parts needed to make a lathe a notcher

[bignissan]

Picking up a lathe, what do i need to use it like an end mill for notching tube? I can't wait to get it!!!

[doctor_cad]

Heres a pic of a setup using a v block clamp mounted to the tool rest. It shows a hole saw in the chuck but you could use an annular cutter if you want to feed the tubing with the cross slide rather than the leadscrew.

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by doctor_cad

Heres a pic of a setup using a v block clamp mounted to the tool rest. It shows a hole saw in the chuck but you could use an annular cutter if you want to feed the tubing with the cross slide rather than the leadscrew.

That is a milling attachment mounted on the cross slide. You may find that trying to buy the milling attachment is horribly expensive. A piece of angle bolted to the cross slide with a vice setup so the centerline of the piece of tubing clamped in the vice is on the centerline of the headstock might work satisfactorily.

With the lathe, you could make most of the parts needed to fab what you want, but I doubt a bolt-on assy could be had inexpensively.

[bignissan]

Thanks, i want to use the "end cutter" not the hole saw, i'm tired of hole saws and would rather pay for the "good stuff". Then I can just feed it into the "side" of the cutter rather than the end of the hole saw. Do I need any special chucks or anything to hold the cutter in the 3 jaw chuck on the lathe head?
Greg

[PTSchram]

You'll be better off if you can hold the cutter in a collet as among other things, it will almost certainly run truer.Depending upon the headstock bore/taper, you may be able to get a mill bit holder that will match the bore/taper.

As for the tubing holder/vise, I think it should be fairly easy to mount a piece of heavy angle on the cross slide/compound and mount a vise to the angle. Keep in mind how you will want to change the angle of the vise versus the plane of the cutter.

I'm very excited (for lack of a better term) to see what you build up, keep us in the loop.

Peace,
PT

[DRM]

Thinking this through, feeding the work into the tool may not be the best idea, depending on what the work piece (tube, etc.) is.

Say you are working with a large, bent, and/or awkward piece of tube, and you are running a stationary cutter and trying to feed the work into it. That seems like it could be problematic, and may cause some problems.

Not sure, just thinking this through in my head a bit...

[bignissan]

http://www.vansantent.com/tube_copin...ng_notcher.htm

That is how that one works I believe, it has the vice for $300, but I think I'll just see about making my own. I'm not sure when I'm getting it, it was left to my Mother and I need to go to her friends shop to pick it up. It's a decent size, but not huge. I have the manual for it. I'll post up some more info in a bit.
Greg

[frankenfab]

Here's the parts:

[frankenfab]

Here it is, mounted to the compund cross-slide. You can use an end mill or a hole saw chucked in the lathe.

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by frankenfab

Here's the parts:

$300 for that pile of metal? Maybe I am in the right business. Time to go pickup that ironworker and another roll of MIG wire.

I think there are better ways to do it, but other projects in the way.

Peace,
PT

[bignissan]

not $300 for the one frankenfab posted...I don't know where/how much that one is. The $300 deal is pretty nice from vansant, but I like frankenfabs, I can make that myself. Thanks!
Greg

[MattyL13]

anyone else seem to think that lathe was spinning a tad over calculated cutting RPM in that pic......maybe its just the pic i dunno

CS = Recomended RPM*4/D (shorthand) did i do that right?

Lord

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by MattyL13

anyone else seem to think that lathe was spinning a tad over calculated cutting RPM in that pic......maybe its just the pic i dunno

CS = Recomended RPM*4/D (shorthand) did i do that right?

Lord

For a mill bit, perhaps. Not so sure about it if it's a hole saw.

[MattyL13]

ahh true about the hole saw, i still like to calculate everything out because its a good habit to have when writing code for CNC, HSS is that formula x 1, for a carbide you can multiply the rpms by 3 just because carbide is the best thing ever. God I love metal more than slutty bitches

Lord

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by MattyL13

ahh true about the hole saw, i still like to calculate everything out because its a good habit to have when writing code for CNC, HSS is that formula x 1, for a carbide you can multiply the rpms by 3 just because carbide is the best thing ever. God I love metal more than slutty bitches

Lord

In spite of my math-heavy education, I usually just start cutting and changing speeds until it cuts well

I finally got the correct tool holders to use carbide in my lathes. Man, what a difference it makes.

[PTSchram]

http://www.lathemaster.com/MILLING%20ATTACHMENT.htm

Wow, $100! Looks like a done deal to me.

[bignissan]

looked at the lathe i'm getting, it's a small bench top jobber...so i'm thinking it is probably too small to notch tubing. how much HP do you need to run an end mill notcher? I'm getting it for free, it's old and in the family, so I'm going to use it for small jobs at least, it's an "Atlas" brand. Still in great condition.

[bignissan]

how do you measure a lathe to determine it's size?

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by bignissan

how do you measure a lathe to determine it's size?

Lathe sizes are expressed in terms of the size of the material that can be worked in both the diameter and length. The diameter can be easily determined by measuring the distance between the center of the head or tailstock to the nearest way and mulripying by two. The length can be expressed in terms of the longest piece that can be turned between centers (most common), or in terms of length of the ways.

Peace,
PT

[DOUG38S]

bumping this to the top. How many people have used the end mill and did it with their lathe? Also, what size lathe? I priced out a couple of new mill notchers and for the 3500-4k new it seems way easier to pick up an older lathe and a bit. I'm looking solely to do this as a hobbiest and not looking to turn out parts or anything. If you did it what do you think the minimal amount of lathe you could get away with running the bit as a notcher?

[three60fish]

Holy old ass thread batman?!


sorry nothing constructive to contribute, always wanted to say that though

[jeep937]

Wow! I wonder what a 12' piece of 1.75" .120 wall DOM hanging off the side of my SB heavy 10 would do to the ways? I'd go for the Bport method or just dumb down your drill press and mod the HF notcher.

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by jeep937

Wow! I wonder what a 12' piece of 1.75" .120 wall DOM hanging off the side of my SB heavy 10 would do to the ways? I'd go for the Bport method or just dumb down your drill press and mod the HF notcher.

Absofawkinglutely nothing. How much stress do you think taking a big cut induces to the ways?

[DOUG38S]

Originally Posted by three60fish

Holy old ass thread batman?!


sorry nothing constructive to contribute, always wanted to say that though

they call that searching newbie

Absofawkinglutely nothing. How much stress do you think taking a big cut induces to the ways

thats what i was thinking. I know we've turned stuff down pretty hard and never had an issue with the older lathe we used. good to know experiences though as I'm no machinist just the avg guy looking to do something cheaper. All the buggy's I've built I've always used a mill notcher and its stupid simple and very easy to get perfect notches first time through. very fast as well vs the hole saw method.

[D60]

I'm a little unsure why we're trying to reinvent the wheel. Seems to me a $200 notcher works just fine, is more portable and probably requires less setup time.

I guess if you want to dedicate a machine to this, fine. I personally wouldn't be willing to remove my tool post each time I wanna notch, when I could just as easily walk over to my hole saw notcher.

Also if you're using end mills, aren't you needing to stock some pretty damn large end mills? 1.5", 1.75, 2" ? Not that these are impossible to source, but they're not exactly cheap.