Made my first part! Warning: this is not going to be exciting

Fine Job!!!

A few suggestions if you don't mind.

If you are using the caliper to get your sizes, you will almost always end up over or under. Most good calipers are only accurate to .0005, and the majority are only accurate to .001. A micrometer is much better for this type of work. What was written about a spring pass is excellent advice. Live and learn, that is how we all started.
 
Fine job, congrats! That's sort of the way I do most of my machining, my H/S shop teacher is probably rolling over in his grave over some of my methods.:))
 
Thanks alot for all the positive comments. Its nice to get positive feedback as on most forums everyone likes to post negative ones. As far as the Goat rodeo, I couldn't figure out a clean way to cut inside. I thought about grinding down a drill bit to work but didn't have any I wanted to sacrifice lying around. I used my facer bit and shimmed up the tool holder with a 3/8" bit and a QC angled shim. It would just barely get me the depth I needed without the rest of the tool hitting into the work. I feel I could have done a much better job with a boring tool. I don't have a picture of the setup as I was pretty embarrassed by it. It worked close enough anyway. Its funny I had so many things to do with a lathe before I got one and now I can't think of any Im willing to take on yet. I learned a ton from making this bushing, I considered myself to be pretty mechanically competent until I started working with this and now I realize there are aspects of mechanical work that are still going to be a huge challenge for me. Thanks again for all the kind words and positive feedback its much appreciated. Jess
 
Well, the inside finish on your bushing looks pretty good, so I'd call it a success. Think of what the guys who invented the metal lathe had to do. Anything goes if you can still count to ten with your shoes on. Wait till you're clamping a router bit in your toolpost to use it as a form tool.
 
great to see that the chips are flying already! Another option for a dodgy boring bar set up is to put an endmill in the tailstock drill chuck and slowly move the work over in your 4 jaw. The maths makes my head hurt, so it's not for me, but it's another option.

If you have some spare HSS bits that came with the lathe you bought, you can just grind your own boring bar. It's not especially hard and it can work very well, with the caveat that the reach will be somewhat limited.
 
Goat Rodeo!!
I saw one once, the wife and I were on vacation in Colorado.
They sent little kids out on sheep and goats. It was the funniest thing I ever saw!!
Those kids got ground into the dirt and never let go. No city kids at that GOAT RODEO!!!
 
Hawkeye said:
Well, the inside finish on your bushing looks pretty good, so I'd call it a success. Think of what the guys who invented the metal lathe had to do. Anything goes if you can still count to ten with your shoes on. Wait till you're clamping a router bit in your toolpost to use it as a form tool.
Click to expand...

Just two days ago I needed to round the end of a .228 rod. Not have made a ball turning device yet I decided to use a 1/8" corner rounding end mill. Not something want to do often but worked once.

If you can't find any project now, just wait, soon you won't know which one to start on next.

Keep practicing and trying even what you don't think you can do. I friend gave me a AR 15 80% lower to work on. After taking a quick look at the drawing I thought I was in way over my head. Thinking about it in smaller little projects I now have a completed rifle and the knowledge that I can do it. Now planning on one more.
 
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