Member postings for John Reese

A freshly painted machine is a red flag for me especially id there is paint where it should not be. Lipstick on a pig.

I made up a couple tangential tool holders. The tool shank slopes 12* in both directions and the end of the bit is sharpened at about 30*. It gives an excellent finish either turning or facing.

I often see videos of drilling in the lathe. It is common to see the centerdrill move laterally as the point begins to penetrate the work. That tells me the tailstock is not aligned with the spindle. Many times this is due to the front of the tailstock base being worn, or the quill is loose in the tailstock body. If the base is worn shims can be placed between the tailstock base and the body.

Microsoft store has a free PDF to DXF converter. You can import DXF into most CAD software.

Check out PDF to DXF conversion software.

If you have an iPhone there is FS Wizard or FS Wizard Pro that you can download. Don't know about Android phones.

I am not sure if anything was sorted out.

An approach that was not mentioned is adapting a dial indicator to the cross slide. Many machinists use a magnetic back dial indicator to make saddle or cross slide travel repeatable.

Something that helps grinding HSS: replace the blue aluminum oxide wheels with friable white aluminum oxide. Many dealers that cater to woodworkers sell the white wheels.

Congratulations. It is very difficult to create a tool that will break chips in wrought aluminum.

If OP had shown the dimensions defining the recess He would have received better advise. The rendering of the part shows features impossible to machine unless the valve guides were separate pieces pressed into the head after the fins were cut. Whoever designed the head had no understanding of how to machine it.

It always helps to know what equipment the OP has available so we could suggest solutions that best fit the tools available.

If OP had a lathe with a faceplate and a 20* wedge this could be a lathe job.

The rotary table idea is a good one. It would require a 20* wedge on top of the RT.

I checked, the closest hollow mill I have is 9/16 ID and 1 1/4 OD.

You might consider valve guides as separate pieces pressed into the head.

Hollow mills are outrageously expensive. The annular cutters (Rotabroach) is quite a bit cheaper. Another option is a trepanning tool in a boring head. It looks like a very wide cut so a rigid machine is needed.

I may have a 1/2" hollow mill. I could loan it to you if shipping from the US, customs, etc. would not be prohibitive. I will look today to see if I have that size.

I have seen scales in 1/128" graduations and at least one twist drill sized in 1/128ths. I have a wooden rule graduated in whole inches only.

Once the template was made it would be a simple matter to use a transfer punch or drill bit through the valve guides to mark the hole locations.

Whether quenching in oil or water the part must be swirled around in the quench for optimum heat transfer. In water if the part is left stationary it will become covered in bubbles of steam which inhibit heat transfer.

When heating steel without the benefit of a controlled atmosphere there will be some surface decarburization resulting in reduced hardness at the surface. The longer the steel is held t temperature (soak) the deeper the decarb.

A proper countersink works quite nicely for milling chamfers as John Haine suggested. Using one allows the work to stand vertical in the vise.

The older lathes made in the US and I assume also in Europe had 0 deg. on the compound when the compound was perpendicular to the spindle axis. It seems that Chicom lathes read 0 when the compound was parallel with the spindle axis. That caused a lot of problems for beginners who read the old how to books and tried to follow those instructions on a Chicom lathe.

On fine threads plunge feed with the cross slide works fine. On coarser threads flank feed with the compound usually works best. An easy way to remember how to set the compound angle is that it should be parallel with the trailing flank of the tool. Actually it should be adjusted 1/2 to 1 degree closer to perpendicular. That assures the trailing flank od the tool takes a slight cut.