I had some junk half-shafts around and cut the axles out before scrapping the CV joints. Languished under the bench for a while but recently I had a fixture that I wanted to make from something other than HR mild steel. Whatever the axle part is made of does not like to be turned in my lathe! HSS tool struggles to bite. With enough pressure it will, but then the tool glows red pretty quick and it's game over. I had some negative rake holders with flat carbide inserts that I don't care about (no top relief, no chip breaker) and they will cut with enough pressure, but it pulls a bright red glowing ribbon of material off and eventually burns out the corner of the insert. Tried various feeds 'n speeds but always the same; if it cuts, it pulls a red hot chip.
I've kind of given up on the idea of using this material for my fixture (it needs a thread cut too) but I do wonder what kind of steel and heat treating those axles go through.
Now that I write this, I recall a similar experience trying to turn a piece of a big torsion bar way back -- something both tough and hard. I could see an argument that they need to have similar physical properties.
I've kind of given up on the idea of using this material for my fixture (it needs a thread cut too) but I do wonder what kind of steel and heat treating those axles go through.
Now that I write this, I recall a similar experience trying to turn a piece of a big torsion bar way back -- something both tough and hard. I could see an argument that they need to have similar physical properties.
