Member postings for Mark Gould 1

Gents,

Has anyone got a tip for cleaning an Emco FB-2? I have noticed that machining most notably aluminium seems to leave a dirty mess and I was wondering does anyone have a good cleaning solution to cleaning the green painted areas of the mill itself but also the base.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

P.S.I have tried with WD-40 which sort of works but requires a lot of elbow grease and the results are so-so.

I also enjoy watching a guy on youtube called Tom’s Techniques. He has a no nonsense way of teaching and tends to be quite to the point. It’s easy for a teenager to lose interest quickly!

Sorry Emil, just checked in to read the forum and had completely missed this. As Robbo says (and as I PMed you) its quite a straight forward procedure. Mine did run out very peacefully

Emil,

Let me know your email address, I have the pdf for you.

Regards,

Mark

I think we’ll go for a direct mount chuck. Saves weight and reduces overhang. You are if course correct about having certain leeway but after spending a small fortune on our Super 7 I have become like an overconcerned mother and tend to clean it more than I run it!

Thanks again for all the suggestions, they are much appreciated.

Michael, Mike and Hopper,

Thanks for that link. I should have searched beforehand as my question is almost a carbon copy!

The common wisdom appears to be that it’s of no consequence.

Thanks again gents,

Mark

Edited By Mark Gould 1 on 06/05/2018 12:21:00

Gents,

I was looking for a slightly larger chuck for my Super 7. We have a P&B 3 jaw (100mm) on it at the moment. On the Myford website they have a 125mm chuck (also P&B brand) but that comes with a warning about it being to heavy. We have the normal spindle on our lathe.

What is the general consensus regarding chuck weights? Our lathe doesn't run for great periods of time and is not used professionally.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

Ok Dave thanks for the tip!

PROBLEM SOLVED.

Apparently, the selector on top of the lathe is best moved while the machine is running. The leadscrew now turns in A, B and C,

Thanks for all the handy tips guys.

@Thor, I have that manual, thanks. It deals in great detail how to install the 'box but not so much in how to use it. Thanks anyway mate.

@Rick I think they are best engaged while the machine is running or so the advice was from the guy that built it. it runs perfectly now, thanks.

John,

I mean the Tumbler Reverse Lever (or Carriage Reverse Lever). Before we had the gearbox fitted, I only used this lever to change power feed direction to headstock to tailstock and for using power crossfeed to feed INTO the work (away from the user).

But now we have the gearbox fitted and with this Tumble Reverse Lever in the lowest hole, we seem only able to get the leadscrew turning if the gearbox selector is in B. If we try either A or C the leadscrew stops turning.

I must sound like a complete fool, apologies.

Mark

Gents,

I have a novice question and I feel almost reluctant to ask it but here goes.

Our lathe (Super 7) has been fitted with an original Myford late model gearbox (leadscrew passes through the ‘box). We have just installed and levelled it and started playing with the gearbox. We found that the powerfeed only works with the top selector in B. In order to use either A or C I need to move the tumbler selector.

Is this normal?

Apologies again but we are beginners and are still summoning up the courage to start on our Stuart No. 1 sometime this month.

Thanks for any info,

Mark

Edited By Mark Gould 1 on 05/05/2018 17:12:56

Ok thanks Nick, we run in at normal speeds etc

Mark

Thanks for your answers gents. I went for Castrol ISO VG 46 which is what the manual said. Any thoughts on whether or not I should add MolySlip to this?

Mark

Hello,

Bit of a novice question here but we plan to do our first oil change on the FB-2 milling machine. I have sourced the correct oil and it seems easy enough to do but should I be using some sort of flushing agent to help evacuate the old oil? Or is warming it up and simply letting it run out enough?

The machine has no technical problems to speak of so I am not expecting trouble or metal particles etc in the milling head I was just wondering about what the “best practice” might be.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Mark

I also went, with my Dad. Thouroughly enjoyed it and bought some nice set of Dormer drills from Greenwood. Also rummaged a lot and scored some other goodies

The models on display were outstanding.

Thanks for the tips gents. We will attempt to run the engine on compressed air before we even think about steam. There is a lot to think about. Starting at the bottom seems like good advice and also seems to be the way to go from the research we have already done.

Thanks again,

Mark

P.S. Regarding the balancing; at the moment we will concern ourselves with making it as well as we can. Ironing out vibrations will be done later but thanks for the heads up Mick.

Ok thanks Nick. We proceed with enthusiasm

We went for a No. 1 engine. Mainly because of the size. I perhaps foolishly thought that a big engine would be a little less fiddly and more forgiving when it comes to tolerances. We will do our best and i will map out our progress here, even if it gets ugly. This will be a warts and all build thread

Our kit came in. All parts look ok, however there are 2 very large protrusions from the casting process inside the bore of the cylinder. The 2 cans of paint are tiny! My wife has bigger nail varnish tins than these two.

What I also found disappointing is the "book" they sold us for £9,50 which is nothing more than few photo copies stapled together.

Oh well, upwards and onwards. We expect to start the build this month sometime. First we have a DRO to fit to the FB-2 and some work space to arrange.

Mark

I will be back with photo's of mistakes, blemishes and other general faux pas for you all to giggle at

Edited By Mark Gould 1 on 21/08/2017 14:27:49

Edited By Mark Gould 1 on 21/08/2017 14:28:09

Thanks for the encouragement Jason, we are eager to get stuck in. With the wealth of knowledge behind us on this website, we'll be going in with full (ish) confidence.