Cutting oil grooves?

[jaek]

A possibly dumb question - any reason I shouldn’t cut oil grooves with a cutoff wheel in a Dremel? I’ve seen videos of people using milling machines etc, but I’m thinking of adding grooves to the ways on my mill (PM-727V) which means I need a different approach. The cutoff wheel worked fine on the X axis gib, but it almost seems too easy...

 

[savarin]

Ha Ha, I used a 1mm cutoff disk in an angle grinder to cut the oil ways on my cross slide. It worked fine.

 

[Cadillac]

When you make the oiling grooves your gonna want to take the sharp corners off the grooves. Once the groove is cut take a scraper or file and round over the edges. So when the two parts are sliding against each other the Sharp corner doesn’t act like a squeegee and wipe all the oil off. With it beveled it will feed the oil better.

 

[Richard King 2]

before you grind measure the extreme travel of the ways so when you grind the groove it never gets uncovered and looses pressure. Cut diagonal lines and not straight with travel. Like Cad said stone to break shape edges. I have used an elec. dremel or air grinder with cut off wheels or carbide burr's. Be careful not to slip and it will want to jerk out of your hand if you go to deep or move to fast. I would practice on some scrap first. Also draw out your pattern with a Sharpie marker.

 

[jaek]

Thanks for all the tips. I'll proceed with confidence and maybe take pictures too.

 

[savarin]

Because I have extended the cross slide travel on my lathe it does expose the ends of the oil grooves but its no problem as long as both ends are closed when you pump the oil in.
I sometimes let it extend each end to flush the grooves out.