After a few attemps to find a affordable drag engraver the cheapest I could find ready to buy was 345.00. So I gave up on that ideal a while ago. Next I was reading an article in Digital Machinist although good I dont have a lathe and dont think I would use one often enough to buy it (Although it might become an edition to the shop) and I would need someone to teach me how to use it.

In the end I just bought a cheap carbide tip from Here (http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PARTPG=INLMKD&PMPXNO=940873&PMAKA=383-1132)

Next was 3.00 of .75 6061 alu from local supplier.

Chucked it up into a 3/4 collet and this is where we are so far. Im having alittle trouble making a nice tight fit but I think I have it down now. I wasnt thinking in terms of dividing half of what I want to cut off. So I ended up with loose fits. No biggy I could make 6 of these with the amout of stock I purchased.

Now that I know alittle more than nothing about turning I figured I would do a writeup on it if you guys are interested. Might even put a few videos up. So let me know and I will get to work. I am looking to be done with this by next weekend if all the supplies come in on time like springs and engraving bits. Now for the pictures.

Very cool, I look forward to seeing this finished. About the aluminum though, isn't that a bit soft and won't it "gall" with movement?

I was in the same boat you are and posted this thread a little while ago about a very cheap way to go using a micro tapping guide with a hardened tip and it's still working perfectly:

http://cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57555

I was thinking the same thing that it would be too soft. But the author of the article made his out of brass! If this works out nice I will probably try it out on cold rolled. Your thread infact got the wheels turning again. I just wanted something that I could replace the bits and maybe make it able to spin.