Week 3

This week I had my first project on the lathe. I learned how to face, drill and de-bur an object. The tool that we made was a rotor bearing plate seater. It was made of PVC plastic and allowed us to become comfortable with using the lathe. I used a right handed tool bit to face the plastic. Lathes are commonly used in machine shops for precision and accuracy. I learned how to figure out the proper speed that the lathe should be running at. For plastics it is 400 divided by the diameter of the object. When facing an object it is important to make sure the tool bit is centered with the part. To do this I set up the bit using a dead center and then placed the plastic in the chuck. I faced the part for the first time and the bit left a center nub, this meant that the bit was lower than center and I had to raise it. Once I found center the piece did not have a nub, which was perfect! After facing I had to bevel the edge with a file to take off and burs that were left on the part. Lathes are wonderful tools for band instrument repair techs to have in their shops. They provide endless possibilities for tools and repairs.