Hi Guys,
I restored my father's Atlas 618 lathe and have been doing TONS of research on how to use a lathe. I was AMAZED when I saw videos on the use of a 4 jaw chuck. I decided to try to make a flat square piece of steel from an old rusty leaf spring. I cut off about 2 1/2" square off of the end and gave it a go. Here it is.
Lessons learned. That steel is HARD!!! I went through a few carbide bits trying to get that flat and square. The HSS bit I tried to sharpen did not work well. It was a combo of me not knowing what I was doing, and me not knowing what I was doing;-) That steel dulled the HSS bit in short order. I know I didn’t have the correct angle to the work, etc.
Using a carbide cutter with a higher speed and an interrupted cut creates sparks. Sparks + metal shavings + cutting oil = FIRE. Ask me how I know!
I got close..........
My next try will be to do the same thing with my milling attachment, and end mills on the same lathe. Wish me luck. I WELCOME all advice!
I restored my father's Atlas 618 lathe and have been doing TONS of research on how to use a lathe. I was AMAZED when I saw videos on the use of a 4 jaw chuck. I decided to try to make a flat square piece of steel from an old rusty leaf spring. I cut off about 2 1/2" square off of the end and gave it a go. Here it is.
Lessons learned. That steel is HARD!!! I went through a few carbide bits trying to get that flat and square. The HSS bit I tried to sharpen did not work well. It was a combo of me not knowing what I was doing, and me not knowing what I was doing;-) That steel dulled the HSS bit in short order. I know I didn’t have the correct angle to the work, etc.
Using a carbide cutter with a higher speed and an interrupted cut creates sparks. Sparks + metal shavings + cutting oil = FIRE. Ask me how I know!
I got close..........
My next try will be to do the same thing with my milling attachment, and end mills on the same lathe. Wish me luck. I WELCOME all advice!