Member postings for Rod Renshaw

I don't really know, but logic suggests that the earliest makers of lathes must have used some sort of dead centre lathe with hand held tools ( as Michael suggests), to make at least the turned parts of what we might recognise as the first type of lathe having any kind of similarity to what we would call a machine lathe today.

If the parts produced were not as good as wanted they may have been corrected by hand tool methods and then built into a new machine better than the one they were turned on.

I understand the very finest watchmakers' work is still done on primitive looking dead centre "turns"

I remember reading someone who had an Ornamental Turning lathe saying that all the screws holding his lathe together had centres in the ends showing that they must have been turned between centres, perhaps using a single point hand held "threading tool" to cut the threads, no wonder the screws were not interchangeable.

I should think that making an accurate lathe bed would have been very challenging until planers (or similar) were developed which begs the question "how did they make the planer bed?"

Rod

+2 for John H - who clearly has a lot more patience than I have. And +! for Baz, I find these threads have an aweful fascination but I think I have had enough now.

Rod

Jason,- thanks for that I was trying to spot the changes your edit had made and didn't think to look at the heading.

Oldiron - Yes, your explanation is clearer than my brief note.

John - I agree with NDIY about VFDs being the most useful drive for machine tools. Worth investigating. Usual advice with VFDs is "no switches between VFD and motor" because any switches might cause spikes which may cause the VFD to fail. This usually means one VFD per machine.

As NDIY says the VFD will be able to control the motor, which makes the old switchgear redundant. Some workers wire up the VFD low voltage control cables to the original switches to give the appearance of using the old switchgear, in which case you don't need the internals of the switchgear, only the actual switches.

There are experts on here who will advise on any specific aspect of your wiring but I think they will ask for more detail of the switchgear, VFD and motor.

Rod

Thanks Jason, what did I leave out or get wrong?

Rod

Welcome John

What are your interests and what do you plan to use your lathe for?

Don't worry too much about rules on here. Just be polite and not abusive, (goes without saying really) and make half a dozen postings before you try to buy or sell anything and you won't go far wrong. Oh, and don't try to post links to things for sale from eBay or the Far East.

Rod

Edited By Rod Renshaw on 26/10/2021 20:52:02

Edited By JasonB on 26/10/2021 20:59:03

Nice job. Must do that myself.

You may find an article on Woody's Workshop website on incorporating roller thrust bearings into the top and cross slide feedscrews interesting.

Rod

Never mind the width of the Atlantic, I find a difference in the length of my workshop!

At the metalwork end it's a clamp and at the woodwork end it's a cramp, and sometimes it's the exact same tool that I have borrowed from the other end.

Does this happen in places other than England ? ( I am not sure if the Scots and Welsh have this situation)

Rod

I have always found Arc to give very good customer service.

Not replying to an email does not sound like their usual standard. I wonder if the omission is anything to do with staffing problems due to Covid, or perhaps just a random thing. It might be worth trying them again.

Rod

Welcome Paul

All good advice above, but if you should be unfamiliar with working with it, please be aware that 415v will kill the unwary.

240v sometimes gives you a second chance but 415v is not forgiving

Apologies if you know all this.

Rod

John

Now that we know a little more about the application:-

Of the common materials, soft "steel" will be attracted most strongly ( High permeability), and the less carbon the better. Stainless steels are not so good, as you have said.

A harder steel (more carbon) will not be attracted quite so strongly but the difference may not be important. But a harder steel will probably have more remanence, ie it will tend to become a magnet itself under the influence of the permanent magnet, especially if there is movement between the 2. But you said this does not matter. The essence of a latch is that it opens and closes so perhaps the build up of residual magnetism will affect the operation in time.

So, very soft steel, or soft iron, alternative names for nearly pure iron. perhaps a lamination from an old transformer might be close enough in thickness. Your drawing does not make it clear why the thickness is so critical.

Obtaining such small amounts of such material of a particular size may not be easy and some adaptation to the design may make life easier.

Rod

Edited By Rod Renshaw on 19/10/2021 20:55:54

John

I am not clear what you mean by "strongly magnetic."

Ferromagnetism (as I understand it) divides into:-

"Hard" - meaning it retains it's "magnetism" " permanently" - like a horseshoe magnet, sometimes called a permanent magnet.

and "Soft" - meaning it is attracted to a magnet but is not magnetic itself unless it is close to a permanent magnet - like soft iron which you could pick up with a horseshoe magnet but otherwise it just sits inertly on the bench.

Which you need is going to determine the suitable type of steel, and perhaps where you could get some from.

Rod

Roy

I don't know, just what I was told. Perhaps the man who told me the original story got self- act feed and cross feed mixed up.

Rod

Someone told me once the "M" stood for "Military" and was because of the type M lathes having power cross feed and a self- act trip - which made them especially suitable for use on destroyers etc. while they were bouncing around on the ocean blue. any truth in this story do you think?

Rod

Chris

I had expected others to contribute to your question and to comment on the type of lathe you have. Drummond made lathes from about 1905 and many of their smaller types were used by model engineers. Solid reliable machines well worth restoring for their historical value as well as for use. Many were sold to the military for use on ships, submarines and army mobile field workshops. Some on this forum have and use the later Type M and I suspect there will be some who have or have used a type B and will be able to answer any specific questions you may have about this type.

Rod

Edited By Rod Renshaw on 18/10/2021 16:14:37

Hi Celso

Good solution to an awkward workpiece holding situation. I am afraid I could not follow the Spanish? soundtrack but the pictures are worth a thousand words. Keep up the good work.

Regards

Rod

Welcome to the forum. Seems to be a Drummond "B" type lathe. See "Lathes.com " website.

Rod

Re the oil cups for the countershaft bearings.

My 1970s vintage Super 7 handbook has a rather "For Industrial use" feel about it. It says, on the fold out page, "Replenish oil-cups daily" but on the following page, in the text, it says "The hardened steel countershaft runs in oil impregnated bronze bearings which are located in the swing head. Oil cups are provided for occasional lubrication."

I have tended to follow the later instruction, adding a few drops of nuto each time I came to use the lathe after a period of not using it, so rather like Martin's regime. I am still using the original shaft and bearings after 40 years so I don't worry too much about it.

Rod

I can confirm the potato in vinegar story,. but like John I have not tried it.

I was told about it by a small girl who had read it in her Girl Guide Annual and told me "because you mess about with things in your shed"

Rod

Reading through the posts it seems Myford may have changed the screws that secure the gearbox from !/4 " BSF to M6 at some point. OP might be best to check his machine.

Rod

My Super 7 is about the same age as Tug's and all the holes indicated on your photo are 1/4" BSF on my lathe.

Rod