av8tor: Did you get a new lathe and if you did what size? I am getting good at the tapers now. I use blue-ing to check fit. It will tell you right away the amount and direction you need to adjust tool. Its getting more fun now. For you guys that have 4-5 Hundred in a plane and like metal working...get a lathe. If you crash your plane...you may have nothing. But a lathe kept up good is always worth about what you paid for it. I wish I would have bought one years ago. Very handy for many things. Capt,n

Yeah, I got one of the little 7 x 10 lathes a couple of years ago.

It works fine for what I do. It would be nice to have a big, serious lathe, but I don't have the room to put one! Next I want to get the Harbor Freight mill; the one that costs $400 or so. Anyone have experience with it?

AV8TOR

If you got a good drill press...this would work for most our milling! Capt,n

Looks nice. Who has it?

AV8TOR

Grizz http://www.grizzly.com/products/h0967

Also here is another way...using your lathe. As a milling machine! Capt,n

For you guys that have a lathe...you can balance flywheels with this set-up. Just a tiny metal shim or screw and it rotates right to the bottom position....fast. I am using a small prop balancer that has cones for centering. Capt,n

Hey Capt,n you are getting into this tool thing. I am happy for you. With that milling attachment and this collet block and a collet you can mill slots with ease. Mount the block in the vise the other way and you can drill holes in the face of the hub and the prop washer too.


http://www.penntoolco.com/catalog/pr...categoryID=836

tim220225: The milling attachment is not mine....I wish it was. I have been looking for a mill. I cannot see why they are so expensive? The micro mills look to small and cheap made. I will keep looking for a good used one. Capt,n P.S. Did you see the flywheel balance photo. It is real sensitve...I done 2 props with it.

I did see the balancer. Kinda like the prop balancer I use now. Never though to try a flywheel with it. There is a Clausing mill on Ebay now. By the time you get one tooled up, tooling can be expensive as it is dated. You can sometimes find a good Bridgeport out there for the taking for about the same money. BP uses standard R-8 tooling which is plentiful and cheap. Thats what I did. There is a guy in your area, well Detroit anyway by the name of Dick Triemstra who sells used machine tools. He works with a guy who repairs and sells Bridgeports too. Try www.lostcreekmachine.com also. By the way I have found machinery etc. to get cheaper as the weather warms up. Must be that people look for more machinery in the winter as it is inside work.

tim220225: I did a lot of ice fishing other winters, but have traded that for Lathe and engine playtime. Its a lot warmer in shop...no frozen feet ... and more interesting! I got to read up more on the data you posted. Thanks....it really helps. best Regards, Capt,n

I understand the cold feet thing. Remember those days well. Anti freeze helped a bit though. Glad to help with any information I can pass on. This thread has been fun and I hope it continues. We can all learn a thing or two from each other. Just proves an instructor I had many years ago was right. He said that "there is no correct way to run a job in a machine". Meaning the correct way is the way that makes the most sense to you. I just keep learning that over and over reading these posts. Just think outside the box as they say.

Tim

AAAANNNDD, another good web site to add to the favorites list.
Edwin

Hey!!!! "One good turn deserves another" Lets keep the good Lathe photos and tips coming. Thanks Capt,n

What is the best grind angles of a 3/32 X 1/2 cut off tool. I have got it working fair....but may need a little more work. Also where can a degree wheel like the one in photo be found? Thanks, Capt,n

That degree wheel looks like a drafting tool with a hole drilled in it. Or you can find degree wheels for auto engines in all sorts of sizes and descriptions. Look at Summit's website. The metal drafting protractor can be had smaller, but a wheel is a wheel, so long as you can mount a pointer. Cut-off tools have been tough for me. I would say fair is my best as well. I'll be watching, as most of the machinists I know are looking for the cut-off golden bullet too. MIKE

Cap can you give more detail on this balance setup??

Hey Capt,n, not trying to be funny or a smart ass but use any angle that works. I mean that in all honesty too. Use the standard angles as a guide. I have tried many angles and at many speeds. I do my cutting off at maybe 1/3rd the turning speed. Another thing I do is use kerosene as a lubricant while cutting off. Works for me. Also when the blade enters the work a 3/8ths of an inch or so I will switch to a turning tool and put a nice chamfer on the back of the hub. Saves having to rechuck later on.

By the way I use the degree wheel CH supplies with their ignitions. Only half of what you show but it works fine. Mounted it to a piece of lite ply. Check their web page. If you can't get it there let me know and I will put it in PDF and send it to you.

tstotts: I have a device that I picked up years ago to balance props. I thought I would make a couple of shafts with a very small center in them so I could use them to support the sharp tapered end of the balance center that has 2 cones on it to center prop. I found I could adjust the tailstock just right and get a very sensitive balance on props of about 18 size. Its nothing magic...but it works!!! Capt,n

Thanks Cap the set up is simple enough the way you explained it. wind is supposed to be good for flying tomorrow so going to get some run time on the Thor today and do a lot of range checks in hopes of flying tomorrow.

We have had strong winds a lot here lately. I hope that does not contiune on into late spring and summer. The snow is just about knee deep ,but it is warming up some. How is the temps there in your area? Have fun with the Thor and your flying. Capt,n

I want to make a timing ring that holds sensor magnet. The magnet is .236 dia. When I make the ring ...how wide do you think it should be for this dia of magnet and still have good strength? Thanks Capt,n

Capt,n look at a BME engine. The timing rings he has machined are very light yet strong. They only hold the magnet and have one set screw so the lighter the better. I usually make mine just wide enough to hold the magnets length. Never had one come loose using a single set screw. Jusr JB w=Weld the magnet in. Some are staked in but these rotate with the engine as opposed to surface mounting them on the hub. Actually I have mounted them that way too without any problems.

here is a degree wheel I am working on as soon as I get a bit orderd and get home I am planning on makeing several of them
I have been changing them up a little to make them a little mo stylish