Lathe or Mill – which to buy ?
From this other thread, so I don’t de-rail that thread:
http://talonairgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19846&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
So, if I were to build a piece like this, and only could afford one (lathe or mill), AND I wanted to build other Air Gun pieces (who knows and even other things around the house), which is the better buy: Lathe or Mill ?
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Making a piece with the bottle threads as a seperate entity, and threading it into the body would make fixturing easier.
Drilling the passages only has to be a bitch if you insist on having the VERY pretty angled Z.
Still not a beginner project.
If I can just figure a better way to bore out the insides, or maybe find an existing fitting that when re-worked looks like the “Z E-TaC”, I undersatnd the lathe would be a good starter tool.
7075 is the strongest, any raw material can be bought from Onlinemetals.com or McMaster.
What aluminum is equivalent of steel ?
T6 is a heat treat condition. 6061 is the alloy.
6061 T6 is a commonly available bar stock…around here anyways. Good mechanical properties and machines well.
What is t6 ?
Wouldnt t6 be good enough fo this job? I have read t6 takes anodizing much better and it easier to machine.
If as you say in that case, I suggest you buy lathe
Grizzy G0602 lathe… 😉
If I would to do it again and buy a small machine I would look a micro mark first
Thanks for explaining that. One could come up short real quick. especially if a piece is over 3 inches.
Where do you buy 7075 aluminum stock from ?
I was looking at this one, but I best think this through some more.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-12-Mini-Metal-Lathe/G8688
I have a HF mini lathe with a 5″ 3 jaw chuck. It does what I need for small jobs. But the limitations are many when you really want to make something like that adapter.
Only have a few inches between the tailstock and head. The chuck is to small and you will need a 4 jaw that is much bigger. Not to mention the set up time alone will be a nightmare for all those cuts. That small lathe is for small projects. While the adapter is small in size it is large in the skill and machinery to make it.
Here is a picture of the 3 jaw chuck it came with and the actual 3 jaw chuch I use.
These little machines can do a lot but your build time is going to be significantly increased as you try to work around the limitations of your equipment.
Ask me how I know 😉
Because they lack the power to make the rough cuts quickly ?
If you want to make those on that lathe.
Good luck!
It can be done but would only take every free minute of your life and you would only have to charge about $800 for them 😀
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7050 is stronger than 7075. Hard to find in small pieces. That is what we used when we built the trailing arms for my 3 link on my truck.