# Ways To Do A Lathe Operation With A Mill?



## Ryan Lee (Oct 2, 2016)

I don't currently have a lathe.  But I have a mill/drill.  I need to bore out some pipe to take a bearing.

I was going to clamp the pipe vertically to the table.  My mill has a MT2 spindle and has a draw bar.

I've looked into boring bars but haven't seen any that are small enough in diameter.

I've looked into end mills to do a plunge cut; but haven't seen one in the size I need.  Maybe a 1-3/4" that has been resharpened?

I was looking at 2" DIA pipe with 1/4" wall.  The bearing is a 42mm(1.654") bearing.  It only needs to be a light press fit.  Pressed in by hand even.  Just so it's not loose.

I know a lathe would make quick work of this; but I just don't have one.

Can this cut be done on a lathe?  What setup would do it?

I've also looked at a vise that will rotate.

The pipe is 3" tall.  This is a picture of the manufactured part:


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## Ryan Lee (Oct 2, 2016)




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## Ryan Lee (Oct 2, 2016)

Another method to make this part involves taking 2 pieces of pipe; slitting each one and welding them back together.  Outer pipe is cut so it will fit the bearing.  The inner pipe is cut so it will fit inside the outer pipe.  I've considered this method and was going to do it; but I have not been able to source the right size pipe to do so.

Skip this video up to 2:45 to see it done:


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## Ryan Lee (Oct 2, 2016)




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## Ulma Doctor (Oct 2, 2016)

if you were to hold the pipe in a 3 jaw chuck or otherwise on the table

you could make your own boring head easily that can could punch the hole you need
take a disc smaller than the diameter but thick enough to house a toolbit
make a center point in the disc and drill/tap & use a suitable stub arbor (3/8,1/2,3/4???) to be held in a collet.
drill in perpendicular to the drive axis for a suitable toolbit and make provision for set screws to hold the tool bit.
the idea is best expressed as it's kinda like a flycutter really, but without the downward angle- 
a flycutter may be even be able to be adapted for your needs, now that i think about it.
you may need to take test cuts and do a bunch of measuring , but it can be done!


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## Charles Spencer (Oct 2, 2016)

It seems to me that there are plenty of boring bars that are small enough to do it on a mill.  McMaster-Carr has them.  Look at the ones labelled grind-your-own.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#boring-bars/=14fgi43


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## Ryan Lee (Oct 2, 2016)

The issue I've seen with the boring bars is the holders tend to be quite large diameter.

Some version of a fly cutter may well work.  I was unaware of those previously and hadn't looked at them yet.

6004 bearing.  12mm(0.472) wide; is how deep the cut will need to be.


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## Ryan Lee (Oct 2, 2016)

Will I be able to make the cut I need using one of these?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steelex-M1096-Fly-Cutter-Set-with-Tool-Bits-/131951127937


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## 12bolts (Oct 3, 2016)

Can you make a fixture to hold the pipe in your rotating spindle/chuck and clamp a tool to the table, then the tool need only be a piece of HSS ground to suit. Table travel will allow you to take light cuts
Basically I guess, using the mill drill as a vertically orientated lathe

Cheers Phil


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## Eddyde (Oct 3, 2016)

Ryan Lee said:


> The issue I've seen with the boring bars is the holders tend to be quite large diameter.



The boring head does not go into the bored hole, just the boring bar that its holding. I have a 2" boring head that I have started boring in a .5" diameter hole. If you get a boring head with a shank that you can hold in your mill it will work.







Ryan Lee said:


> Will I be able to make the cut I need using one of these?
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steelex-M1096-Fly-Cutter-Set-with-Tool-Bits-/131951127937



It could would work but it would be a pita to adjust, also you would have to custom grind the cutter to get a flat shoulder for the bearing to seat on.


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## Ryan Lee (Oct 3, 2016)

Ok; here is the deal.  I had seen these before; but I had only imagined using the horizontal hole to do work.  I hadn't wrapped my mind around using the vertical hole to do the same.


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## John Hasler (Oct 3, 2016)

Ulma Doctor said:


> if you were to hold the pipe in a 3 jaw chuck or otherwise on the table
> 
> you could make your own boring head easily that can could punch the hole you need
> take a disc smaller than the diameter but thick enough to house a toolbit
> ...


I've done similar operations with a flycutter, though I didn't have as much material to remove as Ryan does.  Tedious, but doable.

Ryan, do you have a rotary table?


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## John Hasler (Oct 3, 2016)

Ryan Lee said:


> Will I be able to make the cut I need using one of these?
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steelex-M1096-Fly-Cutter-Set-with-Tool-Bits-/131951127937


I've bored out a pipe for a bushing with that exact tool.  It will be slow with that much material to remove.  You'll need to custom-grind the cutter, of course.

Better to get a boring head if you can afford it.


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## Ryan Lee (Oct 3, 2016)

I don't have a rotary table.  I was looking at this one:  http://r.ebay.com/IpTtjM

What would be the ideal cutting tool to use with that?

I may go the boring head route.  Are these the right cutters?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161083407033


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## Ulma Doctor (Oct 3, 2016)

the ideal tool changes with every job, but in your case you'll want to use a relatively short, stiff , boring tool
maybe even something like this..


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## Ryan Lee (Oct 3, 2016)

I'm looking for a set just like that in a 12mm size. Or even just the short one. Seems to all be 3/8" or 1/2".


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## markba633csi (Oct 3, 2016)

Check out CDCOTOOLS.com they have a lot of boring heads and bars at reasonable prices Ryan. 
Mark S.


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## Charles Spencer (Oct 3, 2016)

Ryan Lee said:


> I don't have a rotary table.  I was looking at this one:  http://r.ebay.com/IpTtjM
> 
> What would be the ideal cutting tool to use with that?
> 
> ...



This costs less than half as much and I got it in two days.  It came with brazed bars and I made insert bars to fit it that used inserts I already had.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007TYBOU


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## Eddyde (Oct 3, 2016)

Ryan Lee said:


> I don't have a rotary table.  I was looking at this one:  http://r.ebay.com/IpTtjM
> 
> What would be the ideal cutting tool to use with that?
> 
> ...



The boring head will work but a shorter bar might be better of your situation, generally you want to use the shortest, thickest bar that will do the job. I guess you could cut one of the supplied bars shorter...

Not sure about that rotary table, looks like it might be crappy... also, I wouldn't go for a tilting one, it will only be less accurate and rigid for the horizontal and vertical work that you'll need it for 99% of the time. There are other, better, ways to angle it should the need arise.


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## JR49 (Oct 3, 2016)

I may be missing something here, but why would you need a rotary table for this work??  If you can figure out how to mount the pipe on the rotary table, then you can just as easily mount it on the mill table.  What am I missing?  JR49


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## Eddyde (Oct 3, 2016)

JR49 said:


> I may be missing something here, but why would you need a rotary table for this work??  If you can figure out how to mount the pipe on the rotary table, then you can just as easily mount it on the mill table.  What am I missing?  JR49


Just another way of doing it, using a rotary table and an end mill. It would actually be somewhat simpler, as there would no need to accurately center the pipe to the spindle and creeping  up on the final dimension would be easy, by moving the x or y axis instead of adjusting the boring head.


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## bfd (Oct 7, 2016)

I at one time had an atlas lathe and mill. the 4 jaw chuck fit both pieces of machinery. I mounted the chuck on the mill and chucked up the part. putting a tool bit in the vice and machined it that way do you have a small chuck that you can mount on your mill? if not maybe you can figure out how to mount it on mill spindle and use the mill as a lathe. bill


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## HBilly1022 (Oct 7, 2016)

I used one of those cheap boring heads with a cheap boring bar to bore the end of a hydraulic cylinder for my skid steer and it worked great but I found the adjuster on the boring head to be sloppy and difficult to set precisely. In my case it didn't really matter. I just needed a round hole, since the original was worn oblong, then I could make a bushing or pin the exact size I needed. Here's a pic of the setup on the mill drill.

I can't recall the exact size but the hole was about 1 1/2" maybe a little bigger.




Here's a close up.


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