The making of an FAQ section....

Hey everyone- welcome to our cool new sandbox. It seems we already have a decent sized group of interested people here- both members with experience in machining and members curious to learn. So I guess all we need now is some content! :grinyes:

It's already been pointed out that an FAQ section here would be useful. I think we'll also build a tutorial section and a gallery. But since FAQ came up first, it's as good a place as any to start.

I certainly have machining experience, but wouldn't consider myself an expert. Since we already have a pool of information here, I'd really like your help in putting together the FAQ.

To start off with, we'll obviously need a decent list of Frequently Asked Questions. So if you have any questions you think we should address (or have any questions you want answers for), please list them in this thread.

Once we have some suitable FAQs, we'll start working on answers. Some obviously will be pretty straightforward, but others will definitely benefit from some discussion. As an example- Where are some good places to find stock for machining? I've got some of my own favorite sources, but it would be terrific to hear how other people get metal. So these questions will get 'asked' in their own threads. If you feel like you can contribute to an answer, please do. Then I'll edit together everyone's input, and add it to our soon forthcoming FAQ thread.

Sound good, anyone have any thoughts?

Let's have some FAQs!

Andy, I think the first questions I asked myself were things like:

- what exactly can I make with machine tools? (examples)
- is it better to buy a lathe or mill first? Or, do I really need both?
- what are the limitations of a lathe? a mill?
- what type of investment dollars are typical?
- where to buy?
- what is the most common brand choices? ie. Sherline, Taig, Chinese, etc, etc, etc.
- advantages/disadvantages of each of those brands/choices?
-

I'll think of a few more...

- Places to get material? (perhaps not specifically the 'name' of the business, since we are spread all over the world, but more the type of business or place)
- Types of material? ie. grades of steel, alum, etc. What should I just stay away from trying to cut?
- Can you machine plastic? Resin? Other non metal items?
- Which 'attachments' do I need (ie. fundamentally needed vs. nice-to-have...)
- Other accessories that you might not think of (ie. mounting board, vacuum cleaner, indicator and holder, etc, etc)
- Inches or millimeters?
- Helpful books/texts?? (ie. Joe Martin's book?)
- Other helpful websites? videos? (I saw some pretty interesting videos on YouTube. Search for Sherline to find them...)
- Hidden costs (ie. taxes, duty, freight, customs, brokerage, diversionary gift for the wife to draw attention away from the cost of your purchase, etc)
- 3 jaw? or 4 jaw chuck?
- What type of oil/grease/lubricant to use? how much? how often?
- Do I need cutting oil?-

Oh I'll think of more....

Geez...good thing we have Murray to ask questions. I never would have thought of those. I'll get to working on some answers as soon as I can.

Wow, great stuff Murray. Clearly someone who's put some thought into machining recently! :grinyes:

Some of these, like-
- what exactly can I make with machine tools? (examples)
-I think will best be answered with a gallery thread, and with a How-to/tutorials section. But there's plenty here to start with. Keep 'em coming. Even if everything doesn't make it into the FAQ thread, they can still be terrific topics for discussion.

Things that I would like to know.

What tool bits work best in which situations?
What style of parting off tools works best? (ie. blade or tool bit)
Where do you start when doing a complex part? (ie. just chuck it up and go or design it out on paper first)
How do you deal with jaw marks when turning a part around to machine the backside?

I'll think of more as I go.

Mike

Where do you start when doing a complex part? (ie. just chuck it up and go or design it out on paper first)


I can almost write a dissertation on that question alone having spent 10 years in machine design :iceslolan

Always design your part on paper first.
When you design the part, design it keeping the machining steps in mind.

If you can't put it on paper in a manner that it can be machined in, it usually can't be machined.

If there's enough interest, I can post up some examples of drawings showing how machining steps are taken into account.

Here are a few FAQ's off the top of my head.

Helpful books/texts?? (ie. Joe Martin's book?) which books in particular for newbies getting into the ‘trade’?
Tools and add-ons. ie: Milling column? Rotary table? (pics and explenations?)
Where to get small amounts of material online?
Machining jargon. ie: "zero" wheel?
Safety precautions? ie: space, protection gear, etc.

@freakray, examples of drawings would be most helpful.

If there's enough interest, I can post up some examples of drawings showing how machining steps are taken into account.
Yes, there is interest. Do you go into what tools used and when, etc?

Love to see that kind of stuff in order to get my head around it.

Thanks,

Mike

Yes, there is interest. Do you go into what tools used and when, etc?

Love to see that kind of stuff in order to get my head around it.

Thanks,

Mike


ditto

Typical cutting speeds for use in various applications - I can see this coming up a lot.

Is there going to be an 'official' set of questions, or just jump in and answer some?

Mike and I are slowly building a list of FAQ's with answers. If you have questions that you think would be good for the FAQ list, please feel free to suggest them here (better yet if you can provide answers, too. :grinyes: ) I doubt everything asked will get answered, but I'll do my best to put together a decently representitive list of questions for people starting out.

If you can help with answers, great! I'm hardly qualified to be a comprehensive oracle on this stuff. :grinno:

I've already started a couple of threads for discussion of answers for FAQ's. If the questions you want to help with will have longish, complicated answers, or would benefit from some discussion, please feel free to start a new thread for the question (label it with 'for FAQ', so I won't miss it). The 'for FAQ' threads will likely get linked in the FAQ answer for each question- so we won't loose any benefit from whatever anyone else can add.

If your answers are short and simple, you can probably answer some here.

Or you can PM me- but I'm already getting farther behind than I expected to be. :uhoh:

So, long story short- jump in and answer! Meanwhile, I'll do my best to collect it all and organize it.... :rolleyes:

Found this little gem of a website today... A pretty nice intro to lathes with a few basic diagrams and pics.

http://www.americanmachinetools.com/how_to_use_a_lathe.htm

Murray

Another question I have as I've yet to figure this out.

What exactly are the axis names? I've read a lot of tutorials for things and they'll say something about the x or y axis but I can't seem to figure out which axis is which. Is there a set rule for this?

Mike

Another question I have as I've yet to figure this out.

What exactly are the axis names? I've read a lot of tutorials for things and they'll say something about the x or y axis but I can't seem to figure out which axis is which. Is there a set rule for this?

Mike

Good question.

On the mill the axes are as follows:
X - Left/Right
Y - Forwards/Backwards
Z - Up/Down

On the lathe, the axes are as follows:
X - Tool in and out towards the rotating center
Y - Non Existant
Z - Length of to the bed.

After browsing the web I have a few more questions,
What type of setup should a newbie start out with?
CNC or manual? I saw that the manual Sherline equipment is CNC capable, so should I hold out on the CNC until I'm familiar with manual? or should I start right off with CNC?
Lathe with milling column or a lathe and a mill separate?
What materials are easier to work with? (Price/ hardness) I'm seeing that aluminum is often used, are there specific reasons for that?
Are Sherline lathes capable of threading? If I'm not mistaken, I saw that the CNC system can't do threads.

After browsing the web I have a few more questions,
What type of setup should a newbie start out with?
CNC or manual? I saw that the manual Sherline equipment is CNC capable, so should I hold out on the CNC until I'm familiar with manual? or should I start right off with CNC?
Lathe with milling column or a lathe and a mill separate?
What materials are easier to work with? (Price/ hardness) I'm seeing that aluminum is often used, are there specific reasons for that?
Are Sherline lathes capable of threading? If I'm not mistaken, I saw that the CNC system can't do threads.

I think the question about aluminum is addressed in the FAQ (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=759438). The threadcutting setup for Sherline lathes is unmotorized and requires CNC drives to be unmounted. I don't know how much of a PITA that might be, as I haven't used either Sherline's threadcutter or CNC.

As for the others, they're good questions, but not the sort that lend themselves to an FAQ. "What gear should I buy?" depends entirely on you, and what kinds of projects you expect you'll want to use your equipment for.

Only you can decide if a lathe and milling column is large enough for your intended plans. If all you're likely to do is make parts in 1/24, you'll probably never outgrow this setup. If you want to scratchbuild your own R/C airplane engines, getting a separate mill may be more practical (but maybe not necessary). If you want to resurface the brake rotors on your full size car, you'll probably want something larger than Sherline offers.

Only you can decide if CNC is something you must have, if it's something you imagine you might someday like to work up to, or if you're unlikely to bother with it. (Personally, I doubt I'll ever bother- but I could easily upgrade if I decided otherwise). CNC machines are capable of many magnificent things, but operating them is entirely different than using 'manual' machines. If the idea of programing a part is more exciting than turning handwheels yourself, CNC may be for you. On the other hand, CNC requires basic machining skills and knowledge, and the very best way to get that is using 'manual' machines.

"How did you select your equipment?" would probably be a good topic for a thread- a discussion of what people bought and why could be useful for those considering buying machines.