For the past three weeks, I have been taking a machine shop course at The Crucible. The course covers the lathe and vertical mill. With these two tools, you can make almost anything out of metal with precision and accuracy.
Metal Lathe Anatomy
I made a pencil cup out of aluminum after two classes.
Part 1: Tube section
Face tube & chamfer both edges
Flip over and face other side, turning down to 3″ length
Bore out ID 0.313″ long and 1.697″ I.D.
Chamfer edges, debur inner edge from boring
Part 2: Hex cap
Face one side to get a reference & smooth face
Turn down 0.250″ deep, 1.698″ O.D. (This is so that the pieces get PRESSED together)
Chamfer round edge
Flip over and face other side so that the hex protrusion is the same 0.250″ thickness as the rounded part.
Part 3: Assemble
File down all 12 flat edges on the hex cap
Manually align pieces together and press together with vise.