Engine Turning, A new Spin (Waa Waaahh)

Good ideas, we discussed this as well. 1" seems to be the standard pegboard grid. He thought Formica counter top blanks would be best to make a usable surface. The cad could lay it out and you drill your pattern!

 

Exactly! Have a big plotter sitting right next to me too! Might need to build me an engine turning station in the near future...

 

I'm gonna need to see some pictures showing how the pegboard thing works out. I found an old SW Hollywood guage panel that I may be using in the truck. What I can't wrap my head around is the spacing with the pegboard. On all my experiments, I overlapped the pattern by 1/2 because it seemed like that's the way it should be done. I guess I really haven't ever seen an honest to goodness engine turned panel in the flesh. That would probably help.

 

With the 1" spacing of the pegboard, you would prob have to drill extra holes at the 1/2" intervals.

 

Tonights "test". 1/2" Medium grit stick. Long lengths in the press "wobble" too much. I will need to make a mandrel to hold short pieces.

Chucked a short s**** in the press and got OK results from it, tried some WD40 for lube since it was the first thing in the flamable cabinet and the swirls cam out VERY uniform and clean!

My verdict? I am going to order some 1/2" and 1" craytex for the various parts I need to do. I am VERY HAPPY with the results!

 

S.S. Or aluminum?

 

Aluminum, mentiond it in my "book" up there^^

 

Great thread. Been wanting to do this on something for awhile. Gonna get out some stainless or aluminum sheet and just give it a go.

 

great idea. I used double sided carpet tape recently to hold 1200 grit on an orbital sander. It's paper thin -unlike the foam double sided tape. It held really well and it's surprisingly water resistant when I was wet sanding stainless with 1200 grit...

 

OK Cactus, to prove my camera now works!@ Thought I would just add to your great thread instead of starting my own. Thanks!

 

You can see the pattern and in the second picture the "sled" . All swirls are indexed off the marker lines you see up top.

 

Bear with me, I cant see my own pictures for ****, the monitor is going out. If they are bad I apologize.

 

Alchemy's Pierce Arrow Dash insert against my work

 

Hopefully the zigzag/flipflop pattern shows...........?

 

Nice! So you're going down and coming back? Nice! I don't know that I've seen it done like that before.

How are you registering the bottom part of the jig for the different rows?

 

Yes, right to left then left to right..........aka down and back.

All indexing is done off the drill press base. Simple ruler and sharpie marks then clamp it down TIGHT. see the note 3/8s" that is my measurement from row to row, gets me 10% overlap from one line to the next. In other words, for each line I move the jig up 3/8"

 

Sweet! Now, start a thread on that T of yours! Is that what this dash is for?

 

Kevin Lee, you are the man. I think a dedicated workstation sounds like a peach of a plan!
I went back and looked at my samples a while ago after all this talk of "ghosting" and I saw none. The only drawback that I found in my experimentation was the tendency for the paper to come loose due to the adhesive heating up if you tried to go too fast.

It's funny, after all this, I mocked up the panel I had made in the truck and I think it is too much. It is too fancy. I will wait until there is some shiny paint on stuff before I make a final decision though .

 

I love engine turning, it makes me think of Millers & Bugattis. Great thread. I have played with engine turning in the past, and gotten some decent results, but this thread gives me some new ideas.

 

This dash is for my A Tudor.

 

Kev, lots of good input and ideas. I played with lots and chose this pattern. We are mere neophytes in this rhealm. The metal masters before us have done amazing things!

My research into compe***ion cars showed quick and dirty turning however. So I do not feel bad about a bobble here or there.

 

Btt for Scootermcrad!

 

Thanks man!!

And WOW that is helpful! Thanks for the pics Tman! I was thinking of doing it pretty much the same way. I may set it up on the mill so I can do each row without loosening the bed and resetting it each time.

I actually made something VERY similar to this for small parts using plywood, masonite, and some ripped 3/4x3/4 lengths. Worked really well. I'll see if I can find a picture. I know I have one...

 

If you had access to a cnc router with a vac*** table all you would have to do is pin the profile of the sheet on the table, then turn on the vac*** and remove the pins and let the machine do the work, you can also program the machine for the spacing you need. At work we have cnc router, waterjet, cnc mills, and lathes, so i may do a sheet on the router and take it to the waterjet and cut it out. if i get time.

 

Forgot to add that I am using MEDIUM GRIT Craytex. Medium gives pretty good coverage with minimal ghosting.

WD40 for lube. Makes a mess in the immediate area but I run a few circles and wipe clean and inspect. Very little pressure needed and I am using a SLOW speed.

 

how slow is slow speed

 

I'll have to look at my press, don't even remember what pulleys the belt is on!?

 

I run mine as slow as she'll go. I made the third pulley reduction so I am not sure of the actual speed. I would estimate mine runs between 250-300 rpm?

 

I haven't got around to trying this, but a buddy was using a laser pointer pen
aimed at the center of the point of contact for the turning disc, just lay out the grid pattern and aim for the intersecting points. came out nice.