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Author Topic: My first stab at machining  (Read 187 times)

Timvrip

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My first stab at machining
« on: January 05, 2025, 09:40:36 am »
Hey all,

I put my little lathe to work today for the first time. I made a brass coupling that will be used to connect my EngineDIY steam line oiler to the steam pipe I'm using in a diorama project. The steam pipe, which is 3.5mm outside diameter, needed to connect to the pipe on the oiler, which is 5.5mm in diameter. So, I took a piece of 8mm brass rod and drilled a 5.5mm diameter hole from one end, halfway into the rod. Then I flipped the piece and drilled a 3.5mm diameter hole from the other end until they met in the middle. Then I turned a chamfer on each end to dress it up. The whole piece is about 20mm long. Nothing fancy, but it turned out pretty neat.

Plus, it was a blast!

I've attached a couple of photos. The first one shows the collar dry-fitted onto the oiler. The second photo shows the little Proxxon all dirty with brass shavings. I still need to make a surround for the lathe to keep all the shavings from going all over the place. That will be my project for the coming week.

Cheers, Tim



I had an old college professor who used to say, "The cows may come and the cows may go, but the bull goes on forever."

Stoker

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Re: My first stab at machining
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2025, 10:30:44 am »
Congratulations at re-finding the joys of DIY, with a lathe and some brass, no less!

I do wonder, however, why you felt you needed to flip your part and drill from both ends separately? I'm thinking you should have been able to drill all the way through with the 3.5mm and then use that as the pilot hole to drill your 5.5mm to the proper depth from the same side, not having to turn the part around in you chuck.

Nothing wrong with the way you did it, but it did require changing your setup to some extent, which is where errors can creep in, so minimizing that possibility is often desirable.
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Timvrip

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Re: My first stab at machining
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2025, 10:53:09 am »
Good point. I’ll keep that in mind as I learn to use this thing.

Tim
I had an old college professor who used to say, "The cows may come and the cows may go, but the bull goes on forever."

St Paul Steam

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Re: My first stab at machining
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2025, 11:59:41 am »
A very nice & well-done 1st turning project Tim, gosh it looks factory CNC machine made.
Bruce, St. Paul Indiana, USA
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Jim

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Re: My first stab at machining
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2025, 12:05:01 am »
Makin' chips!
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Cheers.
Jim

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cheepo45

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Re: My first stab at machining
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2025, 10:42:05 am »
Looks great!
Welcome to the Home Machining hobby!
I have been a Machinist (both work and home) for over 40 years and I still love it.
Creating something to a tight tolerance is fascinating to me.
 Scott

Timvrip

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Re: My first stab at machining
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2025, 11:09:18 am »
Thanks for all the kind words of encouragement.

I hope to be running the lathe again tomorrow when I drill a larger hole in a spare Wilesco drive pulley so it will fit on the shaft of my Stuart 10v.
I'd like to machine a completely new pulley, but I don't have any milling stock big enough to do so. Maybe in the future.

Tim
I had an old college professor who used to say, "The cows may come and the cows may go, but the bull goes on forever."

Nick

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Re: My first stab at machining
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2025, 12:48:19 pm »
If this is your first piece, can’t wait to see what you make in the future! Nice work 👍
Nick