Member postings for not done it yet

I looked on the internet. About the first hit for ACME was this. Any good? Long enough?

Simple search

As always, the tool stick-out must be minimal and the shank and tool holder/tool-post/cross slide/carriage must all demonstrate close to zero deflection, in use.

Light facing cuts, with a very short stick-out and on centre line of the cross slide will present much less deflection than an overhanging cutter, outboard of the cross slide and likely on a well-worn lathe. It thus requires a modicum of common sense when taking heavy long-travel cuts - when the deflection of the cutting edge may mean the cutter is operating below the ideal setting.

There are ‘ideals’ and there are ‘real-world’ settings when cutting metal, so some very slight adjustment from the ideal may be necessary, especially with a small and worn hobby machine.

Re this thread: I do wonder how many even consider the term “Fail-safe” when making purchases.

Most certainly this is a top priority within aeronautical standards (along with avoiding forecastable failures, in the first place). It’s why there are are more than a single engine on passenger planes capable of carrying multiple passengers. It is why passenger planes with two engines need to be able to remain operational if they lose one engine. Think here, too, what is the immediate next arrangement if/when one of those two engines fail - land safely ASAP - or carry on regardless, relying on the only operational engine.

Big Clive, on youtube, quite often demonstrates some of the blatantly dangerous imports - mainly on items imported and sold from China. Some without ground protection, some that can cause fires, etc.

Who buys cheap wall-warts which have been known to fail unsafely?

If controls are abandoned, the country would be flooded with dangerous items. It is bad enough already because the majority of the population are not able to reliably assess the risks they may be either ignoring or unaware of.

Mine has the slotted cross slide - where my rear parting tool sits almost permanently.

Another important thing might be ‘which end of the apron is the hand-wheeel’?

Some were sold (probably to educational establishments, mainly) with the wheel at the tailstock end. These versions may not have all the apron improvements one might expect. There are some who complain of the wheel being too close to the hot swarf, but the auto long travel trip can avoid most of that. I use it whenever I can - which is nearly always.🙂

Mine has the mechanical variable speed and also runs from a VFD, so well sorted for a very wide speed range with most of it available at maximum power. No problem with that belt.

Mine was most definitely far better value than a myford.

That machine is clearly designated as a ‘parking heater’. It should not be installed inside any parked vehicle in that form. FULL STOP. If it is, unsuspecting third parties may be adversely affected.

Only the kits of discrete parts should be used for that purpose - and be installed correctly.

Would you like to be the unsuspecting victim? I wouldn’t.

Not even the suppliers of best quality ER collets will provide a guarantee, of specified parameters, for anything but the nominal size - certainly not the minimum achievable.

Hobbyists are not generally absolute perfectionists to absolute sizes - as may be required for series production of replacement parts for high precision machines. I use ER - and also a Clarkson occasionally.

I’ve resisted so far but here is my comment, now.

It is vevor, so what do you expect?

Like ban good, vevor sell a lot of low specification products - likely some (or a lot) that are rejected by suppliers of better quality kit. Pot luck if the item is up to all specifications expected. Many don’t check them (and they are very likely the ones who say they are perfectly happy with their purchases from this seller.

My view? If you are not able to fix it, don’t buy it if you can’t afford to throw it away.

The likely typical response will be to offer a minimal partial refund. Good luck with anything else.

I have (fairly) recently bought two items with their name on the sticker. Neither worked to the specification and one arrived without a necessary part (which was clearly shown in the sales bumph). I was already aware, of course, that this might be the case and knew that I could probably get around the shortcomings relatively easily, or those shortcomings would not bother me for my particular application.

Buying cheap is not always the best way.

Is that mist, over a water course?

I might suspect the belt is a slight mis-match for these replacement pulleys? 20mm diameter does seem to be somewhat beyond the lathe specification?

As per SOD, plus that a 55 degree angle would be Whitworth thread form? BA and Whitworth thread pitches are two entirely different series.

I am quite surprised that a gib, unless tightened excessively, would distort a table (which should be a sliding fit).

I wonder how much of the cross slide gib is actually doing anything with that 20mm extension block? Not a good situation, I suspect.

As previous posts, some lateral thinking re tool selection/mounting would likely have been a better solution to that block.

As regards the feed screw, I expect it is a metric trapezoidal thread. Lengths are readily available on the ‘net. The current thread would be removed and a longer length grafted to the remaining feed screw part. That might need some lateral thinking to achieve such an alteration, of course.🙂 Alternatively, making a complete replacement feed screw is an option….

I bought a 4” (100mm - can’t remember how it was described) - from Lee Valley, in Ottawa, about 20 years ago. It was expensive at 25 dollars Ca. or maybe even 25 GBP (again, can’t remember). Not quite as ‘comfortable’ as a mitutoyo, but still gives good service - and so much easier in tight spaces.

Nope.

Both John and Bernard would have seen that is not the case, had they checked Mike’s earliest posting - unless he has moved recently.

A good idea, mind. How much might one be charged for a pint these days?

Any out-of-tram will result in a curved surface finish, to some extent. JB’s hologram finish is the ideal.

Pillar-tilt should be cheched when the head is locked to the column, too?

Agreed, likely a wrongly sized allen key. Easily sorted with the chuck removed from the lathe (unless the others are chewed even worse!).

Duncan,

I think you are over-complicating this? Use a valve stem with threads and fix it into a fitting, with a couple of nuts and washers, that can (eventually) be reduced to fit your boiler. A bicycle high pressure valve might be a better starting point?

What sapce do you have? I’m not aware of the space needed for a bridgeport but clearly, whatever it is, you have less than that.

Another alternative, for thread cutting, might be the more recent development of driving the lead screw with the aid of electronics? Likely has the advantage of easy/rapid feed rate selection, too?

Old packaging or new nondescript packaging? I would expect the packaging of the day.