Drilling with my lathe

I have several friends that are tool and die makers. In discussions with them regarding issues in product finish and dimensions, it is not uncommon for them to reach out to the tool manufacturers or the distribution houses to discuss the application, tolerances, materials, issues to determine the best tooling for special applications.
The difference in one tool over another, in design, material, coating, speeds, etc is a science unto itself. The tool manufacturers are the guys to reach out to for these types of situations, and from what I have found are willing to help the large corp down to the hobbyist. You might consider reaching out to a tool manufacturer that can help guide you on this, as this is a rather special application.
 
Mikey,darkzero
Thanks for your insights . I just finished a second reading of your posts and I have five good takeaways that hopefully will get me more consistent results.


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Just saw the pictures of the edge setup. Very nice and addresses the head and tailstock alignment issue.
Very simple solution! I got the idea after seeing a Shars setup. I think
from all the great advice I’ve received here, I think I will go back and refine my current process. There are so many factors that affect the quality of a work piece it boggles the mind. Thanks to all who have provided your knowledge and experiences.
Jim


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Core drills will give you better holes stepping up in size, rounder, and straighter. They are normally three or four flute. You only need a couple of them.
If you counterbore a pocket near you drill size you can fix the starting chatter, but that adds time.

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It sounds like you're doing all the right things so far ... using a center drill, sharp drills, etc. Are nickel silver and duronze as "grabby" as brass? If so, you'll have to stone the ends of the drill flutes to get what amounts to zero rake - and do it evenly on both. But you prpbably know (and do) this already!

From your mention of AXA tool holders, I'll assume you have a 9" swing lathe. I've owned two 9x20 Grizzlies, and adapted both as shown in the photos below. The screw on the hinge hooks into the cross slide T-slot. This allows you to push/pull the tailstock with the carriage, and significantly increases the speed of drilling operations. It's not well suited to hevy drilling, as you have to loosen the tailstock lock. But for what you're doing (ø .125 to ø.267), the weight of the tailstock should be sufficient to keep it on the ways. PS - the screw shown in the photos is a 10-32. I later changed this out to a ¼-20.

This is a quick-and-inexpensive fix. If it doesn't work, can always move on to the Edge carriage chuck.

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That's pretty cool John. I have seen something similar before but I never knew what it was for. It's a TA-TS (tag along tail stock)! :)
 
I’ve been at this for about 5 years. When I started And bought my machine I thought I would make fly reels and other fun stuff. I had no concept at all of how much there is to learn about even a basic function like drilling a hole.
I thankful to have found this site. I am always amazed at how much can be learned from the members here. I now have 5 takeaways to improve my results. Plus a really clever project to try. Thanks to all who have contributed.


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I just saw this on another forum. Looks like it will work with any size lathe. Mine is kinda limited to smaller ones.
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Dirt cheap power tailstock feed for your lathe

Many years ago I came up with a simple power feed arrangement for the tailstock on my 9" South Bend when drilling, tapping, etc. I got a two piece clamping shaft collar with an ID the same size as my tailstock spindle. Then I made a forked bracket that engaged the shaft collar as shown in the...
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