How I Make a Brass Component

Figure 1 – Raw Brass

This is how a brass component starts out: as a raw piece of brass (figure 1).  In this case I chose a 1 1/4 inch diameter rod and cut a short piece off with the bandsaw.

Figure 2 – In Lathe	Figure 3 – Knurling	Figure 4 – Shaping

In figure 2 I have started turning it in the lathe. This is a small Taige lathe that is very good for freehand turning – by cranking the cross-feed hand-wheel and main hand-wheel simultaneously.

The piece will be an adjustment knob and I want the edge to be textured or "knurled" for grip and for looks.  In figure 3 you see the knurling tool pressing grooves into the outer edge. A lot of pressure is needed and it is hard to prevent it from misbehaving on the little Taige lathe – turning the tool post or dragging the work-piece out of the chuck.  I now use a larger Craftex 6000 lathe for knurling.

Figure 5 – Shaping	Figure 6 – Tapping	Figure 7 – Other End

The curve of the cutting tool that you see in figure 5 I made on the grindstone.  You can see the cutting tool at work in figure 6.

The knob will drive a threaded shaft in and out.  In figure 6, I am tapping (i.e. threading) the hole that the shaft will run through.

I "part it off" (i.e. sever it from it's base gripped by the chuck) and then flip it in the chuck (figure 7) to work on the other end.

Figure 8 – Finished	Figure 9 – Destination	Figure 10 – In Place

While it is still in the lathe I sand it and use super-fine steel wool to polish it.  Then it is done (figure 8).

If you look at the optical theatre you can see it at the back of the image-plate.  A threaded rod runs through it and is attached to the flexible plate.  It pulls to curve the plate and pushes to flatten it. To work as intended the knob has to be "captive" in its wooden support.

The brass plate with the hole in it (figure 9) is split and comes together around the groove that you see in figure 8.

Figure 10 gives a side-view of it in place.

The only things I did not design and make here are the screws that fasten the brass plate to the wood.