Lathe machining Help needed please?

Levent Suberk wrote:It's round tapered but not straight as I see here:
https://www.modelflying.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/28248-rc-vintage-keil-kraft-phantom/

Cut a 2 inches disk then drill axle hole. Bolt it on a drill using bolt and nut and round taper it on a flat piece of coarse sandpaper. Then use finer sandpaper. Reverse is same. Make a second one. Easy.

I had thought of a similar process but the sanding of the Delrin may not produce a smooth finish as cut with a lathe tool.
Do you have any pictures of your wheels you have made in this way please?
Woody.

I have made similar wheels in the past and I usually make a simple holder for the wheels (holding it by the axis hole). Cut to size and make the axis hole first, mount it on the holder and make one "outside", flip it over on the holder and make the other side.

It is just plastic so the outside can quite easily be made in a few steps with an angled tool.

Sand the wheel with a convex hand movement. Then use fine wet dry sand paper and buff.

If you want make them from hardwood.

Many of the kits I bought came with wooden wheels. This includes Scientific half-A kits and Sterling rubber powered, RC and Beginner series CL half-A kits.

Because I wanted more, I would replace these wood wheels with Perfect or other make rubber wheels with metal hubs (later plastic hubs).

I suppose one could make a wood core wheel and glue/press a narrow cross section of rubber hose of the diameter desired, the wood wheel a touch larger so the rubber fits snugly.

Does your lathe have a compound slide? If it does, just set it to the angle you want and manually feed it in the correct direction.
Or I could make them for you on my lathe.
I might even have enough Black Delrin to machine them in my garage.

Keil Kraft Phantom wheels are streamlined as you see:

Just grind up a V form tool with the taper on both sides. It will need to be run at the slowest rpm that your lathe probably has, and the lathe would be a fairly solid one. Plunge the groove after drilling the hole first, and it will part off when it gets down to the hole. It may chatter a bit or a lot, but you can go side to side a bit to lessen that effect. Probably a 3/8" HSS toolbit would be a good start for the tool depending on the size of your lathe.

Thank you all for your help guys.
Thanks Jim for offering to make me some wheels.
That was very kind .
But..then I have not had a go!
I have ordered the delrin, have a lathe and lathe tools on the way so I will give it a shot.
It is supposed to be easy so I will make a sow's ear out of it.
We will see.

What size / brand of lathe are you getting?

I will do one side at a time the first side I leave a part to install it back in the lathe Once change side then Drill the hole in the center and cut the other side and finally cut the part of the fixing part The piece should be quite concentric At least good enough for a wheel you could cut out two discs and install them on the lathe with a fixing but the hole would surely be too small to be solid and the wheels too small to be fixed directly in the chuck Inevitably you will waste a little but my method is more sure to succeed I think

706jim wrote:Does your lathe have a compound slide? If it does, just set it to the angle you want and manually feed it in the correct direction.
Or I could make them for you on my lathe.
I might even have enough Black Delrin to machine them in my garage.

Jim.
Thanks mate for the offer but I am compelled by the gods of Cox to have a go.
You just sorted my concerns for the taper by asking does it have a compound slide?
What the hell is that asked Woody and then Woody went to his lathe and behold!!! I say unto you...It has a compound slide!!!
BRILLIANT said the God of Cox.
So now I wait for the Postal angels to deliver mine lathe tools and then I can have a go.
Woody.

aspeed wrote:What size / brand of lathe are you getting?

I already have the lathe but just await a few tools in the post.
Here are a few pics.
Woody.

davidll1984 wrote:I will do one side at a time the first side I leave a part to install it back in the lathe Once change side  then Drill the hole in the center and cut the other side and finally cut the part of the fixing part The piece should be quite concentric At least good enough for a wheel you could cut out two discs and install them on the lathe with a fixing but the hole would surely be too small to be solid and the wheels too small to be fixed directly in the chuck Inevitably you will waste a little but my method is more sure to succeed I think

Ahahh That sounds more like it!
I like the bit about turning a spigot ( Boss) to hold the wheel in the chuck when turning it around to do the other side.
Yes it is wasteful but I have a metre of the stuff and it is a more accurate way of doing it . It is also safer as I feel that to turn a taper on a 3mm axle pin is asking for trouble with the pressure of the cutting tool on the wheel.
I feel confident that your method will work well and thank you for taking the time and your knowledge on the matter.
I will not bother with turning them with a curve on both sides as I feel that making them to the profile I drew will be quite adequate and will portray the essence of a pair of vintage streamlined plastic wheels.
woody.

Woody wrote:
I already have the lathe but just await a few tools in the post.
Here are a few pics.

It looks like you have a compound slide on there?
Should be very easy to cut the sides of the wheels by simply using that.

Yes. I did not realise it had a compound slide.
All will be very easy.