What is needed to learn the fine art of knurling on a mini-lathe? Is it possible?

[Dhal22]

@mikey, thank you very much! I'll wait..................................
Looking forward to this!

Me too. I have a little lathe....

 

[savarin]

At one time, I downloaded the Camjack knurler instructions. I'll dust that off and see if it's possible to use.

I made one of those and swear by it.
I would think that for the mini lathe it should be made a little bit smaller but maybe just the shank to fit your holder.
My lathe is only a 9x20 and I regularly knurl stainless with the camjack knurler.
I dont worry about diameters just use more clamping pressure.
heres a stainless example

 

[WobblyHand]

For reference purposes, I am linking @mikey's post here. It's an interesting read. Straddle knurler. I hadn't realize Mikey had posted it. Found it looking for something else on HM. Thanks so much for putting in the effort to documenting this. Guys, Mikey's a fantastic writer! A real HM treasure.

Enticing as all get out, hard for me to imagine building it without a mill. Heck, even with a mill, it would take me a while! Temporarily discouraged, knurling seems further away than I had hoped. Dunno, I'm going to reread the straddle knurler thread again, and the camjack. Maybe there's some knurler thingy I can make in my crappy shop with rubber screwdrivers, wobbly files, wooden wrenches and stone mallets. Feeling a little , hope to get over it soon.

Taking apart the 250-010 I do have, reveals shoulder bolts, it's just that it's a relatively sloppy fit between the bolts and the knurling wheel. Measures out to 0.192" ID for the hole, and 0.182" OD for the bolt. There's a burr on the bolt surface as well. Don't think I'll play with this much more. Rather look into making something better than the 250-010.

 

[royesses]

If you want a clamp type knurler Amazon has many of them as low as $24.95. Most are exactly like the LMS knurler. The 250-010 is a bump knurler and is usefull only for soft metals as you have found out.

Roy

 

[WobblyHand]

Roy, I see lots of them there. Any that you might recommend? It's not like one can trust the reviews there. Some folks think everything is garbage, others accept all kinds of crap. There's a mini V type, a floating clamp type, a simple screw type. I don't see any with significant mechanical advantage. I'd think that would be necessary.

 

[mikey]

Enticing as all get out, hard for me to imagine building it without a mill. Heck, even with a mill, it would take me a while! Temporarily discouraged, knurling seems further away than I had hoped. Dunno, I'm going to reread the straddle knurler thread again, and the camjack. Maybe there's some knurler thingy I can make in my crappy shop with rubber screwdrivers, wobbly files, wooden wrenches and stone mallets. Feeling a little , hope to get over it soon.

Please don't be discouraged. Where there is a will, there is a mill! Someday, one will fall into your lap and things will progress from there as they should.

If I were you, I would buy a knurling tool for now and make a better one if/when you get a mill. I suggest you get this type and avoid this type.

Regardless of which tool you end up with, see if you can improve the rigidity of the tool and it will work better for you. Of course, if you need help, sing out and we'll try to help you along.

 

[WobblyHand]

I hope a mill doesn't land in my lap! They're heavy! One day...

For the "this type" I see a LH tool. The shank is on the wrong side. Don't I need a RH tool? I couldn't find a RH TTC knurler. There is none on the travers tool website. The Eagle Rock has a RH tool, but it's over 3X the cost.

 

[mikey]

Give Travers a call and clarify the tool configuration. I'm not sure but the pic might be reversed. In any case, call first.

 

[WobblyHand]

Give Travers a call and clarify the tool configuration. I'm not sure but the pic might be reversed. In any case, call first.

On the Travers website, the TTC tools are only in LH version. The Eagle Rocks show in both RH & LH.
Which one do I want, the RH?

 

[mikey]

Yeah, the tool should face the chuck and the shank should be on the right side of the tool. I cannot imagine Travers not selling this tool in the normal configuration. I would call to confirm.

It is also possible that the tool shank can be converted for use on the other side of the tool. My Eagle Rock knurler can be be converted to work in the rear-mounted position so maybe their tool can, too.