Engine Turned Stainless Steel Sheet Marine Dash

Stainless supply is the manufacturer and source of polished pattern stainless steel.

Engine turned stainless steel sheet marine dash.

An engine turned panel was what i wanted for my new dash. Stainless steel machine turned instrument panel. Sheet standard sizes 4 x8 and 4 x10. All engine turned patterns are produced in either aluminum or stainless steel.

The engine turning was done on a bridgeport milling machine. Making those overlapping shiny scale like whorls on metal is easier than it should be. You get more accurate lines and spacing on the bridgeport than with a drill press. Sheet metals include aluminum stainless steel and galvanized sheet.

Alexander used the existing dash template to mark out a section on a panel of ready made engine turned aluminum. Thickness is available in 030 or 063 in either metal. R815000048 r8150000m7 mcnichols carries designer textured metal stainless steel type 304 engine turn pattern bright annealed surface finish 22 gauge sheet. Engine turned aluminum panels made by speedway motors for as low as 34 99.

Haneline rod and custom products creates engine turned stainless steel dashes and accessories for hot rods street rods and custom cars since 1952. Nothing says nostalgia better than a dash insert crafted from engine turned aluminum. Fpm metals is the leading producer of fine polished metals. Sheet thicknesses range from 030 to 1 8 thick.

After experimenting briefly with wood dowels and valve grinding compound and sand paper coated dowels i ordered some medium and coarse grit cratex sticks. 304 stainless steel sheet is austenitic meaning it will not attract or hold a magnet. Jim starts by lubricating the aluminum panel with wd 40 and uses wd 40 throughout the entire procedure. If you need any fabrication hemming rounded corners you must select the cut to your size option.

Usually the panel that needs finishing is aluminum or stainless steel but engine turning works on any metal. The trick is to make a set up that allows easy and repeatable indexing and to select an abrasive that gives the finish you want. Sheet size can be as large as 48 wide and 96 long depending on the pattern selected. The engine turning is brighter and crisper on polished aluminum than polished stainless steel.

As a rule of thumb the larger the piece required the larger the pattern you may want to consider.