Fly cutting with the lathe

[Evan]

It doesn't get much more rigid than this. I need to dress the ends of 9 pieces of 3" X 2" X 1/4" rectangular box stock, 18 ends in all. Some of the pieces are 31.5" long. I made a jig using a piece of 1 1/2" steel plate as a spacer and a piece of aluminum 2" X 2" angle as a fence. The stock is clamped to the plate and the fence. The tool holder is a piece of 1" square steel bar drilled and tapped to hold the cutter in the four jaw. Works better than a mill. Probably couldn't do this in a mill.

[mochinist]

Nice setup always impresses me when I see what you guys with no mills do on your lathes. By the way you could dress the ends of those lengths on a bridgeport style mill, you just got to get creative like you do with your lathe's.

[Mike W]

Nice going Evan, I will have to remember this one.

[G.A. Ewen]

Very handy! Now all you need to do is make a special vise for your lathe cross slide so as to dispence with the "C" clamp.

[Paul Gauthier]

Well done Evan.

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Paul G.

[wierdscience]

I like that a lot better than the last milling pick,bet you do too.

[Evan]

Yep, my comfort level is much higher with this setup. This is to make parts for my milling machine. I'm down to the level of the design where I now know the size and material for nearly every part of the machine. All I have left to buy is 15 feet of precision ground round bar for the ways as well as some extra to use as guages for setting up the mill initally. The only problem I have is moving the machine as even with extensive use of aluminum it will weigh well over 200 lbs. If made of all steel it would be at least 500 lbs which is one of the reasons I have opted for mostly aluminum.

[This message has been edited by Evan (edited 07-19-2004).]

[PSD KEN]

VERRRY CLEVER!
Also considerably more rigid than the last setup!

[Evan]

George,

A vise would not be as accurate. I dial in the fence over the length (about 18") which insures the faced ends are dead accurate.