I just got a 7x12 mini lathe,I want to practice on cheap plastic
meterial before I become proficient enough to work on metal.Do you
think
plastic is a good material to learn basics of turning and if that is
the case what type of plastic do you recomend, and some suppliers. I
tried the internet,but the choices are limitless and many suppliers
deal with
other companies

Any of the higher density plastics will work: Delrin is wonderful, but
ABS or PVC are decent. Delrin is available from www.mcmaster.com in
rods, a selection of 1/2", 3/4", and 1" rods shouldn't cost over $20 or so.

But the cost of plastic is usually more than the similar parts in
aluminum. I'd just get a chunk of 1" 6061-T6 and start cutting away.

Joe Corona wrote:
I just got a 7x12 mini lathe,I want to practice on cheap plastic
meterial before I become proficient enough to work on metal.Do you think
plastic is a good material to learn basics of turning and if that is the
case what type of plastic do you recomend, and some suppliers. I tried
the internet,but the choices are limitless and many suppliers deal with
other companies

On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:31:31 -0500, Joe Corona
wrote:

I just got a 7x12 mini lathe,I want to practice on cheap plastic
meterial before I become proficient enough to work on metal.Do you
think
plastic is a good material to learn basics of turning and if that is
the case what type of plastic do you recomend, and some suppliers. I
tried the internet,but the choices are limitless and many suppliers
deal with
other companies

----------------
click on
http://www.freemansupply.com/video/products/machwax.htm
http://www.freemansupply.com/
http://www.machinablewax.com/?gclid=...FQNHFQodfzLW2g
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?P...&PARTPG=INLMK3

google on machinable wax for 5,700 hits.

You can recycle with a double boiler.

On Nov 2, 9:31*am, Joe Corona wrote:
I just got a 7x12 mini lathe,I want to practice on cheap plastic
meterial before I become proficient enough to work on metal.Do you
think
plastic is a good material to learn basics of turning and if that is
the case what type of plastic do you recomend, and some suppliers. I
tried the internet,but the choices are limitless and many suppliers
deal with
other companies

PVC water pipe machines pretty well, except for the tangle of stringy
chips. Don't let it extend very far out of the chuck without tailstock
support because the tool can dig in and jam, possibly stripping gears.
That's one disadvantage of learning on plastic rather than aluminum.

Steel isn't THAT bad as long as you start with shallow cuts. Some
hardware-store steel rod doesn't give a smooth finish.

On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:31:31 -0500, Joe Corona wrote:

I just got a 7x12 mini lathe,I want to practice on cheap plastic
meterial before I become proficient enough to work on metal.Do you think
plastic is a good material to learn basics of turning and if that is the
case what type of plastic do you recomend, and some suppliers. I tried
the internet,but the choices are limitless and many suppliers deal with
other companies

Find your local scrap yard and look for steel bar -- mine usually has
odds & ends that look like they're from a machine shop. They're not so
good with aluminum, but I've found some useful chunks.

If there's much surface rust grind it off before you use it to dull your
tools with.

Or find your local machine shop and ask if they have odds & ends that
haven't made it to the scrap yard yet -- some folks will be so tickled
that you're wanting to learn that they'll give you stuff for free, some
will chase you off with a stick (don't go to the latter kinds of places
more than once each).

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

On Nov 2, 3:57*pm, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:31:31 -0500, Joe Corona wrote:
I just got a 7x12 mini lathe,I want to practice on cheap plastic
meterial before I become proficient enough to work on metal.

Or find your local machine shop and ask if they have odds & ends that
haven't made it to the scrap yard yet -- some folks will be so tickled
that you're wanting to learn that they'll give you stuff for free, ...

Tim Wescott

Some of that mystery metal can be very discouraging, or worse, case-
hardened.

A type of steel that's fairly easy to find and very nice to turn is
"12L14". I've bought some shafting at the local bearing supply stores
that turned almost as well.

Brass brazing rod from a welding store is nice, too. They may have
larger diameters than hobby stores carry.

On Nov 2, 9:31�am, Joe Corona wrote:
I just got a 7x12 mini lathe,I want to practice on cheap plastic
meterial before I become proficient enough to work on metal.Do you
think
plastic is a good material to learn basics of turning and if that is
the case what type of plastic do you recomend, and some suppliers. I
tried the internet,but the choices are limitless and many suppliers
deal with
other companies

Do yourself a favor, and go to a local metal supply source (or on-line
source like Metal Express) and buy some steel round stock of known
composition. The supplier can recommend some inexpensive grade that
machines well, and you will be happy and much more at home with your
new lathe when you finish turning $20 worth of stock into chips. On
the other hand, an evening with the sorts of hard and tough alloys
that show up in scrap yards can be frustrating, uneducational, and
perhaps downright dangerous. Ruining a couple of pieces of your
tooling can cost far more than you can save by being "frugal."

Joe Corona wrote:

I just got a 7x12 mini lathe,I want to practice on cheap plastic
meterial before I become proficient enough to work on metal.Do you
think
plastic is a good material to learn basics of turning and if that is
the case what type of plastic do you recomend, and some suppliers. I
tried the internet,but the choices are limitless and many suppliers
deal with
other companies


What materials you plan to turn when you get past practice time? I'd just start with some
12L14 or aluminum. I have a feeling your lathe will tell you quite quickly if it doesn't
like what you are doing.

Play with the feed levers and such while not having material chucked to make sure you
understand how things work. Start out with low feed rates, low speeds, small depth of
cut. Listen to the machine, it will tell you when it is working.

Look up sfm values for cutting with carbide and HSS.

Wess



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government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller