Cutting a Keyway

[Jerry B]

I Would Like To Know How To Cut A Keyway In A Shaft, And Cut A Keyway In A Cylinder, Jerry B Think You

[Francis]

Suggest you do a search on Google - "how to cut a keyway in a shaft"
There are several solutions listed. Method to be used depends on what tools you have available.

[Tom Martin]

It may depend on what kind of keyway you need. A keyway for a Woodruf key is cut with a Woodruf key cutter, usually in a mill, but can be done in a lathe with the proper set up. A keyway for a square or gib key is usually also cut in a mill, but can also be done in a shaper or a lathe. An internal keyway is either done with a broach, or if the hole is large enough, can be cut with a shaper, or in a milling machine or lathe used like a shaper.

[K D Redd]

Jerry,

I can do both. Give me a call neighbor.

Kent

[Sky]

speaking of keyways, im gonna be doing that myself here soon...anybody ever try to do that with a dremel? just curious.

[Tanner Remillard]

For a plain old external shaft square key, we always use the Bridgeport mills with a end mill and do it that way so you get a nice keyway with the correct depth and width. I would'nt ever recommend using a dremel, as a sloppy fit of the key will cause the keyway to wear alot faster, and could easily cause the key to come out and we all know what that could cause....... Do it the right way, and if you dont have the equipment to do so, take it to someone that can.

[Ray Freeman]

Internal keys can sometimes be done in a lathe. Put the piece to be done in the chuck and lock the chuck somehow to stop it from turning. Grind up a bit of HSS and mount it in the toolpost like a boring bar.You can traverse the carriage back and forth with the hand wheel and using the traverse shave out a few thou at a time. It works OK. You need to make sure you get the cutting tool at centre height. Its easy doing Aluminium pulleys and for steel you need a rigidly made tool.

[Douglas]

Originally Posted by Tanner Remillard

For a plain old external shaft square key, we always use the Bridgeport mills with a end mill and do it that way so you get a nice keyway with the correct depth and width. I would'nt ever recommend using a dremel, as a sloppy fit of the key will cause the keyway to wear alot faster, and could easily cause the key to come out and we all know what that could cause....... Do it the right way, and if you dont have the equipment to do so, take it to someone that can.

Not the first person to consider it.....

I've been playing around doing a lot of vice work and thought about trying to make jig. Specificaly trying to make a crude shaper to cut a key way.

I then realized this is possible but nuts!
All to prove I can spend months building a one trick tool for a job a proper machine shop could do right once....

[Sky]

so how does the lathe method work? is it pretty time consuming or does it work slicker then deer snot on a door knob?

[Ray Freeman]

Well it depends on the size of the keyway but a ally pully may take 10 minutes after its set up. A big keyway in a steel pulley will take a lot longer

[KeithW]

I just finished cutting a couple by hand on my Ajax project. My advice would be if you can find a shop to do it pay to have it done. A square 5/8" pulley and shaft keyway was about 20 hours of hand work. In order to not bugger it up you spend a lot of time measuring and removing a small amount of metal. Both must be lined up parallel very well or they can look great but the key just won't fit.

keithw

[Rick Strobel]

Am I correct in saying the keyway is in the shaft and the keyset is in the pulley/flywheel?

RickinMt.

[ozfarm]

Originally Posted by Ray Freeman

Internal keys can sometimes be done in a lathe. Put the piece to be done in the chuck and lock the chuck somehow to stop it from turning. Grind up a bit of HSS and mount it in the toolpost like a boring bar.You can traverse the carriage back and forth with the hand wheel and using the traverse shave out a few thou at a time. It works OK. You need to make sure you get the cutting tool at centre height. Its easy doing Aluminium pulleys and for steel you need a rigidly made tool.

also helps if u have a mate with a broach set

[Alan Rudd]

I remember one time, about 40 some years ago when I was about 14, I cut a 3/16 keyway in a piece of 3/4 cold roll about two inches long, with a chisel. Then cut keyway in a sprocket hub the same way. It worked perfectly. The reason I used 3/16 is because that's the size keystock I had and I found a chisel to fit it. You can do it that way, but you really have to want to. Alan

[Ray Freeman]

Originally Posted by ozfarm

also helps if u have a mate with a broach set

I do know someone with a broach setBut he seems to be more gifted at dropping heavy chrome bar on his foot than broaching keyways

[ozfarm]

well it was rather fortunate that you put your thumb between said heavy chrome shaft & your lathe bed

would have had to chase up another length of it otherwise

[Douglas]

This is a very good thread for those of use "machinery challanged".

Not the recomended course of action to try and do this kind of work by hand but lots of people here clearly have.

A lot of good ideas here, I'd like to thank all the posters

I wonder now if there should be a thread on " how to do it by hand " and just expand a little on the topic

[Ray Freeman]

For those without any metal cutting machinery I like the idea of a chisel. Some of the older tradesmen could do wonders with them. Some of the old machinery manuals have some good information on it

[Paul Schultz]

A real handy item for a machine shop is something that's rarely seen anymore, a vertical shaper head that fits on the rear boss of a Bridgeport type mill. While not capable of heavy cuts, it sure bailed me out a few times for internal keyways, internal splines, etc.

When I sold my business and retired, that was one machine I wish I'd have kept!

[Roger U]

I cut internal keyways by first grinding a tool from round HSS then mounting it in the collet of my small vertical mill and then using the quill which gives the stroking motion and indexing forward in the Y axis, a 3/16 wide keyway through 1 inch deep hole in a takes about 10 min`s after setting