Advice on knurling titanium

Titanium Knurler said:
Wreck, tried to cut and paste a photo of it but was unable. If you go to www.doriantool.com and go to pg. H55 of their knurling catalogue you will see photos of it. The website also has a link to a brief YouTube of it in action. Great idea for small diameter stuff.
Bob, my first time working with titanium-needed the strength, lightness and corrosion resistance. Very important project-there are fish to be caught!
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As I suspected it is a box tool, the one with the round shank is hollow for use in turret lathes where the work passes through the tool. This should work yet I can see it putting a bit of a torsional load on such a small diameter at 24" in length, give it a shot what is the worst that could happen?

Now that I think about it we have one with 3 rolls mounted in a cage that is held in the tail stock ram, naturally it is limited to several inches in knurl length but doesn't require a center. I have never used it but the other lathe machinist likes it, anything longer then 3" he pawns off on me. I use a straddle tool but have never been called upon to knurl more then 10-12 diameters in length so no useful information for you.

From Dorian's catalog.

dorianknurl.jpg
 
While I am waiting to hear from the specialty shops that knurl and create splines I am wondering if someone can give me some advice on selecting the best size square post to mount the Dorian three wheel knurling tool to the lathe if I have to go this route. This is also a segway into getting some advice on purchasing my first metal lathe. The square tool mount comes in four shank sizes: 0.500, 0.625, 0.750 and 1.00. There are a couple of size options for each size of knurling tool; the bigger the knurling tool, the bigger the shank options. I know the size depends on what the machine shop’s lathe will accept but I was hoping to get a shank size that I could use on a home machine. Is there somewhat of a standard for home sized lathes and can the tool holder be easily changed to accept different sized tool shanks? For example, if I purchased a machine that used 0.500 shanks could this be easily changed to accept a 0.625 or 0.750 shank tool? Thanks
 
Call me dense, T, but I didn't realize you didn't have a lathe to work with. Most of the advice so far assumes you have a lathe to use the tools we've been discussing.

You will have far more input on choosing a lathe if you started another thread and addressed that specific question instead of burying the query inside an unrelated thread like this. Not all the guys may see it here. To prep you for that thread, search this site for info on choosing a first lathe; there are tons of threads like that. Then decide the scope of work you intend to do on the lathe because that is the key determinant on the size of the lathe you will need. Make a list of all the things you need the lathe to do and the size of the work you think you'll have to handle. If you don't know this yet then you'll get answers like, "... buy the biggest lathe you can afford or fit". The more info you can provide, the better and more specific the answers will be.

As for which shank to buy for a knurling tool, you guessed it ... it depends on the lathe you have because larger lathes will have larger tool posts that can accommodate larger tool shanks. Of course, there are tool holders that can fit larger tools on smaller lathes but there are limits to this sort of thing. So, first things first; get a lathe before buying expensive tooling to fit it.

Have you considered using Vise Grips to deform the shank of your work piece to form a pseudo-knurl? I don't know if you can do it on Titanium but that material isn't all that hard and you don't need a precision knurl, right? What if you just cranked down on the vise grip and made marks at the intervals you need; would that work? You would only have one chance at the pattern because the material will work harden quickly but I wonder if it might suffice. Something to consider.
 
Thanks Mikey. I will look at the threads on choosing a lathe. My mistake for inserting them here. My shop is incomplete. I have many woodworking tools but few metal working tools( drill press, milling machine, vertical and horizontal band saws) but no metal lathe. I have needed to rely on a local machine shop for lathe work. This project has re-enforced the fact that I need a lathe. It was amazing to me what having a milling machine has done for my ability get things done I imagine I will see a similar increase when I get a lathe.

I just returned from the machinist. His CNC machines use a 1” shank and are MUCH bigger than any lathe than I am considering for purchase so the Dorian tool could only be used on a lathe in a large shop so vice grips and sandpaper are looking better and better(and cheaper and cheaper).

Very much appreciate your input.
 
T, being lathe-less is a serious condition and requires near-immediate attention. It has been known to shrink man-parts and lead to mental illness if not treated so do not take this condition lightly! ;)

One of our Mods, @darkzero, has done some gorgeous knurling in Titanium. You cannot see his pics anymore because they were on Photobucket (now dead to him) but he uses a PM1236 lathe and an Eagle Rock knurler to produce beautiful work. I don't know what your needs are but have a look at the line of Precision Matthews lathes. I am not lathe-less like you but if I was, PM is where I would look first.

Do let us know what you decide to do with your project. I would personally find some cheap way to roughen the Ti shaft and rely on a good epoxy to hold the cork rings. Cork is so friable that a knurl will not add much strength.
 
Mikey, I was concerned about my lathe-less state but your additional information has me really worried; I did not know man parts were involved. I looked at the PM lathe website. They look very nice and priced in my range. I really like the large spindle bore.

Well big thanks to Jimsehr! I followed up on your lead and talked to Carl at RA White. What a great guy and he is a fisherman so he gets the crazy idea of mine. I will be sending him two 6’ pieces of 5/16” titanium rod for him to knurl at a reasonable price! I will then have the machinist turn down and thread the knurled rod- I am back on track!

You know sometimes things happen that restore your faith in mankind and all the nice, constructive, and humorous posts on this site and have done that. So, thanks everyone for your help! I will update you all with photos of the project and hopefully a new lathe(before it is too late for my “man-parts”).
 
PM has some really nice lathes but I would encourage you to define your work envelope and then ask the guys on the forum before choosing one; there is a lot of knowledge on this site about them. I did want to caution you that the smallest lathe they offer that comes with all the stuff a good lathe should have is the PM1127.

Good luck, T!
 
Jimsehr said:
I found a company that sells knurled bar stock in 12 ft of shorter lengths.
Their name is RA - White phone 800 556-4452
If I read it right they have a 316 ss bar 1 inch dia 12 ft long 35 # for $160 shipped.
They say Allmost any metal can be knurled.
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Jimsehr, thanks for the RA White lead. They will be knurling two 6’ lengths for me.
 
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