Brass and Stainless Disks

E

etoymaker

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I like to make the little compressed air driven engines. I need a source of brass and stainless disks to use as flywheels. Size 2" to 3" diameter and cut about 3/4" thick. From those I can make about any size I would need. Trying to make those disks from bar stock on a small hobby lathe is not a fun way to spend time. I don't have a metal saw at this time.
Etoymaker:whiteflag:
 
When I saw the hacksaw solution I had to chuckle, I'm 76, left handed and have a bad back (Got hit last spring with a pick-up while riding my bicycle for exercise). I'd have to start with a 12 inch piece to get two or three disks with the way me and hacksaws get along...LOL...
Both the McMasters-Carr and Speedy metals may offer an intermediate solution... I bought two small brass ends off the EBay auction today and I'm going to see if I can find a one or two man machine shop with a saw that I can make a deal with.. I'm saving my coins to buy a bench mill, but may have to buy a saw first and do the mill after that.
Thanks for the input and ideas.
Etoymaker
 
etoymaker said:
When I saw the hacksaw solution I had to chuckle, I'm 76, left handed and have a bad back (Got hit last spring with a pick-up while riding my bicycle for exercise). I'd have to start with a 12 inch piece to get two or three disks with the way me and hacksaws get along...LOL...
Both the McMasters-Carr and Speedy metals may offer an intermediate solution... I bought two small brass ends off the EBay auction today and I'm going to see if I can find a one or two man machine shop with a saw that I can make a deal with.. I'm saving my coins to buy a bench mill, but may have to buy a saw first and do the mill after that.
Thanks for the input and ideas.
Etoymaker
Click to expand...

Use the hacksaw and the lathe. Chuck up the workpiece, make a groove, put the saw in the groove, and start sawing the spinning piece. No need to put any force on it: just draw it back and forth so that all parts of the blade get used. Goes pretty fast and makes a straight cut. Does use up blades, but they're cheap even by my standards.
 
As soon as the small ends I ordered from EBay arrive, I'll give the lathe-hacksaw trick a try.
Thanks for the tip.
Etoymaker
 
That 4x6 Asian bandsaw really is the best bang for the buck of any tool in a home workshop. You really do need one. I would buy that before the mill, honestly.

For that matter, surely there is another hobbyist not far from you with one of those. I bet any welding shop would also have one. They are everywhere.
 
How many do you want to make?

I have a similar application - I need 3/4" thick slices of 2.5" aluminum and brass round bar, from which I make my custom microphone grills. (See Custom Wood Mics ). You won't want to do more than one or two with a hacksaw, and parting them on the lathe is indeed a giant pain in the butt. I can DO it - but I don't like to. I use 100-150 of these a year. A couple years ago I broke down and bought a Harbor Freight metal cutting band saw - they're only $249 and sometimes on sale. Not the fastest or best quality but works unattended and certainly serves my needs.

If you want to see one working on steel, there are plenty of videos / reviews of it on YouTube.

/Greg
 
I am not in your area but I commonly have people stop in and ask to have small jobs completed. I teach in a high school machine shop. You could try talking to your local school and see if it could be done for you. You might be surprised by what you can have done.

Just a suggestion. We call it community service here and our students get credited hours towards a diploma requirement.
 
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