On Apr 24, 9:22 pm, "Jimmie D" wrote:
I want to make some fiberglass antenna parts that would probably most easily
be make by turning fiberglass rod in my lathe. Ive never done this before
and was wonder how rough fiberglass would be on the tools/lathe. I have a
piece of 1- 1/4 inch fiberglass rod I want to turn down to fit the inside
diameter of a piece of 1-1/4 inch tubing. Im thinking get a piece of square
stock and make a diposable cutting tool for this.

Jimmie

You didn't mention if it's a metal lathe or a wood lathe. If it's a
metal lathe, it should be no problem getting a good uniform diameter.
For one-off or just a few you can use either a HSS or carbide tool.
Protect the lathe parts, especially the bed, from the abrasive dust.
If you're worried about breathing the dust, keep the piece wet while
you're turning it. You probably don't need to, but you can sand the
tool marks out if you really want.

Your last sentence makes me think it may be a wood lathe. You should
be able to do ok with that too. Be careful about the tool digging in
and grabbing, of course. If you really don't want to try a standard
wood lathe tool on it, you could perhaps make one from an old (or
cheap) file; it would be a lot harder than a random piece of square
steel stock. Another possibility is a HSS metal lathe bit, mounted in
some suitable holder.

I certainly wouldn't think twice about turning fiberglass in a metal
lathe, with proper protection.

Cheers,
Tom