Looking for ways to precisely cut apart 3 piece aluminum car wheels

There are many red flags here as asking how means little understanding of the end result.

First there ate many wheel companies where one can buy a wheel so the assumption is this is a "special case" and that matters a bunch.

If for a garden tractor safety not much concern or if a show car that only is trailered and not driven on the road and a real odd ball custom is needed then maybe but if you plan on driving this on the highway please stop and do something else.

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Tozguy said:
Just an impression but the wheel work you plan to do seems to be a big jump from what you are used to, to more complicated machining. The machining for wheels like that would have to be done on a lathe by someone with experience. Do you also have to turn another set of wheels to get the second half of the new wheel? Then there is the turning after welding get things aesthetic and concentric.
I do hope you don't try this with magnesium wheels.

If we are talking aluminum wheels for automobiles I would check to see how much it would cost to contract the work out versus the cost of buying new wheels ready to go.
Click to expand...

I had good luck several years ago talking to American Racing for custom wheels
 
Thanks for all of your replies!

I understand it is a big jump in what I am used to but the reason I ask for advice on how to do it on my own as opposed to contracting it out is that I believe this is something I would do more than once or twice. I have a bit of an addiction to wheels and have access to narrow wheels at affordable pricing and I am not afraid to invest in my hobby if I can learn. Another issue is that being in Japan, some companies I've talked to won't even consider helping due to liability or the cost is astronomical.

I would be removing the original outer rims and replacing them with new outer rims made specifically for this purpose (not removed from another wheel). They would need to be welded back together which I have not overlooked and that part is something I do not mind contracting out since I have only used a tig welder once. I just want to do as much as I can by myself if possible.

I have done a bit more research and it seems like a lathe with a wheel hub attached to the spindle and the aluminum wheel bolted to the hub is how it is spun. Then a cutting bit (carbide?) is used to cut the weld while the wheel rotates.

If I were to get a metal lathe, what should I consider as far as size? How can I judge if the lathe will give me enough working area to rotate the wheels?
 
You didn't indicate the size of the wheel, but if it's 15 or 16 inches in diameter, you're talking a pretty large lathe. Buying one in that size range would not make sense to make a few modified wheels:
it would be much more cost effective to find a machine shop to do the work for you.
 
Apologies. Most of the wheels would be 14" or 15" in diameter.

Perhaps it would be more cost effective to find a machine shop but for my own edification, I'd like to know what to look for in a lathe.
 
allhorizon said:
Apologies. Most of the wheels would be 14" or 15" in diameter.

Perhaps it would be more cost effective to find a machine shop but for my own edification, I'd like to know what to look for in a lathe.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty big question. At a basic level, lathes are categorized by what is called "swing". Think
about the distance from the center of the spindle to the bed of the lathe, or more likely the carriage that supports the tool used to do the machining. If you
chuck a 16 inch wheel into the lathe, you need more than half the diameter of the wheel in terms of that distance, which is 8 inches in your case. My lathe is
a 10" lathe, which means it's about 5 inches from the center of the spindle to the bed. You would need a lathe bigger than 16 inches, which makes it a large,
industrial lathe. Apart from the cost of buying a machine like that, you have to have a place to put it, electrical power sufficient to power it, tooling, which
in those sizes is quite expensive, and the knowledge to run it. You also have to hire riggers to move a machine that big. Buying a lathe like that makes absolutely no sense if all you need to do is modify a few rims.


To be honest with you, I think you need to talk with people who build and modify wheels
for a living to find out how to properly accomplish your task. There have to be people in
the race car world that perform that kind of work, and who can advise you on how it's done,
and in a manner that guarantees that your wheels will be functionally correct as
well as safe.

You have engineering questions to answer, as well as fabrication questions.
 
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You basically need a lathe that will swing at least 15" over the cross slide. I can't tell what size the lathe in the pic is, but if I had to guess I'd say it's probably a 14 or 15. But that just means that it will swing a piece of that diameter over the ways. If you have to get your cross slide under the piece to work the OD it wouldn't be large enough. Of course I could be wrong about the size of the lathe pictured.
 
@allhorizon
Hi Jamel,

Cool! You are in one of the meccas of precise machining and are asking about do-it-yourself machining!
I......love.......it!!

Despite some of the skeptics I believe _anything_ can be done in the home shop. (see my signature!)
You just gotta know your materials, your tools, your required tolerances,.........AND if you are capable of reaching them.

With anything you have to know the limits and do your homework.
With automotive wheels you want it concentric, you want it balanced, you need it to seal....and all within the limits of the rubber.

However, the rubber and the air pressure will hide a bunch of sins.
If it's off by a couple thou. no one will care or notice.

With that said, you'd need a lathe of substantial proportions. Not just able to swing that diameter, but also of rigid construction for the mass involved. The steps would likely be:
1) acquire a lathe big enough for this (and anything else your considering),
2) find a way to hold the work piece (you say you have a spare spindle),
3) indicate the work piece to the required tolerance (dial indicator, etc.),
4) do the cut (managing the off-cut in an appropriate way)
5) align the pieces very precisely
6) weld away

hmmm......I wonder if a balancing machine of appropriate proportions could be used as a lathe with a makeshift tool post.....

Welding aluminum is much trickier than steel. I have had aluminum collapse before I noticed a state change from solid to liquid.
Magnesium might me another kettle of monkeys.

Note: I am only speculating on how I'd approach the problem. I have not preformed the act successfully. I've been wrong ONCE before!

-brino

PS: when you are able to post pictures that will help greatly!
 
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A 6" vise is overkill for a RF45 style mill. A 4" is more appropiate for that size mill & IMO 5" max. I have a 5" GMT vise on my PM45 & it's slightly too big. Not enough Y axis travel to make use of the 5" full capacity. Better to save your money rather than getting something too big & most importantly the weight. I take my vise of the table quite often, a 6" is still light enough for me to be carried by hand but I'm glad I have a 5". I also have a 4" vise as well. I prefer the 5" though.

But those GMT 6" Premium vises are pretty nice. I'd love to have one but don't need one on my current mill. But if you plan on upgrading to a full size knee mill in the future than the 6" will be perfect.


Here's what the 5" looks like on my mill.
Img_1921.jpg


I couldn't even complete this cut without my bellows & DRO scale getting in the way. Not enough Y travel & the 5" vise is not even maxed out.
Img_7597_zpscb8b5dd7.jpg


Here's what a 6" vise looks like on another PM45 (gt40's)
View attachment 253544
 
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