First test runs

[doc1955]

I made my first test runs on my new lathe.
I hit the numbers pretty well. I grabbed a piece of 7075 t6 stock 1inch in dia and shot for .900 came up with .9005 then went to .800 came up with .7996 then went for .750 and hit it dead on so I am very pleased right now.

I purchased a 5c collet chucker and not pleased with the way it mounts so it will be changed, and the threads in the spindle tube for the unit had under sized threads about .02 under on the minor dia not sure if pitch dia is ok or not. I e-mailed grizzly and was pleasantly surprised well the answered right away. They are going to 100% inspect a new tube and get it shipped right away and I should just dispose of the bad one.
Haven't got my new mill wired in yet and still scrapping and cleaning cosmoline yuck plus still waiting for vise and vactra 2 oil.
I'm excited to get a project going. Can't wait to get the mill wired and make some test cuts and do some test bores to check out the spindle.
Anyway I should stop rattling on but it feels good to actually have a start to my hobby shop after deaming about it for so long.

I really enjoy reading the posts on this website it has a lot of good hearted knowledgeable people.

 

[cobra428]

Man you are off by that much.......you need somemore practice

Rof} Rof} Rof} Rof} Rof} Rof} Rof}

Nice going....congrat's
Tony

 

[Krown Kustoms]

I have had my lathe for a long time and cant repeat .0005
I am looking at a new one.
Thats pretty good for just setting up a lathe.
Remember it only gets better.
-B-

 

[rake60]

Pretty impressive results Doc.
I'd say you have a very well assembled lathe there!

I don't mic to tenths. Life is too short.
If it's between the thousandth lines on the thimble
it's perfect for me.

Rick

 

[doc1955]

The tooling shop I worked in for 27 years the tolerance we hold is almost always +-.0002 so I would of been upset if I couldn't come close to that.
I can hardly wait to get my new mill going hope my vise gets delivered tomorrow.
I've got most of the cosmoline cleaned off so as soon as I get some -t- nuts and studs and can clamp some thing down I will be able to make some test cuts. I was sitting here making a Christmas list of things I wanted for my new shop but my wife wasn't to receptive to it. She claims I've spent enough go figure. :-\

 

[Tin Falcon]

Doc:
Sounds like the lathe is dead on. I too have worked in precision shops many times the tolerance was plus.0003 minu nothin. but in the home shop hitting the nearest thou is more than great.
glad you are happy with the new tool/toy
Tin

 

[doc1955]

Well I just couldn't toss the 5c collet tube. Grizzly is sending a new one so I thought what the heck I have nothing to lose.
So I set it up this morning and bored the ID to the right dia. and then picked up the threads and cut them the the right depth.
I felt a little uncomfortable at first but felt good to make chips and fix some thing that was hosed up.

Wish my clamp set and vise would of showed up today but nope.
Still wiping cosmo there seems to be no end to it just when I think I got it all I grab something else coated with it.

 

[rake60]

Doc I do admire the tool and die shops and the
machinists who worked them. I have never been there
myself. The machines I've operated were never capable
of holding those tight tolerances. Most of the machines I
ran in my career were recycled cold war weapons machines.
My personal favorite was a vertical boring mill manufactured by TOS.
It was a model SK16, built in Czechoslovakia in 1977.
The tightest tolerances would be a bearing fit of + 0.000 / -.0005
The machine was not capable of hitting that size so you would aim
for .001 under. Sometimes you'd hit it by accident. Most times you
had to hand polish a few tenths out to make it right.

When I moved up to the CNC department we had one regular job that
called for a .0002" tolerances over a fit that was 12" long.
Depending on the weather, temperature and phase of the moon, I had to
add up to 12 variances in the program to keep that finish cut within tolerance.
Those orders were usually for 50 pieces with each one taking a total cycle
time of 10 minutes. At 6:00AM the ambient temperature may have been 58° F
Cold start up on the machine, the hydraulic drives are just warming up.
By noon it's 85° F. The hydraulics are all running free and the automatic tail
stock is applying a little more pressure than it was in the morning.
Lots of adjustments had to be made in a 6 hour time frame to maintain the accuracy.

There's no way I could have done that for 27 years and ended up less insane
that I actually am!

It is a learned behavior.
You expect more from the machine because it is what you are accustomed to
and you won't be happy until you get those results.
I'M LOVING IT!
Please take us along as you fine tune the machines.
You can do it. We want to know how to.

Rick

 

[rake60]

That is a great advancement in CNC controls.
Unfortunately it removes the craftsman and replaces him
with a programmer.

The old school tool and die guys like Doc did it manually.
That is why I admire them.

Rick

 

[doc1955]

We run 240 inch long parts on hydraulic fixtures I designed and the thermal expansion is handled with the machine consul shop is kept ant a constant temp plus coolant chillers.
Unfortunately my hobby shop the temp is going to vary but than again I don't think I'll be machineing anything bigger than say 12 inchs so I should be good. :big:
We had a cylindrical grinder in the tooling shop that if you wanted to hold tight tol you'd start the machine in the morning and about 4 hours later you would start to use it as it would be warmed up than kept a cooler on part to keep it from warming up at all.
My favorite machine that I ran was a old 25 horse 3 spindle tape controlled hydratel. Ran parts for the cruse missile made with titanium. And also a bunch of parts for the f15 fighter. Back then we didn't have to worry about thermal expansion just start her up and let the chips fly! Then I got moved to the tool shop and everything changed tol got a lot smaller. I remember writing programs for proto type parts for nc machines before windows! Hard to believe there was a time before windows and cad!
Anyway I am happy so far with the lathe my vise showed up today and from my first look at it just a visual the only thing I seen that I'll need to take care of is the deburring. I'll be able to check it out more once I get some clamps and -t-nuts for my mill so I can check some things out. For a cheap vise it does look pretty good. Tomorrow they are suppose to deliver the clamp set and the vactra #2 oil.
I have a question has any one here ordered from cdo machinery corp? They have some really good deals on diamond grinding wheels I may just order but I have never hear of this company.

 

[ozzie46]

I ordered a taper collet set from them. It is an import, but seems to be ok. Recieved the order promptly. So far nothing bad to say.


Ron

 

[doc1955]

Thanks Ron,
I debating on ordering a diamond wheel from them is less than half the price else where.