How else can I make this part?

[Rbeckett]

Why not drill a hole in the center and face mill the sides to achieve the offset? You would have to start with a slightly larger block but then you could mill it down so that the hole is where you want it to be. That is possibility #17. It will take a bit longer, but can be done without a 4 jaw or using a shim.

Bob

 

[Craig_J]

a 1/8" shim under 1 jaw would offset 1/8" if i'm not mistaken...
mike)

The actual shim will be much larger than the offset. Here is a diagram, showing 1" square stock with a hole 0.1" off-center, and the circle that would describe the position of the 3 jaw chuck if the jaws were pointed. As you can see, the 0.1" offset requires a shim of 0.178". Since the jaws have some width, the actual offset will be even larger. Also, the un-shimmed jaws will be loaded at an angle, which may cause them to deflect. I recommend that you either get a 4-jaw independent chuck or use a faceplate. Setting up the faceplate is not hard; just center punch the center of the desired bore, run a dead center from the tailstock into the punch mark, and clamp the workpiece to the faceplate. By definition, the hole will be bored at the marked center point.

 

[fastback]

GK1918, just to clarify, the stock sold at Home Depot is very limited. They have some round stock HRS up to 5/8 or 3/4 -inch, a few pieces if flat stock up to 1/4 inch, some square stock and some aluminum both round and flat. Oh, they also have re-bar in the fence area.

Another place to check is Tractor Supply they have HRS round stock up to 1 inch and 4 feet long. Not cheap, but in a crunch...

Daver, I didn't mean to hi-jack your thread. I just want to make sure that I made myself understood.

 

[barrydc1]

Does anyone try to balance off-center parts, especially on the faceplate. It seems hard to get a finish when you have to turn very slowly with very unbalanced part on a face-plate or even sometime a 4-jaw. Any hint or suggestions on this for Daver as well, not to mention myself?:thinking: