Machines | Taper Attachment project launch & heavy milling in Cast Iron
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Launching a new project for the Graziano Lathe. We start by discussing the intent of the project, talk about the plasma cut ways from the old bed and do some heavy cuts on the old hard cast iron
Comments
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I am looking forward to this, but please try uttering a sentence without the word "uh" in it.
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Workin the old girl hard. Tough material. :-)
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Slow and steady Phil.
Cheers Fred -
I just put a comment up to Pierre's Garage about 2 different concepts of taper attachments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRIk4e3ZYog An alternative concept to a taper attachment is a compound with an extended travel.
Will you build a CAD model? What CAD do you plan to use? I can recommend FreeCad http://freecadweb.org/wiki/?title=Screenshots It is open source and has no data format that locks in your data like many "free" CADs like Fusion 360 or Sketchup. It is always advisable to finish your CAD model before you start making chips.
Concerning the milling of your big chunk of cast iron looking like some moon rock: Was that part cut off by plasma or acetylene torch? Then you will have some hardened spots in it killing your mills. Carbide mills and light cuts is in that case the only way forward. Your milling sessions sound as enjoyable as a dentist's visit with root extraction.... hahaha -
Sorry Phil. I let the cat out of the bag about the Taper Attachment,on Pierre's Garage. I have a SouthBend taper attachment,if you want to have a look at it to get some more ideas.
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Neat!
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You know it will keep off the streets and out of the pub
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You mill hog you.
😊
Thanks,
John -
I might have tried a face mill with shallow, wide cuts. No pull-down effect; same stock removal rate. For an insert cutter you would need inserts that can take shock loads for the interrupted cut. Maybe a HSS or Cobalt cutter would work better.
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Unbolting the cross-slide nut is how South Bend (9" at least) lathes facilitate taper attachments.
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Way to go Phil, welcome to the club of Not being afraid of machining your dream. As some-one has mentioned, the first order of cleaning up CI is to remove flame or plasma cut slag as much as you can with a grinder or cold chisel, cast iron will developed hard spots, really hard as you found out. you asked for a way to connect and then disconnect the cross-slide for taper turning, on a Le-blond Regal all thats required is removing a single shoulder bolt 5/8" bolted through the cross slide to the top of the acme nut, after the bolt is removed hinge a piece of sheet metal to cover the exposed hole keeping swarf out.
Good stuff, and good luck Phil -
exciting stuff! interesting project, probably not the easy way to do this, but will be lots of fun!
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Have you seen the taper attachment that "This Old Tony" made?
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You've convinced me, if ever I cut up a lathe bed, I'll do it with an angle grinder! I'd love to get some bits of lathe bed like that to make straight edges!
Let me just encourage you, I like what I've seen so far and I'm looking forward to the rest! All the best, Matthew. -
Hi mate. You were bloody lucky you did not do more damage. That remelted cast iron , that was sitting on that piece is harder than the look on your wife's face when you say you want an other lathe. I think that you should have cut that off with a grinder, before starting to mill it.
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is it that hard because you used the plasma cutter (iron + high carbon content + electric arc), thinking that would be similar to what you get when welding cast iron
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That sounded rough. Intermittent cuts are tough on non rigid setups.
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Keep it coming Phil!
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That was painful to watch. Is the CI changed by the plasma cutting of such a heavy piece?
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That is a big project to undertake. I will be following along. Keep on keeping on.