Machining cast iron - do you cover your ways?

[Alan H.]

I am about to machine several casting made of cast iron. I will need my mill and lathe.

I have done only enough before to understand it makes a big mess. I think I remember reading that it is good practice to protect your machine ways from it if possible.

Do you cover your ways to keep the grit, cuttings, and dust off them?

 

[Groundhog]

I'm going to catch a lot of flack for this but . . .
I don't bother. I do clean my ways (and all upper surfaces of my lathe) after most every operation.
My reasoning; I've seen lathes at machine shops that get used on a daily basis. They don't cover their ways regardless of what they are cutting. However, if kept clean the machines that are used for cast iron don't show much more (if any) wear than the other lathes.
The amount of cast iron cut on my hobby lathe compared to what is cut on a job shop lathe is minuscule. I think that the paranoia of cast iron and lathe ways for a hobby machine is just that - paranoia. I doubt you or I will ever notice any additional wear caused by cast iron if reasonable cleaning is performed.

PS - of course, it sure can't hurt!

 

[Nogoingback]

As Groundhog pointed out, it probably isn't really needed, but on the other hand, it takes very little effort, it can't hurt anything and if nothing else it makes cleaning up easier.
I've used aluminum foil: cheap, always available and it won't hurt you if it does somehow get tangled in a chuck.

 

[Whyemier]

Do you cover your ways to keep the grit, cuttings, and dust off them?

Yes

 

[benmychree]

I'm going to catch a lot of flack for this but . . .
I don't bother. I do clean my ways (and all upper surfaces of my lathe) after most every operation.
My reasoning; I've seen lathes at machine shops that get used on a daily basis. They don't cover their ways regardless of what they are cutting. However, if kept clean the machines that are used for cast iron don't show much more (if any) wear than the other lathes.
The amount of cast iron cut on my hobby lathe compared to what is cut on a job shop lathe is minuscule. I think that the paranoia of cast iron and lathe ways for a hobby machine is just that - paranoia. I doubt you or I will ever notice any additional wear caused by cast iron if reasonable cleaning is performed.

PS - of course, it sure can't hurt!

I agree with the poster; I take no extra precautions, but do keep removing chips as they pile up as I am working, and give things a good cleaning when I am done with the job; one thing about machining cast iron, use much more feed when roughing than with steel or whatever else, this makes a coarser "chunkier" chip that does not have near the fine dusty matter as when using fine feeds. Also important to avoid shallow cuts at the start of the job, you need to get under the hard as cast surface, which can dull a tool very quickly if it just skates over the hard surface; none of that matters, if you are machining continuous cast iron bar.

 

[Doubleeboy]

I cover my ways and change the oil in my carriage after machining casts iron. Its surprising how much crap gets by the wipers. Its abrasive as can be. On a nice toolmakers lathe I would go so far as to say only a fool would not take precautions when machining cast iron. Cast iron dust goes right past felt way wipers in my experience

 

[darkzero]

I normally do mainly cause it makes clean up easier. As Groundhog said, I don't machine cast iron enough to where I think it will cause accelerated wear on my lathe. But sometimes you just can't cover up enough or prevent mess unless you want to stop & clean up every so often or sit there with a vacuum.

I'm actually machining some cast iron today, taking a break, it's lunch time. I didn't even bother covering anything nor did I use a cutter upside down. I just let the chips fly & I'll deal with the mess after. Plus I wanted to see how much of it gets past my new delrin/felt wipers.

 

[4GSR]

Dura Bar brand of cast iron is not as abrasive as a true "cast" castiron is. Makes nice chips with little abrasive powder. Still, it abrasive to any machine tool to cut. I try to brush the chips off the ways after each cut. And wipe down the ways often.

Will, take those chips and sprinkle around on you yard. Your grass will love you for the iron your giving it!

 

[Ulma Doctor]

i should do more preventative covering of my ways.
i oil them religiously, but i generally only clean up when i'm done with the job/work.
i don't machine as much cast iron as i would like to.
usually only a few odd jobs a year, so my idiosyncrasy is not a big problem

 

[mikey]

I cover everything that isn't rotating or cutting and lay a damp terry cloth towel under the spindle and I stuff a big wad of oiled paper towel into the spindle bore, too. In my defense, I do this not (only) because of paranoia but largely because I'm lazy. It is sooo much faster to use a brush attachment on the vac to get most of the chips off, then carefully remove the plastic sheeting to reveal a clean lathe underneath. A quick cleaning of the entire lathe and I'm done. Oh yeah, I throw a plastic sheet (those cheap painter's cover things) over adjacent machines, too. I'd say this is just the smart thing to do but it's really just more laziness.

I also have a rubber apron in front of my cross slide so chips rarely even make it to the way wipers - this makes me feel better because my lathe is my baby.