- Joined
- May 8, 2017
- Messages
- 618
If you have one of the 9x20 lathes sold by Central Machinery, Grizzly, etc. and have trouble parting, do yourself a HUGE favor and make the four bolt compound base as a project. You can download the plans here: http://bedair.org/clamp/9x20clamp.html
I was getting VERY frustrated at parting. Maybe one in five attempts resulted in an acceptable job without breaking a blade or bending the work piece. I made the compound base on the lathe and installed it and the difference is night and day. I can part one inch cold roll into paper-thin wafers now, and that is using a parting blade straight from the package; no grinding or honing. The new base really makes the compound MUCH more rigid. Not only does this help in parting, it also helps on interrupted cuts and enables you to take more depth of cut on stock.
This project is well worth taking the time to do, and, if you are new to machining like me, you will learn several new skills along the way.
I was getting VERY frustrated at parting. Maybe one in five attempts resulted in an acceptable job without breaking a blade or bending the work piece. I made the compound base on the lathe and installed it and the difference is night and day. I can part one inch cold roll into paper-thin wafers now, and that is using a parting blade straight from the package; no grinding or honing. The new base really makes the compound MUCH more rigid. Not only does this help in parting, it also helps on interrupted cuts and enables you to take more depth of cut on stock.
This project is well worth taking the time to do, and, if you are new to machining like me, you will learn several new skills along the way.