Lathe or Mill for Home Use?

  • 79MKII
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14 May 2013 16:53 #587401 by 79MKII
Lathe or Mill for Home Use? was created by 79MKII
I have some wheel spacers that I need cut down. I have a guy that does them but he's hard to get in touch with because of our work schedules. I would love to be able to turn them or mill them myself, so I was wondering if there's anything that can be done at home with common tools?

I've heard a drill press with an end mill might work. Also have seen an angle grinder used but I'm not sure how I'd keep it square. I'd also be interested in a cheap machine if anybody knows of one.

Thanks!

The Kaw List:
Current: 79 KZ1000 A3 MKII, 78 KZ1000 A2, 78 KZ1000 Z1-R, 78 KZ650 SR, 80 KE175
Former: 03 KLX400SR, 99 ZRX1000, 82 KZ750 LTD, 80 KZ1000 A4 MKII, 80 KZ1000 LTD, 78 KZ1000 A2, 74 H-2 750 Triple, 78 KL250

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14 May 2013 17:28 #587411 by 531blackbanshee
Replied by 531blackbanshee on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
endmills don't like to stay tight in drill type chucks :( .

a square and a file can achieve your desires to shorten spacers :) .

a lathe can be used for some simple mill work with the right attachments .

a mill can be mis-used as a lathe with some disregard for personal safety :whistle: .

littlemachineshop.com/

is a well respected dealer in mini mills and mini lathes.

leon

skiatook,oklahoma 1980 z1r,1978 kz 1000 z1r x 3,
1976 kz 900 x 3
i make what i can,and save the rest!

billybiltit.blogspot.com/

www.kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/325862-triple-tree-custom-work

kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/294594-frame-bracing?limitstart=0

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  • 79MKII
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14 May 2013 18:32 #587423 by 79MKII
Replied by 79MKII on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?

531blackbanshee wrote: endmills don't like to stay tight in drill type chucks :( .

a square and a file can achieve your desires to shorten spacers :) .

a lathe can be used for some simple mill work with the right attachments .

a mill can be mis-used as a lathe with some disregard for personal safety :whistle: .

littlemachineshop.com/

is a well respected dealer in mini mills and mini lathes.

leon


How would I use a square and a file? I have those! :lol:

Those mini mills and mini lathes are awesome, just a bit out of my price range right now. Have you ever tried any of them from harbor freight?

The Kaw List:
Current: 79 KZ1000 A3 MKII, 78 KZ1000 A2, 78 KZ1000 Z1-R, 78 KZ650 SR, 80 KE175
Former: 03 KLX400SR, 99 ZRX1000, 82 KZ750 LTD, 80 KZ1000 A4 MKII, 80 KZ1000 LTD, 78 KZ1000 A2, 74 H-2 750 Triple, 78 KL250

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14 May 2013 19:18 #587435 by KZQ
Replied by KZQ on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
I have one of each. They're way sloppy but if you know their limits you can get some good results. you'll end up spending much more for the tooling than the machine itself.

www.littlemachineshop.com is the place for parts and tooling.

www.KZ1300.com
Riders:
1968 BSA 441 Shooting Star, 1970 BSA 650 Lightning, 1974 W3, 1976 KZ900, 1979 KZ750 Twin, 1979 KZ750 Twin Trike, 1981 KZ1300, 1982 KZ1100 Spectre, 2000 Valkyrie, 2009 Yamaha Roadliner S. 1983 GL 1100
Projects:
1985 ZN1300

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15 May 2013 00:36 #587472 by steell
Replied by steell on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
Depending on your location and space available, you may be able to pick up used full size American iron for less than the mini stuff. Look for 3 phase stuff then make a cheap phase converter.

There was a 16" x 60" Monarch lathe listed in the local Craigslist for a month for $1000. If I had room I'd been all over that one.

KD9JUR

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15 May 2013 01:02 #587476 by testarossa
Replied by testarossa on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
Those old Monarchs are wonderful lathes. I would have been on that deal as well.

I would get a lathe first if it were me.

1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN

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15 May 2013 02:28 #587485 by Haybus
Replied by Haybus on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
What Leon means is dragging the file across the surface and checking your work with the square. It's tedious but effective work. Most beginning machine shop classes teach you to square up steel using this method. Of course, you have to hold the file correctly.

If the spacer is small enough to hold in a large drill chuck, or you have a way to make an arbor, you can spin the spacer with the drill motor and "machine" it with a rotary file in a dremmel or die grinder. Since you won't have a lot of tool pressure you can make a light press fit arbor with the drill motor and a file.

I had a Jet table top mill drill. Wasn't very useful as a mill or a drill so I gave it to my father. A guy I work with had a Jet lathe and he complained about fixing it more than he ever got to use it. I can only imagine the HF versions are even worse. My brother has a Smithy, which seems like the best of both worlds, but they're really weird to operate and a total compromise.

How do you make a cheap phase converter? VFD? Do they make a VFD that will run a 5hp lathe?

Alan

1976 KZ900 LTD (sort of)
2005 FJR
2009 Hayabusa
www.kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/557845...-streetfighter-build

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15 May 2013 10:09 #587510 by 531blackbanshee
Replied by 531blackbanshee on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
al is correct about the filing procedure.

there are lots of home brewed rotary phase converters

www.nojolt.com/how-to-build-a-rotary-phase-converter.shtml

i have heard that you can get 5hp vfd's that deliver full power on start up.

i use static phase converters on my lathe and mill. www.phase-a-matic.com/StaticDescription.htm

maybe not the best choice but they are effective and get the job done.

plus i could buy them and hook them up with little electrical knowledge.

steel is right watch your local craigslist for machine tools.in this economy good old american iron is going pretty cheap,scrap prices sometimes.

leon

skiatook,oklahoma 1980 z1r,1978 kz 1000 z1r x 3,
1976 kz 900 x 3
i make what i can,and save the rest!

billybiltit.blogspot.com/

www.kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/325862-triple-tree-custom-work

kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/294594-frame-bracing?limitstart=0

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  • 79MKII
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15 May 2013 13:53 #587536 by 79MKII
Replied by 79MKII on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
Thanks for all of the tips.

I have really nice aluminum spacers that I picked up somewhere along the way. Do you guys think aluminum would hold up on a real axle or should I stick with steel?

The Kaw List:
Current: 79 KZ1000 A3 MKII, 78 KZ1000 A2, 78 KZ1000 Z1-R, 78 KZ650 SR, 80 KE175
Former: 03 KLX400SR, 99 ZRX1000, 82 KZ750 LTD, 80 KZ1000 A4 MKII, 80 KZ1000 LTD, 78 KZ1000 A2, 74 H-2 750 Triple, 78 KL250

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15 May 2013 14:09 #587539 by Kidkawie
Replied by Kidkawie on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
You'll get more use out of a lathe for regular repairs, light fab work like spacers/bushings, center boring, etc.

If you get into major fabrication then you'd definitely want a milling machine.

Here's my lathe, like KZCSI said, you get to know the limits of the machine. I'm not making anything for the Space Shuttle on this thing, but it's fine more motorcycle stuff.

Overhead pulley conversion. lol Picked it up for $100 off Craigslist. Sold the change gears for $350 (nothing is American thread anyway), slowly buying more tooling.


1975 Z1 900
1994 KX250 Supermoto
2004 KX125

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15 May 2013 15:11 - 15 May 2013 15:14 #587547 by steell
Replied by steell on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
I have less than $25 in my 5 hp rotary phase converter. My brother gave me a 5 hp 3 phase motor that his employer had thrown out as it was supposedly bad, and I used stuff I had laying around for the rest of it. I say less than $25 cause some of the stuff came from boxes I'd picked up at auction sales.

I know 5hp VFD's that accept single phase input are available, but I think anything bigger has to be de-rated when used on single phase.

If you just struck it big in the Lottery, go with Phase Perfect :woohoo:

KD9JUR
Last edit: 15 May 2013 15:14 by steell.

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15 May 2013 16:09 #587551 by 531blackbanshee
Replied by 531blackbanshee on topic Lathe or Mill for Home Use?
all of the late model sportbikes that i have dealt with use aluminum spacers.

i use 6061-t6 for all the custom spacers i make.

hope this helps.

leon

skiatook,oklahoma 1980 z1r,1978 kz 1000 z1r x 3,
1976 kz 900 x 3
i make what i can,and save the rest!

billybiltit.blogspot.com/

www.kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/325862-triple-tree-custom-work

kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/294594-frame-bracing?limitstart=0

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