HELP! Tubing slipping in lathe!

[vascon2196]

Howdy folks!

Sooooooo....I just purchased a steady rest for my mini-lathe and decided to give it a try. I have used full size steady rests before without any issues.

I fixed the left end of the tubing in the 3-jaw chuck and supported the left end of the tubing with the steady rest. All I planned on doing was facing each end of the tubing to length.

Well once I started facing the tubing started to creep towards the right towards the tool! So I tightened up on the 3-jaw a little more and tried it again...and it kept on creeping towards the right. I even ran the damn thing in reverse and it kept creeping to the right!!! It also appeared to slip on the jaws and it made a mess as you can see in the pictures. Am I missing something? Please tell me I am missing something stupid.:wall::wall::wall::rant:

 

[rattache]

Hi vascon, the tube is probably being crushed by your chuck and losing grip. Try turning a bush to sit inside the tube to stop it from crushing. It looks like your steady rest is a little too tight as well. adjust it so it barely touches and add a drop of oil to the contact points. Good luck.

 

[DavesWimshurst]

Hi Chris,
A steady that is trying to push the work piece out of alignment with the spindle rotation will walk the part out of the chuck. Usually setting the size with the steady close to the chuck and then moving it to the working position suffices.
Dave

 

[Philjoe5]

Chris,
I believe Dave and rattache have pointed you in the right direction. It appears as if you're turning black steel or iron pipe. It looks as if those brass fingers are not lubricated, which they should be.

When you clamp the work in the lathe chuck, don't tighten it completely. Then, slip the steady over the end, but don't tighten it completely. Now, think of tightening a pipe flange that has two bolts. If you tighten one too soon, it's easy to put an offset in the flange. Sneak up on both the lathe chuck and steady until they're tight. Now, by hand, rotate the chuck and ensure it spins without a lot of friction. If not, back off on the steady finger pressure slightly.

Way oil is my favorite to lubricate the fingers of the steady, it sticks.

Good luck

Cheers,
Phil

 

[Swifty]

Exactly what the others have said. A steady that is not aligned properly will walk the part out of the chuck.

Paul.

 

[goldstar31]

Two points arise. I would agree about the tube being crushed but a piece of black tube should not be held in a three jaw and- ahemm, it should have had a tight fitting spigot of some sort to avoid the crushing.

If you will recall my very recent 'Moonbeams from a Lesser Lunacy', this is one of the reasons why 3 jaw chucks are knackered.

Sorry, but that is the outcome and yet another question comes about- How does one mend a knackered chuck?

Norman

 

[vascon2196]

Thanks folks...I put an aluminum plug in the chuck end of the tubing. Then tried the above techniques....the tubing did not slip and faced fine.

I guess I was trying to level the pipe in the steady rest....it appeared to be slanting downward so I adjusted the two lower fingers on the steady to lift the tubing up a little...I thought it had to be straight. Maybe I should not have done this?

Anyway...after some practice It started to cut fine and the pipe did not walk off to the right.

Ugggg....its the little things.

Thanks guys!

 

[Lawijt]

Somebody here told me once that you can wrap a piece of paper around it. No damage from the chuck & no slipping.

Barry

 

[BaronJ]

Somebody here told me once that you can wrap a piece of paper around it. No damage from the chuck & no slipping.

Barry

All good techniques. When possible I use a live centre in the left hand end. If that's not big enough then I use a three jaw chuck on a live mandrel. I've turned 4" copper boiler tube this way.