How Can I Hold These In My Lathe?

[JeepsAndGuns]

Pretty simple. How in the world can I hold a axle shaft in my lathe? Its a outer axle shaft from a 4wd front axle. One end has splines, the other has a u-joint yoke. Here's the problem, I need to hold it on the u-joint yoke end, because I need to machine the end with the splines. They have center drilled spots on both ends, from when they were made. If I take my chuck completely off my machine, I can put it between the centers, but naturally, with no chuck or plate on it, there is no way to turn the shaft. I do not have a face plate or lathe dog, but even if I did, the center on the spindle would be too short. to reach past the ears to the center divot.
I need to cut another snap ring groove. These shafts were originally for drive flanges, so they don't have the snap ring groove in the right spot for lockout hubs. Now production shafts have both snap ring grooves, but I do not want to spend $85 each for new ones, when these are perfectly fine, they just need another groove.
Looking for any suggestions.
Here are a couple pictures. First you can see the center divots, next is showing the splines and I have roughly marked with a sharpie where I need to cut another snap ring groove. Last is a link to ebay showing a new shaft and it shows more clearly the groove I need to cut.






Here is the ebay link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-F150-1...-79-/370890625381?hash=item565acdd165&vxp=mtr

 

[NoShopSkills]

Skip chucking it, hold it between a dead center in the chuck and a live center in the tailstock. Drive the thing with a lathe dog or a bolt on fixture that meshes with the chuck jaw if your turning speed can be low enough

 

[John Hasler]

Use one or more taper adapters to extend the dead center in the spindle.

 

[jpfabricator]

It would ne helpful to know what lathe you have.

Just a thought. If your lathe has a morse taper in the spindle and threaded spindle shaft, make a thread on drive dog that still permits the dead centers use.

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker

 

[fastback]

If you have a 4 jaw chuck you could mount the center and use the housing against the jaws as the driver or dog. You may want check the axle for hardness. I believe that I have been told that they are hardened and very difficult to work.

Paul

 

[brino]

Mount a bar in the chuck and part-off then cut a 60 deg point using the top slide set to that angle. You can make this new "dead centre" bar as long as you need.
The point will be perfectly centred until you remove it from the chuck jaws.
For driving dogs I've used a muffler clamp around the work with a bar welded on to engage a chuck jaw.

Yep that spline end is likely hardened, so you'd need a carbide tool. However, it is also an interrupted cut; carbide is not great for impacts like that.

I'd consider a mounting a dremel tool with a cutoff disc onto the cross slide.
Be sure to cover all the machine ways/slides to avoid abrasive dust getting in.
Also consider a shop vac hose mounted to collect most of the dust.

Good luck!
Please let us know how it goes.

-brino

By the way, great pictures and description explaining exactly your problem!
That makes it real easy to understand and offer suggestions.

 

[RJSakowski]

+1 on what brino said on the mounting. If it were me, I would try a HSS tool first. You want a nice crisp edge on the groove to prevent the retaining ring from popping off.

Bob

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

The OEM made it between centers as suggested by the existing center holes, as noted above put it between centers and turn away, this is one of the easiest jobs that you will ever do on a lathe as the OEM has supplied the center holes for you.

If you do not have a spindle center or the one that you have is too short to reach inside the yoke, put a piece of suitable diameter and length steel in the chuck, turn the compound to 30º and make yourself a dead center, screw or weld on a lathe dog and have at it. You cannot get more accurate then turning a spindle center in place.
As a side note, the interrupted cut when putting a flat bottomed groove on a rather hard spline will be problematic if a lathe dog is not secured rigidly to the chuck, the part will bounce around a good deal as the tool enters and leaves the cut, don't worry about the finish as it will likely not be pretty, or does this thing hold the wings onto the airplane? (-:

 

[John Hasler]

Use one or more taper adapters to extend the dead center in the spindle.

Or fabricate a long center to be held in a collet in the spindle taper. Turn the point with it mounted in the collet and then leave it in place until you have completed the operation you are making it for. That way you can be sure that it will be on center even if the piece of scrap you make it from isn't straight.

 

[chevydyl]

I just finished a lathe dog driver that uses a set screw to attach to the dead center, I have a carbide tipped center that has a .750 straight area I think that's for this type of driver, it's posted in the POTD pg 197