Machinists,need help

[Rough Edge racing]

 I am not a machinist....I do have an old Southbend Model B lathe and over the years have learned to make what I need, usually with the wrong tooling.  The lathe can handle  9 inch diameter ...
  The lathe does have a quick change tool holder..Example, need to make several aluminum discs about 4 inches in diameter from 1/2 inch stock. I use the tail piece? with a rotating point to hold the metal against the chuck and cut out the discs..what is the proper tool to do this?  And what tool to face the discs?
    Also make spacers for axles etc. I prefer alumnum because it's  easy to machine. I have several boring  bars with replaceable tips for the inside...And use a larger boring bar for the outside but I think there's a better tool for this...
   
  Keep in mind I use the lathe for just a few hours a month, and tools with a replaceable cutting edge are good so I don't have to sharpen them ...And price of course..
  Be nice if you can show an image of the tools to make online buying easier, thanks

[Chuck in Indiana]

Is there a hole in the center?

[nobleswood]

 

[Rough Edge racing]

Is there a hole in the center?

  in the chuck, yes....

[Mike Tashjian]

Having a lathe is a great first step.  Knowing how to use the lathe is going to be bit longer of a learning curve.  I suggest you at least get a book on running a lathe which should cover all the basics and includes safely running it.  Tooling for machining of each metal varies in many ways so there is no one tools fits all scenario. For the home shop I prefer High Speed steel  bits which I make and can sharpen easily.  I use some Carbide inserts and some that are brazed as for boring bars.  Raw stock selection for lathe turning is important too as some materials are very easy turn and some are not. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Sorry but what you are wanting to do is quite difficult for an inexperienced person.. and too complicated to try to explain with a post.

[Rough Edge racing]

Sorry but what you are wanting to do is quite difficult for an inexperienced person.. and too complicated to try to explain with a post.

 I have already done what  described using a crude hand sharpened tool . It took a longer than expected.
  Also have removed the hardened splines from sprockets using some sort of carbide tool.and a bunch of other odd ball stuff.
 Maybe I am not being clear....what is the name of the cutting tool used for this?

[Chuck in Indiana]

Maybe I don't understand what you are wanting to do. Turn a 4 inch diameter on some flat plate and face it is what I'm thinking..

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Sounds like you're making brake disk spacers? When I made some for my "Ambovert" project, I started with chunk of 6061 4" diameter x 1" thick from McMaster-Carr. Gripped the outside, drilled and bored the inner diameter first, then gripped it from the inside and machined the outside and both faces.




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[Chuck in Indiana]

No problem if it has a hole in the center. Just a round flat billet is difficult.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

No problem if it has a hole in the center. Just a round flat billet is difficult.

I didn't find it all that difficult and I started with the chunk shown in my post above.

[n3303j]

Sounds like you're making brake disk spacers? When I made some for my "Ambovert" project, I started with chunk of 6061 4" diameter x 1" thick from McMaster-Carr. Gripped the outside, drilled and bored the inner diameter first, then gripped it from the inside and machined the outside and both faces.




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On that project I would grab the bar stock by the outside diameter and machine the bore, the front face and the shoulder step in one operation. That way all those faces are concentric to each other and perpendicular or parallel to the common axis.

Second step would be to flip the piece around and indicate the first face true to machine the second face and the outside diameter (which is a clearance dimension).

Many ways to skin a cat......

[RinkRat II]

   
     RER, there are a myriad of tools , bits and holders. Depending what you are wanting to achieve there is also several ways to accomplish these tasks. As far as tool I.D.  MSC industrial has an online catalog with several hours of stuff to look through and get aquainted with the proper names and purpose.
                 https://www.mscdirect.com/
      Paul B

[Rough Edge racing]

Sounds like you're making brake disk spacers? When I made some for my "Ambovert" project, I started with chunk of 6061 4" diameter x 1" thick from McMaster-Carr. Gripped the outside, drilled and bored the inner diameter first, then gripped it from the inside and machined the outside and both faces.




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Exactly...the material I had was larger than the chuck jaw spread so I used the tail stock with a "spinning  point" to jam the piece against the jaws. Then cut the OD , then the ID.
   I need to know the type of tool to make those  cuts...like a parting tool  but different...

[PeteS]

If the picture is close to what you want to end up with you could use a undersize hole saw to make a center hole. Then grip that hole with your chuck and start machining the OD to some oversize dimension that will fit your chuck. Finish machining the ID to size with a boring bar and finally the OD.

Pete

[mtiberio]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-Brake-Rotor-Spacer-Yamaha-Honda-Kawasaki-Suzuki-Ducati-Harley-Up-to-1-4/151906333311

[Chuck in Indiana]

Exactly...the material I had was larger than the chuck jaw spread so I used the tail stock with a "spinning  point" to jam the piece against the jaws. Then cut the OD , then the ID.
   I need to know the type of tool to make those  cuts...like a parting tool  but different...

I'm out.

[jrt]

The 'spinning point' thing is called a live center.
Outside cuts are done (usually) with a tool bit- but there are a ton of varieties.
Inside cuts are done with boring bars
?

[Rough Edge racing]

You could use a trepanning tool but what you are describing (using a live centre) is somewhat dodgy.

Get some real tooling which does not have to cost a bomb and inserts with rake to suit aluminium.

Yes dodgy, but it does work in a pinch .In the past I used a carbide tip facing tool ground to a slender straight point, but it's slow cutting...I do have a fair selection of insert tools for turning and facing... what I do need is a larger chuck with reversible jaws for holding larger diameter stock. From the various answers I have a idea how t do it...Thanks

 
I'm out.

You were never in  :laugh.......sometim es you just have to make do...

[reidy]

One suggestion if this will not fit in your chuck is to find the approximate center. Mark this with a center punch. Now scribe a circle that matches the PCD of the bolt holes you want to use. Now center punch the hole centers. Drill at least three of these undersized. You can now safely mount this on a face plate with spacers. Use you dead center in the tail stock to line up the center mark.   

You can then machine the bore to size and the outside circumference. You can then mount your piece in a 4 jaw chuck, using a dti on the outside to center it. Machine the front face than turnaround and machine the rear face.

Drill all holes to size.

Steve

[Rough Edge racing]

 Thinking back I must have drilled a small center hole for the live center because I cut one side and flip it over to finish the cut.
  I do have a larger 4 jaw chuck with a single adjustment for all jaws, but it's got some runout..
  Most of the stuff I do is modifying axles, making spacers and bearing adapter sleeves for front fork swaps..
  And jobs like cutting spines from hardend sprockets
   
  Then using the sprockets on a modified Subaru axle bearing for the driveline idler on my dual engine Triumph racer
   
   
 
   Trimming about .060 from Triumph flywheels for clearance with performance cam lobes.
     
   

   Trimming clutch plates to increase the mean effective radius

   

[Chuck in Indiana]

Sorry, but I have to say it. That setup made me cringe. I'm afraid you are going to get hurt.

[n3303j]

I have to say "What a marvelous old South Bend Lathe!".

I have the poor man's version in that vintage without the quick change gearbox or the longitudinal power feed. I do have all the gears for SAE thread pitch. The machine is a great piece of American cast iron. In good hands  it will produce an accurate product. Nuce to see another like mine still serving it's purpose.

[Rough Edge racing]

 It's a 1951 model. It's in good shape other than the cross feed is a bit sloppy. I paid 750 bucks for it  about 7 years ago.
 

[n3303j]

Swapped an old outboard for mine in the early '80s. Been with me since.

[LesP]

Outside jaws are not really that great for holding things up the main spindle bore and a full circumference steady is much safer for the likes of a crankshaft.

[Rough Edge racing]

 A steady would be nice for some stuff I do....I see used ones selling for a few hundred bucks...They list iypt as a 12 inch for example.. is that the measurement of the rails on the lathe? 

[Chuck in Indiana]

It's for the size of lathe.

and above is the way to hold a crankshaft.
That tool you have "hung out like a preacher's dick" (tool room term)  is just asking to flex, catch in one of the holes, and throw the whole works at you. With *any* machine tool, the mantra is keeping flex out of the setup. Really bad things can happen if you don't.

[kirby1923]

Yes indeed, a steady rest is not only a safety issue (a big one) its the ONLY way you will ever get an accurate cut.

Your wasting your time if you don't do it right.

:-)

[Rough Edge racing]

  Trimming  the external diameter on the flywheel as I did above using a live center, running at slow speed taking only .005 per pass, held it to to tolerance of the lathe,.001. As good as Triumph did on old machines with dull tools..
  I will look for a steady....