Turning common pipe

I had a job a while back using 1/2" pipe to make bushings. Don't remember having any trouble at all. I'm sure I used HSS hand ground tool bits.

I know I turned 2" pipe to make idler rollers on my water bin dump in 1988. It came out well, used the rollers a whole bunch today. Again don't remember but surely used HSS hand ground tool bits. The rollers are still real smooth except where the bin skids ride. The metal is actually wearing thin here. I may have to re-do it in another ten years or so.

Karl

If it's common black iron pipe, it may be interesting if you need smooth finish inside and out. There's usually a nasty seam inside from the lap welding process, makes boring/reaming very interesting. Die grinder time. I wanted to make an extended column for my cheapie bench drill press. I ended up with some pipe about .080" over what I needed. I found out the stuff was square-ish. So don't assume what you get will be round or even close to round. I ended up using a belt grinder to round it up and work it down, ended up with a nice ground finish over 3' or so(and a whole pile of steel dust). Variation was about .005" over the length, close enough for the table clamp to work well from top to bottom.

D.O.M. tubing has a much better interior finish, but may not be available in the wall thickness you want.

If what you need is fairly short, like less than 3/8" or so, you could rough your bushing blank out of solid with a hole saw or saws, then finish inside and out in the lathe. Lots of cutting oil needed and a rigid drill press.

Alternative for longer blanks, chain-drill inside and out, then knock the slug out and the corners off. Then finish in the lathe. Tedious, but I've done it.

Stan

The job is to make a bushing for a golf cart clutch. ID has to be 1.62 and OD 1.80 or so. 1.5" pipe is fairly close but it just turns pretty bad because the steel tears out leaving a poor surface. Made a hi speed tool with about 1/8" radius and turned at 190 rpm and I get a decent but not good surface. Carbide was much worse than HSS. Still have to bore it to fit the shaft it rides on. I will look for some

1.5" conduit at work as it should already have a reamed ID. 12L14 would be easy to use but I just hate to start with a 2" chunk and have to bore it out to 1.62. Bushing has to be just under 2" long. Thanks for any ideas

The job is to make a bushing for a golf cart clutch. ID has to be 1.62 and OD 1.80 or so. 1.5" pipe is fairly close but it just turns pretty bad because the steel tears out leaving a poor surface. Made a hi speed tool with about 1/8" radius and turned at 190 rpm and I get a decent but not good surface. Carbide was much worse than HSS. Still

I'd try a HSS bit with just an RCH of radius. Stone it razor sharp. Use coolant and turn the RPM WAY up. Should stop the tearing.

Karl

Cheat. Turn it a little oversize and then use a file on it while it is still in the lathe and turning. Should give you a good surface finish. Sandpaper will also work.

Dan

On a lathe or centerless grinder? Depends on your definition of ... decent finish.

Would that be a 16 finish..or 56?

Gunner

"IMHO, some people here give Jeff far more attention than he deserves, but obviously craves. The most appropriate response, and perhaps the cruelest, IMO, is to simply killfile and ignore him. An alternative, if you must, would be to post the same standard reply to his every post, listing the manifold reasons why he ought to be ignored. Just my $0.02 worth."

I've seen a considerable difference between batches and Lowe's vs Home Depot, not that either is consistently better. Sometimes it is pushed in along the weld seam or otherwise out of round. Pocket-sized 4" dial calipers can find that easily.

Heating it red and quenching when the red disappears may improve how well it turns. I use sharp HSS with little top rake and brushed-on pipe threading oil. The well-braced shear cut you get by setting the slanted end of the bit square against the work and raised so the cut is in the middle helps sometimes.

jsw

Jim Wilkins wrote: ...

Does that mean "Heating it red, letting it air cool until the red disappears, and then quenching"?

And, what does this do to the steel?

Always on the lookout to learn something new, Bob

Personally, for these dimensions. I wouldn't bother messing around with iron pipe. I'd turn it from solid. Drilling to 1" and then boring the rest of the way. Advantage of that is that it would then be made of 4340pre-hard, which I have a stock of, and which machines beautifully, rather than unknownium. Whenever you come across a project that needs a foot of stock, buy a length of stock, eventually, you have what you need waiting for you :-)

Sorry, bad day at work :-(

Mark Rand RTFM