Member postings for Eugene

There are some quite presentable Myford M types still available.; very robust and a super rigid bed.

There was one in magnificent nick available on Ebay just a week or so ago with every attachment and extra imaginable for (I think) £550. It didn't sell!

I love mine, and it's taught me a lot.

As a one time electroplating chemist and company owner, I wouldn't recommend a DIY approach to gold plating clock parts.

As Mick says the preparation prior to the gold deposit going on is critical and exacting; there is usually an intervening bright nickel coating involved. There are also many colours offered in plated golds, you may want to have a look at samples before selecting one. Wear resistance is also a factor that needs be addressed.

None of this is easily done by the amateur.

Your easiest approach is to contact a manufacturing jeweller or small plating outfit. Brmingham used to be full of them.

Eugene

"Timberworld" of Leominster, unreservedly recommended.

Done a lot of work for me (they supply and fit to your design) and are used to all sizes of timber buildings. Good people to deal with both on and off site.

They do travel long distances when required.

Eug

Just a quick note of thanks for the replies.

Bazyle, as a rank beginner I thought I'd got the rights of creeping up to a "warm fit". I have to go by what I read and see, having no background experience to guide me.

I set the topside at 7.5 degrees so that each division on the paper scale advanced the tool by a tenth relative to the lathe axis as opposed to .001" if the topside was square on. I applied the actual cut using the leadscrew hand wheel having first made an undercut in the spigot to ensure I didn't get a rounded bottom corner.

Secretly I'm dead chuffed with the result; the backplate is an interference fit on the chuck and when truly home will support the weight of the chuck body without any through bolts, but it's not so tight that it can't be tapped off with a wooden dowel and a pin hammer.

Eug

Well, yesterday in truth ..... attempted to fit a backplate to a four jaw chuck. Flopsville, cut the register too small (by a lot) and it's now sitting on the bench looking reproachful. Bother.

So today, I cannibalised another backplate off an old worn out three jaw and started to turn it to size. Learning from yesterday's effort I resorted to advanced metrology as below. Topside set to 7.5 deg. ish and a newly installed high tech micrometer dial and pointer.

So OK the dial is a bit of paper with 100 segments printed on it and the indicator is a parting off tool, but we all have to start somewhere!

Actually it's working out quite nicely; I'm not kidding myself that the thing is really cutting to tenths, but it's certainly controllable and creeping up to the "warm fit" as recommended by Tony at lathes.com. Fitting a micrometer to the topside and leadscrew is next job on the cards, but I needed it now.

So to the serious bit ... this is first time I've turned cast iron and boy is it messy. Is there a recognised method or procedure for cleaning the lathe down? The bedways on this lathe are really crisp for it's age, and this stuff won't do them any good at all; very difficult to completely shift though. Anyone?

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 23/06/2018 23:30:05

Gosh, whatever did I start?

The original idea for the extra rear thrust bearing came to me in desparation when I was searching for a cure to constant chattering under virtually all operating conditions.

Reading other comments it seems that some M Types are very prone to the condition and some not so much; mine was sore afflicted, it was a really miserable experience for a beginner, I just couldn't produce anything that looked like a job.

Just prior to wrist slashing time I noticed that the chatter was ameliorated on facing cuts provided that the cutting tool was always moving, but if the cut was paused, the chatter kicked back in. I surmised that the axial tool pressure was compensating for a degree of end float for which the original captive ball type thrust bearing couldn't compensate. That's still the theory, but I'm open to offers.

Putting another, larger, thrust bearing "up the sharp end" seems to me an obvious further improvement step that just has to be worthwhile .... why didn't I think of that? As The Management sometimes says,"Because your'e stupid." Well done David.

The short bed M Type that was fitted up with the NTL some time back isn't due for any headstock work for a while, but the long bed version that's currently being refurbed will certainly get the full works.

Eug

Brian,

All four jaws are cream crackered, so I'll be doing a full set anyway.

I already have a split clamp for holding small boring bars and also a square bar drilled lengthways on the end for 1/4" HSS  cutters. Using either one will make setting the helix handle easier ... no need to grind it, just twiddle the bit. I have a protractor I can set to the nearest five minutes of angle.

One piece of blue sky thinking ..... I can buy a 1/16" parting off blade ready ground with top rake and side relief for about £6. If I can find some way of holding it at the correct helix angle I'm home. What think?

Clive, I popped the yoke / plug in the freezer for an hour this morning and it's not far off a thumb pressure fit at -17C. I'd already thought of the polish / Loktite gig; I'll play around a bit and see what works best.

Onwards and upwards.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 18/06/2018 12:30:58

Clive,

Like a twit I thought I could push the yoke / plug out to the point that the screw would come free, and then just knock it back in without worrying about alignment. That's actually the exact point where the plug comes totally adrift, drops on the floor and rolls under the table saw. It's not over stiff in the bore, just very scratchy; I tapped it out with a light pin hammer.

The state of the bore surprised me, it is very roughly machined; a bit of work with 800 emery on a dowel took some of the high spots down a touch and things are much smoother. Still a press fit but civilised and no longer graunchy. On reflection, it might be the bore is galled from fitting the plugs dry, with no lube; that would chime with the other abuse.

On reassembly I plan on using the heat gun on the main casting to make wiggling the yoke around that much easier. Maybe even put the screw in the freezer for a while. I'll do a few dummy runs with the existing parts by way of experiment.

I appreciate the interest.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 17/06/2018 22:29:15

Brian,

That's an excellent observation, thank you.

I've just checked with a mini hacksaw blade; the core dia. under the yoke is soft, and the socket end is hard and won't take a cut.

Again, the part under the yoke has a punch mark in it; I guess it was reassembled too tightly and the guy relieved it by knocking it back a bit. Fair enough if you use something soft, but pretty crude work with a hardened punch.

The original seller didn't cheat me; I bought a long bed Myford M type and a large quantity of tooling and accessories, sold as seen for £300. It had been lying around in a barn since the year dot and I think this chaps Dad had been the last to use it. All the rest of the stuff is fine, even if very dirty. The extended change wheel set alone is probably worth what I paid for the whole issue, so no complaints.

With the socket I'm going to try a wobble broach as per Mike Cox; it's all experience.

I'm a bit torn as to just what to do about a cutting bit for the threads; it's an 8 tpi so a 1/16th cutter should be used but that implies getting the helix angle correct to the nearest gnats. Perhaps I should make it a bit fat, say + .008" to give some  clearance. Backlash isn't a problem so looser fit won't matter.

Thanks again,

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 17/06/2018 20:45:40

Well, it was easier and quicker than I imagined.

Twenty minutes with the heat gun followed by a good soaking in penetrating oil overnight and number three jaw came out as sweet as a nut; I've no doubt the others will do the same.

It's a bit weird to feel sorry for inanimate objects, but I think we'd all have some sympathy for number three, as below.

There's other chunks missing at the far end on the obscured side. As the late, great, Spike had it "Seen better days but not taken part in them".

A point of interest ..... the yoke horns each had the distinct imprint of a punch mark; not me M'Lud, I used a piece of turned down silver steel with a flat face. Also there was no debris from the broken threads, and some of the flakes would be a bit big to find their own way out. My conclusion is that whoever savaged the chuck disassembled it and removed the rubbish, then put it back together with the screws as is. Shining.

I may have to come back to you guys for advice on the threading exercise, but thanks to you I'm now out of the woods.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 17/06/2018 18:16:09

Thanks to one and all; I can see the way forward now. Plus Gas, oven or hot air gun, forked tool, bish bash bosh.

Just a special note to MichaelG ... you're quite right it is a Burnerd; if its contemporary with the lathe that accompanied it (and I believe it is) then its 68 years since those plugs moved. My right hip's about that age and I know how much that wants to shift around.

Lads, I've got a couple of projects on the boil just now, but when I tackle this chuck I'll let you know how I get on. Again, thanks.

Eug

Trevor ...

Aie caramba!

Sounds like a job for a weeks soak in Plus Gas, and some nifty file work before resorting to t'ommer.

Thanks.

Eug

Thanks lads,

vintagengineeer .... there's no way to tap them out from the front. The screw sits in the way.

stevelee .... I'd thought of tapping and threading the plugs and using a hot air gun and something like a hub extractor to pull them out too, but I wondered if anyone if the forum had any experience doing it.

It's really aggronoying; I've serviced another four jaw and it was dead easy, remove the jaws and the screws just fall out.

Eug

Folks,

I hope to repair the jaw screws in a four jaw independent chuck.

It came with a job lot of tools for a Myford M type lathe, and like them was covered in chicken poop and diesel exhaust carbon deposits. This must be some sort of unrecognised preservative; underneath the metalwork is in pretty fair nick.

This chuck however was the exception; all four jaw screws have some bits of the thread broken off and a couple have split sockets. The intention is to make a new set, but first I have to get the original ones out.

However on removing a jaw the screw just sits there, it's not free to move laterally and is firmly retained as per the pic below. About 2/3 of the circumference lies around the screw, so it's impossible to shift.

Another shot of a screw showing the yoke which also looks to wrap around the screw by better than half the circumference.

The chuck body is a single casting, it's not in two parts. The backplate bolts right through.There's nothing to be seen from the front face, but on the back are four blank plugs with no apparent means of removal. See below.

Any clues? Thanks in advance.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 13/06/2018 20:56:06

Edited By Eugene on 13/06/2018 21:21:08

Rainbows,

This from a beginners experience with a half horse power lathe that maxes out at 1000 rpm......

A properly formed and sharpened HSS knife tool as recommend by Pete is very forgiving and you can take some hefty cuts and still have a reasonable finish. I followed the shape and angles as suggested by Sparey in "The Amateurs Lathe", and was impressed with the performance.

The difficulty is, you have to make them yourself and it's not an easy thing to do, particularly so as your workpiece needs two of them; both a left hand and right hand version.

If the grinder's an ex parrot go the CCGT route, they are excellent, and don't need high speed or lots of power to work very nicely. Be warned however that you'll break a few when learning how to use them; chatter and interrupted cuts will crack them in an instant.

Again the cuts can be pretty meaty and you'll get a good finish. When I was in your boat I spoke to Jenny at JB Cutting Tools and it was she who recommended a CCGT insert, specifically as being suitable for a low powered lathe. Mine are CCGT 09T304 NF25, so a bit bigger than yours. She supplies the holders too at reasonable prices. Usual disclaimer.

http://www.jbcuttingtools.com/epages/es461493.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es461493/Categories/%22Turning%20inserts%22/Ground__Polished_Inserts/CCGT

In short the quick fix is the CCGT insert; you'll be delighted.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 01/06/2018 19:56:32

Gary,

Point taken.

I'm only a raw beginner yet, I'm slowly finding my way.

Eugene

Thanks lads,

I've ordered some from Ketan,

Andrew, the stuff I'm so unimpressed with is EE's original issue, albeit not Crobalt.

Eug

Hi folks,

Where can I buy good quality HSS in 1/4" square blanks?

Ive been playing around with tangential tool holders today, and been disappointed in the performance of the HSS steel bits I'm using. Even with quite modest cuts they seems to discolour and pit very readily; not a patch on the 3/8" square tools I formed from some "Poldi" HSS.

The Poldi bits can take some really meaty cuts and not turn a hair, but it takes me forever to form and sharpen one even using Harolds simple tool rest. I'd hoped the tangential set up would simplicate the job.

I note that Spear and Jackson sell something with "Eclipse" written on the side, but I wonder if it's kosher and not made in the far east from old bean tins and bicycle frames.

A couple of years I bought some ready formed HSS tools and they were rubbish too; the only good HSS tools I've ever had are those as above.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 26/05/2018 16:05:01

Edited By Eugene on 26/05/2018 16:06:05

Thought an update on Yahoo groups might be of interest.

Yahoo is now part of "Oath" under the Verizon umbrella. As of yesterday it is now mandatory to allow Yahoo to plant cookies that analyse your incoming and outgoing emails, pictures, postings and so on. Financial matters are specifically not excluded. The small print also seems to limit users legal rights in cases of dispute.

If you don't accept the cookies, then you can't access any Yahoo sites or apps. I've found the Drummond Lathe Yahoo User Group a big help and good source of information on my M Types, so it's a shame to drop it, but no way am I playing to those rules.

May be I'm wrong but I see this as another Photobucket fiasco in the making; a brilliant way of brassing off the customer and damaging the business.

Anyway, that's me done with them.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 24/05/2018 19:43:55

Very nice work.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 22/04/2018 10:28:30