Endless lathe chips (re-adjusted the clutch on a Clausing 6913 lathe)

Ignoramus12664 fired this volley in news:I4GdnW-ta7OLsAXMnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Use a cutter with a chipbreaker groove. "Stringy" chips ARE dangerous, and pretty easily avoided.

They're not only dangerous when flying around the chuck, but also to the operator who has to clean up afterwards.

Lloyd

Chip breakers rely on a given amount of feed in order to function properly. Rule of thumb is to increase feed when a chip doesn't break. Do not expect a chip breaker to function with light feeds, or shallow depths of cut.

Harold

Ignoramus12664 on Sat, 18 May

Get a chip breaker - it either is a configuration "built" into the index, or is an additional "fiddly bit" on plain inserts.

Long "chips" are bad news. Even if they don't snag you - well, the rule for getting them out of the way is "don't!" Use pliers or a tool - dat stuff will cut gloves real fast, too. While it is true that if you have found one end of such a chip, there is ha high probability that there is another end; otoh, there is no promise that you can pull it loose unless you can actually _see_ the other end. Of course, that assumes that you are not grabbing it while the machine is turning.

tschus pyotr

OT3H, have friends who claimed they got everything so dialed in, the chip went up, over and into a bin. No clean up needed.

-- pyotr filipivich "With Age comes Wisdom. Although more often, Age travels alone."

My experience agrees with Harold's response. I had long chips even with a chip breaker, I increased the feed per revolution, the chips broke, IIRC I was feeding over 0.010" per revolution, maybe closer to 0.020". I had short blue chips and the finish looked good.

RogerN

Err... Iggy, you need to read up on "Chip Breakers" as applied to lathe tools.

But I confess that the first time I did any extensive stainless turning I did the same thing - ran off a 12 ft., light brown, chip before I could get at the Big Red Button :-) An old boy named Smith wandered over and commented, "Looks as though you might need to grind a chip breaker on that tool", and than showed me how to grind one :-)

Good points. And sometimes, don't expect them to work at all.

If Iggy is dealing with some nickel alloy (like stainless), a higher feedrate will work-harden the chip and help it break. If it's some dead-soft low-carbon steel, maybe, maybe not.

Just low carbon steel in this instance.

OK, I will try that, but I did not want to puch my lathe too hard.

Aggressive feed and good chip breakers should do it. If not, that's life.

Low carbon steel should break from compression failure (you'd need a video to see it). But you need enough feed to "crumple" the chip in compression. You'll recognize it when you see it.

Ed Huntress fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Ig, I might add after your last comment about "not pushing your lathe too hard", that they're designed for that. Don't baby it, or you'll just wear out tooling and patience prematurely. Time (your time and your employees') is money.

There's nothin' wrong with smokin' blue chips once in a while.

Lloyd

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" fired this volley in news:XnsA1C58E38BDF3Dlloydspmindspringcom@216.168.3.70:

But I might also add, that ties in with your question about coolant. You want the chips hot, but not the body of the work.

Lloyd

I often use HSS or brazed carbide with no chipbreaker. And slow feeds so it wouldn't help anyway. Hope nobody cringes but I use a screwdriver to pull out nests as it runs. I have had the screwdriver snatched out of my hands and rapidly tossed accross the room more than once.

I do use carbide inserts for heavy ruffing cuts and get it to run "9" shape chips.

Karl

i hate to admit to the same thing

Very well said!!

I use a bit of rod with an L bent into one end..and a 18" length. Takes longer to pull me into the work.

I use a thin sheet metal chip hook that's made for the purpose. It has been snatched from my hand, but doesn't weigh much.

I got it from Enco or MSC, and it's marked "Waco Products" on the plastic handle. The blade is a flat blue spring steel strip with a hook punched in one end.

Joe Gwinn

Lloyd, I am happy now, that I can make thick blue chips that are also very consistent. And I agree with you in general, as long as the motor keeps up the RPM (which I can simply hear), it should be fine.

Unless you stall the motor, slip the belts, get the tool chattering (and wreck the finish) or start breaking tooling, you can never Puch your lathe too hard. Would I Steyr you wrong?

Unless you just don't give a Daimler... ;-P

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I just "pulse" the feed engagement handle every few seconds and produce nice 10" long "springs". The "springs" are easy to handle and sometimes stack up nicely in a bundle.