.... Using liquid nitrogeon would be the easiest way of making it hard enough to machine properly
Anybody tried machining bushes down in a lathe?
what tools and how well did it work?
Hi. A lot of one off seals etc are machined from polyurethane. I believe the trick is to freeze the bar beforehand. Use a tip with a lot of rake as for plastics. Never tried it though. Good luck!
I have seen people cut down bushes using a very sharp knife in a lathe....
.... Using liquid nitrogeon would be the easiest way of making it hard enough to machine properly
quote:
Originally posted by alistairolsen
Anybody tried machining bushes down in a lathe?
quote:
what tools and how well did it work?
thats all i want to do, how did you hold them in the drill and whats withthe g clamp?
Ive tried it in a lathe and I just chewed them up 
even after freezing them.
quote:
Originally posted by alistairolsen
thats all i want to do, how did you hold them in the drill and whats withthe g clamp?
pillar drill, dowel pushed thru bush, tight fit. G clamp around table to steady/lever knife against and a sharp stanley knife?
Looks like it worked well. Apparently the raldes bushes Ive been looking at are 46mm while the brackets I have are 44mm lol Just want to take 1mm off
the shoulders
I know someone who tried. He said don't. It is too rubbery and will either deform under the tool or will rip uneven chunks off. It grinds well, he says, and suggests a dremel if you think you can do it accurately enough.
Yes, it's an a*se. Whatever the salesman tells you take it with a pinch of salt.
We gave up and sub-contracted it to my grandfather! He ended up spending 75% of the time making the tooling to hold the stuff for the various cuts. If
you can buy them to fit it might be worth the extra dough!
Yes, I trimmed all my bushes in a lathe at work - most of them cut very neatly, but the secret is in the shape and sharpness of the tool - I ragged
about 6 of the faces before I got it right - I did all 44 this way.
Make sure you put a crush tube in the centre to cut down on deforming the bush with the chuck.
I can see where the guys are coming from regarding freezing them, though - the stuff is a bit soft to work. Also - use cutting fluid.
Regardz, Steve.