Thread: Machine Tool Suggestions
View Single Post
  #5   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 16-07-2014, 11:47
Travis Schuh Travis Schuh is offline
Registered User
FRC #0971 (Spartan Robotics)
Team Role: Engineer
  
Join Date: Dec 2006
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Los Altos, CA
Posts: 123
Travis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant futureTravis Schuh has a brilliant future
Re: Machine Tool Suggestions
My experience with the 7x12 lathe that you have listed is that it it is not good for cutting aluminum. The machine is not very ridged. You could probably get away with aluminum if you were just making spacers, but I wouldn't trust it for shafts. This lathe's strong points in my opinion are with plastic. With a skilled operator, it would do fine at making plastic spacers. Would certainly take longer than with a regular tool room lathe.

If I was to use this lathe more seriously, I would spend the time to figure out how to hook a set of calipers up as an indicator on the carriage, they show using the DRO on the cross slide for the axial direction, however the cross slide really isn't suited for that.