CNC machining

[enfield2band]

Why?

Because these days, it's easy and comparatively cheap to do it on a hobby lathe.

I do many small bits and pieces for my trains on a forty-y/o Unimat SL - ie. a Stone-age hobby lathe. But being able to punch a bunch of co-ordinates into a reader and watch while your lathe/mill/whatever does it all for you has a certain appeal.

Especially of interest is the fact that it really isn't much more expense to add it to your [modern] lathe than getting another costy accessory for it. I had recourse to going around a number of precision engineer shops in the last year or so, trying to get a reasonable price and failed dismally in an effort to replicate the Ruger Old Army base pin/cylinder pin, which has an inherent weak point in the design. If I had ready access to the material, and carbide tools, I would have been able to make one for myself, but I had good interest and might have sold at east ten to folks here who had also had the bl**dy thing bent by clumsy reloading. As it turned out, the cheapest provider wanted £60+VAT EACH.

A skilled amateur may well be able to make a few in return for a reasonable recompense, rather than taking the pi$$.

tac

Absolutley right. With a CNC lathe any number of parts can be turned out and they will be all the same.

As suggested a model shop might do the part, but, I would be inclined to find a model engineering club because the members who turn out live steam locos and other scaled down models are very skilled.

[airgunnut]

It's not just a case of punching in some co-ordinates into a computer attached to a milling machine, I did a lathe and milling corse at college, the cnc corse involved some prity advanced programming and the use of auto cad program's as well, it's the equiverlent of a nvq level 3.

[trick cyclist]

For £60 you can pick up a brand new Clarke hobby lathe from a machine discount shop and make any small part you are able. Lathe probably won't be all that precise though.

[martin bingham]

For £60 you can pick up a brand new Clarke hobby lathe from a machine discount shop and make any small part you are able. Lathe probably won't be all that precise though.

hi,thats a good price,i have tried machine mart type sites etc and cant find one near that price,could you pass on the name of a shop or details,thanks, mb

[tacfoley]

hi,thats a good price,i have tried machine mart type sites etc and cant find one near that price,could you pass on the name of a shop or details,thanks, mb

Me neither. I'm guessing that a zero was omitted from the price.

tac

[martin bingham]

Me neither. I'm guessing that a zero was omitted from the price.

tac

thanks

[1066]

Ok Tac - I don't have a ROA (do have a Rem 1858). Can you explain just what needs machining? Here's a couple of bits I've recently knocked up on my little lathe.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTW20NzZ-OA

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...psrfdleb7o.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...pst3zeomhc.jpg

[tacfoley]

It's not just a case of punching in some co-ordinates into a computer attached to a milling machine, I did a lathe and milling corse at college, the cnc corse involved some prity advanced programming and the use of auto cad program's as well, it's the equiverlent of a nvq level 3.

Should have done the basic English writing course instead.

tac

[airgunnut]

Should have done the basic English writing course instead.

tac

Beleve it or not, I was the only one in that class that wasn't required to do an additional English or maths course

[tacfoley]

Beleve it or not, I was the only one in that class that wasn't required to do an additional English or maths course

Hah.

tac

[tacfoley]

Absolutley right. With a CNC lathe any number of parts can be turned out and they will be all the same.

As suggested a model shop might do the part, but, I would be inclined to find a model engineering club because the members who turn out live steam locos and other scaled down models are very skilled.

Uh, that's what I do [see Youtube tac's trains]. But I only have a small lathe, as I mentioned in my post and it would be a real PITA to make ten of the parts I mentioned.

tac