Still needs to be moved a bit but I’m happy I got it inside the garage (the ramp is very steep)

Hi all, I need to find replacements for these small parts, and I'm not sure what I'm looking for. The hex head machine screw is easy enough- it's the round bit that I need to figure out. My search would be much easier if I knew any names that might be associated it. My first thought was that's it's like a bushing, but no not really, no good results. Actually closer to "Female Threaded Round Standoffs", since they have something similar at McMaster, but I think the material is different. Not sure about that. Are there any other names that might apply?

​

TIA-

​

​

https://preview.redd.it/wqmdj11blhsc1.jpg?width=1944&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d31a47014a363552d96547febcef000ec70609ab

Full disclosure - I'm an automotive tech. Not a machinist. I'm used to wood lathes but new to metal lathes.

I'm still trying to figure out the wiring. I assumed it was three phase but there's a 240 volt 20 amp plug on it so... Working on that.

I know this is mid-size for you guys but I'm excited about the possibilities :-D

As many of you may already know, a round column mill has a round column that when you want to move the head you need to loosen to bolts and turn a handle to move the head up and down. But... every time you do that the mills head rotates and you have to fix it every fucking time. Its gets really frustrating. Is there any way to make something that can keep the head from rotating?

I had asked about machining polyurethane some time ago. After inspecting the bushings on my truck I found that the sleeves were corroded and some worn down quite a bit. Some of the bushings were wearing into in oval shape on the ID. I decided making sleeves of a slightly larger diameter would be a better choice. Using a 0 to 1 inch micrometer I found that 1/2" sched 80 iron pipe has dimensions slightly bigger in diameter (about 0.040") with an ID that's perfect for the bolts. Cut the pipe to into rough lengths 2 1/2" long with a sawsall and used my rotary table to make a crude jig to hold each piece square to the table to machine each end. I installed the new sleeves which needed to be pressed in with ready rod. The results are dramatically better. I don't think my truck has ever handled this well before. I no longer feel the rear axle moving when accelerating and decelerating

Not bad for $20 (minimum charge at the crop steel place)

Do you know how this process call?

As a machinist, I often see how my shop could benefit from certain types of software. For example, QR codes for tools, digital setup sheets, a tooling database, an AI program editor, the ability to quickly find feeds and speeds, and a few other ideas I have in mind. However, I wonder if the shop managers simply don't use software, or if they are old-school and don't see the value of technology. I aim for efficiency and want to make the best use of my time. Would a shop benefit from a custom software team with knowledge of manufacturing?

​

https://preview.redd.it/dzcag0mw7xrc1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c2c406f52c51e5a9ea73db527989eb67df0c6da3

Title kind of says it all but I'm upgrading the spindle motor on my Sherline 4000, and want to add two timing belts to it: one for the spindle motor itself, and one for an encoder, to feed back into my Centroid Acorn. The headstock has a 9/16" shaft diameter on the motor side, and I'm only finding timing belt pulleys with 1/2" or 5/8" bore diameters.

What's the best way to do this? Can I shim 1/32" on each side and use a 5/8" bore pulley? If so, shim it with what? There is a flat spot for a set screw on the shaft, and I'd use a flat (not pointed) set screw against that. I'd need to file down another flat spot for the encoder. Having a hard time finding 1/32" thick sleeve with a 9/16" ID that would work for this though.

Or can anyone point me to a source for timing belt pulleys that will fit this shaft? I've tried McMaster Carr, Grainger, Misumi, Automation Direct, Amazon, and Ebay with no luck - nobody seems to have pulleys with 9/16" bore diameter.

if only I had a lathe...

Welcome to the MAT Machinist!

Ask your machining related questions here if they aren't long enough for a full submission! Please keep discussion on topic and note that comments on these threads will not be moderated as regularly as the main post feed.

Uses for this thread!

This is a great place to ask about tools, materials, basic questions related to the trade, homework help, and more!

How to set your userflair:

Click here to find out how to set your userflair on mobile, or on PC.

How to contact the moderators:

You can contact the moderators via modmail here

Made the mistake of ordering 1” instead of 1/2” A36 Steel. Already water jetted. Originally planned on milling it down, but it’s going to take like 10 hours. One option is to use a vertical bandsaw, but not sure how to cut it precisely in half. Also thought about using a face mill, but would still take a considerably long time. Any tips for vertically bandsawing this nightmare

I don’t know if this belongs here but i’m working on a high school project and I need any help I can get.

I have quite a lot of 6mm titanium balls that I am trying to make into beads for a Greek Komboloi project. However, I wouldn't know where to get them drilled, and have proper experience drilling, or if it’s even possible to drill something that small. I tried making a a Fusion 360 file for the bead and submitting it to a machinist, but for the 33 beads i need it was $1.3k. I was told that the reason it was so expensive was that the machining company likely didn’t have the mold to machine it, which is reasonable considering it’s a small part. Would anyone here happen to know what type of person I would need to contact to make these balls into beads? Thanks in advance.

Im looking for book recommendations that can help with milling different materials. Im a programmer who mainly did aluminum work, but now I’m being exposed to a bunch of different materials. Does such book exist or will experience be the best teacher?

I’m machining a 17-4 stainless casting for the first time. Part is pretty simple, I guess. Its not heat treated and Im just popping a few holes in. One is .630” diameter and the other is .130” diameter.

For the .630, I was considering using a 7/16 end mill and doing a helix bore to rough it out and then a circle mill to finish.

For the .130, I was going to spot, drill to .120 then plunge in and circle mill with a .125 end mill.

Does this process sound like a good idea? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

​

https://preview.redd.it/ilkarc20mqqc1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0b90f5ef8ff66fe049623ae3f619d15e9ab030c

I just picked up a used microturn CNC, which is built around a Sherline 4000 series lathe. The chuck is pretty rusty, but operates smoothly. I want to take it off to clean it up and lubricate it, but the chuck is really stuck to the spindle.

I can't get it to move using the tommy bars in the spindle and chuck body, and there's a sherline tech note on the chuck that says to use a block of wood against the base of one of the tommy bars to hit with a hammer, but that hasn't done anything.

I don't think the chuck is rusted on - the spindle doesn't look rusty, in fact it's pretty clean. But I cannot get this thing to budge and it's so small I don't want to hit it too hard.

Any suggestions?

Can anyone tell me how these are made? I have access to a mill, but i don’t see how I could make these cuts so the two pieces slide on one another.

Does anyone have a good sorce for NPT thread data? I have customers all the time asking for very specific depths and it takes me a while to walk the machine offset out to hit nominal. I would love to be able to define a start point the called out in depth and have it solve the remaining geometry for me.

Good calculator or thread chart would be fantastic. If only F360 had this functionality.

Hello from r/projectcar. someone over there recommended that I come here and see what I could learn about repairing or replacing my old v-belt power steering pulley that I badly warped while removing. I can probably pull up at least some schematics but the important metrics will be bore size and diameter (both of which I have), and offset which I don't really have but might be able to assess based on the original pulley.

Any idea if someone would take this project and what they would charge for something like this?

I know this is a very broad question, but this pulley might as well be "unobtanium" for me as it was only used in three years of this truck's manufacturing and even then only certain trucks with specific options. There are lots of unknowns here but any insight will help

Hey all,

I'm very keen on getting into using a metal lathe. I'm not even sure if this is the right space to ask for advise so if I should ask a different sub redit, let me know.

I'm hoping to do some small projects with aluminum and steel. Mainly parts and accessories for bicycles.

I don't even have a space to work in yet but I was thinking of getting a bench top lathe or mini lathe.

The biggest part I would be making would probably be no bigger than 200mm long and not much more than 40mm in diameter.

My concern is in the accuracy of cheaper mini lathes. I'm not doing rocket surgery but I will be making parts using an interference fit, so accuracy is key.

I will be turning steel (4130 and other such alloys). Would these mini lathes be able to handle steel accurately?

I don't have a big budget ($1000-2000) which usually means import lathes of questionabke quality.

Can anyone let me know if there is a lathe out there that fits this description? Relatively accurate, small, and not too expensive.

Saying it out loud sounds like I'm asking too much but I don't know.

If anyone can point me in the right direction, I would be very grateful!

Looking for crate supplier or ideas of where to start looking.

I'm considering advertising services to help companies with GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing), Tolerance Stackups, Designing for Manufacturability (machined parts, weldments, etc), making engineering drawings, and reducing costs with existing or new designs. What trade magazine or website do you think has good industry reach and engagement yet has reasonable advertising costs? I checked with one website and they charge anywhere from $4,000 to $18,000 a month just for digital advertising (no print). I'm just an individual and not a company with a large advertising budget.

Has anyone ever machined threads onto a pre-hardened shaft before? If so, do you recall what alloy was used and how hard was it to machine. Hoping to be able to machine the threads and not grind them.

Basically trying to make something like a ball hitch for a spherical mating surface, but need something around 4" dia. Was thinking of seeing if our shop could drill and tap something like this.. nightmare machining 52100? We've also got an EDM broken tap extractor that may be big enough to get our hole..

​

Fever dream?

Forgive my ignorance, but I've been struggling with this for a good while now and I'm no nearer.

I need some small rectangles machined out of aluminium and possibly brass. They would be approximately W12mm x L6mm x D3mm and have two 1.5mm holes running through width ways. I need approximately 40 of these.

The only companies I can find that do this sort of thing only seem to cater to businesses with presumably large commercial orders.

First of all, is CNC even the best way to achieve something like this? Are there companies out there that will fill small consumer orders?

Finally if this type of thing is even possible, what sort of cost am I looking at (hundreds, thousands, a tenner?) I have no frame of reference and all the sites I found only offer commercial quotes.

Any help at all is appreciated, even if it's just pointing me to a better place to ask.

Thanks in advance.

Hello friends, I’m currently working on a small ish cnc mill, its body is being constructed from high carbon steel for rigidity and it will have an durfill+steel plate base to make it heavy. I have shop experience and tools to cut the steel itself but there is one question I have. The surface and the major z,x, and y axis plates I would like to make as flat as I realistically can after the cutting and filling process. I’ve come across two major options scraping and lapping. I know this is not a quick nor an easy task but I am dedicated, even if it takes me hundreds of hours to do or learn. From what I’ve heard and seen scraping is a more delicate and difficult process but gives more durable long lasting results, while lapping is easier but can take longer and does not last as long. Im hoping to achieve somewhere within the ten micron range if this is an unrealistic expectation please tell me. I have no access to a surface grinder.

If you have tool/brand recommendations for either process I would also love to hear about that

Any help is greatly appreciated.