Member postings for not done it yet

If the one piece pattern was embedded in sand, one could not remove it. If making a 3-D printed pattern and burning it out before casting, one could use a single piece pattern.

As far as drilling bearing races - make sure you take your own along , to be sure of the capabilities.

Here is a fine example of what could be drilled with a HSS drill. High quality chinese bearings!

**LINK**

Can’t tell. Who knows whether those files are properly hardenened? Usually , if really cheap there is a catch. Buyer beware!

Same as glass cutting demos - they are cutting 3mm soft glass, not your usual 4mm float.

Masonry drills, resharpened to a suitable angle, can be good for hard steels.

Even though I have screw-on chucks I don’t change out the 4 jaw independent unless for a particular reason. Doesn’t take long to centre the part and if it doesn’t need to be absolutely spot on, it is no worse than a 3 jaw.

I avoid the 4 jaw self centering chuck unless I am sure the part is perfectlly round (it would only grab on three jaws at best, if stock is not perfectly round) Roughly square in a 4 jaw SC chuck is OK, but concentricity is no better than an equivalent 3 jaw on round stock.

Are the jaws and chuck numbered? Changing the positions of the jaws can alter the runout. Even changing the position the chuck is fixed to its backplate (if that type) will likely alter things slightly - particularly if the spigot was not quite true and well fitted. There should be fitting marks, for the original orientation, if it is separate backplate and chuck.

Other things to look for are a backplate that has not been undercut at the internal spigot angle or (unlikely) the spigot is too long.

Do every check possible before resorting to grinding the jaws.

Edited to add:  Why not start with 27mm, or whatever, rather than 1 1/4” for a 1” finished size?

Edited By not done it yet on 02/03/2018 16:13:38

If IPM, for the feed rate, means inches per minute, I reckon someone needs to proof read before putting things on the internet!

Hello Nigel,

... A Raglan would appear to be another contender btw, ...

I like Raglans. Far better value than a myford, IMO.

I guess one downside is their weight. A Raglan weighs in at 3 1/2 cwt, according to the manual - that is about 175kg. But taking off the easily-removed heavy bits reduces that weight somewhat. I load and unload a Raglan, by myself, to and from a citroen saxo (the stand is not included in this) in spite of my age and health. Removing the motor, tailstock, apron, saddle, end cover and chuck does not take that long. Lifting onto a stand can present a few problems when working on your own.

I’ve never owned a myford and don’t expect I ever will.

After using a lathe with a QCGB, I would not want to revert to change wheels, but change wheels only need more time.

So, slow down a bit and don’t just jump in for the apparently expensive, but popular, myford. There are alternatives - even buying new.

Even a Drummond,the ‘precursor’ to the myford,mmay well do all you need.

Check out some of the many videos on utoob?

I’m somewhat surprised at that statement - after looking at the first reference on the quoted link.

1). My old nokia even had a light.

2). I can use my ipad, my wife’s phone or the camera.

3). My wife has a microscope thingy , even. Uses it for investigating lace.

4). Sorry, but I don’t carry my washing machine around. I know exactly where it is!

5). Not sure how or why, but I have a perfectly good reel to reel if i really need to...

6). Got a few of those!

7). Does it tell you when the batteries are dead?

If you went on, I would still use my wife’s, if really necessary.

I spend the £350 (or more!) some spend, each year, on their phones, on more important things - like my Ipad Pro 12.9.

Edited By not done it yet on 28/02/2018 12:56:54

Hopper,

Can’t comment on first statement, but overhead valves (and even overhead cams) predate your side valve motorcycle engine by about thirty years ( 20, at least).

Smart phone? My wife has one. I had a nokla until it died recently, now got another which does a bit more. The original cost me about £45 air time over 12 years - and nearly a tenner of that went on useless NHS help line when my wife suffered from gall stones one evening. I use hers for mobile calls and she rings me back. The new phone has cost me 60p in about the last 3 months, for calls.

Telly? Threw ours away about ten or twelve years ago when we needed a new telly and video recorder. Not missed it. We added up the ‘useful’ time spent watching the telly in the previous year and it came to about four hours, so we skipped both the TV and VCR. One can listen to the radio while doing something else at the same time.

CNC? My kit is all old metal. Raglan lathe and mill and a Centec mill. They work fine.

Twitface? I keep well away from it. Not interested in most of what some get up to.

Smart meters? Not while I can avoid them. They are only there for the benefit of the suppliers.

Too much ‘big brother is watching’. I realise it might be good for catching the criminals and terrorists, but there is no need for anyone to trace my movements, shopping trends - or anything else, for that matter.

I do use a couple of dash cams to record what goes on in front and behind my car. Slows me down to the speed limits which is, perhaps, a good thing!

I will buy an EV, when I find one suitable, I do use PV and do have some solar thermal tubes for water heating, so am environmentally aware.

More than half of youngsters have no real practical skills for life, IMO. If the internet and mobile phone networks went down, they would not know what to do!

I recognise the NHS do a good job, as I have had my monies worth and my wife is currently benefitting in a different way. They have used a lot of high tech equipment and expertise on us both. But I don’t need too much high tech for my regular existence, thanks very much.

I would second farmboy on threading, for a mandrel. Likely errors on both male and female threads.

Does the threaded mandrel bottom out, or is there a wide faced section to stop the thread pulling off-square?

Seems like poor methodology is at least part to blame.

Do remember that the bar and bolts on the faceplate may not be balanced, as well as the workpiece being off-centre as well. Also at about 200rpm the resultant force is acting in the opposite direction at a frequency of around 6Hz. You likely don’t notice the up and down motion quite so much as the horizontal effects because up and down are the only times when the weight of the machine or the floor are fully resisting the movement (acceleration) of the machine.

The Tacoma bridge only resonated with a steady cross wind (of 37MPH, wasn’t it?). It weighed a lot more than 600kg but still eventually ‘fell over’ .

“What is a sector rule”

There is a fairly comprehensive explanation on Wiki

You don’t need lasers and particularly fancy equipment to set up these lathes - no more than they used 50 years ago.

A trial cut of a couple of thous. on a test piece, plus a micrometer, to measure the diameter of the cut,9 is all you need to check it. Adjustment is equally simple and reliable.

Have you followed the installation instructions on page 5 of the manual? Quite important that you do, before using it in anger. If you have done that, it will be cutting parallel and your problem is likely as above.

Not sure which model, but lathesdotco place the typical harrison at only half a tonne. Chester may do you a good deal, to move it!

Yes, but one must know which foot to get for fitting to this lathe - not all are suitable as the vario-speed system requires some quite specific geometry to work.

I would add (to my previous post) that, if an inverter were to be fitted, a 220V three phase item would be more useful if needed to be installed elsewhere at some future date...

As it should only be a 1/2 horse motor, a 415V inverter, from single phase 220V supply, is not that expensive. I fitted one to mine and was very pleased with it. Likely the extea cost would not be more than paying for the star to be split.

I mostly used the usual vario-belt for speed setting, but the soft start feature was a good asset, among others. The top speed sometimes being a bit on the slow side, at around 1700rpm can be upped considerably. Raglan did offer a 2800rpm version, so the spindle bearings were perfecty OK for extra speed, if necessary.

If you need a more reproducible spindle speed, a rpm counter is only around a tenner from epay. Not particularly necessary, but easily fitted if wanted.

Edited By not done it yet on 24/02/2018 00:56:37