How to Skim a Disc Brake with a DIY Lathe Fixture (resurfacing fix)

[@mikereynolds3213]

Excellent process used. We live in a 'throw away world' and the art of engineering is slowly dying off, however, as seen in this video the working life of a brake disc can be extended if engineered correctly. The obvious benefits are less cost when compared to a new disc, less waste and the feeling of job satisfaction. It's a pity other people don't appreciate the process and skill used to engineer the discs as shown here. In summary, good explanations of the process used and the most critical point is that the process makes the car safer to drive

[@FloweringElbow]

Thanks for the encouragement Mike, means a lot 😀

[@williamdavidson9009]

Yes I hate to see brake discs and stuff being trashed just because the have a few rings of rust on them. If you have the skills this is a great thing to do.

[@TonyRule]

It's not "dying off". It's simply adapting to the commercial realities. We've actually never had so much engineering before as we have today.

[@MrEst1953]

Discs are ground not turned .. look up why .

[@MrEst1953]

ThIs is garbage, new ones cheap and guaranteed 12 mouths went not fitted by a clown.

[@OwenMyhill]

I’m about to embark on similar, but my lathe is much too small. Fortunately I have a decent sized mill that I’ve just trued up the ways on, so making an arbor to mount in a BT40 facemill arbor will be this week’s job on the lathe. And for those saying it’s a cheap part, it isn’t if you buy rotors that are made from decent metal, these stop much better even when warped/hot spotted and are worth resurfacing.

[@perspicator5779]

a lot of work for an inexpensive replacement park but much respect for your initiative and resourcefulness!

[@Jack-qn4vt]

Side note, a lot of disc's have the min thk printed somewhere on the disc

[@SwiftlyGuyver_]

I work as a machinist and I see nothing wrong here. Nice job on the resurfacing!!

[@michelgrenier1878]

Was also thinking of building an adapter for this , But I found a way to do this on the lathe ,The center hole is clamped on the outside jaws of a 3 jaw chuck and indicated with a dial gauge , resurface the face then turn the large diameter in the rotor "this is for a true surface with the turned rotor face at 90 degrees for clamping in the chuck " Then turn the rotor to complete using the outside jaws and indicate then resurface . Works well for me !

[@FloweringElbow]

Not a bad process. I just wanted to dial indicate as little as possible - lazy ;)

[@bernieanderson8118]

Wicked cool British Made Steel Big Blue Shop vice in video! No doubt made of melted down bits of Surplus WW2 Enfield MK3's and recycled bumpers of old Austins! I could tell it was English because of the Embossed printing on the side!Also if you look Very closely the Vice is wearing a small Bowler Hat and is carrying an Umbrella! "Ripper" Video ! Cheers Mate!

[@FloweringElbow]

Good day Bernie. Thanks for the perceptive comment. As you say the vice is dam cool.. I hadn't noticed the embossed design details as well as you! Peace, Bongo.

[@moonolyth]

Hah! The first thing I noticed too damn awesome vice... Looks like a tank. I'm jealous.😂.

[@billmacfarlane4083]

Excellent video! If I could add my 0.02c worth. When you're running the lathe tool across the face of the disc you are essentially introducing a 'thread' or spiral like pattern to the surface. When the brake pads are applied they will try to 'screw' into (or out from) the center. This can cause squealing until the the discs burnish in again - sometimes they keep squealing. I've adapted a home made chuck grinder with a 3" sanding disc attached and finish the brake disc face with an omnidirectional pattern - sort of a hone finish. That seems to fix the issue.

[@JDSly1]

I clamped mine backwards in a 4-jaw chuck and trued them up with my indicator on the inside mounting surface. I was then able to turn both sides without having to take the disc out and turn it around.

[@prawny12009]

a used hub flange can be used to bolt the disc to the lathe Even a new one would be cheap enough to invest in as a tool for resurfacing discs, you could add extra pcd patterns and use spigot rings to centre other discs.

[@petermetaxas9696]

Great video, especially when the cat makes an appearance. When making the final light (finishing) cut, how did you know that the lathes tool slide (compound rest) is 90`deg to the lathe axis?

[@FloweringElbow]

Hi Peter, thanks for watching friend. I didn't know the compound was square, but I wasn't using that to make the cut, but the lathe's cross slide that should be fairly well fixed at 90 to the bed of the lathe.

[@willwade1101]

As a machinist in the navy, I often resurfaced both discs and drums for the command vehicles. I made a jig for doing both sides of the disc without having to remove the disc insuring both sides were parallel.

[@FloweringElbow]

Hi Will. Thanks for sharing... I couldn't quite work out how to do both sides at once using the smallish cross slide.

[@willwade1101]

@@FloweringElbow I had the luck of being able to choose from a 5" lathe all the way up to a 48" gap lathe so don't feel bad if you are limited. Keep up the good work and always think safety. In my experience it's not the operator that gets hurt the most but those around them. I was taught never to remove my hand from the chuck ky until ot was out of the chuck, preferably back in the holder provided for it. On our lathes that was usually a piece of angle with a hole in it bolted somewhere on the bed.

[@FloweringElbow]

@@willwade1101 thanks for this. A really good safety tip I plan to implement- a simple chuck key holder...

[@billgaytes6845]

Loved your idea and video. Made my own arbor like yours and now my brake discs are no longer throw away items. Saving the planet bit by bit.

[@neo61uk]

This could be easily done on 3 jaw chuck without the need of spending hours making fixtures etc. Just put it in a Lathe and clock the hub surface true and skim the disk. Then turn round and clock the surface you just turned and skim other side. Done. Just done it last night on 3 jaw Lathe. Took me 20 minutes and all vibration under braking is gone now.

[@pumpikqq_-rm1uz]

yeah i didnt really understand why he made that whole thing either

[@richardbuchli4071]

I can beat that Martin. The best way I have found to turn these is to chuck a piece of steel tubing, 3 to 4 inches in diameter with a wall thickness at least a 1/2" to 3/4" thickness, face it off, put the outside of the brake rotor up to it and run a bull nose center up to it. Then you can take both cuts in one set up and avoid the risk of rotor runout from multiple setups. 😉

[@CapablePimento]

lots of critical comments like all KZbin video's. I, for one, appreciate your effort and thank you for the video. I intend to do the same thing, it was good to see someone else's approach.

[@FloweringElbow]

Thanks friend. Good luck!

[@ChrisKyriakides]

Good job! Not sure if it’s been mentioned elsewhere but it may prove of value to mark/spray a thin layer of say red paint on the low-point (or even over the entire surface of the disc if the low-points and concentrical over the entire surface). That way (as you are skimming more and more across the entire surface of the disc with each pass) it should serve as a visual indicator as the paint mark will progressively disappear. You should be able to see the paint even when the disc is rotating at speed; when you have skimmed low enough to approach the low-point by then the paint would have almost disappeared completely. At that stage you will then have to rely on your micrometer to measure how close you are to being done. In effect it should speed up the beginning part of the skimming process with less risk of accidentally over-skimming between measurements. I hope this proves of value.

[@garyelkhorn2116]

Dear Friend, I have done something similar to this that you show but only to remove heavy rust scale, however, To give good service life the surface must be made smooth like a ground surface. The surface you leave will not stop well and tear- up the linings/pads and shorten the service life.

[@kkuenzel56]

Holy cow! That is a lot of time and effort to resurface your rotors! Most garages or auto parts stores will resurface your rotors for a nominal fee. However, as a former mechanic, we generally would replace rotors with the pads because they are relatively inexpensive and helps insure the brake job won't come back on you because of a pulsation in the brake pedal. Besides, we recycled all of our scrap metals.

[@hellfireclub86]

Kitty doing the final inspection is golden.

[@willywgb]

Most brake discs rotors have the minimum thickness cast into them in a area that is not important. Sometimes very hard to find depending on the amount of rust they have. Otherwise like you said, check with automotive dealer. Good job. Been watch a bunch of your videos and enjoying them very much. Keep up the good work. Cheers Willy

[@186scott]

Most of the time it is cast on the outside edge of the disc

[@richardbuchli4071]

No disrespect here but I do have a suggestion. I have turned rotors almost the same way you do. You had me till after you faced off the steel tubing. Lol. I also chuck a piece of steel tubing in the lathe and face it off but then, I put the outside of the rotor up to it and run a bull nose live center up to it to hold it in place. And it's also centered up. Then you can take both cuts in the same setup and avoid rotor runout from multiple setups. Hope this helps. 👍

[@ebutuoyebutouy]

U a genius. Fm

[@joshuaklingensmith7843]

Thanks for the video. Way better than just mounting it in on my 3 jaw chuck

[@princesunnyboy]

This is the correct way to do it on a standard lathe if you don't have access to a brake lathe👍

[@SMOKEY-JAYS-DIESEL]

Awesome work! I enjoy building stuff out of garbage. We do live in a throwaway world, even the people are throw away nowadays lol 🤣🤣🤣

[@markhill9912]

Hello sir, your video was interesting to watch and do some learning from! We had a longtime family friend who was a mechanic, machinist and tool maker at his home shop his entire life. If he didn't have the tool, he made it! Unfortunately, he passed away several years ago but the memories of his shop, work and spending time around him will last forever. I'm curious, what is the size of your lathe? I'm getting ready to purchase one for my shop and don't want to spend the big money only to find out that I didn't do my homework and ended up buying a tool that's not large enough to fabricate or repair pieces on. I'd definitely like the lathe to have the ability to turn automotive rotors on but will use it for ATV and ATC parts. Thank you!!

[@tonylam9548]

That is a lot of machining just to make an adapter to fit one car. I know a good shop, with a brake lathe, another friend of mine gave me a set of spare rotors, and I had them machined for 15 pounds each. New rotors will be 50,60 pounds each. Normally, I do not even bother to machine them, if you get to the brakes before it went metal to metal. The ridge where the pads do not touch, I just remove it with a hand grinder.

[@---rb3hz]

Hey. I'm a noob, but I'm curious to find out why you did not think it was necessary to resurface the internal hat surface, that which makes contact with the hub. Thanks!

[@FloweringElbow]

Hi -- . It was some time ago now, but I believe I was using that as the master reference surface, I was cutting all other faces to... Hope that helps, Bongo.

[@AY-cj9kp]

Great video- what lathe u have?

[@FloweringElbow]

Good morning Alex. Thank you for getting in touch. The lathe is mad in China and is the cq6230b... Hope that helps, Bongo.

[@1dd434]

Thanks for the great video, newbie here, learning.

[@x16max60]

Well done very good video but only one think it be really nice if I could see how much is of on the Dial Test Indicator .

[@bythesea2784]

I was trying to figure out what was the problem you just now sorted the problem out for me thank you very much for your important video I'm really impressed I'll be on the case this weekend to grind my

[@michaelreeves8164]

An excellent video. It shows what can be done by a skilled person who has all the neccessary equipment. Me, I would have to go to Autozone and buy the rotors.

[@FloweringElbow]

Thanks for watching!

[@krismorey]

I was just on the local sale listings looking at lathes, I thought jeepers I'm gonna have to buy a lathe, make an adapter, nope, better head to KZbin. Perfect a DIY, haha still gotta buy a lathe and make an adapter! I was waiting for you to surface it in the back yard on an old axle spun up with a clapped out scooter. Anything specific I should look for in a lathe to do this specifically?

[@FloweringElbow]

Good day Kris. If you want to do this specifically you will need a lathe with enough 'swing' (room between the ways and the spindle centre). But really there are tons of other things to look for in a lathe - check for play everywhere ;) Good luck :D

[@MF175mp]

You can replace the bolt by pushing a plate against the disc with a live center. Only need to turn the register diameter and face, I use old engine pistons for that. If you mark the orientation, it can even be rechucked in a 3 jaw chuck and still run true enough.

[@CXensation]

Good job ! Now where do I find an affordable lathe ... And where to place it ... ?

[@dkaloupis75]

What o profitable forward thought! You are a genius as the creator of this video!

[@Michael-fw5ef]

You remind me of Wil E Coyote. Spends $25,000 on equipment to catch a bird that is worth about $50. Just joking. I am impressed with your equipment and talent. Cheers.

[@deebee3901]

Bloody awesome! Thanks mate. Cheers from Australia!

[@635Flash]

The minimum rotor thickness is stamped on it.

[@FloweringElbow]

I didn't see it anywhere though it may have been corroded. Or did you see it in the video? If so I've missed it completely .

[@635Flash]

I didn't see it on the video. It's usually stamped on the circumference.

[@gregobrien6621]

Not always. But you can usually find it the workshop manual or do a Google search

[@bryanford1139]

@@FloweringElbow Usually it's embossed, not stamped(sometimes in the "HAT" area, or on the outside diameter). That being said, a lot of new cars are coming thru with "disposable" or, 1 time use brake rotors. Older stuff, or 4wd stuff has apx .090" for "use" The manufacturers intend for the first set of pads to wear off apx .030", the re-surfacing to take apx .030", and the last .030" for the 2nd set of pads before needing replacement of the rotor. Usually once you go under that MIN size, you'll get the dreaded warpage(pedal pulsating under foot or, steering wheel shimmying to and fro)........my 2 pennies

[@FloweringElbow]

Good day Bryan, thanks for sharing this useful info ;)

[@cfitzgduke]

Impressive skils, but really worth it for the average DIYer? Rube goldberg machine comes to mind.

[@MLFranklin]

This is very logical and straightforward. I have a crazy suggestion. Do you think you could make a 3D printed fixture to spin the rotor and then do the cleaning with a rigidly mounted but lightly cutting angle grinder?

[@FloweringElbow]

Cool idea! I guess consideration would be needed to make the 3d print rigid enough...

[@bilaltariq7819]

Why not keep the disc on the axle and use that to turn it?

[@peterroff8527]

its ok do all the work on the disc what happens if the hub has run out.had it before my self.

[@FloweringElbow]

Not sure... not experienced that one, thankfully.

[@MrFriedley]

Thanks for the video very nice. Quick question do you resurface the pads that you are reusing if so how?

[@FloweringElbow]

I didn't reuse the pads. I had new ones... I would recommend new pads if you do the rotors.

[@delschier1419]

Well done video! I own a lathe big enough to do this but I think I will just get new rotors. I have resurfaced the brake rotors for my airplane but those were small disks that didn't need any fixture to mount them in the three jaw chuck.

[@joedell71]

Great idea. And thanks for mentioning that some disks aren’t made to be resurfaced today. Always google the disk and see if it’s resurfaceable.

[@DrivelineMaster]

I'm assuming you have never heard of a brake lathe that is not only designed to do this but also comes with pre-made adapters. The time it took to make the adapters and resurface or Skim as you called it is unrealistic. Might as well purchase new rotors. The other problem is the hub on the car could have runout. The best method is to use an on the car lathe like the ProCut. It also didn't do any good to skim the surface where the wheel mounts but more importantly would have been to skim the surface where the rotor mounts to the wheel hub.

[@FloweringElbow]

Have heard of a brake lathe, I just don't have one. Sometimes it's nice to work with the tools at your disposal...

[@brianhoppersr.3671]

Well done! Now you have a possible extra source of income from turning brake disks! Smart thinking!

[@johnhili8664]

After machining the first part you could have turned the other side with a left hand side tool with out turning the disc and like that you will be 100% sure the faces are parallel thats how I do it never had any problems!!!!

[@FloweringElbow]

Good afternoon John. Thanks for this. I have a question though, do you have a very large capacity lathe? For me the carriage won't fit past the brake rotor as it only just fits on without touching the ways...

[@JayJay-de8vq]

We always buffed over the rotor with a surfacing disc on and air tool after it was cut and still spinning to give a semi non directional finish to help seat the new pads.

[@JayJay-de8vq]

I like your setup nice job! I want to get a regular lathe, I only have access to the type for doing rotors and drums and its very limited being a shaft mount style and not a jaw vise style although I have rigged up somethings on it to machine besides rotors and drums but it is difficult.

[@noppaplays9418]

This was an awesome and informative video, keep it up!

[@FloweringElbow]

Thanks so much Noppa Plays!

[@furyanflyer]

What size is your lathe and how big of a diameter rotor were you able to turn on your lathe?

[@mohabatkhanmalak1161]

I would certainly do this until the limit of disc. It would be a good project if you are doing up that vintage/classic vehicle and parts were not readily available - weekend project. The limit dimension is given(I think) on the disc..?? Could you do a clip on machining brake drums and clutch flywheel.

[@FloweringElbow]

Good morning Mohabat, thanks for your comment. Alas, I don't have a vehicle with drum brakes, and have yet to need to do a clutch (though that might change in the future)… I think the flywheel usually lasts through a few clutch kits on my little vw caddy van. I'm on clutch #3 so wont rule it out at some point... I don't recon it would fit on my lathe though - without taking out the gap ways at least. Thanks again, Bongo.

[@DJNANNU559]

very hard work and very skillfully

[@greasemantexas9159]

I miss being a Machinist and performing this type of work. I'm in Info Technology now but eventually will buy me a lather and would like to start making money turning parts for profit

[@FloweringElbow]

Good luck !

[@greasemantexas9159]

@@FloweringElbow thanks !

[@privatepilot4064]

Now, all I need is a metal lathe. And a welder.

[@GdaySport]

Think I'll have to leave this to the professionals who will probably charge me more than the cost of new discs hence why most people bin the old and replace with new.

[@digitalacid]

Its not only the tools involved for this Job but the Time it takes to do it. Most discs average £25 a side.... Its not worth my time to do it when the delivery driver can get here almost as fast.

[@acquacow]

@@digitalacid My rotors are $290 a pair. I plan to bring in a stack of used ones to a shop and see if I can get a bulk discount. The majority of the time is setting up the tools to machine one... once that is done, the other 6 or 8 should go quickly.

[@ranjah76]

Nicely done. Ive watched too many people go about doing this all wrong. Loved your fixture and actually referencing off of the correct surface.

[@alvinlacefield1566]

All lathe bearings have some play it varies a double adjustable cutter system assures accuracy of equal variances of the lathe bearings,so if it's off it will still be equal to both sides perfectly,and no humpty hump

[@FloweringElbow]

Good evening Alvin. Thanks, you make a good point. In an ideal world you would cut both sides at once. On my lathe there is no room to fit the cross slide between the rotor and the lathe ways though. Happy new year.

[@IndianTruckWorkshop]

Great work buddy 👍👍

[@FloweringElbow]

Thanks 👍

[@IndianTruckWorkshop]

@@FloweringElbow welcome 🙂

[@philippe94416]

I much prefer the on car resurfacing. Because it cancels the imperfections of the wheel hub too. With new ceramic pads, hybrids and electrics, rotor wear is not a big problem anymore. 150 000 km on my W202 c class, with just half worn ceramics pads, rot wear being less than 0.2mm the car will be junked before another rotor change. 500 000 km pads/rotor on hybrids is common. Regenerative braking is more than enough for most normal driving on flat land. Brakes are now mostly for emergency braking. As for the price, just don't buy them from the dealer, there are much cheaper and better ones for most cars. Go for low dust low wear ceramic pads they might be more expensive but the last way longer to more than compensate (I experienced ATE's and EBC)

[@SwapPartLLC]

I have the old wheel hubs from when I did the rear bearings on my 03 mountaineer. If I had a lathe, they would be perfect as a fixture for turning rotors.

[@FloweringElbow]

nice idea SwapPart!

[@garthgee1561]

A relatively simple operation made very complicated and not a great result. From a former brake specialist. GG.

[@rogeronslow1498]

I noticed that the surface finish of the disc after skimming wasn't smooth. I've found in the past that this rough finish eats the new pads rather quickly until they polish the disc.

[@kestiz2077]

But brakes loose friction when they get polished.

[@rogeronslow1498]

@@kestiz2077 The disc ideally should be slightly rough so new pads bed in fairly quickly. After that they ideally should be smooth. The energy is dissipated as heat regardless of the roughness of the disc.

[@elisancere3578]

I liked the fixture! The biggest problem I fight on the lathe are harmonics. Seem like a rigid fixture would help alot.

[@bryanford1139]

Cut both faces at once(2 tools), that's how an actual brake lathe does it....and it uses a big rubber band around the outside diameter to reduce harmonic vibration......

[@jeremybaker6469]

is a brake lathe the same as a resurfacing

[@NickSklias]

Yes.

[@dudleycornman1624]

These days I guess most rotors are blanchard ground, instead of turned. But turned worked for decades and I see no reason it won't give acceptable results now.

[@adamcg86]

What speed and feed did you decide to go with?

[@FloweringElbow]

Hi Adam, thanks for the question. Not 100% sure but think I was going about 200rpm for for first cuts and 50 for final skim. About 0.04mm/rev ... it worked but may have been way slower than necessary? Cheers, Bongo.

[@sdpupsdad]

Ahhh, wooly pully sweater. Who does that!? Great video ...helpful. S/F

[@petertyrrell6690]

I am retired and I have time but little money. I am fortunate to have a 16" lathe with a large four jaw chuck and have successfully resurfaced my brake rotors many times. Initially, I set up the rotor by holding it in my chuck and indicating off the inside face of the rotor (the face that clamps to the wheel hub); I then machine everything parallel to this. I like your idea better. Once the jig is made up, it would be much faster to set up and get the job done. I do have a question. When you face off the the rotor hub before you flip it around and clamp it, there will be a raised area that you can't machine because the clamping disk is in the way. The raised area will prevent the machined face from touching the jig when you flip it. I am missing something, right? Did you machine the jig to except the unmachined raised area? I hope I am being clear. Thanks for sharing.

[@FloweringElbow]

Peter, thanks for the comment. I think I get the question... The outer nut and dist of the fixture, that clamps the brake rotor on, is onto an indented surface anyway. That is to say, that surface that is covered up, and therefore cant be skimmed, doesn't actually make contact, and is slightly inset - at least on my disk brakes... As you say, once setup, you can actually do four disks quite quickly. Loads quicker than dialing with a four jaw chuck each time you flip it. Cheers, Bongo.

[@ludvigbengtsson9651]

I work at a VW workshop in Sweden. If the brake disc is bad we throw it away, but its because we dont have a lathe, and still the cost of the labour would still exceed the cost of brand new discs. We cost about 2000 SEK + 25% tax an hour wich i think is about 170 dollars an hour + tax. But if you have a lathe and you either have it as a hobby or a really low labour cost its probably worth it depending on how bad the disc is. I have actually taken a few throwaway discs from work to use as training material on my own small hobby lathe.

[@bobcat8439]

I use an angle grinder and I leave the rotor right on the front i spin it and then the grinder keeps it turning

[@SuperHooverdam]

I used to turn brake rotors and drums when I was a kid at my dads auto repair shop. They just don’t make them like they used to. Pads have become more reliable with so many different types, but it’s so much cheaper to just buy new rotors and pads no Adams for what shops charge to turn them.

[@johndef5075]

My 09 Mazda 5 was making horrible noises from front end. And slight shaking. The rotors had a ridge of rust built up on outside and inside of pad edge. Just cleaning that off from rotor got rid of 90% of noise and no shaking.

[@mikewong5888]

Appreciate the skill and ingenuity involved; however, if you need to pay a mechanic to do this, the time involved will cost far more than buying replacement rotors. It’s simple economics based on the cost of labor.

[@FloweringElbow]

Hi Mike, I agree with you. Unless you both enjoy the process and can do it your self, it doesn't make economic sense.

[@mikewong5888]

FloweringElbow But it sure looks like fun! Wish I had a shop like yours 👍

[@FloweringElbow]

Thanks Mike. Your not wrong :D

[@canofbeer99]

A face plate would be a lot quicker and useful for lots of other jobs .Worth looking out for one to fit your lathe if you don't already own one.

[@jeffreyplumber1975]

better yet a brake lathe

[@whiggerhunter4268]

As always people want to make things complicated. Simply jack up the front of the car, remove everything except the rotors. Brace the steering wheel with a 2x4, now start the engine and hold down the pedal until you see the speedometer reach 100 mph. Hold the peda downl with a piece of wood. Safety first, wear heavy duty glove and eye protection. Attach sand paper to a flat surface and press against the rotor firmly, do this repeatedly until you have a smooth surface. Turn off engine flip the rotors repeat the process.

[@rahrah8076]

You could also get the brake rotor flex hone to use after you turned them

[@martinw9425]

Bravo job very well done. and thanks from a environementalist, my disc always serves me 3 sets of pad.

[@FloweringElbow]

Hay Martin, Thanks for this. As a fellow environmentalist, I would love to hear any feedback on my latest vid on the diesel to veg oil van conversion

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

good when you disk cost 450$ each. Problem I have is the disk dont last as long as the pads on 2 of my vehicules.

[@FloweringElbow]

That's unusual! Maybe it's a really hard pad compound?

[@Nordic_Mechanic]

@@FloweringElbow no, it's the winter and salt coupled with very large brakes that you barely need to touch to slow down. Im not hard on brakes on top of that so the metal just rust from the inside out and starts losing chunks. The disk dont get thin, they explode from rust before half my pads are gone.

[@advancednutritioninc908]

I appreciate your work and your idea to recycle!! But I don't have a $3000 lathe and can afford to buy one to save $25-40 USD for a rotor. :) I LIKED!! the video!

[@koliloaloa]

Rich, being cast iron cut dry, slow speed always preferred over coolant.

[@damianbutterworth2434]

Someone tryed to do one at work and it sounded horrible. He must of been going too fast then.

[@ericschreiber1847]

I've yet to work on anyone's car that I could even think about machining the rotors. Usually they are so rotted out or tore up you'll just waste time trying to save them. I just did a coworkers ford and I had to heat and beat the rotors to get them off. Needless to say they aren't usable again.

[@lkkjhtemmexv1838]

If you really know what are you doing, if you are a machnist, a professional, no problem in reusing.

[@GaryRowlands]

This sounds very like the cars in my life.

[@clivewilliams1406]

Modern non-asbestos pads wear discs out at a horrible rate such that often when the pads are worn out so are the discs. If you have a warped or grooved disc then you have probably not maintained the braking system properly and if you bought it as such then a complete overhaul is due. Usually, there is minimal material left to be able to true up any run out and to have acceptable disc life left. Also, the cost of machining the disc totally outweighs the price of new discs. Skimming discs is purely an academic exercise not a practical one.

[@ChrisBrown-dy8ts]

clive williams I skim quite a few discs at work , usually large grooved /drilled discs off sports cars, sometimes off trucks n tractors. Usually takes 45mins /1hr too skim a pair depends on how thick they are, thin ones can “ring” a lot so need to slow the speed down.

[@williegillie5712]

Christian Brown try stretching a rubber strap all the way around the outside of the center of the disc while surfacing it. That will minimize the sound and reduce vibrations

[@williegillie5712]

The reason people replace their rotors is because it’s only a few dollars more to buy them then it is to resurface them. The two other issues are 1) after resurfacing them they become thinner which in itself can cause warping of the disc 2) the spaces between both surfaces are there to dissipate the heat from the friction of braking. They become rusted and can’t dissipate the heat which can also cause warping of the disc. Usually each rotor is stamped with the minimum thickness they must have to be useable. Better off tossing them and buying a cheap set of new ones if you ask me. I do like your setup you designed for turning your rotors. Pretty resourceful.

[@jack_da_niels]

Totally agree. In addition these discs are your only option to stop a car. In case of an emergency brake a force of about 10kN is applied to all 4 discs (1,5t car, 60->0mph) - and usually they are not just thrown away the metal is recycled. I'm not even going to touch how your insurance might think about it.

[@jeffreyplumber1975]

id take turned rotors over new made in china

[@williegillie5712]

@@jeffreyplumber1975 I’ve never had any troubles with new brake discs. Old ones tend to warp because of the rust that usually fill the holes for cooling on the rotor. Turned used rotors are less efficient and prone to warping.

[@williegillie5712]

@@jeffreyplumber1975 I’ve never had a bad disc when I’ve bought the cheap ones. I’ve seen turned rotors warped more than a few times. Besides, all the time it takes to get a small portion of the rust and blockage you can’t get rid of hampers them from cooling off. For a few bucks more you get a fresh disc. Makes a lot more sense to me and I’ve been doing it for 30 years. That’s gotta say something right?

[@ianwright40]

I assume this is your workshop at home... This is a hobby, a pastime or a way of saving money. Then good for you. If you are trying to make money you may have a way to go. There are better ways of doing it but the result was good, you enjoyed it and you saved a few quid.

[@FloweringElbow]

Spot on.

[@dkaloupis75]

The bottom line is as follows 35£ for electric-Mig consumables-wear and tear plus his labour-minus 27£ for a set of new discs= Loss 40..i still cannot see any win win here...

[@ianwright40]

Cheaper than a night out and he enjoys it.

[@dcgo44r]

@@dkaloupis75 true for one application, but just three times and he is coming ahead by far, let alone peace of mind and being done the right way "by yourself"..plus he can help some friends and family and that is priceless!

[@dkaloupis75]

@@dcgo44r 3 times that? lol

[@kailashramjee3917]

Why haven’t you just mounted the disc directly onto the three jaw chuck?

[@FloweringElbow]

Not accurate enough.

[@koliloaloa]

I’m a retired machinist and have never turned a rotor in over 56 years but being retired and on a fixed pension am contemplating it, question, do all rotors have to be the exact same dimension?

[@monticella]

No, as long as you adhere to the min. thickness. At 11:03 you will see his thumb on the vertical surface of the "top hat" Somewhere under the rusted surface there is a stamp (min) and than a number i.e. 26mm. It is always there. It is required. If there is a difference in actual thickness, one rotor compared to another, its of no consequence. The caliper will adjust accordingly. Now tell him the chuck always should be spinning into the bit, not away. Additionally his speed was too fast for steel and he neglected to use oil :)

[@rennkafer13]

It's better to keep axle pairs within a few thou, but not that big a deal.

[@rennkafer13]

@@monticella you normally cut cast iron dry.

[@rennkafer13]

Also he was turning the rotor the correct direction (into the bit). It can look otherwise on video at times.

[@1wadesdad]

I admire your resourcefulness. Should work fine. Not for everybody, but completely acceptable process.

[@james10739]

I thought generally the disk has the minimum thickness stamped into it

[@rogerrascal8632]

yes they do, usually 1" min on the front discs

[@muhammadnaseer1507]

Nice sir

[@bentompkins]

Did it work ok? Did you get any brake pedal movement from runout? I like the fixture 👍

[@FloweringElbow]

Thanks Benjamin , have been running for a good 2000miles now and zero discernible runout - brakes are smooth as, so feel pleased really. :)

[@lkkjhtemmexv1838]

you dont ask stupid things, you ask for the mesurement of the run out.

[@lkkjhtemmexv1838]

stop thinking

[@rudynegrete5658]

Extremely rough cut, and no vibration dampening?

[@FloweringElbow]

Hi Rudy, thanks for the comment. It didn't seem too rough at the time, but maybe - I have little experience cutting cast iron. What would you recommend to dampen vibration? Thanks again, Bongo

[@rudynegrete5658]

@@FloweringElbow Ammco makes various sized silencer bands with lead weights to dampen vibration or you could possibly make your own with bicycle or car tire tubes. (It's just like a large rubber band) Also you would need a dampener sleeve, silencer anti vibration adapter where you thread in nut to bolt to secure disc rotor.

[@FloweringElbow]

@@rudynegrete5658 thanks for this, its very interesting to me. I like the idea of making my own damper / silencer a lot. Might give it a go. Thanks again, Bongo.

[@woodway11]

Keeping this as an example, the next time my electricity drops out I'll just pop on down and buy myself a nuclear power plant and make my own electricity from now on.

[@cat02791]

Very informative. Thanks.

[@magmyk]

What is an acceptable axial runout in your opinion? Going to skim a set of discs for rust, not runout. Once ive clamped it where the one side of the disc hit rests on the chuck i had about 0.1mm runout on the other surface. I dont have the time to make a fixture etc, but im able to mount both sides in my lathe due to its size.

[@albertrimando6408]

this is the most accurate brake disk skimming ived ever seen so far..

[@cfcman1975]

Great video 👍👍, thank you

[@roberthamm9304]

A bit of advice for machining your own brake rotors/discs, make sure you get the brake rotor/disc machining tolerances BEFORE you machine them. BEWARE, if you machine too much material off, you can cause a loss of stopping power or COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE, which will result in severe bodily injury or a tragic fatality. So do your research before attempting this type of machine work.

[@Rolingmetal]

Looks like your making this a very complicated job. But what do I know I never turned anything bigger than 10cm on my lathe. You're result is great and that's what matters.

[@FloweringElbow]

Maybe I am over complicating my description. Essentially all I am doing though is chucking up a mini face-plate (the fixture) that can be trued to the lathe and then bolting each brake rotor to it.

[@shade38211]

I use a grinder , while rotors are on vehicle . Not sure if just shitter cast or always had so many inclusions , but fixed about ten over the years. Just lift and block front end , take caliber a off and wire tie for support. Can manually spin and grind or let car idle as you grind high spots. Not saying it's best method, but saved my father in laws 700-880 US by grinding his front rotor . Shop would swap out both and add brakes and time.

[@allenhanford]

I think the job is less precision-critical than you're making it, but that's what machinists do.

[@radekwaniewski5465]

Hi, after resurfacing surfaces of the discs, you should resurface the hub to clean, shiny metal and the inside disc contact surface with hub, now is done half wrong way. You may experience something wrong with brakes, such as beating brake pedal ... Greetings :)

[@grishasquortsoff5296]

Hub contact area has a cone shape 0.003-0.035 mm that you had ground off. Think please why disc manufacturer designed a part this way?

[@BillyDocWalker]

It’s a lot easier to leave the rotor on the vehicle and just use a grinding disk on a angle grinder and one should always mike the thickness of the rotor to make sure it is within safety limits which is stamped in the rotor hub most of the time

[@dieselstreet8057]

complete waste of time!

[@CHIBA280CRV]

Fantastic job sir thanks

[@FloweringElbow]

Hey thanks Jogo!