Ranchero50
Ultimate Member
Thanks. As an industrial mechanic I get lots of machinist practice so my work is kind of semi professional with a huge helping of practical workmanship. I was blessed with a good mentor at work the past 13 years who's guided my efforts at breaking fewer tool ever since giving me to compliment that I think like a machinist. I have a '91 vintage Bridgeport 308 machining center in the garage that paid for itself the past eight years making dome lamp bezels for '65-72 Ford trucks. It's been a great learning opportunity.
So far the only thing that's been kicking my butt is turning some threaded studs for RDC, making an 11/16-8 LH Whitworth thread on a conventional lathe for an old English saddle project. Because the 8 tpi profile was so large for a form ground tool I ended up plotting the Whitworth profile in CAD with a .010" offset so I can use the .020" nose on a conventional threading tool and many passes to get the Whitworth thread profile cut using the compound set at 90` and the carriage to follow the profile. A test part on gummy hot roller turned out pretty well. It's actually fun thinking outside the box.
So far the only thing that's been kicking my butt is turning some threaded studs for RDC, making an 11/16-8 LH Whitworth thread on a conventional lathe for an old English saddle project. Because the 8 tpi profile was so large for a form ground tool I ended up plotting the Whitworth profile in CAD with a .010" offset so I can use the .020" nose on a conventional threading tool and many passes to get the Whitworth thread profile cut using the compound set at 90` and the carriage to follow the profile. A test part on gummy hot roller turned out pretty well. It's actually fun thinking outside the box.
