Some advise please

V

Vince_O

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So Im learning, the hard way, what turns well at differant speeds in my little 101 lathe. I have all sorts of cold rolled steel that dosnt turn well. So i would like to know what type of steel I should be praticing on to make bucket pins for my small loader project. The pins are going to be just under an inch in dia.
 
Vince,

For bucket pins, you don't need to win a beauty contest -but I certainly understand the desire/need to make smooth cuts. The material you use for pins should be predicated by the strength you need and for something like that, folks typically use 41xx (4130 thru 4145) grades of steel. For beautiful turning, you can't beat 12Lxx.

Show some pics of the results you're getting along with your bit setup, lathe and bench and maybe we can debug a little...


Ray

Vince_O said:
So Im learning, the hard way, what turns well at differant speeds in my little 101 lathe. I have all sorts of cold rolled steel that dosnt turn well. So i would like to know what type of steel I should be praticing on to make bucket pins for my small loader project. The pins are going to be just under an inch in dia.
Click to expand...
 
Ray sound good. Ill also dig up some photos of the loader so you can see.

Now be easy on my work Im just learning!
 
This place is not about that and I owe a debt of gratitude to all the folks that helped me (and still do) along the way...

Also tell us your feeds & speeds and if you're hand-cranking or using the leadscrew.

Vince_O said:
Ray sound good. Ill also dig up some photos of the loader so you can see.

Now be easy on my work Im just learning!
Click to expand...
 
Im just hand turning, my half nut needs replaced.

I know that we dont do that, Ive had nuttin but help from the day i signed on. Thats why i like this place.
 
A hand turn will always be inferior to an auto-fed cut because no matter how steady you think you're feeding, you're always changing the pressure on the bit and that varies it's engagement with the material. This is true of any size lathe from tiny to monster. Also, don't do prolonged periods of hand feeding unless you like tendonitis... (as me how i know).... Still though, there are plenty of other things you need to get in-check that have big impact on cut quality. Do try to show some pics as it really helps give talking points about possible corrections. Also, a little cutting oil ( or WD-40, basically anything) can make a day/nite difference.


Ray

Vince_O said:
Im just hand turning, my half nut needs replaced.

I know that we dont do that, Ive had nuttin but help from the day i signed on. Thats why i like this place.
Click to expand...
 
I'm by no means an expert, but as a rookie, 1045 steel seemed to be easyer to turn with carbide cutters, I have a lead screw, and found that my cheapo craftex 7 x 21 or (19?) worked a lot better with smoother cuts if I turned it pretty fast with a slow feed and the cutter I was using also helped. I usually get it real close and then finish with some emery cloth to really make it shine, if I'm going for super accurate, I test with a dial indicator, seems the more I learn about machining the more fussy I get...lol

I seen a you tube video about a guy that made some really heavy duty pins, and then heat treated them in a wood stove, then cooled them down in water for the temper, keep in mind, use a metal pail if your going to drop any hot steel into water.
 
Jeff

I will. I was looking to see if I still had your number to try and call you about this. Wish I lived back in Pa and was close to ya, I could learn alot.

Then we could get in trouble buying tractors and tools!
 
Vince, get that half nut fixed! If I remember correctly, the 101 depends on the half nut, even when hand feeding. To those that are not familiar with the 101, hand feed is accomplished by engaging the half nut and manually turning the feed screw. Vince is hand feeding the machine by pushing the saddle.

Bill
 
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