# Parting Practice Chatter



## RVJimD (Jan 16, 2015)

Guys,

I spent a few hours yesterday practicing parting off on the lathe.  First let me say I'm sort of talking myself thru this because I think I have read up on the procedure and watched countless videos on the subject.  Yesterday I thought I was doing pretty good on the 6061.  Today I did a few more with the aluminum and didn't have any problems.  So, I pop a 1" piece of 1018 in the chuck and the first attempt goes pretty good.  Then the next one starts to chatter like crazy and I have been out there for an hour with no luck finding out what changed.

I'm using a Grizzly G0752 using an import AXA QCTP.  I have rigged up a drip oiler because I want to be able to keep both hands on the hand wheel of the cross slide for better control and more even feed.

When it is going well, I part off a narrow piece, loosen the jaws and pull out a bit more for another go.  This way I don't have to loosen the lock on the apron.

i have re sharpened the cutter, tried a 1/8" cutter (I was using 5/64")  I tried choking up the cutter in the holder to the point that there is no way I would make it thru to the center.  I tried slower and faster rpm.  I had been using about 350rpm.  I re chucked the part.  I even have two holders and they both behave the same.  I went back to 6061 and although I was able to get it done, I could tell it wasn't working as easily as before.  I checked the tool square to the stock and on center. And, I'm not even getting far enough into the work to create and side bind on the tool.

Hum...  Frustrating part is I was just about to think I was figuring this out, now I feel like I need sharper teeth so I can try chewing it off!  

Here are a few pics of the setup.


----------



## Terrywerm (Jan 16, 2015)

Jim, the only thing that I can see is that your speed might be a little too fast yet at 350 RPM, depending on the size of the stock, and there may be a problem with the way your cutoff tool is sharpened.  In the first photo it appears to be sharpened with a slight concave to it. The curved chatter marks on the work support that as well. When ground that way, the cutting line is longer than a straight grind, but even more significant is the fact that only one spot on the cutter is actually at the correct height on the work. There may be other issues that are not apparent in the photos, so make absolutely certain that there are no chips trapped under the tool holder, or under the toolpost itself. Also try locking down your carriage and make sure that the gibs for the cross slide and compound are not too loose. What method are you using to make sure that you have the work exactly at center height might I ask??


----------



## Randy_m (Jan 16, 2015)

When I am parting and start to get chatter I increase my feed to get through it. It took me a while to learn too be more aggressive.


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 16, 2015)

Terry,

thanks for the reply.

the concave is from my 6" wheel.  I tried a steeper angle when I thought maybe it was too vertical and possible bumping into the stock before the cutting edge.

to align the tool for center I position it on the end of the part and compare the tip of the cutter to the (in this case) small nub left from the last part off.  I have checked a few tools in the past with the dead center in the tailstock but I haven't done that here.  I might try putting a small round in the chuck and do the "hold the ruler vertical method"

I did remove the post and holder and clean and inspect for chips.

Jim


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 16, 2015)

Randy,

i didn't see your post earlier.

i have tried that and it get so bad I'm afraid of snapping the tool.  

Jim


----------



## Terrywerm (Jan 16, 2015)

When you sharpen your cutoff tool, are you holding the tool on it's side?  It should be held with the cutting tool vertical, cutting edge at the top, grind only on the face of the tool, never on the top. It appears that you are using what is called a T shaped cutoff blade, they should never be ground on the side or top.
If you are sharpening vertically on the face end of the blade, and your wheel has that much curvature across the face, you might want to dress the wheel to get it flat again. 
I also stone my cutting tools with a good Arkansas or India stone after sharpening on the grinder. Makes the cutting edge so much more keen and really improves the character of the cut.

Some guys will sharpen their cutoff blades with a noticeable concave on the front so that the blade completes the cutoff more cleanly on both halves of the cut, usually eliminating the need for a facing cut if surface finish is important. Usually this is done on production lathes that are much more stout than the type of lathes that we have. Of course, most people working in production environments no longer use HSS for parting off, either.

I am not intimately familiar with your lathe model, what size is it, ie: what swing does it have?


----------



## Terrywerm (Jan 16, 2015)

Scratch on that last question about the size of your lathe, I just looked it up and see that it is a bench model, the same size as my Logan 210, which is also a bench model. 

Make sure that your lathe is firmly fastened to the bench on which it sits, and if the bench is a little on the light side, it might be a good idea to fasten it to the floor.

I had a similar problem at times when parting off on my Logan, though not as pronounced as what you are seeing. I found that my lathe was not fastened firmly enough to the bench, getting it tightened down solidly made a noticeable difference.

I also found that a narrower cutoff blade works MUCH better. You will find that a 3/32" wide blade will make life so much easier than a 1/8" blade. You could drop down to 1/16" but that is almost too narrow for doing deeper cuts.


----------



## Andre (Jan 16, 2015)

Looks like you have a lot of help already from Terry, but I thought I'd throw this in case it helps. No expert my any means, so take this with a grain of salt )

Never had a problem with parting at high speeds, even at 980 RPM or so I can buzz through most metals without chatter with an aggressive feed rate, so I'm not sure but I don't think speed is your problem. I can't get hot rolled to part off without chatter, so it could be a materials issue also, just keep that in mind. Lots of hard spots in HR that lead to vibration.

Chatter is either vibration, tool digging in repeatedly, or a mix of both. Look at your setup, make sure the blade is in the holder tight, toolpost is locked down, gibs are tight, lathe is on a solid (yet ever so slightly flexible, like rubber feet) base, and even make sure the headstock bolts are tight. Parting takes a lot of force, so any weakness in your setup will show.

If in doubt, try holding your parting tool upside-down in the holder and try it. If your holder is like my Aloris 7 holder, it has back rake added to it so you will have to part from the back to get the positive rake angle.

Another member recently posted something brilliant about parting and using form tools on his 7x lathe, and it worked like a dream. The trick is to use your tools upside-down, so instead of the edge catching and being forced down, into the work. It gets pushed up-and-out of the work, reducing chatter. 

And of course make sure your parting tool is sharp, or it will give you lots of grief.


----------



## Dranreb (Jan 16, 2015)

Randy_m said:


> When I am parting and start to get chatter I increase my feed to get through it. It took me a while to learn too be more aggressive.



It took me a while to learn this too, I think it works because of the diameter change affecting the surface speed and depth of cut as the workpiece gets smaller, when you know your tool and everything else is spot on but you still get chattering it comes down to feel...

Hard to explain but over analyzing it made me loose confidence whereas pushing through just works most of the time....

Bernard


----------



## Bill Gruby (Jan 16, 2015)

There is good reason that it takes a while to get used to greater feed when chatter starts occurring. Natural instinct is to back off not push thru.  But that is exactly what you need to do, inceease  the feed and push thru till the chatter stops or the piece is parted off.

 "Billy G"


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 16, 2015)

I went thru all of the items brought up so far.  I did tighten up the gibs more, but I think they we okay.

I think my tool post and compound need some attention.  The fit must not be right because I can see it Rock forward a bit under a load.  I'll work on that issue.

i was able to rotate the compound in line with the cross slide to give the tool post more surface under it instead of sitting skew across the end of the compound.  That helped a lot, so I think I'm going to take a good look at the way it mounts and see what I can do to fix it.

Question abouts chips during parting.  Seems like I see this with aluminum as well as steel.  Toward the beginning of the cut the chip is long, continuous and shinny on the under side as it comes off.  This, while the cut is smooth and no issues.  But, as the cut progresses the chip starts to change to a flat broken flat color and sort of looks like fudge, not shinny.  (is that how you spell something that shines?)

anyhow, the toolpost and compound seem to be the biggest part of my trouble.

thanks for helping me out!  Let me know what the chips mean?  I'm not sure it is the feed changing due to decreasing diameter but that makes the most sense, unless it is related to heat as it starts getting deeper and heats up?

jim


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 16, 2015)

I think I'm getting it.  Practice is helping me a lot as well as the suggestions.  Thanks All!

i think I could benefit from a bit better cutter.  I'm using a cheap T style from Grizzly and I can see it loose the nice edge on a single pass on a piece of 1018 CR 1".

i am still of the belief that I can learn how to use the machine with inexpensive tooling and as I get better I can get some tooling that fits my level of skill.

what else is popular for parting?  So far all of my tooling is hand ground HSS except for one threading tool I bought just to see if I was grinding mine like the factory stuff.

thanks again everyone!


----------



## stupoty (Jan 16, 2015)

RVJimD said:


> Randy,
> 
> i didn't see your post earlier.
> 
> ...



Hay its not parting if the tool dosnt explode 

I can only hang about 0.75 - 1 inch out out of my tool holder before the blades seem to be to bendy (.75 tall about 1/8" thick).

Stuart


----------



## Round in circles (Jan 16, 2015)

I found that as well Stuart , by the time I got deep into some three inch bar it was getting a bit twitchy no matter what speed i ran it at so I cut through the remaining the web with a hacksaw instead then faced things off.


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 17, 2015)

All this parting has helped me discover a flaw in my setup.  I never did use the four way tool post on my G0752 since I purchased a QCTP to go on it.  I knew the rigidity of the toolpost was questionable and I even added a third bolt to the compound.  Most people are doing a complete four or even six bolt mod and making a new clamping plate.  When I looked at that I thought there was still a weakness in all the stuff sitting above the compound clamp plate, like the fact the mine seems to have a pretty large gap from the clamp block around the protractor portion.  The other part I didn't like, but didn't understand until today was the T slot and T nut.  Mine is pretty sloppy and when I tighten down the toolpost it pulls the T nut up into the slot and there is about .016" gap under it. This lets the toolpost rock toward the gap under the nut.  I think the original four way post might be a tiny bit wafer which would help a bit.  I think when the mill gets here I'm going to try making a T nut that fits a little better.

meanwhile I put a shim under the nut, which has really helped reduce my problems parting.

now I'm seeing my cutter fail.  I'm going to have to order some different T shaped cutters, I can't hardly get thru a 1" piece of CR without taking the the cutter to the grinder.  It chips off the cutting edge.  I don't think I'm being too hard on it.

here are pics of the t nut and shim location.


----------



## Dranreb (Jan 17, 2015)

Are you sure the hold down stud doesn't stick out of the bottom of the T nut and jack against the bottom of the slot? If it does it would bow the top slide surface upwards which would make the tool post rock on the hump, the gap underneath is irrelevant in my opinion.

Also it might be a good idea to get some leaded steel bar to practice on as it more forgiving as it self lubes a bit and can even be parted dry with care.

Bernard


----------



## Karl_T (Jan 17, 2015)

Like you're learning rigidity is CRITICAL. Next is proper sharpening.

I really suggest you get some practice stock and learn to engage the power feed for cutoff. Find the best recipe and write it down. Like has been mentioned, most are chicken sh#t about it and don't feed enough. Once you have the proper rigid setup and know best speed feed, you can just do it every time automatically.

Karl

PS if you've not yet heard the sickening crunch, you don't have enough experience


----------



## Andre (Jan 17, 2015)

Make SURE your T-nut is not sticking up out of the T-slot. Or you are tightening your toolpost down on the nut not the compound rest, give it roughly .025" clearance.

I had this happen on my 109, chatter, chatter and more chatter. I took a file to the top of my T-nut and all was smooth sailing from there.


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 17, 2015)

Bernard,

I understand what you are saying.  The nut is definitely below the slot.  I don't see how it could be getting pulled up above flush, but I can see the post rock toward the cutter when it grabs the stock or starts to chatter.  The shim helped a lot but I agree with you, the gap under the t nut should not matter.

How should I check the bottom of the post for flatness?  That seems like the other potential problem.

jim


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 17, 2015)

Here is where I think most of my trouble is coming from.

the AXA QCTP I put on is just over 2" square and the original four way post is almost 3".  I think the AXA is the aftermarket post that guys are using on this lathe.  I think the next larger size QCTP would be too tall to work out.


----------



## Dranreb (Jan 17, 2015)

Instead of trying to see what's happening while you part off, how about gripping the biggest bar you can get in a tool holder locked in the tool post and just giving it a bit of leverage in all directions, look at the gibs, the tool post, the top and cross slides and anything else you can get your finger tip to. You should be able to feel even the slightest movement that way.

Bernard


----------



## Wreck™Wreck (Jan 17, 2015)

Power feed the cross slide when parting, .003-.001" per revolution (on metals) or so depending on setup and material.
Feeding by hand is inconsistent at best, the worst that can happen is that you ruin a test specimen or blow up a $10.00 parting blade.

Experience is priceless.

I run lathes every day for a living, haven't used a HHS parting tool in 20+ years of course. I was parting 1" round solid Thompson linear guide rails on Friday using a hard turning insert to get through the RC60 case down to 7/8" Dia., then a generic wedge insert carbide parting tool until parted.

530 RPM, .002" per rev., flood coolant, I would have run it faster but I had to catch the 6" cutoff part by hand, they came off very nicely.  Didn't require a good surface finish because there were more operations to be performed on the ends afterwards, (one end is welded into a hub, the other has a .6256 +.0005 -.0000 diameter bore by .203 deep)

Good luck and keep practicing.


----------



## rick9345 (Jan 19, 2015)

RVJimD said:


> I think I'm getting it.  Practice is helping me a lot as well as the suggestions.  Thanks All!
> 
> i think I could benefit from a bit better cutter.  I'm using a cheap T style from Grizzly and I can see it loose the nice edge on a single pass on a piece of 1018 CR 1".
> 
> ...



inexpensive tooling is a joke. Maddeningly frustrating is not a good learning method.
After the skill and confidence is aquired, then it is time to go back to the make do tooling


----------



## deyve (Jan 19, 2015)

Jibs - gibs - how loose are they


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 19, 2015)

I just ordered some better tooling.  And, I am still looking at way to tighten up the toolpost, compound and cross slide.  I worked with it most of the day today and I have identified some issue with the tooling.  I don't think the HSS is holding up well.  It get along just fine and then instantly the chip changes and it is due to a chipped cutting edge.  I think the tool does not take well to the heat during grinding.  I was able to swap out a different sharpened cutter and it would continue from the same spot until it suffered the same fate.

im trying to make some notes as I push thru the learning process and hope to post some of my findings when I get to the point of being able to part off consistently.

jim


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Jan 20, 2015)

coming from someone with, I think, the smallest most flexible lathe on this site (well, until this weekend) here's what I've found.

Parting sucks. You're jabbing an enormously wide cutting edge into the work perpendicular to the direction the lathe is strongest in.

Things that make it better 

- a less enormously wide cutting edge. going from 2.5 to 1.2mm wide made an enormous difference in chatter, but also limited the depth of parting.

- side rake, back rake and front rake and front to back clearance. My grooving tools (bit much to call them parting tools) are ground with a sniff of side rake, so that the sides of the tool doesn't touch the work. They're also ground with a sniff of relief from front to back (ie. looking down at the top of the tool it appears slightly tapered) for the same reason. Front rake is as little as possible, 5deg at most (less than on the ends of HSS blanks). Back rake is fairly steep and ground to form a chip roller. This makes the tip "slice" rather than push, plus it helps roll the chips and push them out of the cut.

- heavy feed. Feed is as hard as you can, you should be getting constant cutting and chips. If it chatters, push harder!

- if that doesn't help, sometimes you can take a small cut, retract the tool, move it over and cut to the same depth. That way you get more clearance and half the cuts will be on half the cutting edge, so they'll be smoother.

That said, I can't part with my current lathe as the whole compound/ carriage/ headstock/ spindle flexes enough that the work rides up onto the blade when the diameter gets too small.


----------



## bpratl (Jan 20, 2015)

I eliminated all parting chatter by replacing the upper compound with a solid aluminum block, on my G0602, after converting to electronic lead screw. Bob


----------



## Dranreb (Jan 20, 2015)

RVJimD said:


> I think the tool does not take well to the heat during grinding.  I was able to swap out a different sharpened cutter and it would continue from the same spot until it suffered the same fate.
> jim



To hopefully eliminate another worry for you, unlike carbon steel wood chisels and plane blades,  HSS lathe tooling will still cut even when dull red hot, it has to be towards white hot to soften it.

Grinding shouldn't soften it unless you're very heavy handed, or your tip is much too pointed, more damage can be done by dip cooling it in cold water whilst grinding due to thermal shock causing micro cracks. 

The very tip of the tool can become white hot momentarily when cutting the workpiece if your setup isn't right, and this is what does the damage and ruins the tip, the split second that happens you're done. 

Bernard


----------



## caster (Jan 20, 2015)

T-nuts describes their shape, they behave just like nuts.  The space below the nut is irrelevant, the bolt should pull the t-nut up and its upper sides should be firm and flush with the top of the t-slot. The bolts or posts I use don't exit the bottom of the t-nuts, the last thread in the t-nut stops them.  The holding / clamping pressure is applied from the top pulling the t-nuts up. If you can rock the tool post then it has not been properly installed. Rigidity is your friend, lock the carriage and the compound, make sure the gibs on the cross slide are snug. Make sure the parting blade is tight in the holder, it can slide. Be square and centered to the work and use cutting oil or coolant where applicable.

good luck and keep trying.

Caster


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 20, 2015)

*Big Gain Made Today!*

Big thanks to everyone for all the tips!  And, a special thanks to Bpratl for the tip about the upper compound mod.  I have seen a lot of G0602 owners doing a four bolt mod to the compound and I had already added one more bold to the front right to turn the stock mount into a three bolt.  This helped but I think the root of the problem is the small round surface area of the protractor in the mount design.  You will see this in the photos.  I got some 1/2" aluminum and made a rough non rotatable mount.  I hope it is 29.5 degrees so I can leave it in place for turning and threading and parting!  :talktogod:  I'm not real optimistic though!  

So I got the new mount bolted down with only the two in line studies and it works BETTER than the stock mount!  The larger surface area prevents the post from flexing forward.  I can really see the difference if I push it too hard and stick the blade during a cut.  I did five more parts like the stuff I had been practicing on and had great success!

here are the pics of the mod.  I think I will design a bit better version and see if I can make it positionable.  At the very least, I plan to make one from steel and a bit bigger to take advantage of the space available on the top surface of the cross slide.


----------



## chips&more (Jan 20, 2015)

I just read above, "the advantage of using power feed when parting". It may be a good/practical idea for the production shop with proper machines and with coolant flooding and all. BUT, I would strongly disagree with the use of powerfeed parting in the typical HM shop with light duty machines and the acid brush cutting oil applicator technique or equivalent. Chip clogging and dozens of other bad things will happen before you could turn off the feed and you will have disastrous consequences. You could easily break your lathe and or hurt yourself. Please be safe and love your machines in your HM…Dave.


----------



## savarin (Jan 20, 2015)

Like you I've been having parting problems.
I'm convinced that flex is the major cause, I can see the whole tool post flex in when the blade catches.
By placing a finger tip on the line between the two parts of the cross slide and the two parts of the compound slide whilst parting you can feel the two parts vibrating as they flex against their gibbs.
I tightened mine up really tight, locking the compound and making the cross slide as tight as I could but still move it and the chatter reduced.
I also made a solid block for the compound to mount to, that also improved the process.
I firmly believe the compound is a major component of the previous mentioned flexing.
My next improvement will be a solid block mounted at the rear of the cross slide with the parting tool held upside down in the hope that will totally eliminate all the chatter.


----------



## stupoty (Jan 21, 2015)

Hello,

i thought i would throw this in incase its helpfull.

it might be worth useing the solid toolpost mounted on the cross  slide style of cut off tool holder as i have seen the compound slide flex you have mentioned with the 9x20.

Stuart


----------



## savarin (Jan 21, 2015)

anyone have a set pf plans for one of these to fit the 9x20?
Feeling too lazy to draw my own:whistle:


----------



## itsme_Bernie (Jan 21, 2015)

Ok.  I have not read any previous responses yet, but wanted to put a few first thoughts down.

1- there is going to be more pressure on the cutting tool, and your setup, cutting steel than aluminum.  So- IF your cutting tool is precisely, EXACTLY level to the center of your workpiece, you may need to make account for some flex in your setup and be a TINY bit above center with your cutter.

2- once you have chatter on a part, the previous chatter marks will help maintain te chatter.  I like higher speed parting operations like yours, but to remove those chatter marks, you might have to go slower and deeper for a turn or two to get below those chatter marks.


Bernie


----------



## Dranreb (Jan 21, 2015)

Glad to hear you've made real progress with that Jim, I went through the same thing with my flexy Atlas compound.



stupoty said:


> Hello,
> 
> i thought i would throw this in incase its helpfull.
> 
> ...



Indeed... I just posted this this to show the difference  http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...g-off-with-my-Atlas-video?p=267693#post267693

Bernard


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 22, 2015)

I posted this the other day on another thread, thinking I was in my own parting practice thread, so here it is again.  Sorry for the dupe...


Video with terrible voice over soundtrack.


this is some video I shot today of my parting practice. It is better than a few days ago when I started. Sorry about the voice over sound quality and volume.


i still get the blade stuck in the video but the vibration and chatter are much better that before I made the aluminum block to replace the stock compound.


the material is 1018 CR AND 1" or maybe 7/8". The first few cuts are 350RPM and the last one or two are at 415rpm.


im planning to build a second compound mount that will pivot and make the foot of it as large as possible and still fit on top of the cross slide.


http://youtu.be/i8Dp3xbi-z0


jim


----------



## RVJimD (Jan 22, 2015)

I watched Tom Liptons video about goose neck spring tool holders and it sent me searching the web.

why if this seems so logical, does it seem like no body sells or uses this item?  It makes perfect sense and I will try to make something so I can try it.

Here is a link to the video...

http://youtu.be/KETVR9qtEmY

Jim


----------



## Dranreb (Jan 22, 2015)

RVJimD said:


> I posted this the other day on another thread, thinking I was in my own parting practice thread, so here it is again.  Sorry for the dupe...
> 
> jim



No worries Jim, I don't think you can completely delete posts on here but to keep thing tidy in the Atlas thread, maybe you could edit it to say 'post deleted' or ask the mods to delete it.

Bernard


----------



## RVJimD (Mar 9, 2015)

Update on parting...

It has finally warmed up here in Iowa so I have been doing a few little projects in the shop. One was a simple little screw jack.  As I looked at it I thought of a great place to try it out!  Here is a picture of it supporting the end of the tool holder.  It REALLY helps eliminate the flex and chatter issues I was having.


----------



## Fabrickator (Mar 9, 2015)

I was parting just yesterday a 2 1/8" bar of aluminum.  I have a killer Aloris parting tool and holder w/ 1/8" replaceable carbide tip.  I was running my G0602 on the slowest speed (BTW - not slow enough), I had my drip oiler system set up to keep it cool and the carriage locked down.  I was getting a whole lot of chatter!

To better explain why, the bar stock was about 10" long and it was mounted in my 3-jaw chuck.  I had a nice, large center in the end with a live center.  I had just knurled it with no problem and thought it should be solid enough to part-off, being aluminum and all.  After trying different feed rates and checking that everything was as tight as I could get it, I decided that the bar stock had just enough flex under pressure that it will never part smoothly.  I had to resort to installing my steady rest, which I should have done from the beginning but thought that I could get away without using it.  After that it cut smooth as a warm knife through butter.

Moral of the story is: Keep it short or don't be lazy and use a steady rest.

Rick


----------



## itsme_Bernie (Mar 9, 2015)

Very interesting....  Good that you isolated your issue.  I'm surprised that was the problem, unless it is masking a less than perfect cutting tool o something?  Rigidity never hurt anyway!  

Bernie 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## itsme_Bernie (Mar 9, 2015)

Fabrickator said:


> I was parting just yesterday a 2 1/8" bar of aluminum.  I have a killer Aloris parting tool and holder w/ 1/8" replaceable carbide tip.  I was running my G0602 on the slowest speed (BTW - not slow enough), I had my drip oiler system set up to keep it cool and the carriage locked down.  I was getting a whole lot of chatter!
> 
> To better explain why, the bar stock was about 10" long and it was mounted in my 3-jaw chuck.  I had a nice, large center in the end with a live center.  I had just knurled it with no problem and thought it should be solid enough to part-off, being aluminum and all.  After trying different feed rates and checking that everything was as tight as I could get it, I decided that the bar stock had just enough flex under pressure that it will never part smoothly.  I had to resort to installing my steady rest, which I should have done from the beginning but thought that I could get away without using it.  After that it cut smooth as a warm knife through butter.
> 
> ...




Great Rick- the steady rest is the way to go, but for two reasons.

Obviously it resolved the rigidity issue.  But a note here as well- technically we aren't supposed to ever perform parting operations between centers, even if one end is in a chuck.  

It may not seem possible, but it compresses the cut enough that the tool can bind and with nowhere to go, you might bend a spindle or throw a part.

So I'm glad you upgraded to the steady rest!  

Bernie 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## T Bredehoft (Mar 9, 2015)

Let me second Bernard's suggestion of leaded steel.  CRS is not the best material to be learning on.


----------

