i believe in fixies":31df36d7 said:Hex bar stock, a drill and a file.
Why not just hit it with a rock? I jest.
No 8mm hex stock on hand, so I cut some raw parts out of 6061 billet with one of our WEDM machines.
The solution: just use the Brigeport mill.
A lathe is 3 basic components. The spindle/chuck which you clamp the work in which spins it, the tool rest, which hold the cutter, and the carriage which the tool rest is mounted on which moves in the Y (cross slide) and Z (cross feed) directions. There's more than one way to achieve the same results.
Broady will get a kick out of this:
For all intents and purposes the vise is the tool rest. The tool height is set with the Y feed, the X feed is the cross slide, and the quill feed is the cross feed (which I do manually). Now, I usually use collets for standard round stock but the hex forced me to use the drill chuck. I only do this with soft material, and take very small (.005) cuts as well, so there's negligible force. It works in a pinch for small Al parts.