Machining titanium and stainless steel jewelry

Step 2 Facing off the bar stock

The first step is to cut the end of the bar stock so it's square to the length. This gives a nice clean, smooth surface for drilling. Decide how long you want the bar to be, then add maybe a mm or two and cut it off. A jewelers saw works delightfully for this.

Chuck up the piece of bar in the lathe and take some light cuts to clean up the end. I'm using a carbide insert cutting tool, fairly moderate cutting speed, and no coolant.