Member postings for John Reese

As Journeyman said it looks like a dull cutter. In addition it looks like chip welding to the cutter. Cutting lube would prevent chip welding. the metal itself is cast. I suspect it is of unknown composition. The metal itself could be the cause of tearing.

Try tapping the 2BA thread into a scrap piece of brass. Then try one of the thumbscrews. If you do not get a decent fit try returning the screws to the vendor.

In the US the auto parts stores loan tools to their customers. Is it the same in the UK?

Inverted parting tools in a rear toolpost work so well because if rigidity an the fact that deflection tends to pull the tool out of the cut. When parting from the front toolpost, which is less rigid, deflection pulls the tool into the cut and tilts it to the left, both of which tend to cause jamming.

think there is a great advantage to sticking with vendors who cater to the bobby market. They are unlikely to carry inserts unsuitable for hobby machines. The chip breaker design is extremely important. One designed for heavy roughing will be unusable in hobby size machines. The cutting edge will be deliberately rounded over or honed to present a very negative edge to the work. This works well on rigid machines with adequate horsepower but probably will not cut at all on a hobby machine. Look for chip breakers designed for light finishing as they will present a sharper edge to the work. Polished inserts for aluminum work extremely well on hobby sized machines. They have a dead sharp cutting edge.

Ideally one should choose inserts for which a depth of cut - feed per rev. chart is available. That allows choosing an insert to to suit your operating parameters.

For hobby work properly ground HSS tools are probably the best choice. They last nearly forever if resharpened as soon as the cutting edge breaks down. I have HSS tools that have lasted since the 70s. I especially like the tangential tools. Resharpening is a breeze, only one surface needs to be ground and/or honed.

On my larger lathe, 16" x 40" with 6kw motor, I used carbide almost exclusively. On my 9" lathe I alternate between HSS and carbide but mostly HSS.

There are threaded plugs with a cylindrical top made specifically for measuring the position of threaded holes. They are very expensive. I usually use shoulder screws, sometimes called stripper bolts assuming that the ground diameter is concentric with the threads.

+1 on steel. A thinner wall would be desirable for flexibility.

The Versatile vises are Kurt clones and I highly recommend that style vise. You might want to consider the Versatile SG iron vise. The vise can be used on its side, increasing versatility.

I don't use paper under the vise. My vise is keyed to the table slot. I loosen the T-bolts and slide the vise to one end of the table when I want to mount a rotary table or something else to the table. I couldn't do that if I used paper under it.

Yes. That is the first thing I would change.

I agree.

Dreamer.

I usually purchase my cutters from an industrial supplier rather a dealer of hobby supplies. For steel I prefer a TiN coated HSS mill. For aluminum it is uncoated with polished flutes. These are often listed as aluminum specific. Avoid any coating that contains aluminum like TiAlN. Aluminum will bond to it. I don't do much brass but when I do I start with a new HSS uncoated end mill. I keep my brass tools segregated so they are only used on brass.

I have no objection to the more advanced coatings for end mills except cost. The work I do doesn't warrant it.

I do use a few uncoated carbide end mills, Mostly when I am in a hurry to get rid of a lot of metal or for long stick-outs.

I have a few insert mills, a face mill with 45* cutting angle and SEHT inserts, usually the uncoated polished version for aluminum, A 90*cutting angle face mill with APKT inserts, uncoated and polished, a milling tool from Banggood that uses APMT pr APKT inserts. I think it is a about 20mm dia. With the shank shortened it makes a superb milling cutter with a 90* approach angle.

Edited By JasonB on 09/02/2021 20:16:53

If you can keep the spindle of the mill from rotating you can use it as a slotter by chucking up an appropriate shaped cutter. The cutter needs a degree or so back clearance. Typical feed is a thou or two per stroke. Cut out one quadrant at a time. I used half a drill blank ground square at the end and having 1* back taper. Avoid making the cutting tool too large or you will have trouble pushing it through the work. My tool was about 3/16" square.

I think they are centers for a tool and cutter grinder, possibly from a reamer grinding attachment.

I never used FreeCad. from my experience with other platforms I would say you need to establish new auxillary planes from which to make your cuts. Send me a PM and I will detail the steps you need to get it done.

Listen to those telling you to leave it alone. Ignore all the other advice.

Cranes like you have are designed to be just strong enough to pass regulations. If you do any modifications you relieve the manufacturer and the vendor of any liability should you be injured using the crane.

SOD,

That junk is being made i China for export. The Chinese would not us the junk.

I have a couple of sets of Chinese 1-2-3 blocks. The through holes are too small to pass a bolt that fits the threaded holes. That pretty much eliminated using combinations of blocks to make angle plates, etc.

I am surprised no one suggested single pointing the thread using a follow rest for support.