So, on to the boiler tube!
This is a piece of 6" schedule 40 316 stainless pipe. It looks quite innocent and happy on the lathe in the picture. Cutting it, however, was not so easy! It is held at one end nicely by the six-jaw chuck from the inside. The other end, however, is completely unsupported. As it isn't even sort of round, it can't be clamped externally, so the only way to hold it is with an elaborate internal expanding plug - which would take a day or so to make. As this is a part which will likely be laser cut when I need more of them, I didn't want to go there. So, with the lathe on dead-slow and taking extremely light cuts (0.001" per revolution) with a carbide parting tool I cut it unsupported. As the setup is not even sort of rigid, the tool tends to chatter a bit, which has the effect of resonating and ringing the tube like a bell. REALLY LOUD! Even with heavy ear protection, I could feel my back teeth buzzing. Still, it did a good job and the end result is a very clean edge about as perpendicular to the walls as you can get.
This is a piece of 6" schedule 40 316 stainless pipe. It looks quite innocent and happy on the lathe in the picture. Cutting it, however, was not so easy! It is held at one end nicely by the six-jaw chuck from the inside. The other end, however, is completely unsupported. As it isn't even sort of round, it can't be clamped externally, so the only way to hold it is with an elaborate internal expanding plug - which would take a day or so to make. As this is a part which will likely be laser cut when I need more of them, I didn't want to go there. So, with the lathe on dead-slow and taking extremely light cuts (0.001" per revolution) with a carbide parting tool I cut it unsupported. As the setup is not even sort of rigid, the tool tends to chatter a bit, which has the effect of resonating and ringing the tube like a bell. REALLY LOUD! Even with heavy ear protection, I could feel my back teeth buzzing. Still, it did a good job and the end result is a very clean edge about as perpendicular to the walls as you can get.
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