The point at which shops stopped machining rotors was when the hourly shop rate became to high to jiustify doing it. The shop rate here is currently $115.00 per hour, so it is sadly more cost efective to toss a perfectly good rotor in the garbage than it is to machine it.
This was certainly mentioned, but the reason this is not done much anymore is because rotors are thinner than they used to be; this is to save weight which of course means better gas mileage; the easiest way to meet the ever increasing gas mileage mandates is to make lighter cars, so the parts are not rebuildable, but must be replaced at a higher cost. I would not be surprised if steel clad aluminum rotors become common place as they can reduce the weight of steel rotors by half.
I usually have my rotors resurfaced at most once before I throw 'em. But I may have to stop having it done since the last time I had a pair resurfaced, it cost $20 each. It used to be $15 for a pair…a pair…then it went up to $10 each…now it cost almost the same as brand new ones.
Rings back so many shop memories, thanks for that. I personally would have preferred listening to the lathe. The cutting was ok, not my favorite but livable.
Wow, that brought back memories of auto mechanics shop class in high school. I have lathed many a rotors and actually more drums than rotors (totally different set up). I think that if the supply chain keeps being scarce, we will see more rotors being turned rather than the more convenient step of simply being replaced (as long as the rotor has enough life left in it).
Damn if I didn't enjoy this mundane task more than any other. Funny how the rubber hooks disappeared for the "safety talk". Fastest accidents I've had were from loose articles catching in equipment. ¯\(°_o)/¯
I had this model machine in my workshop 34 years ago was a great machine back then, Unfortunately brake disk machining is not so common now days it is so much cheaper to throw a set of rotors on.
I used a brake lathe on drums and rotors in the garage when I worked in New Jersey. But that was +35 years ago ! Now all you need is a covering of dust on them and it's ready to change (it's a danger NOW!). You can double my salary and I will still refuse to work at one of those tire and muffler shops !
I don't know squat about brake lathes but, that was indeed "the good part". Also, this makes me want a wood lathe. I've never messed with lathes – I played football in high school so that took the place of shop class and my dad is/was a logger/welder/mechanic/farmer/truck driver – so I had a "shop class" for basically everything else at home – but he never cared much for woodworking/carpentry (he can do it just fine but he doesn't care for it) so, while I came into woodworking on my own, I never really got to experience lathes. I've got all manner of saws, sanders, drills/drill presses, routers, etc but I've never had a lathe. Aside from the cost, I was kind of always a bit afraid that I'd jam the bit in and the lathe would grab it and launch it out at me like a harpoon. I know that doesn't really relate back to the video but lathes are something I've been thinking about lately – I just don't have thousands of spare dollars laying around lol. At least with the wood lathes, I never understood why they're so expensive – it's basically a sideways drill press with a table and some extra parts…
Most rotors today are so cheap , they don't last long enough to turn . I have turned many rotors and drums back in the day . The only difference I see in how you do it is that I would double scribe the rotor during set up and I kept an old drill with a sanding disc to polish the rotor . The polishing helped keep the squealing down . This was when semi metallic pads were first getting popular .
i just found your channel mid-April '22 and have been binge watching …. love the content and presentation … have lost sleep and missed important life events, so, I hate your guts. JUST KIDDING!😁 seriously, very good job and keep up the good work.🔧🪛👍
Liked and Positive comment for the YouTube algorithm.
I love the time laps but you really needed the extra elevator music when you were mean saying "no elevator music for you" and it should have been some Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart elevator music, a bit of "Symphony No. 40", or "The Marriage of Figaro".
But all in all I did love the video formatting, informative and to the point yet not watching paint dry. And being completely honest I watch almost all of your videos on 1.5 X speed because I find myself getting distracted by real life and no longer keeping up with what your doing, but on 1.5 X it grabs my ADHD attention like a bear grabs a salmon, holding on for dear life and afraid to let it go for fear of starvation.
Rant over, I love your work Ray please keep it up and more vids like this would be awesome
I bought a set of two high-quality brake rotors for $44 some were much cheaper as low as $12 apiece. I don't know how Ray charges for this service but I am sure it is more, that is why nobody tries to resurface rotors anymore
I remember resurfacing discs and drums before cheap China replacements became common, they were too expensive back then to replace before they reached the minimum thickness, now turning is no cheaper than replacing.
This is just my opinion. When I was younger I would cut rotors/drums. I still see the effectiveness financially in cutting drums. As long as they are still within their nominal tolerance range. Since they have less braking force in the rear. But I refuse to turn front rotors now. Primarily once I started working on Euro vehicles nearly all those manufactures require new rotors and cannot shave old rotors. Secondly I found that shaved front rotors would prematurely warp over time causing brake vibration. Even if they were within spec after the cut. Either way I certainly agree this is a lost art in the automotive field and I really appreciate you taking the time to show how to properly shave rotors. 👍🏼
You are hard pressed to find a shop to turn rotors and drums anymore, I may be mistaken but rotor manufacturer only make them slightly thicker than the minimum so when the rotor and the pad wears by the time a brake job is due the rotors will be below spec and need new rotors
I’d really like to learn how to do this but sadly shops don’t often do this anymore and any shops that do often times charge more than it costs to simply buy new rotors (obviously to sell more brake jobs)
that's somehow very satisfying to watch , I just put new rotors on my ute , I kept the rotors that came off as they still have plenty of meat left for a machining which I will have done in the next few weeks and store them for the next time I need them.
Learned how to cut rotors and drums at a brake shop. One of the older mechanics told me that if you mix the shavings in the soil for red roses they come out very dark red…
I had asked about that a year or two ago. I was told that it was just that much easier to replace the rotors/ drums than resurface them. It's too bad that resurfacing those has gone by the wayside.
Used to do this all the time on rotors/drums, almost identical looking lathe. Didn't realize this was something not frequently done anymore. Definitely taste the iron shavings for awhile after. Had older bands on ours and had a few snap. Ouch. Had a piece that slipped over the nut driving a flex shaft with small wheel and grit pad for scouring the surface, left a nice pattern similar to out of the box rotors.
I enjoyed this one. I used to run the lathe when I was 17 at my uncle's service station. This video brought back memories. I think the format was nice.
Damn that brought back memories cutting rotors and drums , seems like all that is done now is replace it because a lot of the shops that will do brakes would not know what to do with a rotor / drum lathe , but I was in my twenties when I started and I'm retired in my sixties now
Rotors are not turned any more for a very good reason. A good turner will be able to produce a surface finish of 60mu. The requirement is >125mu. This is a ground finish. Rotors are made of cast steel, so require a cutting tool with a top rake of 0 degrees, a side rake of 14 degrees and set about .005/.010 below centre line. To do this, nip a steel rule between the tool and the OD of the rotor. The rule should slant very slightly towards you. I am not saying that you shouldn't turn the things, but it won't meet spec and is it economical ? Hope I do not offend.
My first year teaching machining at a HS career center, the Auto tech program teacher also first year. He called me over to his lab to see why his brake lathe wasn't working. Tool holder wiped out and no insert, he didn't have a clue. Thankfully he didn't last long.
I still do it, but not on super rusty rotors, the cutting teeth just never handle major rust worth a crap. You didnt mention it, but I am sure you did a final mic to ensure they are above thickness minimums.
I would true up rotors and drums all the time.I would measure the thickness of the rotors first. There were minimum thickness set up by the DOT. Once you went down to the minimums you had to throw the rotors out. Today with the cheap Chinese rotors out there it's not worth it to true up the rotors anymore.
Nowadays, it seems the rotors are usually too rusted or simply don't have enough material on them to do this. I cut them adventurous I can but it's rare.
On my 1988 Ford escort I was able to cut the drums in the back while attached to the hubs. It makes for a very smooth braking experience 😁
I did a lot of that in the early 90's. Now at my dealership, we use on-the-car turning with a really sweet machine! The new machines can turn a rotor in under 10 mins!
We did that in high school Auto shop
The point at which shops stopped machining rotors was when the hourly shop rate became to high to jiustify doing it. The shop rate here is currently $115.00 per hour, so it is sadly more cost efective to toss a perfectly good rotor in the garbage than it is to machine it.
This was certainly mentioned, but the reason this is not done much anymore is because rotors are thinner than they used to be; this is to save weight which of course means better gas mileage; the easiest way to meet the ever increasing gas mileage mandates is to make lighter cars, so the parts are not rebuildable, but must be replaced at a higher cost. I would not be surprised if steel clad aluminum rotors become common place as they can reduce the weight of steel rotors by half.
why doesnt anyone do this anymore.
I usually have my rotors resurfaced at most once before I throw 'em. But I may have to stop having it done since the last time I had a pair resurfaced, it cost $20 each. It used to be $15 for a pair…a pair…then it went up to $10 each…now it cost almost the same as brand new ones.
Rings back so many shop memories, thanks for that. I personally would have preferred listening to the lathe. The cutting was ok, not my favorite but livable.
Wow, that brought back memories of auto mechanics shop class in high school. I have lathed many a rotors and actually more drums than rotors (totally different set up). I think that if the supply chain keeps being scarce, we will see more rotors being turned rather than the more convenient step of simply being replaced (as long as the rotor has enough life left in it).
Damn if I didn't enjoy this mundane task more than any other. Funny how the rubber hooks disappeared for the "safety talk". Fastest accidents I've had were from loose articles catching in equipment. ¯\(°_o)/¯
Last time I had discs resurfaced, the final finish was done using rotating grind stones. This was though, back in 1980.
Should have just used an angle grinder lol 😆 trolling
I had this model machine in my workshop 34 years ago was a great machine back then, Unfortunately brake disk machining is not so common now days it is so much cheaper to throw a set of rotors on.
Nice! Haven't touched one of those since 1992!
I used a brake lathe on drums and rotors in the garage when I worked in New Jersey. But that was +35 years ago ! Now all you need is a covering of dust on them and it's ready to change (it's a danger NOW!). You can double my salary and I will still refuse to work at one of those tire and muffler shops !
I don't know squat about brake lathes but, that was indeed "the good part". Also, this makes me want a wood lathe. I've never messed with lathes – I played football in high school so that took the place of shop class and my dad is/was a logger/welder/mechanic/farmer/truck driver – so I had a "shop class" for basically everything else at home – but he never cared much for woodworking/carpentry (he can do it just fine but he doesn't care for it) so, while I came into woodworking on my own, I never really got to experience lathes. I've got all manner of saws, sanders, drills/drill presses, routers, etc but I've never had a lathe. Aside from the cost, I was kind of always a bit afraid that I'd jam the bit in and the lathe would grab it and launch it out at me like a harpoon. I know that doesn't really relate back to the video but lathes are something I've been thinking about lately – I just don't have thousands of spare dollars laying around lol. At least with the wood lathes, I never understood why they're so expensive – it's basically a sideways drill press with a table and some extra parts…
Most rotors today are so cheap , they don't last long enough to turn . I have turned many rotors and drums back in the day . The only difference I see in how you do it is that I would double scribe the rotor during set up and I kept an old drill with a sanding disc to polish the rotor . The polishing helped keep the squealing down . This was when semi metallic pads were first getting popular .
i just found your channel mid-April '22 and have been binge watching …. love the content and presentation … have lost sleep and missed important life events, so, I hate your guts. JUST KIDDING!😁
seriously, very good job and keep up the good work.🔧🪛👍
Liked and Positive comment for the YouTube algorithm.
I love the time laps but you really needed the extra elevator music when you were mean saying "no elevator music for you" and it should have been some Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart elevator music, a bit of "Symphony No. 40", or "The Marriage of Figaro".
But all in all I did love the video formatting, informative and to the point yet not watching paint dry. And being completely honest I watch almost all of your videos on 1.5 X speed because I find myself getting distracted by real life and no longer keeping up with what your doing, but on 1.5 X it grabs my ADHD attention like a bear grabs a salmon, holding on for dear life and afraid to let it go for fear of starvation.
Rant over, I love your work Ray please keep it up and more vids like this would be awesome
I personally think this is crazy. Just replace with new but I know not all are like that.
Rotor lathe is cool 😎 work of art
I bought a set of two high-quality brake rotors for $44 some were much cheaper as low as $12 apiece. I don't know how Ray charges for this service but I am sure it is more, that is why nobody tries to resurface rotors anymore
Need one of those to get rid of my wrinkles: great video/ Bub cali
What a drama is turning brake disk on a lathe. I feel that in your voice almost like a documentary on how to turn a disk brake lol.
Loved the music. Strange creatures we are that we can get such comfort from truing up something like a brake rotor!!
That brings back memories. I was a NIASE certified mechanic in the 70's
Well done, Ray! Just about gone are the days of turning rotors. Good to see an outfit that still does this.
I remember resurfacing discs and drums before cheap China replacements became common, they were too expensive back then to replace before they reached the minimum thickness, now turning is no cheaper than replacing.
This is just my opinion. When I was younger I would cut rotors/drums. I still see the effectiveness financially in cutting drums. As long as they are still within their nominal tolerance range. Since they have less braking force in the rear. But I refuse to turn front rotors now. Primarily once I started working on Euro vehicles nearly all those manufactures require new rotors and cannot shave old rotors. Secondly I found that shaved front rotors would prematurely warp over time causing brake vibration. Even if they were within spec after the cut. Either way I certainly agree this is a lost art in the automotive field and I really appreciate you taking the time to show how to properly shave rotors. 👍🏼
Never seen this done before. You've added something new to my life. Thank you sir
wow MEMORIESssssssssss from 50 years ago…i do seem to remember the adjustments in thousandths of an inch rather than millimeters. but, otherwise,, 🙂
First time i did this was in 1971, last time I did this was yesterday.
It was good 👍👍👍.
You are hard pressed to find a shop to turn rotors and drums anymore, I may be mistaken but rotor manufacturer only make them slightly thicker than the minimum so when the rotor and the pad wears by the time a brake job is due the rotors will be below spec and need new rotors
I’d really like to learn how to do this but sadly shops don’t often do this anymore and any shops that do often times charge more than it costs to simply buy new rotors (obviously to sell more brake jobs)
that's somehow very satisfying to watch , I just put new rotors on my ute , I kept the rotors that came off as they still have plenty of meat left for a machining which I will have done in the next few weeks and store them for the next time I need them.
Learned how to cut rotors and drums at a brake shop. One of the older mechanics told me that if you mix the shavings in the soil for red roses they come out very dark red…
I still true up drums and rotors regularly
I had asked about that a year or two ago. I was told that it was just that much easier to replace the rotors/ drums than resurface them. It's too bad that resurfacing those has gone by the wayside.
Used to do this all the time on rotors/drums, almost identical looking lathe. Didn't realize this was something not frequently done anymore. Definitely taste the iron shavings for awhile after. Had older bands on ours and had a few snap. Ouch. Had a piece that slipped over the nut driving a flex shaft with small wheel and grit pad for scouring the surface, left a nice pattern similar to out of the box rotors.
I enjoyed this one. I used to run the lathe when I was 17 at my uncle's service station. This video brought back memories. I think the format was nice.
Damn that brought back memories cutting rotors and drums , seems like all that is done now is replace it because a lot of the shops that will do brakes would not know what to do with a rotor / drum lathe , but I was in my twenties when I started and I'm retired in my sixties now
Rotors are not turned any more for a very good reason. A good turner will be able to produce a surface finish of 60mu. The requirement is >125mu. This is a ground finish.
Rotors are made of cast steel, so require a cutting tool with a top rake of 0 degrees, a side rake of 14 degrees and set about .005/.010 below centre line. To do this, nip a steel rule between the tool and the OD of the rotor. The rule should slant very slightly towards you.
I am not saying that you shouldn't turn the things, but it won't meet spec and is it economical ?
Hope I do not offend.
My first year teaching machining at a HS career center, the Auto tech program teacher also first year. He called me over to his lab to see why his brake lathe wasn't working. Tool holder wiped out and no insert, he didn't have a clue. Thankfully he didn't last long.
I still do it, but not on super rusty rotors, the cutting teeth just never handle major rust worth a crap. You didnt mention it, but I am sure you did a final mic to ensure they are above thickness minimums.
Its an art I remember and have used on most all the vehicles I have owned and at present!
I would true up rotors and drums all the time.I would measure the thickness of the rotors first. There were minimum thickness set up by the DOT. Once you went down to the minimums you had to throw the rotors out. Today with the cheap Chinese rotors out there it's not worth it to true up the rotors anymore.
Fascinating, I have never seen this before, thank you for sharing
Nowadays, it seems the rotors are usually too rusted or simply don't have enough material on them to do this. I cut them adventurous I can but it's rare.
On my 1988 Ford escort I was able to cut the drums in the back while attached to the hubs. It makes for a very smooth braking experience 😁
I did a lot of that in the early 90's. Now at my dealership, we use on-the-car turning with a really sweet machine! The new machines can turn a rotor in under 10 mins!
I remember back in highschool in our autos class we were taught how to resurface brake rotors god I miss highschool
Lathes are so satisfying to watch in action.