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Helo-tech

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Hey gang,

I'm new here and just bought a fairly nice Enco combo lathe/mill, I don't have any practical machining experience but am familiar with the basics.

I was wondering if anyone can recommend some good resource for basic info. on materials and machining speeds for them, like some kind of chart (if one exists)?
 
Machinery's Handbook is a standard reference for machine shop data. It is full of charts of valuable information. However, it can be a bit cumbersome to use when all you need is to calculate feed and speed. I have a number of old slide calculators that I use. You can get one for free right here: http://www.niagaracutter.com/speed-feed-slide

speed-feed-slide.jpg



Enco (now MSC) used to offer (and MSC probably still does) an electronic machinist's calculator that would give you feeds and speeds also.

You can also search the internet for feed and speed calculator applets, some of which are available for your phone or tablet.

Little Machine Shop has some charts and calculators on this page: http://littlemachineshop.com/reference/cuttingspeeds.php

My personal preference is to keep it simple with the old tried and true slide calculators. I don't have to worry about accidentally spilling coolant or oil on my phone or other fancy gadget. Keep in mind that these calculators will get you close to the figures you need, but they are not absolutes. You still may have to fiddle with your speeds a little bit.
 
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Go to Google and search for "Tom's Techniques". Tom Griffin has some excellent tutorials there on cutter speeds. Quick version for steel: 400 / diameter. If you are drilling/milling, diameter is the diameter of your cutter. If turning on the lathe, it's the diameter of the work. For example, a 1/4" drill should be run at "400 / 0.25" or 1600 RPM for steel. If you are turning a 1/2" diameter steel rod on a lathe, you should be a "400 / 0.5" or 800 RPM. Tom gives recommended speeds for other materials too.

Bruce
 
Spend leisure time reading all the posts on this forum. Many small hints can be found hiding in odd places here. You'll pick up much information by idle reading.
 
thanks for the input guys, I just requested the free slide rule and have already spent a bit of time reading some of the posts. I do plan to keep reading and learning though.

thanks again.
 
I almost forgot, if you are looking for a ready made chart, possibly even one that is specific to your lathe, take a look at the laminated wall charts available from Little Locos.

http://www.littlelocos.com/index.html

I have no affiliation with them, but was very satisfied with the chart that I bought from them some years back for my Logan 200 lathe. It hangs on the wall by the lathe and is referenced from time to time. Most of the time I just play it by ear and everything works just fine.
 
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I too just bought an Enco mill this fall. After doing some work I realized I needed to understand lots of things LIKE MILL SPEEDS!!! Youtube is a treasur trove of great instruction videos, but I needed a reference manual for the shop. I did a search of this site for a good handbook and everything pointed to "Machinery's Handbook". When I had searched Amazon previously, this title kept coming up but the name is deceiving! I thought it was an equipment reference, not a machin-IST'S reference. THe guys on here all said the older editions were gold for the hobbyist, and included neato stuff like blacksmithing info, and foundry stuff that all got deleted in newer editions. So I checked out EBay and found myself a 1948 13th Edition, leather bound with the thumb tabs - which is exactly what they all said was best. This book arrived today in unbelievably excellent condition. Pages all intact, no rips, grease, folded or dog-eared pages, and the original owners name in beautiful calligraphy on the inside cover. It only cost me $18.00 WITH shipping!!
 
T Bredehoft said:
Spend leisure time reading all the posts on this forum. Many small hints can be found hiding in odd places here. You'll pick up much information by idle reading.
Click to expand...

Yep. You might not think it at first glance but there is some surprisingly good information here.
 
If you do not have a Machinerys Handbook yet PM me before you buy one.

"Billy G"
 
I made one up a wall chart in microsoft excel a few years ago.
Printed and laminated and hung it on the door.
It's my "go-to".

If there's interest I can try to dig it up.
Let me know.

-brino
 
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