MAKING OIL CUPS FOR THE BEAM ENGINE
by John
Using the Boxford 125 TCL, and Mach 3
I will do a feature about this CNC lathe in a later post.
Some people consider that using CNC in model making is a form of cheating.
I will happily continue cheating.
It is a demanding and fascinating mode of metalworking, great for repetition work, tapers, curves and complex shapes.
johnsmachines 
Why would you not include the drilling process at the CNC stage ?
LikeLike
Hi Phil,
mainly because the hole at the threaded end is much smaller than the other end, so the work has to be reversed before the drilling is done. The 2 diameter drills can be done using CNC of course, but I found it quicker to do that manually.
John
LikeLike
Looks a lot of fun. I could so go a metal lathe and mill for the worksop, even if only manual! Like the precision of the CNC – a lot more precise than the basic woodworking CNC I’ve been using.
LikeLike
More expensive, dirtier, and more precise (typically 0.01 to 0.001mm). More fun? I am not so sure. I still really enjoy getting into a bit of furniture making occasionally.
Re your woodworking… the CNC lathe would be brilliant for making knobs for drawers and doors, maybe composite brass-wood-Delrin???
LikeLike