aluminium turning

Damned if i know

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Feb 23, 2004, 1:40:35 AM2/23/04

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anyone know of any turners turning aluminium using woodturning techniques -
whats their web address

AHilton

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Feb 23, 2004, 9:20:29 AM2/23/04

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Well, I turn some aluminum things out of just rod stock on the wood lathe.
Things like spinning top tips, custom pen/pencil parts, miniature goblets,
etc. I don't have a website for those things though.

What do you want to know?

- Andrew

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dalecue

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Feb 24, 2004, 6:49:55 AM2/24/04

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try googling 'metal spinning'

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speedbuggy

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Feb 24, 2004, 7:14:46 PM2/24/04

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Do you use standard "wood turning tools" or the carbide metal lathe type? I
have also been thinking about turning some alum rod. Is "metal spinning" and
"turning" the same thing? I had heard that spinning use thin sheets of metal
pushed around rather than turn cut.

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AHilton

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Feb 24, 2004, 8:53:29 PM2/24/04

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Yes, I use regular HSS turning tools. Mainly scrapers and the skew. If you
use the scrapers, you'll need to do shear scraping as just sticking it
against the aluminum "flat" will just chatter and vibrate. I also use some
files at times.

Metal spinning is something completely different from what I do with
aluminum. You can do metal spinning on a regular woodworking lathe (and I
suppose it would be considered "turning" as well) and you are right about
what you've heard. You use thin circular sheets of metal and push it around
a prebuild form often made of wood. I'd love to try it some day too. I'm
sure a web searh on it will reveal some good information.

- Andrew

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Damned if i know

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Feb 24, 2004, 9:21:54 PM2/24/04

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No I use 1/8" and 1/4" HSS bits set in 3/4" mild steel bars. I have used
standard HSS turning tools but their use is quite limited do to the chatter
created by them. Metal sinning is not the same as metal turning. You're
right, a metal spinner turns a flat piece into a complex shape while
removing very little or no material.

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Bradford Chaucer

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Mar 1, 2004, 7:03:11 PM3/1/04

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On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 06:40:35 GMT, "Damned if i know" <q...@bls.com>
wrote:

>anyone know of any turners turning aluminium using woodturning techniques -
>whats their web address
>

I have turned both aluminum and brass free hand using techniques akin
to scraping on a wood lathe. The tools are called gravers, and
actually cut as opposed to scraping.

If you have questions fire away :-)

Bradford Chaucer

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Mar 1, 2004, 7:06:47 PM3/1/04

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On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 19:53:29 -0600, "AHilton" <ahil...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Yes, I use regular HSS turning tools. Mainly scrapers and the skew. If you
>use the scrapers, you'll need to do shear scraping as just sticking it
>against the aluminum "flat" will just chatter and vibrate. I also use some
>files at times.

See http://www.sherline.com/2110inst.htm

and http://www.sherline.com/gravers.htm on how to make gravers

For some info on free hand metal turning.

AHilton

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Mar 1, 2004, 7:26:51 PM3/1/04

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Quite interesting. Thanks!

- Andrew