All,
I had a good weekend with the new tools and am really starting to get the "feel" for both the lathe and the milling machine. I am now able to get very consistent finishes and sizes on turned and milled pieces and am actually finding these processes easier than I thought they would be. That said, I'm SURE there are MANY challenges ahead. You guys have been great though in guiding me through some of my early concerns and helping me gain confidence that I am going in the right direction. I am now sure that I have both the lathe and mill setups right.
One of my problems this weekend related to my new horizontal band saw. It took me forever to get it adjusted correctly so it would cut straight and not throw the blade off the spindles. I finally got there, but it wasn't an easy trip! One question I have is how you adjust the cutting pressure. I can't tell if I should have more or less pressure when cutting. Is there some guideline for this? If not, about how long should it take to cut through a 1 inch thick piece of aluminum at medium speed? Maybe having some idea of how long it should take would give me some idea how to adjust it.
Jeff
I had a good weekend with the new tools and am really starting to get the "feel" for both the lathe and the milling machine. I am now able to get very consistent finishes and sizes on turned and milled pieces and am actually finding these processes easier than I thought they would be. That said, I'm SURE there are MANY challenges ahead. You guys have been great though in guiding me through some of my early concerns and helping me gain confidence that I am going in the right direction. I am now sure that I have both the lathe and mill setups right.
One of my problems this weekend related to my new horizontal band saw. It took me forever to get it adjusted correctly so it would cut straight and not throw the blade off the spindles. I finally got there, but it wasn't an easy trip! One question I have is how you adjust the cutting pressure. I can't tell if I should have more or less pressure when cutting. Is there some guideline for this? If not, about how long should it take to cut through a 1 inch thick piece of aluminum at medium speed? Maybe having some idea of how long it should take would give me some idea how to adjust it.
Jeff