"Mark Mossberg" wrote in message
...
Steve,

Turning a 4" long diameter in a 6" long square bar isn't that big of a
deal.
All you need is a lathe with a 5C collet closer, a 1" square collet (I
think
this as big as a 5C goes),


Wrong! 5C collets are available in (round) sizes up to 1-1/8", but there's
no chance in hell you can buy one large enough to hold 1" square material.
The material exceeds collet size across the corners. You could buy a step
chuck (2" diameter or larger) and mill the configuration with some care,
however.

Cutting fancy features lengthwise in the round portion can get
complicated.
If the features are 90 or 180 degrees apart you can use the remaining
square
ends as references. Any more than that and your looking at a 4th axis set
up. Maybe even 4 axis surfacing.

Not true. If the parts are machined by holding with a step chuck, an
indexing head and tailstock center would be adequate for holding and
indexing for flutes. One could machine them easily @ 30 degree or 45
degree intervals, using a small (radiused) side cutter, either on a
horizontal or a vertical mill. The biggest problem here would be using a
small enough cutter so it didn't interfere with the square portion. A
Woodruff cutter might be a solution. This would be an excellent operation
for a hand mill, a Nichols, for example.


Hard to give you an idea of the cost without seeing it. One thing's for
sure, the material cost will be insignificant compared to the labor.

Regards

Mark

Absolutely. This would be a relatively labor intensive part to make, even
without difficult tolerances, which are not a concern from all indications.
At today's shop prices, I wouldn't be surprised to see a part of this nature
go for $45 each.

Harold