(08-18-2014, 03:10 PM)TomG Wrote: Good job. Is that some sort of powered spindle you have there?
Tom
Hi Tom, it's just a cheap flexible shaft tool I picked up a few years ago and never used. one end is supposed to get chucked in an electric drill, and the other has a hand grip and a drill chuck on it. I had to step drill the aluminum block to fit the "ergonomic" contour of the grip. But I did manage to get a good jam fit.
For this quick job and to try out this rig, I just used my hand drill for powering the flexible shaft. But I'm thinking of doing something more permanent with a small motor and speed control. Actually the drill has speed control, but I don't like listening tothe drill running constantly.
I've also thought of chucking it into my nearby drill press -- but it's about 10 inches too far away. I might just move the drill press right over the lathe -- which could be handy too with a boring table on the lathe.
The ball bearings in the flexible shaft tool are poor quality, I'll probably replace them. But it did a lot better job than I expected in today's experiment. Those holes are where they should be and I was able to turn the part first and then index those holes without removing from the chuck -- a real plus. The Craftsman lathe has indexing holes on the bull gear and a pin plunger that fits.
So I'm kind of pleased with the whole thing today. Not often you get a problem making something, so you make a tool to do it, as well as expand your lathe capabilities a big amount, and continue on to do the part all in a single day. It was such a simple deal.
ps this type tool:
http://www.amazon.com/Enkay-115-C-Shaft-...K2WD63FQTR