Member postings for Brian John

I have a number of flywheels and stationary engines to be machined and constructed when my Sieg C0 lathe arrives. (The original had to be sent back as it was damaged in transit.) I am going to buy some 1/4'' silver steel and possible some stainless steel to use as axles.

1. If the hole in the flywheel has been drilled with a 1/4'' drill bit then what size should the axle be ? It must be less than 1/4'' otherwise it will not fit but how much less ?

2. Should I be buying 1/4'' bar stock for this or should I buy something larger and machine it down ?

3. What is the best way to put a flat section on the axle so that the flywheel grub screw will have something to sit on ? I do not have a milling machine.

Edited By Brian John on 04/08/2014 06:18:45

Why don't all tool posts come with height adjustment ?

I have sold the C2 and bought the Sieg CO lathe. Somebody mentioned earlier that the lathe should be bolted to the workbench rather than use the rubber feet. What is wrong with using the rubber feet ?

Edited By Brian John on 24/07/2014 13:31:59

Isn't that unusual screwing the chuck onto the headstock ? I thought they all bolted on ? Can you still run it in both directions ?

How does the face plate fit to the headstock ?

Ketan : Thanks for the information. I cannot argue with your evaluation.

Victor : Does the three jaw chuck screw screw onto the spindle ? I am a bit confused here.

Victor : yes, I like the Sieg C0. It does look a better buy and it is not much heavier either. I will find an Australian seller to see what they are worth here. The Sieg ebay seller does not have a C0 which is why I had not seen it before.

Looks good :

http://www.ausee.com.au/shop/category.aspx?catid=46

Even better with an accessory pack :

http://www.ausee.com.au/shop/item.aspx?itemid=249

How do you fit a drill chuck to the tailstock ? Is this a thread unlike the other lathes which use an arbor ?

Edited By Brian John on 10/07/2014 09:41:02

Edited By Brian John on 10/07/2014 10:40:39

Ketan : Have you used one or owned one ? Those reviews are quite old and they may have fixed the problems by now.

Ady1 : I searched this site before posting a new thread but could not find anything otherwise I would have added to your posting.

Has anybody owned or used one of these Sieg Nano lathes ?

**LINK**

There are some old reviews on the internet which were not very favourable but things may have improved since then.

Is it tricky to machine the crown ? I do not really need it on my flywheels but it might be worth trying.

On the castings I have , the flywheel has a gradual slope from the centre of the outside surface down to the sides. I think that this is called the ''crown'' ? Should this be retained when machining the flywheel ? Does it serve any purpose other than for appearance ?

UPDATE : I ordered some HSS dies from Tracy Tools and they arrived yesterday. I have just finished cutting a 3/16-40 thread on some brass pipe : no fuss, no problems, no drama ! The HSS die did the job in minutes.

Forget all about carbon steel dies and always buy HSS.

Edited By Brian John on 03/07/2014 04:40:25

Oddly enough, they do not sell the moisture resistant and exterior grades MDF here ; only the standard stuff which does not last long in the tropics !

My kitchen is quite old and I can see that it is made of chipboard. Another poor building choice in this climate !

I was told that if your cutting tools are set at the correct angles and the chuck speed is adequate then there will not be too much noise. Have I been misinformed ? I will only using it in the afternoon for an hour or so each day.

Swarf : Yes, I am worried about making a mess but, never having used a lathe before, I will tackle that problem once I see it for myself. I would not even think of doing this if I had carpet on the floors !

I intend to put two pieces of pine lengthways under the legs. This will protect the floor tiles and I will screw the bench to these pieces to help square things up.

I will not use MDF board for anything and especially not inside the house. As it ages and breaks up it releases formaldehyde which is a proven carcinogen. I am amazed that they are even allowed to sell this stuff !

I cannot bolt it to the floor as I live in rented premises and the lathe/bench will be inside the apartment but I will be bolting the lathe to the bench.

I like this one a lot but the seller does not have spare blades :

**LINK**

Who makes spare blades to fit this parting tool : 1.5 X 10 X 80mm ? The three nuts should hold the blade very firmly.

This might be an even better parting tool as it has three nuts to secure the blade :

**LINK**

Yes, I agree. Some sort of table or chart would be an excellent idea. I have bought a few books on how to use a lathe and so far NONE of them have given me this information. The writers always seem to assume that the reader knows how to use a lathe. We don't...that is why we bought their bloody book !

John : Yes, even the instruction manual recommends not using the rubber feet and instead to use the drilled holes in the lathe to bolt (M6) the lathe to the workbench. I have measured up the holes in the top of the workbench already : 475mm length X 72mm width.

Edited By Brian John on 25/06/2014 10:54:02

Edited By Brian John on 25/06/2014 10:55:01

UPDATE : the Masters Hardware  version (Amazon) is the same height so no luck there.

Edited By Brian John on 25/06/2014 09:25:09