Re: Shortening a Ford axle

On 11/04/2024 13:38, Leon Fisk wrote:

On Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:24:26 -0500
Snag <Snag_one@msn.com> wrote:
>
<snip>

Right now I'm considering ways
to rotate the axle while I lay a bead , uniformity is going to be the
key to ending up with a straight axle . I have a 4 RPM gear motor that I
think I can attach to the outboard end of the lathe spindle that might
work , or possibly use a battery drill attached to the countershaft .
The drill would give me speed control options ...

I used to do some production work that called for turning while
welding. Using MIG I was able to turn the items by hand. It's really
easy to speed up, slow down, stop... whereas doing this with a motor
isn't quite so intuitive🤷
>

I'd 2nd turning it by hand, it's something I've done on a number of occasions and it works well. When I've done it with a MIG I only have to concentrate on turning the piece, pulling the trigger doesn't require much thought, the result look like it was automated, it's something I make a couple of dozen at a time so the MIG torch is clamped in position and the part mounted on a simple jig for rotation with a hand crank. Stick welding was a bit more challenging as having to concentrate on turning with one hand and welding with the other but the results turned out well, if I had more than one to do I expect I would get better with each one.