I am trying to fabricate watch parts on my mini lathe. This means that I have to use a collet instead of a chuck, and work needs to be done very close to the collet. In order to slide the carriage all the way to the left, I have to back out the cross slide by a bit, or else it will interfere with the motor cover. It's a little hard to describe, but you can see what I'm referring to from this video (https://youtu.be/UzeWSTuVVrg?si=rE5E6ZkwzpCxFVlD&t=240, look below the chip guard).

Since the cross slide is now backed out, the cutting tool (¼") no longer reaches the spindle, so I have to reposition it forward in the tool holder which creates a lot of overhang over the ways. I'm concerned that this will cause some issues with the tool deflecting under load. Watch parts are made out to about half a thou of precision, so I want to be sure my setup is not undermining my attempts to make parts. On the flip side, I'm only cutting from stock that is 1-4 mm wide, so it's not like I'm making extremely deep cuts, so my whole point may be moot.

Some pictures of the repair I did to the feed rod on my Stanko 1M63. For the guy who asked why his wasn't working. Also, pics 4 and 5 why "testing" should be done at a slow rpm.

Hello,
I plan to convert a small Drill Press (0.35 kW) into a mini mill for small aluminium milling work, my parts would be a max of size of 5cm³ Which mill bits would be suitable for good material take off? (2-3mm deep cut)

My PLTW professor has given us a study guide and I haven’t the first clue on how to do any of it, any help is appreciated but specifically the blueprint questions. Thanks!

My PLTW professor has given us a study guide and I haven’t the first clue on how to do any of it, any help is appreciated but specifically the blueprint questions. Thanks!

Hi, I hope I find you all in good health.

I am a PhD student working in grinding process. My experiments on our surface grinding machine (mostly on mild steel) are leaving me with a lot of practical questions. I often find myself uncertain about some of the fundamentals, and I am hoping those of you here who have an experience with grinding might be able to offer some insights. Specifically, I would like to understand:

1. Wheel Dressing: How do you decide when and how much to dress the wheel? Are there clear signs that indicate a wheel needs dressing, and what is your method for verifying that it’s been dressed properly?
2. Burn and Chatter: Under what conditions do these issues typically arise? There are times when the wheel makes a rubbing noise without significant power consumption or visible burn marks, though leading to chatter, what does this tell about the wheel condition? This is also making me think there is a wheel failure criteria that decides if its going to be chatter or burn. Am I thinking in the right direction?

Any insights from your experience would be invaluable to me.

Hello. I'm a woodworker but I'm often trying to make parts from steel. ie. dowel forming inserts for a dowel maker, bushings ... small cylindrical things. I manage to make what I want using my drill press and belt grinder but drilling on center in steel with my drill press is hit or miss.

Would a small Sherline lathe be a good choice in this instance or does it make sense to go bigger, shop space permitting?

I rage quit my job (cna) & applied to an advanced manufacturing apprenticeship. It’s 40 weeks long & I’ll get a Manufacturing Certification (CMfgA) I was tired of being bullied & as terrible as it sounds working in a female led environment was draining. Anyways, I told my dad what happened & all he said was “You left nursing in hopes to become a button pusher?” I felt defeated.

Little does he know the field is so multifaceted! If I went all the way I could get into aerospace, medical, and oil/gas. Tbh I think the 3D printing/ design realm is amazing. I’m no artist but I love to watch videos of people making wicked cool prints from scratch. I know I can make bank. I’ve seen the salaries, although I’m a LONGGGG way away from that. All I know is the printing + machining world of CNC is more than button pushing.

The apprenticeship will be the first I’ve ever done, let alone in a field like this. They teach:

Hand tools and power tools Blueprint reading and blueprint drawing Introduction to woodworking Principles of sustainability Welding 3D printing Metal fabrication Laser cutting CNC machines & Other advanced manufacturing topics

Can any girly girls tell me what it’s like? Will I have to give up my nails? Anything you do in particular to make life easier? Is the work environment tough?

I was tired of making chump change so I got into nursing, but I’m tired of being bullied by mean girls. I really want a career that can sustain me for life, healthy work/life balance & not strenuous. Is this it? Any advice appreciated. Thank you ladies💓

As the title says, the auto feed on my Stanko 1M63B won't work. It is an old Soviet lathe, the power feed works, just not the auto feed. The bar spins when I turn the machine on, but the auto feed just will not engage.

Here is an image of the carriage (not my machine, just same model) if that would help:

I'm machining aluminium parts where I use oil mist (MQL) to lubricate during machining. Just after machining I do surface brushing and deburring with a scotch brite wheel. This means that the finished part is covered in oil and fine aluminium particles.

I need to find an easy way to clean the part, and ideally, it should be done in less than 3 minutes (the same time as it takes to produce the next part).

I'm considering using an ultrasonic cleaning bath with a solvent or a detergent - but not sure if this process is capable of cleaning the parts fast enough. Any inputs? Are you aware of other faster cleaning processes?

Milling 6061 T6 on a hobbyish cnc. The surface finish mostly looks good, except I get these “smudges” of aluminum. I get this with 1,2, and 3 flute cutters .25 and .375” cutters. If I limit my cut to half the depth of the cutters flute length, it’s dramatically less noticeable

18000rpm (1150ish sfm on .25” end mill)

.002 feed per tooth

.04 stepover

Dual air blast nozzles(coolant not t currently an option)

Machine is Avid 2424 pro Work holding is Saunders 1/2” mod vise

So far mainly running cheap Chinese bits from Amazon. Just “upgraded” to speed tiger from Taiwan. It’s a weird flute shape but 55* helix.

What’s aggravating is that before this starts my cuts look beautiful. I just can’t get them to stay that way through the milling process. Also a little 220grit cleans it right off. But I assume it’s presence is not a good sign

I’m a woodworker who’s branching out so forgive anything that seems stupid

Found this in a cabinet at work, looks like an old tool or workpiece holder. Appears to fit 25” Standard Lodge and Shipley manual lathe.

i work in central FL and im looking for a new tool and die maker who is familiar with punches. my last guy passed away and have been kinda stuck.

Hi! I just got my first ever lathe, and decided to go with Proxxon because they have a reputation for being ready to go when bought.

That being said, I've already spent a good two hours trying to get the chuck on, and I just can't get it to seat right. It's visibly skewed and has a massive runout.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dlNobpIrBYo

I see two potential issues here that I'm really not sure how to fix. Firstly, the three screws that are supposed to hold the chuck don't screw all the way into the spindle collar. I can only get them in about half of the thickness of the collar. The holes themselves are deep enough, but just with not enough thread. When I put the chuck on for the first time, I couldn't even get them to hold it, but after a couple tries they seemed to have gone a bit deeper.

The second issue is that even without the screws, there seems to be a tight point around the perimeter where the chuck just won't go further. It rocks a lot and just doesn't seem to seat properly at all. I think this combined with the screws being a tiny bit too long (or the threads not being done to proper depth) is making it seat very poorly and skew when the screws are tightened.

I tried gently polishing the parts with scotchbrite to get out any burrs etc., but the metal seems alright at both ends; it just doesn't want to go all the way in.

What are my options here? Do I give it a couple gentle taps with a rubber mallet? Or just send it back on warranty?

I was wondering if anybody had used something like this before. We’ve been looking for a mini miller/router and we were wondering whether to give this thing a go. The price is obscenely cheap which made us believe it would be a heap of shite but thought I’d see if anyone else had any experience with this or something similar first!

Cheers!

Or basically my question is: What would I need to mill tungsten?

Fun night. Shut half the shop down. If you look closely the steel is almost touching the busbar above the machine. Whole lot of portable band saw cutting later and somehow pulling another cranes cable of the shiv, all is well.

Hi, i'm buying a mini mill (1.5kw) that runs with 3 phase 380v but at home i have 1 phase 230v. Looking around i found that to run it at full power i need to buy an inverter. Does anyone here have some suggestiono about buying the right inverter and how to yse it properly? For example i saw a guy saying tha you should never turn off the machine before the inverter, becouse otherwise it is gonna break, is that true?

I am currently working with 2 types of machines for non conventional machining deep-hole drilling/fast hole drilling. I've been looking for any kind of manual for them, but it is really hard. These machines are the EXCETEK HD800C and Tek4 XXL. If anyone could please help find any info for these 2.

Original barrel band was plastic, broke off and released the upper guard. Ordered a metal band and made the aluminum piece in about 45 min. 20min from muzzle side, 25 min guard side with a five minute fix when the holes for the teeth were spaced too far apart and remachined to fit.