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1/29/11

Current Project

So these are rather large blanks I am starting with. They are 6" Diameter rounds and holding them on some of my tools is a tricky prospect so I started by machining both a clamping lip onto it and drilling and tapping holes so I could bolt it directly to a faceplate for turning.
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This part of the work will eventually be machined off so there is no harm done to the actual part



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In this photo I have the part bolted to a faceplate on my little CNC Lathe. It's actually too large for this machine. The carriage cant fit beneath the stock to do the turning operation so Instead I have a homemade tool holder that sticks way off the front end bolted to the carriage in order to gain the clearance I need to do the turning operation. Its not very rigid so I have to go slow and take light cuts so it is a long running program. One day I will upgrade to a larger machine when money permits.

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Once it is turned it is bored out on my big lathe and then slotted in the Mill. Here it is partially polished and ready for the next operation which will machine all the details in the circumference. You can see the clamps I made to utilize the lip I machined in the part.

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The same piece, post op. I am going to have a lot of hand sanding to polish all those little details. I can feel the cramps in my hands now. More later.

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