Non-ferrous metal turning

[raythompson102]

I agree about Copper - I don't even like engraving the stuff ! Bend it, Form it, Beat it, Spin it - just don't cut it

Aluminium isn't much better - VERY sharp high rake tooling needed, quite the opposite of Brass.

For turning copper and brass you need to have a negative top rake otherwise the material tends to pull the cutter into the material.

 

[Inspector]

Alloy 6061 and 6062 T6 are 1st choices for non-structural aircraft components. I deal with that on daily basis

We dealt with large aluminium structural airframe parts primarily in the 7000 series with a few lithium alloy 787 parts when I left 7 years ago. The only 6000 series parts we did were a lot of panels for radar arrays for Raytheon and large inkjet printer vacuum tables for signs and billboards.
Sorry for the digression/hijack.

Pete

 

[jonn]

I can't see an issue with your proposal, but I would avoid copper. Nasty stuff to turn as it is so soft and gets very hot. It's bad enough on an engineering lathe with coolant, I don't think you will succeed in doing it in a modified wood lathe. Brass should be ok but as others have said you will get lots of fine swarf which gets everywhere.

Never had any problems turning copper, but always use a GT insert and fairly fine cuts. Turning metal on a wood lathe? Never had to as first priority was to get a metal lathe, a Chester Crusader with DRO. And if you have a wife, get her a sawing machine and yourself a lathe, but always buy a lathe preferably two sizes bigger than what you think you need!

 

[Daniel2]

Never had any problems turning copper, but always use a GT insert and fairly fine cuts. Turning metal on a wood lathe? Never had to as first priority was to get a metal lathe, a Chester Crusader with DRO. And if you have a wife, get her a sawing machine and yourself a lathe, but always buy a lathe preferably two sizes bigger than what you think you need!

Possibly you really meant to say " a sewing machine".