Member postings for Brian Hall

Thanks for all the replies good people.

John Rudd & John Haine: Yes. Machinists Jacks are on my list of future projects, thanks. The link to the jacks at mikesworkshop are an interesting idea and something that would be quick and easy to do. Thanks

Dave Halford and others: Thanks. Yes, I understand a milling vice is perhaps one of the first accessories to buy.

I have seen the Vevor vice which seems a good buy, at least for a starter one. The 100mm is £43.99 and just an extra tenner for the swivel base including shipping, so I might go for the latter.

Howard Lewis: I really like the idea of your attachment for aligning the vice, very clever. I’ve watched some YouTube videos so already have an idea how difficult it can be, thanks for that. And yes a rotary table is also on my wish list.

General: I bought a 12mm R8 collet from RDG as I already had some collets with 12mm shank (don’t ask where they came from, they have been knocking about in a toolbox for years, never having been used). Apart from the drill chuck that came with the mill that is the only accessory I have for now. I will probably buy things as and when I have a need for them and funds allow.

Thanks everyone

Regards

Brian

Hello everyone,

I have recently taken delivery of my very first milling machine an Amadeal VM25LV R8.

My first impressions as a complete novice is that it seem pretty good, especially for the price. I can detect no play in any of the movements. I made my first cut on a piece of 12mm steel which came from an old shop display fixture, so the specs of the steel are completely unknown (not that it would mean much to me anyway).

the steel was 350x350mmI and I wanted a piece 350x25mm finished size so made a rough cut with an angle grinder (don't buy Aldi cutting discs) and cleaned it up on the mill. I only have a small 4" bench drill vice so fitted this and levelled it as best I could by eye using a small steel rule.

The result of this first cut is a variance of less than 0.5mm from one end of the piece to the other, which I think is pretty good for my first cut, especially given my rough & ready setup and all that overhang.

I plan to drill a small hole on one end of this 350mm bar to hold a piece of 12mm steel bar, which will go in the collet and then attach a dial test indicator to the opposite end and use this setup for the tramming.

I'm sure I am doing loads of things wrong and would be interested in any comments on this. I know I still need to securely mount the mill to the bench but I haven't decided its final exact location. Plus I want to rig up a drip tray of some sort so all the setup only gets done once (hopefully). I have a piece of aluminium sheet and have been watching some videos about hammer forming metal so we shall see.

That's all for now folks

Regards

Brian

Interesting Neil. I understood that a VFD could only be used with a three phase induction motor. Is this correct or are you using it with a single phase brush motor?

regards

Brian

Thanks Neil,

The reason I asked was really with the motor in mind. I understand they have brush motors and I thought brush motors were noisy (compared to induction motors).

regards

Brian

Can anyone comment on how noisy/quiet this machine is please?

Thanks for the reply people.

I would have liked to contact Mobil to check with them but there is no email link on their site. I could phone them but they are only there when I am at work, so basically I can't get in touch with them.

I found something on eBay item No.171105075801

Do you good people think this is what I am looking for?

regards

Brian

Hello all,

Which oil should I use?

I have a Smart & Brown SABEL Lathe and would like some advice on which oil I should use. I haven't used the lathe much since obtaining it some months ago but am starting to use it more of late.

The instruction book talks about Gargoyle DTE Oil Light but I have no idea where to obtain it.

Any advice on this subject would be more than welcome.

regards

Brian

As a true beginnner in all this, I would love to find what I would call 'recreational training' locally but everything that is available is geared toward helping youngsters on a career path with all the associated emphasis on exams & qualifications. Nothing wrong with that of course, this country is going to need many new engineers in the future.

I remember lots of colleges and even some schools would put on evening classes in all sorts of subjects but alas this seems to have disappeared these days. The Axminster & SMEE courses mentioned above are all well & good but nowhere near where most people including myself live. Incidentally I notice on the SMEE website that their next course starts in February 2013...!

regards

Brian

Well, I've finally made a firm decision - I bought the Chester one, the Axminster one is still out of stock. I drove over today to check it out before purchasing, well worth the visit, loads of goodies

I was attended to by a very helpful guy called Paul. They had several in stock and when I asked if they have any ex-demo ones he said he would go have a quick word with his boss. He  came back with a price of £215 inc. VAT - and that was for a brand new machine, so to say I am pleased would be an understatement - £76 cheaper than the Axminster

The drill is currently in the back of the car waiting for another pair of hands to help me lift it into the workshop. I'll let you know how I get on with it.

regards

Brian

Edited By Brian Hall on 09/04/2013 22:08:14

Hello,

My old Nu-tool drill press packed up at the weekend (in the middle of a job of course) so I am looking for a replacement.

I have eyes for the Axminster ED16B2 but they are out of stock for three weeks. This led me to look elsewhere and I found the Chester D19 which is almost identical specs and a little bit cheaper.

Has anyone any experience of either machine or suggestions of an alternative in a similar price bracket (£250 - £300)?

regards

Brian

Well it's been a couple of weeks and I have now cleaned up the lathe pretty good, it was quite bad in places. I gave up trying to dismantle that top slide, it wasn't going to co-operate so I just cleaned it as best I could in its assembled state, seems okay although a little bit stiff still. I may revisit it in the future. My main emphasis now is to get the lathe re-assembled so I can actually try turning some metal.

But I have become stuck with the apron. As I have been working, I have done everything in small steps, dismantling, cleaning and then re-assembling everything. This is how I was working on the apron when suddenly, without warning some bits just fell off and I now cannot figure out how it goes back together.

I think the part I am struggling with is called the friction clutch and can be seen on the following photos.

Any help in getting these bits back together would be really appreciated.

Edited By Brian Hall on 30/03/2013 19:58:07

Thanks guys I will try those suggestions and report back.

regards

Brian

I managed to get the screw out, quite easily as it happened. I tried a file to start and it cut really easily so I just cut it off with a junior hacksaw. I intend buying new ones as these are all a bit squashed on the end and obviously quite soft metal. I have seen some on eBay (item No. 271163787922) and wonder what you guys think of the price, at £16.00 for the set. The seller is also offering a 'T' bar to suit and I wonder if this is a useful tool to have.

I took the saddle off and tried to remove the top slide but it won't come off. It runs quite freely but comes to a dead stop before the end and I wonder if anyone has any ideas how to proceed. There is a grub screw that might need to be undone but I can’t see how it would help. I have highlighted the grub screw in the following photo:

Any help would be appreciated

regards

Brian

Looking at some of these engine is really inspiring. Would these be suitable for a raw beginner though?

regards

Brian

Thanks Keith,

Never heard of a thread restoring file - sound like a useful tool.

However, I think I will take your advice and file the end down so it will come out.

regards

Brian

Robin,

That is a great link thanks, lots of useful info. I plan to strip this one down as much as possible to clean it before using it. I have started but it really is mucky so will take a while.

I have a problem with the toolpost. It is a 4-way type and all the bolts were tight but one of them really doesn't want to come out. It looks as though the bottom of the bolt has been squashed in use which is preventing it from coming out and I don't want to damage the internal thread in the toolpost itself. You can see it in this picture:

Should I force it or cut it off and get a new one? Should these bolts not have some kind of taper on the end of the thread to allow for being squashed?

regards

Brian

Edited By Brian Hall on 03/03/2013 14:24:22

I have the stand in place and have got it as level as I can using a builder's level. The lathe is what matters of course and that is on the bench at the moment.

regards

Brian

I got the bench installed today as level as possible using my builders level and will clean up the lathe before installing it on the bench. I have downloaded the user manual for this lathe and the following is quoted from it:

INSTALLATION

It is essential that the top of the bench or stand on which the machine is to be mounted should be perfectly flat and rigid.

When the machine is mounted on the bench, two parallels should be placed on the bed, one on each of the front and rear flats, with an accurate precision level across them. The machine should then be levelled up by inserting suitable packing pieces underneath the feet. This procedure should be carried out first at the headstock end of the bed, next at the tailstock end, and finally in the centre. The machine should then be bolted to the bench.

ALIGNMENT

If at any time it is found that the machine does not turn true, the first thing to check is the levelling, and during the first few months after installation it should be checked frequently.

Levelling of the machine lengthwise is not important, so long as the bed is not twisted through faulty clamping.

Ground test bars should be used for checking alignment.

First check the alignment of the headstock spindle with the saddle guideways, by using a test bar ground to fit accurately in the taper bore of the spindle.

Check on top and on side of test bar with dial gauge.

Alignment of the tailstock can be checked against a parallel bar held between centres, and readings taken in a similar manner.

I will do the best I can with what I've got when setting up the lathe.

Graham,

I think your problem with smileys is that you are putting quotes " next to a closing bracket ) whic produces this ". It might be an idea to leave a space between the quotes and bracket thus " ).

regards

Brian

Hi Ian,

I have already decided where it is to go but my idea of removing the castors is a bit academic as they are very securely welded in place

Bazyle,

I have the manual for this machine that I downloaded from the Yahoo group but the reproduction is quite poor so I might have a look at the Boxford ones as you suggest, thanks.

I started cleaning it today but didn't get too far. I wanted to get the stand as level as possible before putting the lathe in place so I needed to shim up the two front feet with some bits of steel. I broke two angle grinders in the process of cutting the steel. The first one, a 9" grinder, hasn't packed up as such but the nut holding the blade in place has locked so tight I am currently unable to free it. So I used an old small grinder someone gave me some years ago and it went up in flames before I'd finished

I wanted to take the saddle off for cleaning and assume from your comments that it is okay to just slide it off the right hand end. There's a stop that I will have to remove first though.

regards

Brian

Thanks Mark,

I had already found the lathes.co.uk site. Tony the site owner sells some spares if needed and also has some manuals available but I think they are rather expensive at £38 + p+p for a manual that doesn't just cover my lathe but others as well.

I found a Yahoo group for the SABEL but it doesn't seem very active at the moment.

regards

Brian