1. Careful chain drilling (tiny bit in corner) followed by either die filer or
hand filing

2. Drill a slightly oversized hole and use a boring bar with a specially ground
bit to stroke 4 square corners (you can stroke a few thou off cranking the apron
back and forth on a lathe, or cranking the spindle up and down on a mill)

3. Break small bandsaw blade, drill hole, pass blade through material, weld up,
bandsaw square hole, break blade again, remove part

4. Suck up to someone with an EDM machine

5. If you're good, hot punch a square hole using blacksmithing techniques, then
grab the part by the hole on a square mandrel, and turn the outside round and
concentric

GWE

Gunner Asch wrote:
Whats the best way to make a square hole in a round piece of material,
without a broach? The round rod needs to be split, so it can be
placed over a 5/8 square rod, and then be able to slide along that
square rod

The problem: I need a round bar, with a 5/8" square hole in the
center, to go over the square "run fowards/stop/run reverse" rod that
runs the length of the bed, under the acme threading screw, and the
feed rod.

The lathe is missing the run/stop/reverse lever and assembly, so I
want to make one. Pretty simple..but Ive been banging my head over
the best way to make something that simple. I finally did accomplish
it..but it was a serious pain in the ass.

I ultimately milled a half depth 5/8 wide groove in a 5" long chunk of
scrap stock, cut it in half so I had two halves, then milled all sides
so it was semi square, then chucked it in a 4 jaw, indicated on a 5/8
round stock slipped into the square hole, then turned to
diameter,about half the lenght, then removed, then put into a 3 jaw,
clamping on the already turned secton, then re-turned the last half to
match the first.

There has to be an easier way ( the shaper blew a drive belt..so its
on the Fix list)

This round with square hole gizmo..will be installed inside of a bore
that will be bolted to the bottom of the carraige, with the
run/stop/reverse rod running throuigh it. The assembly will remain
fixed..the round with square, will be the actuator for the swtich
rod..using a handle

Gunner



"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner