My little corner of the Universe - Phase 1

[Divided He ad]

Nothing wrong with that machine Dave Purchased mine brand new from the main factory store (only 3 miles away ;D) The paint comes off all over the place!! But it doesn't stop it working

No idea of a coolant drain though sorry, I cut most everything dry with carbide insert tooling, never had much trouble (where's the cross your fingers smiley?)

If your using coolant though check that you can deflect it from the rear of the motor... For some reason it is left exposed through a small gap in-line with the chuck ???

I know what you mean about heavy... I just moved mine and my mill' ( mill' is worse being very top unstable!!)

Just a warning... you will at some point need new belts, order them well in advance and from the U.S. if possible.... Chester rip you off on the spares!! £15-£20 each!!! You can get them for as little as $5! yes £2.50 !!! even adding postage they're dirt cheap!


Ralph.

 

[rake60]

Dave many of us here recognize that lathe.

Ours may be a different color of paint and slightly different configurations,
but it's the same machine, from the same original manufacturer.
It's a good little machine but it has one critical weak point.
If the compound clamp is the factory original 2 bolt clamp your very first
project to be made on it should be a sturdier 4 bolt clamp.
It's an easy first project. Here's a link to one of my very early posts
about making one. Import 9 X 20 Compound Clamp

Rick

 

[Divided He ad]

Ok so I'll have to agree with Rick.... There is that Clamp which is a bit crap!! But other than that there is nothing wrong with them ;D



Ralph.

 

[Bogstandard]

Dave,

Glad you found a machine to fit your needs, doesn't matter what it is, just enjoy using it.

John

 

[CrewCab]

Thanks for the tips guys

Ralph .......... do you have a link for the spare belts, I did notice it looked pretty skinny and methinks a couple of spares are a good idea, as for coolant, I'm harking back to my college days which were mainly spent machining mild steel; using coolant was just "the norm" so I assumed it would be worth adding ......... am I behind the times now ???

Rick, the compound clamp is the original one so an new sturdier one is a good idea, the first thing I have to figure out now is how to cut a piece of 1/2" plate to size with reasonable accuracy and a decent finish ......... ;D ............. bear with me, I'm just a learner remember :big: :big:

One thing the previous owner has done is switch the two final drive gears to the leadscrew around, (ie: put the big one on the leadscrew) which gives a much slower autofeed rate, I realise they need to be changed for threading but the principle seems like a reasonable idea to me .............. or am I loosing the plot

Anyway, I'm off to do battle with the flaky paint, catch you all a bit later.

atb

Dave

 

[Alphawolf45]

One of my lathes sits on a sheetmetal stand like that one....And one fault with it that particularly bothers me is that oil seeps down through the pan at the boltholes where the lathe bed bolts to the pan. I should have bedded the lathe in some silicone sealant when I set it down on the stand.Now I have oily mess on the floor under the lathe as result of trying to maintain a 'well oiled machine'.

.

 

[Divided He ad]

Thanks for the tips guy's

Ralph .......... do you have a link for the spare belts, I did notice it looked pretty skinny and methinks a couple of spares are a good idea, as for coolant, I'm harking back to my college days which were mainly spent machining mild steel; using coolant was just "the norm" so I assumed it would be worth adding ......... am I behind the times now ???

Don't shout that... They'll have me hung drawn and quartered!!! ... :big: Not saying you don't need it at all Dave, Just I have never found that I need it with the tooling I use and the work I have done... It's all me,me,me... ;D
The belt stuff... I will look and post a link for you when I can .... My first V belt lasted 3 months! The toothed one bout a year.

the first thing I have to figure out now is how to cut a piece of 1/2" plate to size with reasonable accuracy and a decent finish ......... ;D ............. bear with me, I'm just a learner remember :big: :big:

Well as with all beginners...A square, a scriber,a hacksaw and a file !!!! That's all I was allowed when I started in college! So I eventually moved to motor vehicle so all I needed was a BIG hammer :big:
Seriously though, That's the way I'd do it if I hadn't got the machinery :-\ ( I cut the blanks for my compound clamp and ball turning tool from 3/4" plate with my hacksaw.... now that takes some effort! : )

One thing the previous owner has done is switch the two final drive gears to the leadscrew around, (ie: put the big one on the leadscrew) which gives a much slower autofeed rate, I realise they need to be changed for threading but the principle seems like a reasonable idea to me .............. or am I loosing the plot

I put the biggest gear I could on to the lead screw... cut the door too! Found the feeds I was getting too fast... It's all good (for me) now though ;D

Finally....

Anyway, I'm off to do battle with the flaky paint, catch you all a bit later.

... Good luck!!


Ralph.

 

[DickDastardly40]

anybody know what size hole I need for a coolant drain, might as well cut the hole before I repaint it.

What size fitting do you have available? As long as the drain hole is big enough to take a reasonable flow, you'll be OK. Bear in mind that if your using pressure fed coolant, you'll always get a puddle in the tray before it drains. The coolant gets held up in the big pile of chips in the tray.

I won't tell you to ensure you have a fall on the tray to the drain hole somehow or to put a strainer of some sort over the hole, you know that already. ;D

As Ralph said coolant is not always necessary for home stuff, especially brass which is generally dry anyway or if you get tipped tooling and can run fast enough the heat comes off on the chip. I like to use coolant for drilling, parting, finish cuts on steel and sometimes when the spindle is stopped just to flush chips out of a bore. As you gain experience you'll pick up your favourite method or if it is required. If you use it anyway no harm no foul!

As soon as I get to finish it I'll put up some pics of my gravity fed method which works for my occasional use.

Al

 

[CrewCab]

I should have bedded the lathe in some silicone sealant

Thanks for the tip, 8) I've put silicone around the bolt holes before I sat the lathe in place

Dave

 

[CrewCab]

At last ............. a little more progress : ............. ceiling walls and floor all done and insulated ............... just in time for summer :wall: , I must get more organised, having had it done for last winter would have been a better plan :big:

And as a bonus, after finishing the ceiling "small son" offered to plaster it (I was just going to emulsion it )

Things are moving on at least ......... albeit slowly :

Dave

 

[Divided He ad]

Good stuff Dave ;D

Not long now and you'll be turning out engines and all sorts of stuff in a very comfortable shop

Small son looks about the same size as little old me :big: ... Whats his finish llike? I need a whole house doing soon!!! ;D



Ralph.

 

[CrewCab]

"Small Son" ......... is 6'-4" and 18 stone (that's a bit over 250 lbs for our overseas contingent ) ......... he comes in very handy when you need to move a lathe or a milling machine ;D

His finish is not bad at all to say he's only taken up plastering over the last couple of years, must say I'm impressed with my workshop ceiling ....... trouble is now my good lady is taking notice as the workshop looks like it will end finshed better than the rest of the house ........ may have shot myself in the foot here ....... could be I will need to spend a lot of time doing all "those jobs" I've been putting off for a while : ........... on second thoughts ....... they can wait a while longer 8)

Made some progress last night and today, we have lighting ....... walls, floor and ceiling are finished ........ ish ..... main bench is in place, need to spend tomorrow morning finishing off securing it and mounting the little mill in it's home.

Still lots to do, shelving. paint floor ........ and walls ............. and ceiling ........ then start wiring up a couple of dozen sockets, Oh well, keeps me off the streets ;D 8)

Dave

 

[bretk]

Dave,

I can sympathize on the envious wife syndrome , mine saw how well lit my workshop was, and it was back to Home Depot for more lights for her sewing area :big:

-Bret

 

[CrewCab]

Mrs CC is even less impressed now ??? .......... as I've taken an old computer and installed in the workshop, with the help of a cheap wireless access point (and 4 hours to get the bloomin thing configured) I'm now typing yet more drivel from my workshop ;D .......... I'm happy ..... .... but my other half seems to think my priorities are screwed ???

In her words .......... "Oh for Gawd's sake ............ " :

is it just me ???

CC

 

[ksouers]

No, Crew, it's not just you. I have two "caves". One in the corner of the garage, my shop. The other is at the far end of the house I share with 4 computers and a 125 gallon saltwater fish tank.

My wife just doesn't understand why I want to hide out when Oprah is on.

 

[CrewCab]

Well after a long weekend I think I can see a small twinkle a long way down the tunnel

Things are at last dropping into place, benches are up, about half the shelving in place and at last some electrics, be good to see the back of extension leads all over the floor 8)

Might even be about time to start thinking what I might try and make ............ I did say "thinking"

CC

 

[ksouers]

Way to go, Dave.
The shop is looking better, all clean and neat and organized.

I suspect it won't stay that way ;D

 

[Maryak]

Well guys today is my 1st day as a member of your forum and having browsed around for a while, a good place to get started seems to be where it will hopefully happen.

My wife and I live in a unit so there is no room for a workshop.

Solution - semi portable, (large truck and crane), a 20 ft shipping container scrounged from a friend in the shipping business.

Having messed about in it for a year now I am happy with the result and I have a daily excuse to escape home duties and do my thing without too many interruptions from she who must be obeyed. :bow:

Can't seem to get the image uploaded, sorry about that, steep learning curve and any other excuses will be offered as they come to mind.

 

[rake60]

Welcome to HMEM Maryak

Rick

 

[Maryak]

Thanks for the Welcome and Yes I did manage to upload an image
Bob