Snorton20
Member
What are the advantages of drilling on a lathe vs. a drill press? and visa versa. Thanks for the response.
Lee,
How are you making adjustments to the blank on the lathe? If it is off do you stop the lathe and reposition the blank? Are you using a collet chuck to hold it with or a 4-jaw precision chuck?
I consider the IAP my family and like to know to whom I am talking.
I don't want to highjack this thread but I think it fits in. When you drill on the lathe do you drill the whole blank at once or do you cut it to the lengths of the tubes first and then drill each piece separately?
Thanks
Ben
Where the water hits the wheel: I can visually see, control and make finer adjustments for the "entrance point" on the lathe as the blank turns. I don't have the ability to control within 1/32 the entrance point on a DP drilled blank with close to 1/2 inch size bits. Even with a cross vise, It sure LOOKS to me like it is going to be centered, but the first little divot shows that it is out by 1/32 or so. The problem is that this first "divot", if out of center by 1/32 will influence the entrance from from then on.
Below is a link to a pen where .01 inch centering from end to end was a necessity:
http://www.penturners.org/photos/images/940/1_Baron_PenStripes.jpg
To join the thread; Hank; I have a square piece of wood I clamp in my centering vise. I marked the end with the center of the blank. A "wiggler" is used to set the DP directly above the center of the blank. I can then drill any number of blanks. I usually get to within .005 on the two ends of the blank.
I was playing with my camera and posted two test videos to my Photo Gallery pages:
http://www.coleman-family.org/g2/main.php?g2_itemId=43
Hope this helps.....