Quote Originally Posted by Chipmaker View Post
Yes your idea will work but only up to a point that when you want to part off you will find the drip feed oiler does not deliver enough coolant and that you have to fill it to frequently to be practical. Bite the bullet now and get yourself a small coolant pump with tank, they are reasonable price. The alternative is to use a loaded coolant brush from a coolant can BUT this is not a good solution as the parting process needs two hands.
I agree wholeheartedly with Chipmaker. The nice brass and glass drip oilers look impressive to look at but they are not very functional. I've seen a number of drip oilers from a 1 qt. oil can with a hole punched in it suspended over the work piece to some precision micro pumps.

However for most home machinists, an inexpensive coolant pump will provide much more satisfaction, over time, than a drip oiler. Of course you will have to come up with a coolant recovery mechanism to recycle the coolant but that is a minor issue.

More to the point is that you will have a better choice of coolants that you can more readily change to suit the work which will result in a better surface finish. There are many different water soluble coolants for ferrous and non-ferrous stock that can keep the cost in check.
A fog or a flood of coolant removes more heat from the working edge of the cutter than does a drip. Size your coolant delivery orifice to the needs of the work.

Freeing up both hands to control the work is priceless.

A better surface finish at the machining phase saves hours of polishing later.
Good luck.