Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: dovetails for cnc

skykotech wrote:

>I am hoping the made-in-usa carbide insert dovetail cutter and my
>bedmill will hold 0.001" over the 5 inches or so of dovetail I
>need. I would think I would mess it up trying to improve things
>better than that by scrapping, heh heh. Still, it is an art that
>might be fun to learn.
>

If you want it to slide smoothly and have a wide contact area to spread the
load of cutting forces, you really need to scrape it. The Hardinge beds
I'm familiar with on the standard toolroom lathes have a mirror-like finish,
and need a similarly smooth surface to slide over it well. A surface
cut with
a dovetail cutter is likely to have a lot of roughnes on the surface.
Get some
Hi-Spot dye, at least, and apply a very thin layer to the bed. Then
place the
new carriage on the bed and wipe it against the mating surfaces while
sliding
it an inch or so along the bed. Then remove and inspect the pattern of dye
transferred to the carriage. You will almost certainly see it has hust
a few
spots or stripes. That pattern of stripes will soon wear ridges in the
lathe's
bed.

Jon