# Home Made Lathe Milling Fixture.



## aametalmaster (Dec 14, 2010)

I am bored and its cold outside and i started this project 2 years ago and it was time to get it done. I welded up some 1" thick plate then made it square with my SBL shaper. I made it to make the roller bearing arms for SBL steadyrests easier since i don't have a mill or didn't at the time. The base has the same tapered round disc that the compound has and it bolts on the exact same way. I can mill an arm in just a few minutes with no guesswork because every thing is centered already. Just add a block of steel the end mill in my ER40 collet chuck and start cutting. I have used this fixture to cut out some complex alum shapes for the bike builder up the street i just clamped the alum to the fixture and started cutting. So here are a few pics. Enjoy...Bob




View attachment 102902


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## aametalmaster (Dec 14, 2010)

Thanks Dave. The mayor of my town said the same thing when he saw me using a leaf blower on the snow this morning. I blew it all into the neighbors lawn just like the leaves LOL...Bob


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## aametalmaster (Dec 14, 2010)

Here is another pic this one is the 3/8" slot. I plunge cut the far end then work my way back...Bob


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## MarkBall2 (Feb 19, 2011)

How about a "gear cutting" attachment that goes with a milling attachment?


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## Jimbo (Feb 19, 2011)

Mark,

That is a "git er done" gear cutting attachment.

I like it. 

I have not cut gears yet, but it is on my list of things to learn. 

How accurate does the gears need to be cut to to work without stressing the other gears?
And what cutter do you use?

 Jim


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## MarkBall2 (Feb 19, 2011)

I found the idea after a google search for "gear cutting on a lathe". I used a single point cutter, to cut the gears after I figured out I couldn't make a "hob" that would work.

I used a 1/4" round HSS lathe tool bit, ground it to the shape of a good gear tooth, then cut each individual tooth using the attachment. The circle graph shown was created using Excel &amp; a pie chart. I just blew it up a bit, then printed it out &amp; glued it to cardboard. Punched a hole in the center, used a piece of 12 gauge electric wire with a point ground on it as a pointer. 

Initially the gears made a lot of noise, because I wasn't able to make the "release" angle on the cutter. After running the lathe for a few hours, it has quieted down considerably &amp; I see very little wear on the other gears. I cut the blank first to the correct diameter, bored the 1/2" hole, then spent the time to cut.

The hardest part is getting the single point cutter lined up to the center of the bored hole. Then with the cutter spinning in an end mill holder with the blank below the cutting action, I raised the milling attachment to cut the tooth. I did not advance the cross slide, it was locked in place &amp; so was the apron.

I have a tutorial on another website on how I did this. Link: http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27277


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