Securing workpiece for parting in lathe or ‘left feed’

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Thanks, that is clearer. I suspect that if you drill a 3mm hole then use a bit of 3mm rod it won't give much lateral support because of play between the rod and hole. Better is to centre drill and use a standard dead or live centre.

What sort of parting tool are you using – carbide? If so I can understand having problems with plastics because they need a very sharp tool. Best grind your own from an HSS blank – you can get parting blade holders for small lathes with narrow HSS blanks from the likes of RDG or Arc. Actually I see Arc have ready-sharpened blades.

Corian is a lovely material to machine and make small components from. Find a friendly kitchen fitter who will let you raid his waste skip.

[Stuart Munro 1Participant @stuartmunro1]

John,

Yes, I use a HSS blade and regrind it regularly.

Corian – heh, I'll give it a try but my wife might spot the hole in the kitchen worktop!

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