Oil grooves are most commonly found in bushings and journal bearings. They can also often be seen in the bores of gear housings. The purpose of such a groove is simple – it distributes lubricant evenly inside the bore. How do you machine it on a CNC lathe? Often, these grooves are made using special […]
When machining standard ISO metric or unified fastening threads, structural limitations of the cutting tool are rarely a concern. The helix angle of such threads is typically small (often under 3°–4°), allowing a standard lathe toolholder to easily handle the clearance without issues. However, the reality of machining Archimedes worms is entirely different. Here, we
Machining an internal keyway (slot for a key) directly on a CNC lathe is a massive time saver. It eliminates the need to transfer the workpiece to a slotting machine, while maintaining perfect coaxiality. Process Kinematics on a Lathe Slotting on a CNC lathe is most commonly performed with a locked spindle (C-axis or M19
Worm gear – workshop calculator. How to quickly calculate the diameter and concave radius of the wheel? Do you have a finished worm on your table and need to quickly turn a blank for the worm gear? Did a client bring a worm gear in pieces? Here is a quick cheat sheet with three formulas
In the previous article, I discussed how the integrity of the pitch is absolutely critical for the survival of a worm gear drive. Another equally vital geometric parameter that determines whether the components will mesh at all is the tooth helix angle. While in classic helical gears the helix angles of both mating gears are
In machine design theory, a worm gear drive is a specific case of a gear mechanism with crossed axes. In workshop practice, it represents one of the greatest manufacturing challenges. The most common mistake when attempting to reverse-engineer or design such a drive is a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between the axial module and
Reverse engineering parts from a physical sample is the bread and butter of any machine shop. While replicating a standard shaft or bushing poses no challenge, decoding the geometry of a worn or damaged gearbox worm can be a technological nightmare. The critical parameter we must identify is the module (m). The entire tooth profile
When you ask an experienced machinist what tool to use to manufacture an Archimedean worm (ZA) with a module of 4 or 6, most will point without hesitation to a form tool—either high-speed steel (HSS) or an expensive, dedicated carbide insert custom-made for that specific module. But what if I told you that you can
