Last night’s turning experiments with aluminum on the lathe went much better than before, primarily because I tightened up the gibs on the cross-slide (thanks, again, go to Walter). Turns out they should be just a bit tighter than you think to ensure there’s no play. I thought they were tight, but when I brought a toolbit up to the workpiece, it would deflect a few thousandths of an inch and end up bouncing a little bit. The finish I was left with was uneven and almost pitted. Last night’s cuts, however, were smooth and even. Woohoo!

My 4 jaw chuck is coming in the mail today (at least that’s what the UPS site says) – thanks Mom & Dad for the early birthday present! It looks like I’ll need to make an adaptor plate. The folks at work have offered to help, and it seems like a really good project to get better acquainted with the (big, nice) milling machine at work.

I lost my hat, but I guess it’s a good excuse to make myself one. Look for pictures soon (hopefully really soon since it’s been pretty cold of late).