Signs of Tool Wear Machinists strive for perfection in every cut. Even the slightest deviation in precision metalworking can mean the difference between a flawless part and costly rework. Tool wear is inevitable, but early detection and correction can save valuable...
Don’t Get Haunted by Flawed Lathe Practices Even the most experienced machinist can be haunted by ghosts of poor performance — chatter marks that refuse to vanish, overheated tools that wear out too soon, or parts that just won’t meet spec. In the spirit of Halloween,...
You fire up your lathe. Load your workpiece. Make the cut. And it looks like someone dragged a jackhammer across the surface. Welcome to chatter marks. The universal sign that your gibs are shot. Most machinists don't think about gibs until it's too late. They blame...
Complex machined parts often require multiple steps for turning, boring, facing and finishing for final part production or assembly. Thankfully, lathes can handle many of the different cutting processes from start to finish.
LeBlond engineers made one catastrophic material choice in the 1960s. Nylon seemed perfect for servo shift components. They were dead wrong. Every machine owner has been paying for it ever since. That clicking sound coming from your Regal? It's nylon disintegrating at...
Your K.O. Lee tool and cutter grinder is a precise monster of a machine. It's built to sharpen end mills, cut gears and handle demanding tooling work day after day. But like any workhorse, it needs the right parts to keep performing. When critical components...
Complex machined parts often require multiple steps for turning, boring, facing and finishing for final part production or assembly. Thankfully, lathes can handle many of the different cutting processes from start to finish.
A well-maintained lathe doesn’t just run better—it lasts longer, performs more accurately, and reduces downtime. Whether you’re operating a manual machine or a CNC lathe, implementing a structured maintenance routine is critical.
The manufacturing world is facing a crisis. As veteran manual machinists retire, companies are struggling to replace them. Schools eliminated manual machining from curricula for years, and now companies are paying the price. But there's a resurgence...