drilling using lathe

[Arda]

Hi all
I am very new to home workshop and recently just bought a 12x7 small bench lathe c2 seig.

I am trying to drill long hole 150 mm length into 20x20 aluminium (length wise).my drill press quill is not long enough to go that deep because it is a small drill and my option is using my lathe.

The dificulty I have is that I don't know the best way to hold the piece lathe for drilling. I am planing to chuck the drill and hold the piece some where on the tool cutter holder of the lathe.

I am not sure what is the best way to do it.

I am wondering if someone may be able to point me to the right direction.

Thanks
Arda

 

[Woodster]

Best way if you do not have a 4 jaw chuck for the lathe is to drill from both ends on the mill. You could clamp the work to your cross slide but you may have difficulty getting it centred and parallel to the drill.

 

[bazmak]

Are you trying to drill 20sq alum thru x 150 deep.If so you can hold in a 4 jaw chuck and drill from the tailstock end
Probably half way from both ends if the lathe is only 12" centres BAZMAK

 

[kvom]

I don't think you'd be able to do it with the 4-jaw. The piece won't fit in the spindle hole, so you'd have it sticking out too far from the chuck jaws to be stable. If you want to try it, I suggest you use the drill press to drill from both ends as far as it can reach, then use the holes and a tailstock center as a guide to centering the 4-jaw chuck. Then the drill in the lathe won't have as far to go. if the drill is very small you may have issues getting the holes to meet in the center.

Alternatively, buy a longer drill bit and use the drill press. You can raise it's table after drilling part way to get deeper.

Good luck

 

[rodw]

I'm only new at this game too but I am good at problem solving. You have said you can't use your drill press and because you have thought about holding the part on the toolpost, we know your spindle is not big enough. I think you are on the right track. I think you would mark out the centre for the hole position on one end of the piece. Maybe it needs to be centre drilled in the drill press. Attach the part to the toolpost as you propose and Then use a wobbler centre finder or indicator held in the lathe chuck to centre the part. Then insert a long shank drill into the chuck and drill the hole. Colletts might be better to hold the drill. Tackle it from both ends if you have to the same way. A milling slide would make your life easy!

Someone with more knowledge than I will be able to fill in how to centre a drill bit over a hole. Whether it is a lathe, mill or drill press, this will be the same.

 

[kvom]

If you do manage to secure the work to the saddle, then you can hold the drill in both the tailstock and in your 3-jaw chuck and drill without moving the work. Assuming spindle and tailstock are well aligned this may give the best chance of the two holes meeting up.

Another possibility is finding some tubing with the correct ID, and then drilling a larger hole for the OD. Then glue the tube in the hole.

If you tell us about the part you're trying to make there may be other ways to approach it.

 

[Arda]

Thank you guys for the suggestion.

I will try the suggestion to clamp the work piece to the sadle of my lathe. Will see if I may have to get a small v block to help me out.

Thank you again for replies very much appreciated all if the suggeestions.

Regards

 

[MachineTom]

Unless your lathe has a milled and slotted crosslide you are whistling through a straw when trying to mount the stock.

A 4 jaw should hold the stock ridgid enough for drilling, what siize hole is going through this piece, that is where the problems are.

 

[jpeter]

The book How to Run a Lathe suggests to use a lathe as a drill press place the drill in the chuck while holding the work against the tail stock. Advance the work with the tail stock crank. I'm not liking getting swarf in the tail stock taper but anyway that's what the book says.

 

[grg12]

I used 12mm bit in 3jaw of a 12x7 lathe and piece of aluminium in toolholder (about 120mm long) it worked, but not without problems. For some reason drillbit worked with only one flute (it was brand new, high quality hss bit) and with every revolution pulled and pushed toolslide from side to side (some 0.5mm of screw/nut clarence), "thumps" ware fairly strong... So - before you start drilling tighten setscrews.