often ground by centerless belt san...

You might consider drawing the key at around 900° F, which will soften it enough to render it machineable without fully annealing it. The lower temperature will avoid destroying the surface. Soak it for a half hour, then allow it to air cool. Without a controlled atmosphere furnace, or wrapping the ...

Question though for Harold. Your arbor calls for 2-3/4" flange built onto the arbor. In order to save time and material, could one start with a 2" piece of stock turn a shoulder and use 2.25" dia. x 5/16 thick washers? Or weld on a piece of metal then turn/face the flange? Harold, I ...

That's an unfortunate incident. I, too, had a 6" lathe as a boy, and bent the spindle with my first parting attempt. I feel your pain. Parting successfully demands a rigid machine, and a firm understanding of cutter geometry. It's a tough way to experiment. If you do so without a little experie...

I'm just lucky to have a good relationship with my customer. I was able to explain what happened, Fix his parts, & I even ran an additional 30 of them for free as a "I'm really sorry this happened" gesture. That's an excellent way to build good relations. I've always been a worrier ab...

The lesson that should be learned here is how poor a drill is at preparing a hole. Such a hole can be out of round, angled and not straight, which is often the case. Anytime you have a close tolerance, it's a good idea to bore, or at the minimum, ream, although that can still leave a hole that isn't...