My last 1/8" carbide endmill broke a week or so ago so I have been using a 3/16" carbide endmill with fewer broken tragedies. I needed to use 1/8" again to make best use of a scrap 1/2" thick piece of CFC. Even 5 inches/minute was a bit much at .01" cutting depth. Fortunately, it broke right at the holder so I was able to salvage the lower half. (Now using 1 inch/minute. Slower but surer.)
I had made the part that I needed yesterday but after polishing it on the lathe is realized it was cut from a 3/8" thick piece not 1/2". So I am trying again.
The CFC extension tube is a very thin wall. Thick wall CFC tube is scarce and expensive. I need to put a thumbscrew in the wall to lock an eyepiece in place. This wall would not thread well so I have made a CFC ring with a 1.6" diameter and a 1.345" interior hole to epoxy onto the CFC extension tube. Then I can tap this 1.6" diameter assembly to get a nice thread for the thumbscrew with a similar appearance to the extension tube.
UPDATE: This was the first attempt at the ring. When first out of the mill, it was a bit too small. I bored it in the lathe just a bit too large
Here you can see it has cut the 1.345" ID hole into which the extension tube goes. Now it is cutting a 1.60" OD circle
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