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- Jan 22, 2011
- Messages
- 8,031
I guess I'm thinking more basic than you guys. I believe you shouldn't take a cut until you can indicate a part in a 4 jaw.
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First skills on a lathe?
- Thread starter Tony Wells
- Start date
Well, I just got my Craftsman lathe June of 2010. Without any instruction, I pulled it apart to figure out what made it tick, found the broken gears, found the replacements & installed them.
I turned my first piece in about 20 days after bringing it home. I used brazed carbide bits that went in the tool post, 2 weeks later I had a AXA QCTP.
Since then I've discovered how to turn a piece to a specific size (using micrometer to measure), how to part off a small slice, bore a specific sized hole & using the lathe to create & sell plasma cutter circle guides. I've used my lathe to build/machine a new gear quadrant, cut gears & bore shafts for pressed fit bronze bushings.
Now I'm not a machinist......................................yet. I'm a Registered Nurse, but before that, I was a mechanic & have built/repaired everything from antique cars to supersonic jet fighters for the Air Force.
The real answer to the OP question is just start doing. The worst that can happen is you break a tool or stall the machine while you are learning. Just wait til you start the parting operation & the parting tool breaks with a [size=36pt]BANG[/size]. That'll get yer attention quick!
I turned my first piece in about 20 days after bringing it home. I used brazed carbide bits that went in the tool post, 2 weeks later I had a AXA QCTP.
Since then I've discovered how to turn a piece to a specific size (using micrometer to measure), how to part off a small slice, bore a specific sized hole & using the lathe to create & sell plasma cutter circle guides. I've used my lathe to build/machine a new gear quadrant, cut gears & bore shafts for pressed fit bronze bushings.
Now I'm not a machinist......................................yet. I'm a Registered Nurse, but before that, I was a mechanic & have built/repaired everything from antique cars to supersonic jet fighters for the Air Force.
The real answer to the OP question is just start doing. The worst that can happen is you break a tool or stall the machine while you are learning. Just wait til you start the parting operation & the parting tool breaks with a [size=36pt]BANG[/size]. That'll get yer attention quick!
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