How to drill and thread long parts

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CDarby67

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Hello,
I will be making toy light sabers from T6061 pipe 1.0 i.d.
The parts need to thread together and some parts are 12' in length. If I need to increase the i.d. throughout the part, what is the best method to achieve the wider i.d.?

I have a Grizzly 4000 the lathe from Taiwan.

Thanks,
Clint
 
The best way to have a long part with a large ID is to order tube stock with the right ID and OD and go from there. For that project seems like the OD is most important so the tube ID could be larger than what you are planning now, maybe leaving room for batteries?
 
Cadillac,
Oddly, the O.D. is where the customization is made. The I.D. is a standard 1.0" ( parts dictate that fixed i.d. in many instances. The Battery (chassis) can be built to what is needed. There is a part that is nested inside the 1"i.d. pipe and that is where I intend to bore. Current manufacturers either broker the parts out to large CNC machinist companies. I plan to OAK and very few.

I have T6061 pipe 1.5' o.d. and 1.0" i.d. that I plan to use.

Will a steady rest and inching the tail stock forward with a large drill bit work?

Thanks,
Clint
 
If you are planning to bore the tube in one pass, you have a bit of a problem with the 19 inch length of your lathe. A 12 inch part would require a minimum of 24 inches of working length to bore through. More realistically you would need a 36 inch lathe to do the work. The other option of course is to bore from either end and meet in the middle. Even at that, a 19 inch lathe is a bit short for drilling 6 inches deep in a 12 inch long part.

For most applications simply drilling the tube before tapping would be the best way to do it, or perhaps drill then ream to final size.

Yes, a steady rest and moving the tailstock forward as needed is the correct way to do this. I have drilled many deep holes this way.
 
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It is surprisingly easy to make a tap that will cut threads into aluminium. Only slightly harder to make a die with matching external threads. Deep hole drilling on the mill is possible by swinging head and fixturing work off back of table.

You are enlarging an existing hole you could even make up a pull through drill with a bushing to ride the existing bore and removable shanks of differing lengths. I'd modify a purchased drill for that.
 
You also could use a dreamer or a reamer mounted in your toolpost BB holder , or a more expensive route would be a parabolic drill .
 
CDarby67 said:
Hello,
I will be making toy light sabers from T6061 pipe 1.0 i.d.
The parts need to thread together and some parts are 12' in length. If I need to increase the i.d. throughout the part, what is the best method to achieve the wider i.d.?

I have a Grizzly 4000 the lathe from Taiwan.

Thanks,
Clint
Click to expand...
Is that 12 feet in length....or did you mean 12”... 12 inches. It says 12 feet in your original question
 
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