My dream realized - or at least a start

[Propforward]

Back again! ;D

Progress has been made! Not much progress perhaps, but progress nonetheless.

I have converted my spare bedroom into a workshop, since it was sitting idle. This room also serves as the atlas lathe rebuilding room, so consequently it is covered in plastic sheeting while I paint stuff. Most of the plastic has been pulled away for the purposes of these few piccies.

You can see here the lathe stand and bed have been assembled. Now I am going to level that up somewhat and make the base good and solid, and then reassembly can continue.

I have also added a small 3 in 1 sheet metal machine, and a baby drill press. I have a much more manly drill press out in the garage, this one is for light duty work.

I'm going to extend the bench next to the drill press by another 4 feet, which is where the sheet metal machine will end up on a more permanent basis.

The main reason for setting this lot up in the spare room is because my garage is not heated, and it is COLD out there. And anyway - why not really?

The atlas project is going OK - I'm taking pictures as I go, and once complete I will post a detailed report of the project. I will likely set that up as it's own thread for the heck of it. Right now the headstock casting is in a bucket of fuel oil, removing 30 years of built up grease, swarf and grime!

 

[b.lindsey]

Its coming together nicely Prop. I could never get away with using an inside room though...spare or otherwise!! I'm doing good to have my little corner of the garage. Please keep the pictures coming. That Atlas is going to be a real beauty!!

Regards,
Bill

 

[ksouers]

Stuart,
The inside shop is looking good. Wish I had a nice warm place to work.
It's freezing here, and of course the detached garage is not heated. I do have a small portable propane heater, but it takes a couple hours to warm the place up but the machines are still cold. Not much fun.

Anyway, it looks like a very comfortable place to work. Now you just need to get a rocking chair

The lathe is looking good. Can't wait to see it finished.


Kevin

 

[Propforward]

Thanks Bill and Kevin,

My garage is the same way - I have a propane heater, but I worry that firing it up will just cause condensation to form on the machines, doing more harm than good. It would be different if the shop were insulated and I could keep it heated all the time, but that is a way off. Still - this is a good solution! A nice toasty room with a couple of tools in - I count myself very lucky!

I dare not put a rocking chair in there, or I won't get anything done! I'm going too slowly as it is! ;D Not that I put a timescale on my fun projects!

 

[kvom]

My shop bench is built the same way: lumber and metal brackets.

Likewise the engine hoist: never used on an engine, but lots of other uses. Moved my compressor and mill with it, and recently the bandsaw. I've also used it to lift my 80lb spare tire up onto the tire carrier on the Jeep.

Shop is lookign good.

 

[Propforward]

Hello again folks!

It's been a good couple of days workshop wise. I added 4 ft of bench for my sheet metal machine and my CNC router to sit on, and I have progressed the atlas a little further.

I have here 3 images that are taken in sequence looking around the room:

Lathe

First section of workbench showing general work area, with new vice installed:

Final section of workbench, with new extension in place, showing baby drill press installed in place, sheet metal machine and CNC router:

The sheet metal machine is not bolted down yet, and the computer monitor has to go. I think I know where I can score a flat panel monitor for free, so if so that will be mounted on the wall, and the keyboard and mouse I will put on some sort of under bench slider or something, then I can get them out of the way of the sheet metal machine when I want to use them.

The CNC router was a pretty good score, my company had it, and I convinced the company to throw it away as the project it was purchased for ended. It was pretty filthy, and since I was the only person in the company that knew anything about it, I told them to get rid of it. I then saved them money by offering to dispose of it. :big:

Cleaned up, it goes nicely in my shop! It is capable of machining aluminum, and I have Bobcad/cam installed on the PC that goes with it. I am hoping to make use if it for doing S shaped spokes on flywheels at some point.

Here is the headstock casting for the atlas, masked and ready for painting. I gave it its first coat today, I'll give it a few more coats over the next few days, and then headstock reassembly can begin! Fun!

 

[ksouers]

Hey Stuart,
It's starting to look more like a shop now.

However, I did notice the coffee can. Is America rubbing off on you ???
Or just hard to find decent tea?

What kind of condition is the lathe in? Will you have to get the ways ground? Have you mic'd it?


Kevin

 

[Propforward]

Coffee cans are just too handy for putting things in! But - I get most of mine from work. I bought a pack of Mr Coffee coffee filters when I first moved over here 10 years ago - and I'm only just getting to the end of them! Shocking eh? Not that I have anything against coffee, but 28 years of drinking tea before moving away doesn't rub off too easily - and my local grocery store started carrying PG tips, so I'm in good shape!

Now - the lathe. I would really like to get the bedways ground, they have seen some use, and in fact, some abuse, but I haven't found anywhere to do it - does anyone have any recommendations? I was hoping to find someone in minnesota, but I need to do more searching. I haven't mic'd the bedways, but just from a physical appearance it couldn't hurt - could turn a "reasonable" machine into a really good one.

The rest is in very good shape - no problems in the headstock, tailstock just needs stripping and cleaning and relubing. The traverse gear case on the apron is broken, and I suspect that is a common fault with these, given how many I have seen sold on ebay for high dollar amounts. I am strongly considering making a new traverse gear case out of steel, and brazing it together.

Everything else seems pretty solid - the leadscrew has some wear, difficult to say how much at this point. For the most part it just needs a really good going over, and I bet it's capable of turning some nice parts. Whether the owner is up to the job remains to be seen!

EDIT: well I did a bit more searching and have come up with a local machine shop that is apparently capable of regrinding dovetail bedways, so the simple atlas ones should be no problem. I'll contact them on monday and see what they say!

FURTHER EDIT: So I spent days searching for shops to regrind lathe beds, and couldn't find anything, then tonight, with a very slight alteration of search terms, have uncovered 6 different shops that specialize in machine tool refurbishment in the local vicinity, so hopefully one of them will be up for it. I am quite certain the bed needs attention because the saddle would get tight as I wound it towards the tail end of the machine. I suppose it could have been out of adjustment, but realistically this needs doing. More news as it comes in! Watch this space!

 

[Propforward]

OK, so I filled in the online form on the website of the only one of the six that actually has a website, and someone already contacted me to tell me they would be happy to talk over the various options, and they will be contacting me on monday. That's pretty cool really. I'm quite excited about that - I reckon if I have this work done, I can turn this back into a tight piece of machinery. I'm enjoying this a lot.

 

[cfellows]

Stuart,

I had the ways ground on my Logan 11" lathe about 12 years ago. It was done by a company here in Phoenix called Precision Grinding. Cost me $300 back then. Really made a big difference in the accuracy of my lathe. Some people will tell you that you need to refit the headstock, tailstock and carriage to the ways if you regrind. I didn't have to and don't see why you would need to.

Chuck

 

[BobWarfield]

Wow, that shop is coming together in a hurry!

I am so jealous of you guys with sound systems in your shop. I put on my hearing protection every time the darned compressor kicks in!

I have a quieter and much larger capacity Eaton fixed compressor to replace my big Sears rollable, but I have been so busy with the CNC mill I haven't gotten it running yet.

Maybe after I get the Eaton on line I'll be able to have some speakers too!

What's next, a TV?

Cheers,

BW

 

[mklotz]

No TVs!!

I have a friend who has three rather abbreviated fingers on his left hand - the result of trying to watch football while operating a radial arm saw.

Putting a TV in your shop is perhaps the dumbest thing I can imagine. Beyond the obvious safety hazard is the fact that the shop is a place to retreat from TV-watching, not pursue it. The only valid reason for having a TV in the shop is if you are gutting it for components.

 

[stevehuckss396]

No TVs!!

I have a friend who has three rather abbreviated fingers on his left hand - the result of trying to watch football while operating a radial arm saw.

Putting a TV in your shop is perhaps the dumbest thing I can imagine. Beyond the obvious safety hazard is the fact that the shop is a place to retreat from TV-watching, not pursue it. The only valid reason for having a TV in the shop is if you are gutting it for components.

I disagree here.

I have a tv, stereo, computer with high speed internet. There are plenty of times where I am just putting around and there is no machine running. It is nice to put the radio on and do my thing. I watch the tube while doing things that dont require machines. I also have a fridge. Should I pour all the beer out or maybe just not operate the machines after having a few.

I dont see the safety hazard in any of that. Good god if you want a TV then put one in there!! Big one!! Haahahhahaaaaaa!!!!!

Steve

 

[mklotz]

If you *really* have the self-discipline to never turn on the TV while doing anything (not just running machines) where a moment's inattention might do you harm, then do it. However, if the TV is running, many people will be tempted to "just do this simple little job" without turning it off. The results can be painful and messy.

If *you* want to drink and watch TV while puttering, go ahead. Just don't go around recommending it to other people on this forum.

 

[Mike N]

Multi-tasking! I have the TV on while I'm in the shop, most of the time I can hardly tell whats on! I cannot watch TV w/out at least working on a CAD drawing or going over the drawings for my next engine project.

 

[stevehuckss396]

If *you* want to drink and watch TV while puttering, go ahead. Just don't go around recommending it to other people on this forum.

I didn't recommend that to anybody. I said get the TV if that is what the man wants.

My garage/shop is'nt just a place to build engines. It serves as a place where the guys hang out. Where we get together and toss around ideas. Where I sit every saturday and sunday with friends and watch NHRA drag racing. The shop is a social gathering place where you dont have to wipe your feet or worry about getting the furniture dirty. The drawings for the Micro V8 were drawn out there while watching a "Monk" marathon.

I have a 6 car garage. Just because there is a mill in 9 sqft of it Should'nt mean the room is closed to everything else. Make it a place you enjoy being. Enjoy life and friends and on occasion, a few beers. I just dont/wont mix the two.

Even if we disagree on this one mklotz, you still love me don't ya?

Steve

 

[lathe nut]

Nice job, I have one like that, mine is a 1978 model, been having it about 12 years, did a rebuild like that, going to time for a paint job again, a shop with no AC not good thinks sweet when we get the temp change what a mess, glad for you doing it right, Lathe Nut

 

[Propforward]

Thanks Guys!

I have a computer in the shop, which drives the cnc router, but no TV. Mainly because I'm not much of a TV fan, I like to have a few tunes going while I'm putzing, but I am too easily distracted. I tell you this - as soon as I come up against a tricky problem that requires some real thought on my part, I shut off the sound system so that I can fully focus! Some days it seems like I might as well never turn the stereo on! ;D That's just me. Sometimes I just sit in the shop listening to tunes and reading just because I like being in there so much!

Anyway, today I hope to make contact with a shop to regrind the bedways, with a view to delivering the bed somewhere tuesday or wednesday.

Thanks for all your comments - greatly appreciated. An important side benefit to doing this rebuild project is really getting a good understanding of the way a lathe should be set up and how it all works. I had a reasonable understanding, but I can only assume that this will improve matters for me, even if the rebuild takes longer than planned.

Cheers!

 

[1Kenny]

Shops are a funny room Propforward. I often feel like my shop is my living room. Sometimes it may take several beers for me to inspect and acess a bolt pondering about what the rock looked like that the ore was in. What type of tool was used to get the rock out of the earth and of course, what model of truck hauled the rocks to the crusher. :big:

Kenny

 

[Propforward]

Dayum!

First shop I contacted wanted $3500 to sort the bed out. I'm imagining it would have been a nice job, but I'm not sinking those kinds of funds into it!

I'll keep calling around I guess!