![]() ![]() The alloy most often used for home shop work is 360. It can add a nice touch of contrasting color to a project that will be displayed. See my grinder mods page for more info.īrass is a nice material to work with, though somewhat expensive compared with aluminum or steel. I bought an Ohio Forge brand from Home Depot for under $50 and it has served me well. You will need a 6″ bench grinder for grinding tool bits. The holders for mine are beat up from years of use, but the tools are as good as the day I bought ’em. Usually, the screw can be loosened or tightened using the greater leverage of the long handle, then rapidly spun in or out using the ball-end. They are a huge convenience when trying to access a socket head cap screw where straight-line access is blocked. (but I’ve been busy!) I have an SAE and a metric set made by Bondhus. These are so handy that I should have added them to this page years ago. To give you an idea, here are some prices from the 2003 Enco catalog for 6 foot lengths of 6061 round stock: Diameterįortunately, when working with larger diameters, the workpieces are usually relatively short, so you don’t need as much.įor more information, see the Materials page. Since the amount of metal in a rod increases with the square of the diameter, the price goes up steeply for larger diameters. Typically I buy aluminum in 6′ lengths for diameters up to 1″. Other suppliers sell stock in fixed length of 2′, 3′ or 6′. Some of the online metal suppliers have kits that include a wide range of stock for about $100.įrom some suppliers you must specify the length that you want, and they may charge a ‘cutting fee’ to cut the material to size. To get the good stuff you will need to order from an industrial supplier such as Online Metals, MetalMart or Enco.Ī good starter supply would be 3′ lengths of 1/8″, 1/4″, 1/2″ and 3/4″. You are unlikely to find 6061 or similar alloys at your local hardware store – the kind you find there is typically very soft and gummy and does not machine well. ![]() Many different alloys are available to meet specific needs, but ‘6061’ alloy is a good choice for working on the minilathe. During the refining process aluminum is mixed with specific proportions of other metals to produce desired characteristics of strength, weight, corrosion resistance and machinability in the combined metal, which is called an alloy. In practice, there are many varieties of aluminum. I use it for most of my projects unless there is some reason to use another material, such as the need for extra strength. Aluminum is an excellent material to practice on since it is inexpensive, cuts easily and takes a nice finish. ![]()
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