Pulley Wheel

another option is to grind back the cutting edge a bunch on one side so that you're only cutting one half of the groove at one time. Then make the opposite grind and cut. Any kind of full width form tool cut is hard work and will likely chatter. Just imagine trying to use a 1" wide parting tool :)
 
another option is to grind back the cutting edge a bunch on one side so that you're only cutting one half of the groove at one time. Then make the opposite grind and cut. Any kind of full width form tool cut is hard work and will likely chatter. Just imagine trying to use a 1" wide parting tool :)
Interesting idea. If I decide to make another set I will try that.

Turning the chuck by hand may also help.
 
You say you made the holder. Is the tool pointed down? The insert should be dead flat so you have a top rake. Even a degree down will cause more load on the bit. Get the insert dead on center. On the chatter, you have two other options if your lathe will run in reverse. Turn the tool upside down or come in from the back side with the machine in reverse. That can smooth out the chatter. Most of the time running the feed in very, very slowly will do it. In effect you are doing an interrupted cut until the chatter marks disappear.
 
Nice tool holder! I would expect chatter city though on a tool that size. Maybe a bit Axelson or Lodge&Shipley would be fine with it, but anything less than 6 or 7000lbs is going to struggle. The problem with chatter, especially on a form tool, is that it's self reinforcing. The peaks push the tool away which then springs back and takes a nibble out of the valley. The only way to deal with that is to either very lightly shave the peaks off by rotating the work with no feed or by pushing under the chatter marks (= difficult on less than monstrous lathe).

If I were going to make something similar I would start how you did, with the stepped cut. But then I'd work out the cuts in Excel (basic trig), swap to a round nose tool, say 1/8" radius and repeat. If your steps are small, say 5 thou, you'd get a near smooth radius. Then a bit of sand paper wrapped round a stick to finish off the smoothing. I made the mortar part of a mortar and pestle for my wife out of stainless this way. It was a fairly miserable process on a small 6" lathe (mortar was ~2-1/2" diameter) but it came out really well.

Not saying the way you did it isn't a good option, you clearly got it done and it looks good, but this would be another approach to put in your pocket for whenever you might need it.
 
I made the mortar part of a mortar and pestle for my wife out of stainless this way. It was a fairly miserable process on a small 6" lathe (mortar was ~2-1/2" diameter) but it came out really well.

Thanks. If my math is correct, it took you 500 cuts at .005" offset to complete the job. You must love your wife! :)
 
Perhaps off topic to an extent but you can make these pulley shapes with a dividing head on a mill (with a boring head or large end mill).
 
Thanks. If my math is correct, it took you 500 cuts at .005" offset to complete the job. You must love your wife! :)
could be, I think I blanked out 3 or 4 hours in and don't remember :) And yes, I do indeed love my wife! Check out the Full Metal Chicken thread for her present last Christmas
 
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