what to do when you need a curved part and no CNC machine ...

[wquiles]

This was very clever:
http://www.modelenginenews.org/techniques/large_curve.html

Will

 

[gadget_lover]

I saw a web site where a guy needed to do that, and so he made a swivelling tool post with a long handle. His technique was to feed in with the cross-slide then swing the tool left and right like it was a wood lathe.

I still need to make a ball turning attachment.


Daniel

 

[wquiles]

I saw a web site where a guy needed to do that, and so he made a swivelling tool post with a long handle. His technique was to feed in with the cross-slide then swing the tool left and right like it was a wood lathe.

I still need to make a ball turning attachment.


Daniel

+1. One of these days I have to make a ball turning attachment as well. It would be a pretty cool and useful project

Will

 

[precisionworks]

It's still common, in a manual machine shop, to X-Y the steps out to rough form the radius. It isn't hard to trig out each X & Y move. On a large radius, a form tool does not work well, as it takes a big piece of HSS & a tool grinder to make one. On a small radius, 1/4" more or less, it's quick & easy to grind a form tool on a bench grinder. The form tool is used only to bring the X-Y steps together.

For larger work, a radius tool can either be bought or shop built. I'm working with a friend to get this published, & will post here if or when that happens.