Looking for stock tube material for lathe work. 1" OD - 3/16" ID - SS, Delrin, anything?

[subver]

Hey guys,
So I'm getting a metal lathe soon, and I can't find a 3/16" boring tool.. only 5/16"
So it got me thinking.. maybe I can just get stock tubes with an outer diameter of 1" and an inner diameter of 3/16" (or smaller?)
I can't find anything with these specs on mcmaster.com nor through a quick google search.

So anyway, all you lathe guys - how do you get a small (3/16") hole through your rods? What about smaller?
Maybe I'm missing something?

Thanks guys!

 

[Java_Az]

Hey guys,
So I'm getting a metal lathe soon, and I can't find a 3/16" boring tool.. only 5/16"
So it got me thinking.. maybe I can just get stock tubes with an outer diameter of 1" and an inner diameter of 3/16" (or smaller?)
I can't find anything with these specs on mcmaster.com nor through a quick google search.

So anyway, all you lathe guys - how do you get a small (3/16") hole through your rods? What about smaller?
Maybe I'm missing something?

Thanks guys!

Get you a Drill chuck for the tail stock and drill what ever size hole you need. Starting the holes with a center drill is advised. If your going to work with stainless steel you going to have to get cobalt drill bits or you will wear out regular HSS or titanium coated ones like crazy. Tail stocks are adjustable also so if it is a new lathe you might need to tweek it a bit to get dead center.

Online Metals has a nice selection of stock , They Also have a plastics section Acetal is the same as Delrin Order Stainless Metal Pack, Perforated Sheet, Rectangle Tube, Square Tube, Tread Plate, Tube Alloys 303, 304, 316 in Small Quantities at OnlineMetals.com

Speedy Metals only has metal but they also have a nice selection of stock. depending on what you get either store can be cheaper then the other. Just got to shop them both for the best price. Speedy Metals Online Industrial Metal Supply

What kinda lathe you getting ? I got me a cheap mini lathe 7x14 but it does the trick. Hope this helps

 

[urquidezj]

A drill bit? Or smaller drill and then a reamer? I highly doubt anybody will carry the particular spec u are looking for.

 

[subver]

Ah ok, someone told me before that I couldn't use a drill bit on the lathe, because that was my first thought. Thanks for the info! This will help tremendously
Thanks for those sources Java-Az! I will definitely check them out

 

[Java_Az]

Most lathe will come with a spinning center in the tail stock. they are used for working on long work peices to keep them centered. A drill chuck with the right taper usually has to be bought extra, but really is a necessity. no lathe should be without. Here is a pic of my lathe you can see the drill bit the drill chuck going into the tail stock. On the end of the tail stock is a wheel you crank to move the chuck forward and backward

 

[urquidezj]

Hey java does that lathe cut stainless

 

[Java_Az]

Hey java does that lathe cut stainless

Yeah it will cut stainless steel no problem. Just cant get too aggressive with the depth of cut got to baby it a bit.

 

[urquidezj]

Nice. My brothers boss is gonna get rid of his southbend lathe and im the one that is getting it

 

[urquidezj]

R u in arizona? Just wondering cuz of the screen name lol

 

[Java_Az]

R u in arizona? Just wondering cuz of the screen name lol

Southbends are nice lathes wish i had one. Yes i am in Oro Valley for a few more months then it is off to Colorado as long as every thing goes as planned with buying the new house. Going to have a nice big basement to set up shop in , going to be sweet.

 

[zoiDman]

Ah ok, someone told me before that I couldn't use a drill bit on the lathe...

Say What?

No Drills on a Lathe. Damn. Guess I have been doing it Wrong for the Last 25 Year.

 

[subver]

Say What?

No Drills on a Lathe. Damn. Guess I have been doing it Wrong for the Last 25 Year.

Yeah I thought it sounded weird! The person who told me obviously has no clue Now I feel stupid!

 

[zoiDman]

Yeah I thought it sounded weird! The person who told me obviously has no clue Now I feel stupid!

Hey. Don't feel Stupid. Just sounds like you got some Bad advice.

Speaking of Advise. I'll give you some.

There is an Old Say'n in the Machine Shop. "It's Not if you are Going to Get Hurt. It's How Bad".

So here's my advise. When Turning. Don't Ever Make Wire!

Allways use or put a Chip Breaker on Turning Tools. I've seen way too many people get Sliced Up because they were making Wire instead of making Chips.

 

[subver]

Awesome, I wouldn't have known that! Especially because a lot of youtube videos it looks like people are making some gnarly wire
Thanks!

I'm still trying to decide what set of tools to get. This one looks promising but I'm a little iffy on those turning tools.. I have a bench grinder so I could probably get better ones and sharpen or make them myself. Also still looking for a good measurement kit.

Any suggestions? Ideally, I'd love something that could turn stainless steel, and I don't mind having to sharpen my tools regularly.

 

[slimest]

I've got some experience in lathe work and I would not purchase a kit. Better to choose exactly what you need right now. Later buy something else when you get a task.

 

[subver]

Yeah I kinda figured. I think mainly what I need are:
-Turning tools
-A 1/16" Parting Tool
-Boring Bars
-Good drill set for smaller holes
-Center Drills
-Measuring Tools

and a 4 jaw chuck to replace the 3 jaw chuck on the lathe I'm getting... so I can do offset holes.

It's just the thing about that kit is it has just about everything I need except for the 4 jaw chuck which I found online and good drill bits. I'm just unsure of the quality of those turning tools..

 

[zoiDman]

Awesome, I wouldn't have known that! Especially because a lot of youtube videos it looks like people are making some gnarly wire
Thanks!

I'm still trying to decide what set of tools to get. This one looks promising but I'm a little iffy on those turning tools.. I have a bench grinder so I could probably get better ones and sharpen or make them myself. Also still looking for a good measurement kit.

Any suggestions? Ideally, I'd love something that could turn stainless steel, and I don't mind having to sharpen my tools regularly.

I've got some experience in lathe work and I would not purchase a kit. Better to choose exactly what you need right now. Later buy something else when you get a task.

There kind of Two schools of thought on stuff like this.

One is as slimmest mentioned. Just buy what you need as you go. That way you don't pay for things that you don't ever use. You can also get the Brands and Quality you want for each Item.

The other is to buy a "Kit" because it saves Money/Shipping verses piecing it out.

It's hard to say what is best for a Person who is just Starting out. Because they need just about Everything. I'm sure that subver would use Everything in that kit. I just wonder about the Quality of the Items. The Price seems a tad Low for Good Tools. But then again, maybe it would be better to get going with them now and if subver needs to, he can Upgrade down the Road.

It sort of comes down to Money. Or should I say, How much Money there is to spend. Because as mentioned, there are other things to buy like Indicators/Mag Bases and Hand Inspection Tools.

For the price of that Kit, and for a Person just starting out, I would almost say get it. The reason is I would hate to see someone Fork Out 7 or * Hundred Bucks for a Bunch of Tools only to find that they only used the Lathe 2 or 3 times.

Me, I don't think Twice about buy a $100 Indicator or an Albright(sp?) Keyless Chuck. Because I will know I use it.

---

Hey subver, Here is another thing I would suggest.

Get yourself some Aluminum Stock and practice on it when you get your Lathe up and Running. Alum is much more forgiving when the Spend and Feeds are Too Fast or Too Slow. It is also Cheaper and Easier on your tools and Lathe if you Spaz-Out and turn a Handle or Lever the Wrong Way.

 

[zoiDman]

Double Post.

 

[zoiDman]

Yeah I kinda figured. I think mainly what I need are:
-Turning tools
-A 1/16" Parting Tool
-Boring Bars
-Good drill set for smaller holes
-Center Drills
-Measuring Tools

and a 4 jaw chuck to replace the 3 jaw chuck on the lathe I'm getting... so I can do offset holes.

It's just the thing about that kit is it has just about everything I need except for the 4 jaw chuck which I found online and good drill bits. I'm just unsure of the quality of those turning tools..

A 4-Jaw Chuck would be the Last thing I would buy. If all you want is Holes Off Center, invest in a Drill Press if you don't have one Already.

You get Many More Miles out of a Drill Press than you would a 4 Jaw Chuck.

 

[subver]

Thanks zoiDman! I'm still leaning towards the kit, then maybe down the road get better turning tools.
You said get aluminum stock for practicing. What about delrin? I had planned on doing some practice pieces in delrin, mainly because I don't have an anodizing tank for aluminum pieces, and I've heard some bad things about liquid in contact with non-anodized aluminum. I figured delrin would be the best of both worlds... easy to work with and I'd be able to use it with my liquids, then maybe graduate to stainless steel or even an intermediate metal before that.

But then again, I really don't know much about this stuff yet so, maybe Delrin isn't the best option.