Planning For Everything??

[Jim1946 SB9"]

So as a beginner hobbiest I have allot to learn and the one I seem to be struggling with the most is planning. I guess I mean how do you plan for all the details of a build. The latest build would have been an ink pen made from aluminum intended to look like a bolt. It was to come apart underneath the nut and expose the head of the pin. Well I didn't plan it right and ended up having to glue the cap to the body to cut the threads but didn't make the cap thick enough and cut thru it and ruined everything. So please share your methods of planning. And yes I had a drawing just didn't know how to go about it. Feel free to share similar experiences as well it might make me fell better about my screw up

 

[Paul in OKC]

You just did what most of us do, trial and error. Some projects take just that to figure out, some work out with planning. Here's a couple of guys from a pen group I am in that do some neat stuff.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13/brass-bolt-rollerball-137530/
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13/quick-threaded-pen-fun-134861/
http://www.penturners.org/photos/images/3090/2_BoltOpen.jpg

 

[Franko]

Screwing up is the best method to learn. All of my useful knowledge was fertilized by foolishness.

 

[stupoty]

I learned quite quickly if it's more complex than a shaft with only one dimension and a thread on it then I nead to make a list of the order of opperations.

It helps a lot as even simple projects often turn into "ow how the heck do I hold that end now i've done somthing to it where I don't want to marr the surface/damage thread and get a good grip".

Another thing is getting to know what tools you can get set up in what kind of areas, i.e. every thing seems fine then you realise the center hole for the tail stock support is too big and makes it dificult to get to size or it just gets in the way of your set up.

I only had to make 2 practice versions of the shaft I made today , yay

Definetly worth keeping scraps of matirial for testing methods of doing stuff on, especialy threading, holes requireing spacific sizes , o.d.'s neading spacific sizes and surface finnish. Very annoying to get somthing to size then realise ur going to nead to give it a buff to get a good finish and now it's to small, bahhh

Ramble over, practice makes perfect as the others have said and we all go through it to some extent.

Stuart

 

[brino]

Hi Jim,

I agree that much of it is experience from practice and sometimes getting it wrong.

However, something else I have done is crude sketches of every step of how I intend to hold the part for doing each operation. These have often made me rethink my initial order of operations. After a while you'll find this step unnecessary as it becomes more automatic and obvious.

Another thought is to do some research on lathe work-holding. Read about and understand the benefits and challenges of chucks, collets, face-plates, stub arbors, expanding arbors, steadies, etc. The more you know the better your planning will be.

-brino

EDIT: Here's a few books I have found useful:

Workholding in the Lathe by Tubal Cain (link)
The Amateurs Lathe by L.H. Sparey (link)

 

[Tozguy]

You might find that even after you advance to expert machinist, things do not always go as planned.
You just improve the odds.
The ole expression 'experience is what you get when you don't get what you want' has a foundation.
Gotta go, my fourth try at making an ER32 chuck is waiting.

 

[Tozguy]

Screwing up is the best method to learn. All of my useful knowledge was fertilized by foolishness.

Not to mention the courage, audacity, enthusiasm, and focus that went into it.

 

[kd4gij]

I never mess anything up. I do however make stuff for the stock pile from time to time.

 

[strantor]

Some people can visualize things in their head better than others. They call it "spatial intelligence." In that realm of smarts I seem to randomly fall somewhere between "retarded" and "mensa" on any given day. If I'm having trouble visualizing the sequence of a blank piece of stock turning into a complex part, and the work holding of each step, then I draw it. I've gotten pretty handy with SketchUp and I can actually draw it faster on the computer than on paper. And on the computer, if I'm feeling particularly spatially stupid, I can draw a piece of blank stock and transform it into a complex part step by step, absolutely zero imagination required. Hard (but not impossible) to walk away from the PC after having just simulated the whole thing, and still screw it up.

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

You will realize over time that often there is only one order of operations that will actually work on a given part, this may require multiple set ups, fixtures and rechucking the part several times which is time consuming at best and is always tedious. This may have to be done however regardless of you being a hobbyist and having all of the time that you may need or working a job where X number of parts must be produced in X period of time.

Relax and think about it, plan accordingly.

Today I turned 2 lathe parts, 9.100 diameter X 55 3/4" long from 1" wall steel tubing, I rough turned the OD chucked internally with a plug in the tail stock end.
After both were roughed I put a steady on and faced, bored and put a 10° taper on one end (the bore is for a fixture used by the plater as the last op is hard chrome).
Turned them 180° and faced to length and bored, this end has a cap welded in it, total time 7+ hours including loading 300+ pound parts. They then have the end cap welded in after which they go back in the lathe and the end cap is finish bored and faced so that they may be held in a spacer on a mill, holes and slots are milled through the wall. Another part is then welded through the cross hole, the part then goes back into the lathe for the 3rd time and turned to the soon to be chromed diameter of 8.992 +0-.002 where .003 of chrome per side will make the finish diameter 8.998 +.000 -.002, overall 25 or more hours per part.

Don't worry you have all the time needed and you will eventually become accustomed to doing things in the best order possible. Experience is important yet not essential in all applications, if you do not try you will never learn, my advice is to have at it.