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just pick-up the micro lathe on hobby lobbys site. here come the questions?? rad had been very helpful in helping me but i can't ask the man everything. i am trying to find the best facing tool for the lathe and also how to you chuck the stummel at 45 degrees to face it. thanks, tim

On my wood lathe, I use a freshly sharpened 1/16" parting tool to face some things. You can probably use the same method with a parting tool on the Taig.

timothy thorpe wrote:also how to you chuck the stummel at 45 degrees to face it. thanks, tim

The stummel is chucked up normally, but have your tool at a an angle to the face:

(image borrowed from http://www.technologystudent.com/ )

KurtHuhn wrote:On my wood lathe, I use a freshly sharpened 1/16" parting tool to face some things. You can probably use the same method with a parting tool on the Taig.

thanks kurt, can i use a parting toll for the shank and stem inlay? if so were can i buy one. thanks, tim

timothy thorpe wrote:thanks kurt, can i use a parting toll for the shank and stem inlay? if so were can i buy one. thanks, tim

Yes, at least I do.

Keep in mind that I use a wood lathe, and hold the parting tool by hand. the tool I use looks like this:


The tool you want for your Taig (assuming you do it like I do on my wood lathe) can be found on this page:
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/produc ... =202639332

Keep in mind, though, that I do not use a metal lathe (Taig or otherwise) so I'm just translating my wood lathe knowledge to metal lathes - which may or may not be correct!

I recently made a tool to use for freehand drilling to face the shank. I found this forstners bit at lowes that had a centerpoint that was removable. So I yanked out the center point and stuck in a cut down 1/4 inch brad point (The hole was 1/4 inch). I also ground down a 5/16 bit to fit it. It works well, but you have to be really steady, otherwise the forstners will grab hold of the shank and tear the thing up. My beach pipe had a good inch plus ripped off because of my wobbly hands.

Here's a pic or two:

You're turning a stummel on a Taig? How's that working out for you?

Hey Tim,

Do NOT use a parting tool to face on a metal lathe. Parting tools are flexible and will not face with the precision you need. It may do the trick in a pinch if you're shop is not set up with anything except a wood lathe, but you will get much greater precision using the proper tool for facing--a left hand cutting tool. Using the proper tools is the first step toward making better pipes. Buy the right tools, learn to use them, and make the only variable the human element.

Best,

Jeff

Nick,

I really think that you're forstner's bit idea looks dangerous. More dangerous than is necessary. Because the central point is a drill bit, it will not only cut, but will also grab--potentially tearing the pipe from your hand and seriously injuring you and/or your machinery. If you do not have a metal lathe you can buy a special facing tool that does the same thing as your forstner bit, but safer. You can find one that has a lubricated guide pin in the middle instead of a drill bit. This will prevent grabbing and is a much safer option, though it still requires some care in use. They run about $60 or so through McMaster-Carr.

Best,

Jeff

jeff wrote:Do NOT use a parting tool to face on a metal lathe. Parting tools are flexible and will not face with the precision you need.

Flexible?

That's different than I remember from years ago. They might flex if you put them at a 45-degree angle to the face, but I used to face with them at a 90-degree angle to the workpiece and cut straight in - even hex stock steel had a smooth flat face done this way. Am I missing something?

My Taig came with a cut-off tool. I use it pretty regularly, lined up at 90 degrees to the workpiece and drive it in. Cuts off nicely and the piece of stock I've parted from the rod is nicely faced so long as I make a point of setting the tool up properly in the post.

KurtHuhn wrote:

jeff wrote:Do NOT use a parting tool to face on a metal lathe. Parting tools are flexible and will not face with the precision you need.

Flexible?

That's different than I remember from years ago. They might flex if you put them at a 45-degree angle to the face, but I used to face with them at a 90-degree angle to the workpiece and cut straight in - even hex stock steel had a smooth flat face done this way. Am I missing something?

I think Jeff is referring to a Thin Kerf parting tool. This would obviously flex if you cut in at an angle. My woodturning parting tool is almost 1/8" at it's cutting edge, no flex there. If you want a completely rigid parting tool a Bedan(sp?) tool is probably the ideal.

I just finished watching a Woodturning series on PBS so I think I know it all! I still can't woodturn worth a crap, but I'm sure I know it all (j/k).

1/8" is fine, but 1/16" is flexible enough on the x-axis that it is not a good enough tool for facing in my experience. Parting and cut off tools are fine for parting and cutting off, operations where there is material on both sides of the tool, but facing requires a different kind of rigidity than that for which these tools were designed. I do not know any professional pipemakers who use parting or cut off tools to face on metal lathes. Can it be done? Sure. But why bother spending the time to perfectly align it when a left-hand tool can be set up and used in moments?

Or a forstner bit.

Pffft, wood lathers.

Metal latheing elitists!!!

Can't believe you guys spent all that extra money just to face something when a $15 forstner does the trick.

Or a forstner bit.

Try facing a 3/8" piece of ivory on both sides with a forstner bit.

Rad

RadDavis wrote:
Try facing a 3/8" piece of ivory on both sides with a forstner bit.

Rad

If you'll send me a piece of ivory, I'll give it a try!

LOL. I must say, it sure is fun having that Munkey back hanging around the forum. I'm really glad he escaped from his cage, again.

RadDavis wrote:Try facing a 3/8" piece of ivory on both sides with a forstner bit.

For operations like I usually use a freshly sharpened 1/16" cuto ---

Wait a tick, that sounds familiar....