Member postings for Andrew Tinsley

Thanks everyone for your input. I now have sufficient information to both fix the stand and level the bed of my lathe.

If I had thought for a second or two I would have twigged how to "level" the lathe when it was not horizontal!

No when I said plane I did mean just that. Not horizontal! I thought from my first post that I was making sure that my bed was horizontal (yes I did mean that this time!) Or shall we say that the bed was all in the same plane and NOT twisted.

When I first set up a lathe many years ago. I ensured the bed was planer and not twisted. I then went on to do the turning of a long bar and checking for constant diameter. In this case the bar was not of a constant diameter. I knew the bed was not twisted so I did not waste time looking for a non existent twist. The error was a very strange one, but that is another story.

Thanks everyone.

Andrew.

Thanks John (journeyman). Now that sounds a good idea!, Independent adjustment of each leg will get the lathe bed flat, without the fear of the packing material that I was I was considering, squeezing down with time. The cement would be good too but may get in the way of adjusting the nuts in a future resetting operation. I live in an area where we have had several earthquakes that have shook the house quite violently!!!!!!

Thanks,

Andrew.

Hello John,

Now you have confused me! What do you mean by "precision sensitive levels are used to check machines, not for levelling them"? I can't see the point of checking them with a level and not doing anything about it (I.E. actual levelling them, if not level.) You might as well not check with a level if you are not going to do anything about it!

Sorry if that sounds a little aggressive, it is not meant to be, I am just confused by your statement!

I have read several lathe manuals and they always seem to start with getting the bed "level". The implication is that you cannot do accurate wok if the bed is not completely level. I assume that getting the bed level means that there is no distortion in the bed which would impede accuracy. I am sure you could get the bed distortion to zero with the lathe not being flat, but quite how you would do this is quite beyond me.

Andrew.

You don't need to worry about doing drilling and tapping on a magnesium casting, unless your drill is totally blunt and ignites the stuff.

It depends a lot on the exact composition of the alloy. Magnesium with just 2% iron is non flammable,or maybe it was silicon, I can't remember right now and I don't have my notes here. It seems to be very difficult to get hold of. At least I cannot source it.

If you think you have a problem, I am casting the stuff! You should see the remote control set up that I have. If the argon atmosphere fails then I have somewhat bigger problems than you might have!

Before the engineering community comes down on me with much wrath. I might say that my casting setup is highly professional and is operated remotely. If anything did go wrong, then I am in a remote area free from housing or for that matter the melt is remote from myself! At least two people are present during a casting operation. So safety is absolutely paramount.

I would not recommend trying this for yourself, I still have not got a clean casting and I have put a lot of work into the set up. So much so that I can't give up now!

Andrew.

I am aware of how important this is to accuracy etc. My ML10 has now been stripped, cleaned greased and oiled and is looking a treat on its Myford stand!

The concrete floor of my workshop is far from level and the stand rocks alarmingly on two diagonally opposed stand legs! I DO mean alarmingly!

Now an old millright gave me a sheet of cork composite material many years ago. He said it was used under the feet or base of machine tools. Then when the raw bolts were tightened down, it was easy to level the working surface by tightening the raw bolts by the correct amount.

This seems to be a bit dubious on an ML10 and stand. I have no doubt you could get the bed level using a machinists spirit level. However the feet of the stand are only a little less than 2" x 2" and I fear the accuracy would soon be lost as the material settled.

I was thinking of making an area level, using self levelling compound, but this again seems to offer plenty of scope for error. What do members recommend to get my stand or rather lathe bed level? I am keen to get on with some urgent jobs, but refuse to use the machine in this state!

Thanks again,

Andrew.

Thanks very much indeed for your considered replies. A great deal of information there and I will take heed of what you say.

Thanks also for the information on oil guns and oilers!

I have just realised my ML10 is a ballraced headstock version. Now I seem to remember that these should be grease lubricated. If my memory is correct is there any particular grease? I assume that the carriage leadscrews should be oil lubricated, as the lathe came with an almost full container of Myford slideway oil.

Having got the lathe mounted and cleaned down, I am happy to report that wear appears non existent, except for a few bed dinges caused by a dropped chuck. At least I always put a wooden "shock absorber" under said chuck when I am putting on or taking off!

Thanks everyone for their help,

Andrew.

Not really a beginner but a lot to learn. I have just purchased an ML10 and wish to put it in good order. What is the acceptable wear on lead screws and nuts (Both the main lead screw for thread cutting etc and those on the carriage.)

I also don't seem to have the oil gun for the headstock, best place to buy one?

On my other lathe, an ML7,the oilers have been broken (not by me!). I believe the original ones were made by Adams(?). I have heard uncomplimentary stories about more modern replacements, so which are best to buy and a lead to the company?

Andrew

So what sort of flatness is one talking about for a surface plate? Datum leval plus or minus what ? Just curious!

I reckon it is a decent marking out table as it stands. As far as I can measure, the worst bruised area is a maximum of 3/10 of a thou low, but quite difficult to measure with any degree of certainty.

Andrew.

Hello All,

I have a 12 " x 18" surface plate. It is the real McCoy with the box type ribbing underneath and it weighs ...... well I have difficulty in picking it up!

The surface is a little bruised here and there and has had some very small amount of surface rust in its life. It could do with a bit of attention. Am I correct in assuming that a lick over with a surface grinder will do the trick or is there more to it than that. I have seen some very old surface plates that seem to have been scraped flat, looking at the tooling marks on them. This one seems to have been ground flat.

Advice would be most welcome.

Andrew.

Edited By Andrew Tinsley on 28/02/2013 20:22:22

Edited By Andrew Tinsley on 28/02/2013 20:23:05

Hello Everyone,

I am terribly out of date with model engineering. Just taking it up seriously after many years in the wilderness. I have a Myford ML7 overhauled by Myford years ago. It has been unused since, so it is in very good nick. I can't say the same about the chucks!

In the old days, one would wince and buy a PB chucks and know you had good stuff. What is about these days that gives reasonable quality? If I remember correctly there were TOS Polish chucks and maybe some Czech chucks that were not too bad for the price.

I don't have a clue what is on the market these days, I suspect some dodgy Chinese or Indian offerings. Just the sort of stuff I wish to avoid! I am off to the ME Exhibition next week and hope to pick up a bargain (!). So what should I be on the look out to buy or conversely to avoid? Any suggestions gratefully received!

Andrew.

Thanks Everyone for all your help. I now need to get stuck in and get my Myford on the road!

Regards,

Andrew.

Thanks Chris and Martin,

Not all that au fait with inverters, but I assume that they rectify and then chop the DC volts to get a sine wave. I realise it is more complicated than that! However it will do for a start. If I am vaguely correct, then the 3 phase supply will be 240 volts per phase? So do I need the motor connected in star or delta. I seem to remember that a star configuration will be required if it is simply 240 volts per phase. However it is a long time ago since I did any 3 phase stuff. I don't even know where my old textbooks are!

Regards,

Andrew.

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't sure if there was some form of feedback to the inverter and trying to run two motors would confuse the feedback (if any?). Even if ther were feedback, I would assume that the demands of a small suds pump would not make much difference. However I wasn't sure so safer to ask!

Just another query, both 3 phase motors have 4 wires coming out of the flexible conduit. The 3 red phases and earth. So I assume the motors are connected in delta (i.e. no neutral connection). I have not yet checked at the motor connections themselves to see if they can be connected in star or delta. Assuming that the connections can only be made in delta (big if!). Can you use an inverter in delta, or do you have to be able to connect in star for inverter use? My 3 phase electrical theory was last use 40 years ago and is to say the least, a little rusty!

Regards,

Andrew.

Hello all, Thanks for the response to my query abourt a reliable inverter for my 3 phase powered Myford.

However I completely forgot about the small 3 phase powered suds pump (Standard Myford pump and resevoir). I was not looking at the inverter as a means of frequency conversion. So my query is can I run the suds pump motor from the same inverter powering the lathe motor?

Regards,

Andrew.

Thanks for the response so far!

It looks as though there is not a lot between the units in the reliability stakes. However I suspect that is because the model engineer doesn't use his kit as much as professionals!

Paul I do realise that there are other ways to run 3 phase equipement from single phase. I gave up on rotary convertors many years ago and the lead/ lag. capacitor, inductance arrangement is a dog's dinner. I am glad to hear that you get away with such setups. I think they are not very smart. Mind you I have a very large lathe that takes more than 3kw and I am stuck with the old fashioned bodges for this one.

Regards,

Andrew.

Hello Gary,

Thanks for the info about Mitutoyo Drives. Any chance you can tell me of any suppliers? A Google search turned up lots on dial gauges and calipers, but nothing on Mitutoyo 3 phase drives!

Regards,

Andrew.

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post on the Forum. I have had an ML7 in strage for nigh on 20 years. It had been overhauled by Myford, before storage. it came with a 3 phase Crompton-Parkinson motor. Right now I am on single phase so an invertor is required. I would want something with a soft start capability and maybe a flux type circuit to maintain torque, but the latter is not essential.

There appears to be a plethora of units on the market, so the choice comes down to reliability (and maybe a bargain, although this is usually not had with a reliable unit!). So what have been members experience with various units. Transwave appeared to have some cheapies, but then realised they were Chinese! Not my favourite manufacturing country!

Regards,

Andrew.