CX701

[iandg]

Hi All, I have a question for someone that has a CX701 lathe. When I switch mine from forward to off position to get it to run again in forward or reverse I need to press the Green power on the magnetic switch to get power again before it will do anything. I would like someone to confirm how there's works. Should you not be able to just switch from forward to off then to reverse and it should start?

 

[trlvn]

Hi All, I have a question for someone that has a CX701 lathe. When I switch mine from forward to off position to get it to run again in forward or reverse I need to press the Green power on the magnetic switch to get power again before it will do anything. I would like someone to confirm how there's works. Should you not be able to just switch from forward to off then to reverse and it should start?

I have a CX706* and it works the same as your lathe. I believe this is a safety feature. Otherwise, it would be unpredictable whether selecting Forward would cause the spindle to start rotating or not. The way it is, only the green button does that.

BTW, this seems to be your first post. Welcome. I lived in Kitchener-Waterloo for nearly 10 years but I've been three times that long now in Oakville, ON. I presume you are into making model engines? Are you aware of the Hamilton Model Engineering Club and Toronto Society of Model Engineers? At HMEC, we have a handful of members from the Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge and Guelph area. I'll be the guy talking about the group build of the Croft engine. Please say Hi if you come and check us out.

Craig

* Craftex brand, sold by BusyBee Tools in Canada for those who may be wondering

 

[iandg]

I have a CX706* and it works the same as your lathe. I believe this is a safety feature. Otherwise, it would be unpredictable whether selecting Forward would cause the spindle to start rotating or not. The way it is, only the green button does that.

BTW, this seems to be your first post. Welcome. I lived in Kitchener-Waterloo for nearly 10 years but I've been three times that long now in Oakville, ON. I presume you are into making model engines? Are you aware of the Hamilton Model Engineering Club and Toronto Society of Model Engineers? At HMEC, we have a handful of members from the Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge and Guelph area. I'll be the guy talking about the group build of the Croft engine. Please say Hi if you come and check us out.

Craig

* Craftex brand, sold by BusyBee Tools in Canada for those who may be wondering

Yes my first post. I'm interested in model engines but haven't built any yet. I just found this group and will probably be lurking around for a while reading lots. Thanks for the info. Threading has been a challenge and I was watching a few videos where all they did was go to the stop position then feed backwards and do it all again. I'm afraid of running into the unthreaded piece before the lathe stops. I have to keep the half nut engaged for metric threads. Lots to learn still.

 

[trlvn]

I hate threading up to a shoulder. There is a technique where the lathe bit is mounted upside down and you run the lathe backwards so you start at the shoulder and thread away. One of these days, I'm going to try that. Honestly, I mostly use taps & dies for threading.

You might be interested in the "Lathe Skills" playlist on the Blondihacks Youtube channel:



Quinn does a good job of covering various fundamental skills on the lathe (and a separate series on the milling machine). You don't have to watch them all and you don't have to watch them in order. Plus, she's another Canadian and she has 'attended' a couple of HMEC meetings via video link.

Re HMEC, the member range from brand new noobies to some seriously skilled builders. About 10 of us have been working on a group project this year: a small steam engine built from bar stock. The plans were created by a former member--specifically with novice builders in mind--and he graciously made them available to the club. The plans were previously published in a book (Steam & Stirling Vol. 2, I think). There is no timeline and everybody is working at their own pace. If a new member were to join, we'd be happy to get him a set of the plans to work away on! <Hint, hint!>

For 2025/26, there is some talk on doing another group build. Haven't settled on a specific project yet, though.

Craig
(No pressure on joining HMEC. I know it isn't the greatest drive from Kitchener to Hamilton, especially in winter.)