Used New Lathe to Finish Garlic Press

[SteveHGraham]

Very exciting. I used the new lathe tonight. I still don't have it leveled, but that will be fixed. Tonight I used it to take some burrs off my 304 stainless garlic press. I used an old 3/8" cobalt brass tool I made. It fit in my CA holder just fine; I had to turn the screws WAY down, but it was adequate for the job.

The press is going to be a big asset in the kitchen. It's just a piston and sleeve with some holes at one end. Stick garlic in it, cover the head of the piston with a cloth, and mash it with a hammer. The garlic is instantly pulverized and sent from one end of the sleeve to the other. Ram the piston again, and the garlic shoots out onto your cutting board.

It may sound stupid, because it's an extremely simple tool, but there really aren't any good factory-made garlic presses. The handles snap. They're hard to clean. Aluminum sloughs off of them into the food. Lots of problems. As a serious cook, I found this highly annoying. I've bought four or five presses over the last few years.

I may thread a bowl-shaped receiver on the "out" end of the sleeve, shortening the tube so the garlic goes right into it and can't get stuck in the narrow part up by the holes.

The online bolt-hole calculator I found did a fine job of situating the holes on the mill. I stuck a V-block on its side in the vise, resting on a parallel, and I stood the sleeve up in it. I used a coax indicator to center the mill, and after that, it was just a matter of drilling and cleaning up the work. I stuck a 5/8" end mill in the mill and ran it down in the sleeve to clean off burrs. I may have to do that again. Still, I'm all happy.

I think the new lathe is going to be a lot of fun. It's so much roomier than the Clausing, and everything is totally rigid. The tru-adjust chuck is really nice. Also, the wheels turn much more smoothly. I don't know if that means the quality is better, or if it's just because big wheels give you more leverage.

[dly31]

Okay, what about the Guzzi shift lever that started this odyssey? Us Guzzi owners haven't forgotten!

[SteveM]

Steve,

Let's see some pictures! (including some in operation).

Steve

[michaelb]

Steve, I am thinking that when you operate that garlic press that safety goggles are paramount ! I would kind of like to see a video of that operation...




Mike

[oldvan]

Having tools to make useful things is a huge thrill for me, even when the things I make are relatively simple. Be proud of your accomplishment and enjoy your aluminum-free garlic!

Can we drop by for a live demonstration?

[ML]

Wait!!! Garlic...Law Degree???

Oh sorry I was thinking Vampires.

Where are the U-tube videos? Cooking or lathe work?

Michael

[SteveHGraham]

The Guzzi linkage...I should give up and order a piece of 304 in the right diameter. When I tried to turn 460 SS down, the finish was like torn cheese.

I will see if I can make some decent photos of the press.

[SteveHGraham]

It's not easy to take good photos of long objects, because one end usually goes out of focus. But here is the garlic press. This is just a test of a prototype. I have other ideas. I need to clean up the drill holes and maybe enlarge them a little.

The dial indicator I used with the Clausing's 4-jaw left lines around the press. I also have a few marks from the chuck.

The crushed garlic is perfect, and you don't lose half of it the way you would with a store garlic press.

[SteveHGraham]

You can see chatter from the 6"-long 5/8" end mill I used, and I also got chatter from the cobalt radius tool I used to round off the plunger and the top of the press. The chatter from the long mill is not a surprise, but I didn't expect a problem with the radius tool. Adjusting the height didn't help. Maybe a more rigid lathe will do a better job?

Not sure how to clean up the inside faces where drill holes have swarf hanging off. I may have a shorter 5/8" mill somewhere that won't chatter. I could use a smaller mill, but I believe I would have to put the press on a rotab, since the mill would not cover the entire diameter of the hole.

[SteveHGraham]

Is there any hope I could clean up those holes by using a larger drill bit as a sort of countersink, to shave off the burrs? I can't get a real countersink in there.

[John Evans]

Probably. A drill bit of the correct size of the bore with the end ground flat would also work. But try your idea should solve the problem.

[SteveHGraham]

I think a boring bar would be ideal, if I had one in the right length and shape.