How Can I Hold These In My Lathe?

[John Hasler]

Mount a bar in the chuck and part-off then cut a 60 deg point using the top slide set to that angle. You can make this new "dead centre" bar as long as you need.
The point will be perfectly centred until you remove it from the chuck jaws.
For driving dogs I've used a muffler clamp around the work with a bar welded on to engage a chuck jaw.

Yep that spline end is likely hardened, so you'd need a carbide tool. However, it is also an interrupted cut; carbide is not great for impacts like that.

I'd consider a mounting a dremel tool with a cutoff disc onto the cross slide.
Be sure to cover all the machine ways/slides to avoid abrasive dust getting in.
Also consider a shop vac hose mounted to collect most of the dust.

Good luck!
Please let us know how it goes.

-brino

By the way, great pictures and description explaining exactly your problem!
That makes it real easy to understand and offer suggestions.

Best idea yet. To drive the part you could cross-drill the dead-center bar and then run a bolt through the cross-drilled hole and the holes in the yoke.

Do the cross-drilling before you turn the point, of course.

 

[JeepsAndGuns]

Mount a bar in the chuck and part-off then cut a 60 deg point using the top slide set to that angle. You can make this new "dead centre" bar as long as you need.
The point will be perfectly centred until you remove it from the chuck jaws.
For driving dogs I've used a muffler clamp around the work with a bar welded on to engage a chuck jaw.

Yep that spline end is likely hardened, so you'd need a carbide tool. However, it is also an interrupted cut; carbide is not great for impacts like that.

I'd consider a mounting a dremel tool with a cutoff disc onto the cross slide.
Be sure to cover all the machine ways/slides to avoid abrasive dust getting in.
Also consider a shop vac hose mounted to collect most of the dust.

Good luck!
Please let us know how it goes.

-brino

By the way, great pictures and description explaining exactly your problem!
That makes it real easy to understand and offer suggestions.

That is a idea I did not think of, and I think I may be able to do! I just picked up about a 12 inch length of 1 inch steel rod from a scrap bin and I should be able to use that. Your idea on the dog sounds nifty also. I think this is the way I am going to try it.
Axle shafts are hardened and I kinda figured a tool bit probably would fail trying to cut it. My plan is to use a die grinder with a cutoff wheel. I should have mentioned that in the original post. The cutoff wheel I have should be almost the perfect thickness for how wide I need the groove.
It wont be until this coming weekend when I have time, so I wont be able to update till then.

 

[george wilson]

It has been a long time,but back in the 70's I used axles to make milling machine arbors when I had little money to buy them. I can't recall having a hard time turning them even with HSS. They are hardened,but not real hard because they also have to be tough. If I recall,they aren't as hard as ordinary cross cut saw blades. That may vary with make,though,of course.

 

[JeepsAndGuns]

Sorry for the long delay. The weekend I was planning on doing this I ended up having something come up. But I did get it done yesterday after work.
I started out with the rod I was talking about, turned a point to it, then mounted up my live center in the tail stock and then just barely loosened the rod in the headstock to let it get pushed in by the tailstock. I then found I could catch the top of the yoke in the bolt hole for one of the jaws. It actually held it really well. I tested it and it worked great!
I was planning on using a cutoff wheel on a die grider, but figured I would try a parting blade first. The axle is pretty hard but I figured why not try it first. My thinest parting blade ended up being pretty much exactly the same width as the factory snap ring groove.
It chattered a bit, but I went really slow and got it down to the proper diameter in no time. I test fit it in the spindle/hub with the lockout hub, and it worked perfect!
Thanks for all the suggestions! This saved me a a good bit of money!

 

[brino]

I test fit it in the spindle/hub with the lockout hub, and it worked perfect! .............. This saved me a a good bit of money!

Excellent job. I am glad it worked so well!
-brino

 

[FOMOGO]

Looks like that worked out well for you. The die grinder idea would have worked equally well also. That's the great thing about having these machines, you can fix most things your self, and that's a great feeling. Mike

 

[rick9345]

It is the setup with what one has that makes for a finished job.
Nice piece of work.
Good how to thinking.

 

[GK1918]

"There ya go" setup - equals- to sit down and think about it. !