Drilling on a Sherline lathe

[Amihai]

Hello,
I'm looking to replace my mini wood lathe with a Sherline metal lathe, in order to be able to work with metals and make more accurate cuts as well.
I'm planning on drilling in woods, plastics, rubbers, as well as non-ferrous metals like Aluminum and Brass for my kitless work.

I saw that Sherline sells a morse taper #1 tailstock (an optional upgrade from their standard morse taper #0 tailstock) that can accommodate a 1-16mm drill chuck, which will meet all of my pen-making needs. However, Sherline's instructions clearly state that tools over 9.5mm in diameter shouldn't be used, even if the tailstock taper can accommodate them.

From someone here with experience on the Sherlines:
Did the lathe meet your needs as a pen maker? How do you drill larger diameter holes, especially on the harder materials like aluminum and brass? I thought about drilling with progressing drill bit sizes, in let's say 1mm increments. will such an operation reduce the stress on the machine?

Thank you very much,
Amihai Fishman.

 

[ProSingulisArts]

Hello,
I'm looking to replace my mini wood lathe with a Sherline metal lathe, in order to be able to work with metals and make more accurate cuts as well.
I'm planning on drilling in woods, plastics, rubbers, as well as non-ferrous metals like Aluminum and Brass for my kitless work.

I saw that Sherline sells a morse taper #1 tailstock (an optional upgrade from their standard morse taper #0 tailstock) that can accommodate a 1-16mm drill chuck, which will meet all of my pen-making needs. However, Sherline's instructions clearly state that tools over 9.5mm in diameter shouldn't be used, even if the tailstock taper can accommodate them.

From someone here with experience on the Sherlines:
Did the lathe meet your needs as a pen maker? How do you drill larger diameter holes, especially on the harder materials like aluminum and brass? I thought about drilling with progressing drill bit sizes, in let's say 1mm increments. will such an operation reduce the stress on the machine?

Thank you very much,
Amihai Fishman.

I do all my work on a sherline lathe with the standard #0 stock. Have drilled up to 13mm in wood and resin with no issues. Cant imagine the #1 couldnt handle a little bigger. Definitely get the longer bed, the short bed does not have enough working space. A boring bar or. head is an option on larger holes. Boring bar does not have to use the tail stock but a tool holder can be used. I've made rings out if titanium and it has handled it well.

 

[Oliver X]

I make my pens almost entirely on a Sherline. While it's better built than most Asian imports, it's a tiny lathe. As a hobby machine, it's great. For production work, I'd want something quite a bit bigger. You'll have to bore your larger holes. Stepping up drill sizes can work, but it's poor form. Stepping up in drill sizes presents an aggressive cutting edge and without the material in the middle to prevent the drill from grabbing, it'll basically just screw itself into the hole and rip the chuck out the tailstock. Especially in brass. Boring can produce very accurately sized, on center holes. If you need more accurate hole sizes than what boring can produce, the proper method would be to drill, bore almost to size and then ream.

If you look at the couple of pens I've posted here, they were made entirely on my little, long bed Sherline, including the metalwork. I've cut all sorts of stainless and titanium as well as softer metals like brass and free machining steel. It can handle any of them, but you can't make aggressive cuts and you'll want high quality tooling.

 

[Amihai]

I make my pens almost entirely on a Sherline. While it's better built than most Asian imports, it's a tiny lathe. As a hobby machine, it's great. For production work, I'd want something quite a bit bigger. You'll have to bore your larger holes. Stepping up drill sizes can work, but it's poor form. Stepping up in drill sizes presents an aggressive cutting edge and without the material in the middle to prevent the drill from grabbing, it'll basically just screw itself into the hole and rip the chuck out the tailstock. Especially in brass. Boring can produce very accurately sized, on center holes. If you need more accurate hole sizes than what boring can produce, the proper method would be to drill, bore almost to size and then ream.

If you look at the couple of pens I've posted here, they were made entirely on my little, long bed Sherline, including the metalwork. I've cut all sorts of stainless and titanium as well as softer metals like brass and free machining steel. It can handle any of them, but you can't make aggressive cuts and you'll want high quality tooling.

Thank you very much!
What would be the maximum diameter you will recommend for drilling? And what angle / material of drill bits will best suite those operations?

 

[Oliver X]

I probably wouldn't use anything larger than a 3/8" drill. The majority of the drills I use are screw machine length (stub), 118 degree, cobalt high speed steel. I prefer those made by Precision Twist Drill (PTD), but any good quality drill will be fine. I always use the shortest drill that'll get the depth I need. You'll also want a high quality spot drill. I prefer a 120 degree for most work. (A center drill works for spotting holes in most cases, but a proper spot drill is better.)