Is it possible to set up an apartment shop?

[goldstar31]

Of course some of us 'cut our teeth' on lathes that were pedal driven. Again, my handbook on my new but old Myford ME10 cites a hand driven grinder.

I suppose that most of you have never heard of such things. Wonderful way to have to create razor sharp tools-- or suffer the obvious consequences.

Norman

 

[MechMan183]

Of course some of us 'cut our teeth' on lathes that were pedal driven. Again, my handbook on my new but old Myford ME10 cites a hand driven grinder.

I suppose that most of you have never heard of such things. Wonderful way to have to create razor sharp tools-- or suffer the obvious consequences.

Norman

I have heard of them. Would like to obtain a pedal-driven lathe someday. What I find so awesome about the pedal-driven variants is that they give you the ability to create machines in a situation with no electricity available. So it's like the ultimate DIY, self-reliance thing when it comes to machining, aside from machining with files.

In the early days of machine tools, I'll bet there were folks saying, "Of course some of us cut our teeth using files and saws to do our metalworking..."

 

[Wizard69]

I have heard of them. Would like to obtain a pedal-driven lathe someday. What I find so awesome about the pedal-driven variants is that they give you the ability to create machines in a situation with no electricity available. So it's like the ultimate DIY, self-reliance thing when it comes to machining, aside from machining with files.

It is also a positive thing from the standpoint of ones health. A little bit of exercise goes a long ways. I've had this idea in the back of my head to make a miniature lather that is pedal driven. In this case more like a bicycle. The idea being a big enough flywheel would store up enough energy to allow the human to idle while the precision work is done.

Unfortunately this is beyond my free time capacity at the moment.

In the early days of machine tools, I'll bet there were folks saying, "Of course some of us cut our teeth using files and saws to do our metalworking..."

Maybe: some of us cut our teeth digging ore from the ground and melting it with charcoal. There is always an old way to do something.

 

[zoltan]

You seem to have started overthinking this.

Especially since you live in an apartment and it's your first lathe, just buy this:
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=5100&category=1271799306

Or this:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-X-14-Variable-Speed-Benchtop-Lathe/G0765

Along with this:
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=5207&category=

And start building something. You need to start somewhere and either of these lathes is a great starting point.

There are lots of nice little modifications you can make the lathe down the road to make it nicer to use, but the most important thing is to just start making chips.

By the way, I highly recommend one of these since hacksawing is really tedious:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Portable-Bandsaw-with-Stand/G8692

 

[MechMan183]

You seem to have started overthinking this.

Especially since you live in an apartment and it's your first lathe, just buy this:
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=5100&category=1271799306

Or this:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-X-14-Variable-Speed-Benchtop-Lathe/G0765

Along with this:
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=5207&category=

And start building something. You need to start somewhere and either of these lathes is a great starting point.

There are lots of nice little modifications you can make the lathe down the road to make it nicer to use, but the most important thing is to just start making chips.

By the way, I highly recommend one of these since hacksawing is really tedious:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Portable-Bandsaw-with-Stand/G8692

On the portable bandsaw, wouldn't that be too noisy for an apartment?

 

[zoltan]

On the portable bandsaw, wouldn't that be too noisy for an apartment?

No, I don't think so.

 

[goldstar31]

Unless you are going to build a full size battleship, I would concentrate my efforts towards a lathe and its accessories. What needs to be cut can either parted in the lathe or with a hacksaw.

Again, might I caution you not to fall for the offer of a three jaw self centring chuck and concentrate on having a 4 jaw independent chuck which will do irregular objects which ruin a SC Chuck or flyout in no uncertain manner. Then I'd buy a faceplate and learn to use it and open up possibilities in lieu of a milling machine. Armed with a drill chuck, you would be in no more problems of an older brigade of model engineers who concentrated on having the King of Machine Tools and knew precisely what they and their single tool could do.

With a little more 'reading up' of the subject, you could actually make lots of the useful tooling that extends one's hobby.

This is really what apprentices did.

Add to your homemade workshop only as and when you have built up experience and finances to make your own judgements to suit your own specific needs.

 

[_Axel_]

I used to live in apartment where I had my workshop spread out all over it in fact! For a lathe I had a Sherline 4410, and I can recommend it 110%. It is very quiet and easy to work with. Also Sherline has a huge selection of accessories. Get a long bed even though you don't think you'll need it - won't ever be regretted! Personally I would stick to this size of machine, although I've had a Emco 8 copy in one apartment. Try to stick to softer metals. Steel can be noisy to machine. Sharp tools and good work holding is important!

Blogwitch is correct that many have normal ME size lathes in apartments. Just look around in Europe and you soon realize that is how it has to be. I countries like Belgium, were I often visit, people have very little room to spare for hobbies, and it's the same in the UK I'm sure. I live in Sweden where space is seldom a problem, unless you live in a larger city. Both the Myford lathes and Wabeco's are designed to be quiet. The Wabeco lathes is probably the quieter of them. But I can't afford them so I do not know for sure.

A treadle powered machine would not at all be a dumb idea, in fact it would have the benefit of control and a reverse, over the normal Sherline motor. Could be set up with bike parts, something I consider doing one day actually. It would have to be a fixed installation though, so no more storing the lathe in a closet. I would use a fixie hub and an old steel rim, that I would put a "wood tyre" on.

Stuff that makes more noise than machining are actually filing and hacksawing. Make sure to get a bench that is heavy for this. I made a sitting bench with a pedestal in one end, that I mounted my bench vise on. I straddled this like a horse. It had rubber feet. This solved the problem of not bolting a workbench to the wall (that would transmit noise into the wall). You will want to have a normal work bench as well for assembly work etc. Put rubber matting on that to deaden noise.

Also, you must always be on good terms with the neighbors. Unless you work too late few are hard to be friends with. It is better to know them, and talk to them about your hobbies.

 

[_Axel_]

Unless you are going to build a full size battleship, I would concentrate my efforts towards a lathe and its accessories. What needs to be cut can either parted in the lathe or with a hacksaw.

Again, might I caution you not to fall for the offer of a three jaw self centring chuck and concentrate on having a 4 jaw independent chuck which will do irregular objects which ruin a SC Chuck or flyout in no uncertain manner. Then I'd buy a faceplate and learn to use it and open up possibilities in lieu of a milling machine. Armed with a drill chuck, you would be in no more problems of an older brigade of model engineers who concentrated on having the King of Machine Tools and knew precisely what they and their single tool could do.

With a little more 'reading up' of the subject, you could actually make lots of the useful tooling that extends one's hobby.

This is really what apprentices did.

Add to your homemade workshop only as and when you have built up experience and finances to make your own judgements to suit your own specific needs.

Depending on the size of lathe chosen a machine with milling/shaping capabilities can be a necessity. Smaller lathes like Taig and Sherline are useless millers without a milling column. Faceplate work is not at all as common or useful on a small machine like this, as it is on a standard 3.5" ME lathe.

But I agree that the 4-jaw independent is the one to get in a 'one chuck household'. But I would not want to live w/o my 3-jaw scroll chuck!

To grip larger stock in a benchtop machine, say around 35-40mm, I recommend adding a plug in one end that the chuck can grip with more of its jaw. This is a real limitation of smaller machines, that makes them a bit more time consuming. Work holding is an art in itself.

 

[goldstar31]

Unfortunately, the original poster has not been 'booked in' for 3 weeks.

I'm picking up 'something by a Mechman183 about Nelson Mandela. Again there is a lot of 'non MECH' stuff as well.

Perhaps we could avoid taking up what little free time we have until we know whether or not his interest is still there.

Norman

 

[_Axel_]

Come to think about it, there is at least one channel on YT about just this. A channel called NYCCNC chronicles a home shop machinist in NYC who starts out working at home in his apartment, and now has his own full size CNC business.

https://www.youtube.com/user/saunixcomp/about

 

[MechMan183]

Unfortunately, the original poster has not been 'booked in' for 3 weeks.

I'm picking up 'something by a Mechman183 about Nelson Mandela. Again there is a lot of 'non MECH' stuff as well.

Perhaps we could avoid taking up what little free time we have until we know whether or not his interest is still there.

Norman

Hello, yes my interest is definitely still here. Have been working a job though as late, trying to save up for the lathe actually. I also got an idea from an article I saw in an issue of Popular Mechanics from the 1950s about building a small enclosure to cover one's hands to allow for doing hand tool woodworking in a home (say a living room). What I am thinking of is building a frame enclosure using 80/20 T-slots to surround the workbench and then have plastic or something draping from that in order to contain the metal chips.

Regarding my name elsewhere, yes you will find me using this same screen name on certain other forums and threads, including on lots of political-related topics where I have given my opinion. Politics/issues/current events etc...is a favorite subject of mine as well. A great way, IMO, to engage on that topic is in Internet discussions because then you can really flesh out the details and also learn. Political philosophy, political history, economics, foreign policy, military history, etc...all interest me greatly. Just to clear that up.

As a quick side note, one thing I find very interesting being how we are interested in things like history of technology and mechanical technology is how intertwined with economic history and military history the history of technology is. Economic history, military history, and history of technology are like peas and carrots.

But yes I am still very interested in machining. I am saving for a workbench and lathe at the moment though.

 

[MechMan183]

Also _Axel_ thank you for the information.

 

[goldstar31]

I'm afraid that much of what was written was wasted on me. Suffice to say that I have bought a cheap and simple
lathe which is half my age and one which more than suffices for whatever aspirations I still possess.

Regards

Norman

 

[MechMan183]

I'm afraid that much of what was written was wasted on me.

No worries, not a waste at all.