From: Peter J. Thomas <pjthomas@ntplx.net>
>Is there any way to turn a brake rotor at home? I don't have any
>specific metal working tools, but I do have some wood working and home
>repair tools, drill press, bench and angle grinder, sliding table, etc.
You need a metal-cutting lathe. You want to be able to fixture the disk so
that it will rotate exactly as it does on the car. Then a cutting tool is
run across the disc perpendicular to the axis. In machinists parlance, this
is called "facing". The procedure for drum brakes is called "boring". Both
can be done on a lathe with a large enough swing to accommodate the disk or
drum.
Automotive workers call both these procedures "turning". Most commonly,
this work is done not by machinists, but by car-parts workers trained to
operate a dedicated machine called a "brake lathe".
Not sure why you want to try this at home.
First, what makes you think the rotor needs turning?
IMHO, many times rotors are turned when they don't need it.
By the same token, many rotors which tend to warpage will have a worse
tendency to warp after they have been turned. Turning them is false
economy, as they will "potato chip" even faster after the repair. New
rotors is the answer for these cars.
Second, what makes you think the local car-parts shop can't do the job at a
good price?
Phil Ethier Saint Paul Minnesota USA
1970 Lotus Europa, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Chev Suburban
LOON, MAC
pethier@isd.net http://www.visi.com/mac/
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