Tn-Steve
Member
Hey Gang,
I was in full production mode (for me at least), trying to build up some inventory for the online store (which, while online, currently isn't much of a store with nothing to sell). My plan was to cut, drill, glue, end-mill and round off to about 1/4 inch proud of the bushings 6 euro blanks. The idea was that tomorrow I'd turn them to final shape, sand, maybe finish the next night.
The Cut/Drill/Glue/SquareUp went great. I rounded off the first two acrylic blanks, (learned that at 3800 I don't get the 'shatter' that usually gets me when I would turn them at lower speeds), put them back into the rack, and grabbed the next one.
Onto the mandrel, turn it a few times by hand, ease in the dead center till it starts to turn, lock down the spindle on the TS so it doesn't go anywhere, tighten up the brass wheel on the mandrel. Ready to go....
ZOOM goes the lathe. WHISK goes the shavings. HOLY EXCREMENT goes I as the mandrel starts to walks out of the the headstock and proceeded to make appx 2 inch circles around the live center (I've got one of those from WoodCraft that's the size of your fist).
It seems like I forgot to tighten down the actual TAILSTOCK when I slid it back in after removing the previous blank, and it walked back a bit. I was working the end of the mandrel closest to the live center, and since it wasn't being supported at the end, it flexed out and then it got 'interesting'
I'm dead in the water until I get a new shaft, (probably should have an extra anyhow) (and yes, at some point I will go mandrel-less ) but there wasn't any damage to anything other than that. Well, that gives me an excuse to run down to WoodCraft after work some evening, get that 33/64ths drill bit thats holding up another project.
Lesson Learned: When you are working in a groove, don't forget to make your checks anyhow. The fact that it had been a longish day and I was a bit tired, not really paying attention, just sort of going on auto didn't help the matter either. Don't get Complacent, that's when things get bad.
In closing, I have to say that the tip of the Live Center made a very nice spiral pattern on the brass wheel from the mandrel as it was walking up it.
Steve
I was in full production mode (for me at least), trying to build up some inventory for the online store (which, while online, currently isn't much of a store with nothing to sell). My plan was to cut, drill, glue, end-mill and round off to about 1/4 inch proud of the bushings 6 euro blanks. The idea was that tomorrow I'd turn them to final shape, sand, maybe finish the next night.
The Cut/Drill/Glue/SquareUp went great. I rounded off the first two acrylic blanks, (learned that at 3800 I don't get the 'shatter' that usually gets me when I would turn them at lower speeds), put them back into the rack, and grabbed the next one.
Onto the mandrel, turn it a few times by hand, ease in the dead center till it starts to turn, lock down the spindle on the TS so it doesn't go anywhere, tighten up the brass wheel on the mandrel. Ready to go....
ZOOM goes the lathe. WHISK goes the shavings. HOLY EXCREMENT goes I as the mandrel starts to walks out of the the headstock and proceeded to make appx 2 inch circles around the live center (I've got one of those from WoodCraft that's the size of your fist).
It seems like I forgot to tighten down the actual TAILSTOCK when I slid it back in after removing the previous blank, and it walked back a bit. I was working the end of the mandrel closest to the live center, and since it wasn't being supported at the end, it flexed out and then it got 'interesting'
I'm dead in the water until I get a new shaft, (probably should have an extra anyhow) (and yes, at some point I will go mandrel-less ) but there wasn't any damage to anything other than that. Well, that gives me an excuse to run down to WoodCraft after work some evening, get that 33/64ths drill bit thats holding up another project.
Lesson Learned: When you are working in a groove, don't forget to make your checks anyhow. The fact that it had been a longish day and I was a bit tired, not really paying attention, just sort of going on auto didn't help the matter either. Don't get Complacent, that's when things get bad.
In closing, I have to say that the tip of the Live Center made a very nice spiral pattern on the brass wheel from the mandrel as it was walking up it.
Steve