My First Project

[Cross Slide]

This past weekend I did my first project. All I have been doing since late Sept is putting random pieces of metal into my lathe and making chips. 
I was happy once I had an actual project. I bought my lathe used. The previous owner had the cross slide nuts way to tight. The one was at the point it stripped the threads off the T Bolt when I tried to loosen it. So I decided to make a set of T Nuts to fit into the slots and install bolts from the top. 
I know for most guys making a set of T Nuts is a real fast and boring job. But for me it was 3.5 hours of Fun. I’m extremely happy with the way they turned out, plus I got to use my mill for the first time and make a mess!! 
The material I used was 3/4” cold roll key stock. I’m not sure what that metal actually is. Am I correct at thinking it would be 1018?

   

   

   

   

   

[EdK]

(12-10-2017, 07:03 PM)Cross Slide Wrote: Am I correct at thinking it would be 1018?

Yes, that's probably what it's made from. You can get key stock in other steels but it's typically made from 1018. At least that's what McMaster says their key stock is made from.

Ed

[SteveG]

Good work CrossSlide.
As you know it would have been much quicker/easier to just buy a couple of nuts, but as a (fellow) newbie I think its these simple jobs that help build our skills and experience so that we can do more complex stuff later on.

In my case I was messing around last night on the mill truing up a lump from a cast iron drainage grate (about 40mm x 40mm x 300mm long and trapezoid section).
It was a very basic task, but I'm pretty new to milling so I had a bunch of new things (for me) to deal with:
Quite a bit of overhang from my 4" vice, trapezoid section that wasn't easy to grip in the vice, cast/rusty surface and machining cast iron.
I could have got the job done much quicker if I had turned my attention to making an arbor for the 63mm facemill I've got sitting in the drawer, but I persevered with the 12mm HSS endmill and experimented a bit with depths of cut, feed rates and cutting oil/coolant etc.
I now have personal experience with a job moving in the vice (due to overhang and lack of support/clamping pressure), know that cutting oil and cast iron makes a heck of a mess to clean up, and realise that I need to adjust the gibs on the table as I was getting some heavy vibration even with the z and y axis locked during cuts.
As a job it could be considered a relative failure, but from a learning experience it was great :)

Steve

[pepi]

LOL! T nuts, were a first and my intro using my mill. :-)


Good work

Greg

[Mayhem]

From my experience, cast iron is best machined dry - preferably with a vacuum cleaner close by!

[EdK]

(12-11-2017, 01:54 AM)SteveG Wrote: cutting oil and cast iron makes a heck of a mess

I always machine cast iron using cutting oil just to keep the dust down. A lot less messy to clean up.

Ed

[TomG]

Yeah, you could have bought those T-nuts for a couple of bucks, but the experience you received by making them was priceless, not to mention the thrill. There will come a time when you'll need a part that can't be purchased, but guess what? You'll be able to make it. 

Good job.

Tom

[Highpower]

(12-11-2017, 08:17 AM)Mayhem Wrote: From my experience, cast iron is best machined dry - preferably with a vacuum cleaner close by!

+1    

And by "close by" I mean the vacuum cleaner running and the hose nozzle clamped or taped right next to the cutting tool to suck up the mess as it comes off the cutter. The air flow helps to cool things a bit at the same time.

I also recommend wearing a face mask when cutting a lot of cast iron. When you start blowing black goo out of your nose you'll understand all that powdered graphite is NOT your friend.  

[EdK]

(12-11-2017, 10:27 AM)Highpower Wrote: When you start blowing black goo out of your nose

I don't have that problem when I use cutting oil. Cast iron machines just fine with it. It's not necessary but that's not why I use it.  

Ed

[Mayhem]

You must have conniptions when you machine cast iron Ed. Either you are going to get your machines dusty or oily