On Fri, 9 Nov 2007 12:01:17 -0600, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

Anyway, seems like I should be able
buy an off-the-shelf tool bit with
a snubbed 40 degree included angle.
Just plunge a certain depth and I'm
done. Is there such an animal?

I tried that. Even on my 10EE it was a chatter box. Just too much cutting
surface area. I made a 40 degree point HSS form tool. Ruff out pulley with
cutoff blade, cut left side, move carriage, cut right side. This was for a
six groove sheave and it only took and hour.

Karl




Ditto. The tool I use is made from O1 and has a 40 degree end and a 30 degree
end. Small diameter pulleys need significantly less than 40 degrees due to
distortion of the belt section. Once most of the meat is removed with a
parting tool, the flanks can be cut one at a time quite smoothly.

The other thing to do is to put the pulley blank on an arbour between centres.
That way it can be attacked with more clearance at the headstock end if the
topslide is cranked over.


Mark Rand
RTFM