Mills and Lathes

ajay

^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
Knocked this up at work the other day. 550x320 billet. Yes preeeeety much at capacity. Actually, it was too big initially. The first cut on the diameter was to create clearance for the way cover (you can see it behind the live centre)
369153
 

SummitFever

Eats Squid
Knocked this up at work the other day. 550x320 billet. Yes preeeeety much at capacity. Actually, it was too big initially. The first cut on the diameter was to create clearance for the way cover (you can see it behind the live centre)View attachment 369153
Tell us more (if you can). Looks interesting. Some sort of former? Machining the part to clamp in the chuck is always fun on those 'almost at capacity' jobs.
 

ajay

^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
Tell us more (if you can). Looks interesting. Some sort of former? Machining the part to clamp in the chuck is always fun on those 'almost at capacity' jobs.
Can't give away too much re the application, sorry. But yes, a tool of sorts.

Yep, holding on to it was half the challenge. It started it's life in the manual lathe with a makeshift steady to face and center both ends, then machined up a fixture plate with a 150 spigot which was bolted to the billet - it wouldn't fit in the mill or pedestal, and I don't have a radial, so ended using a good old set of dividers, a centre punch and a pistol drill (lol).
With 3 people, a forklift and some witchcraft slinging technique we got it in the NC lathe, machined the buggery out of it, then once removed, we tig welded the centre hole and and polished it back.

If it was slightly smaller, it would've been basic. alas....
 

ajay

^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
I was only having a chuckle about this yesterday as I grappled with fixturing a tricky piece on our new big machine. No matter how much travel you have it's never enough.
Aint that the truth!
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
When I did vacation practice before graduating I spent one chunk at the Qld Railways workshop. They had an old (ok everything was old) Craven wheel lathe. The operator sat on a seat on the cross slide and travelled with the tool. It took cuts 1" wide by 1/8" deep. Huge power.
 

SummitFever

Eats Squid
I've got some pictures of my dad running a vertical lathe on the Snowy's scheme machining the pressure rings that hold pipe sections together. I think they were about 4m in diameter. As I kid looking at those pictures, I couldn't even work out what I was actually looking at. You know it's big when you can use a person inside the machine as a scale of reference...
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
I've got some pictures of my dad running a vertical lathe on the Snowy's scheme machining the pressure rings that hold pipe sections together. I think they were about 4m in diameter. As I kid looking at those pictures, I couldn't even work out what I was actually looking at. You know it's big when you can use a person inside the machine as a scale of reference...
I should look for the pics of me inside a 1300MWe reactor core while it was being fabricated. Serious engineering. The lid of that is machined in situ, 30m or so above the floor.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
I should look for the pics of me inside a 1300MWe reactor core while it was being fabricated. Serious engineering. The lid of that is machined in situ, 30m or so above the floor.
Was this one of the Japan Steel Works ones?
 
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