Projects In Metal, LLC Free Metalworking Projects, Plans, Tips, and Tricks for the Amateur Machinist

by MadReptillian The Three Basic Types of  Hand Taps A Tap is used for cutting an internal thread to create a female thread that a bolt can screw into. There are a wide range of taps available, and for beginners it can be quite overwhelming. This is a guide to give the new machinist an introduction to taps. I will also ... Read More »

by MadReptillian This table showing lathe cutting speeds in feet per minute. I use this table to calculate the speed of my lathe and my drills. Yes I am aware they are not as accurate when using them for drills, however they seem to work for me. The proper formula for calculating is as follows: CS x 12 =   ... Read More »

“How do I set my lathe so that I can take very fine cuts?” This question comes up occasionally on the forum and I’ve seen it addressed in books, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a video of the process, so I decided to make one. Setting up your lathe to take very fine cuts is a simple ... Read More »

One of the first things you’ll discover as a beginner is the tendency for chuck jaws to dig into the workpiece. Jaws are hardened steel and will leave a mark on just about anything you put in them – especially if the part spins. So how do you keep the jaws from marring your work? Some nicer chucks come with ... Read More »

There’s more than one way to measure the diameter of a bore. If you work in a machine shop chances are you have a diverse selection of measuring tools at your disposal. However, as a hobby machinist you often have to make due with the tools you have, and funds might not allow for more specialized measuring tools like a ... Read More »