Member postings for old mart

The 1hp motor I have fitted to the mill gives 0.43hp at 25 hz and only 0.05hp (1/20 hp) at 5 hz. I have programmed the VFD to go no lower than 25 hz, lower is a waste of time, and all the four pulley ratios will be used.

The Yahoo group I am in, (Smart & Brown) is loosing their files on the 14th December.

The coloured aluminium plates are produced by first anodising the plates. This is a protective surface which is porous, a bit like an open honeycomb on a microscopic scale. Selected parts are masked off, usually by photographic resist or silk screening. The part is then put in a bath of hot dye which soaks into the bare areas. The resist/silk screen ink is washed off and another part is left bare for more dye of a different colour. This can be done several times. An example is used on the speed control levers on older Colchester lathes.

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You will still be best off using the pulleys, especially if drilling large holes, slow VFD frequencies mean a great loss of motor power.

If it was a bison vise of the same size with the base, it would go for 4 times the advertised price, and Toolmex is comparable in quality, and might even be the same firm.

That runout is certainly acceptable for hobby use. If you have an application which calls for higher quality finishes, it could be worth taking the time to get things running at the best possible runout, otherwise just set everything up and mill. It would be worth doing a test to see if there is a noticeable difference between the same tooling with maximum and minimum runout set. I have two er25 collet holders, one has much better runout than the other, both Chinese. I have a few higher quality collets in the most common sizes which help also.

Look at the details of the chuck on your invoice, or on the RG Tools website. It should mention the fitting, maybe JT--, or B--, if it is not already marked on the chuck. The tailstock size is definitely MT2 (Morse Taper 2).

If it is RDG Tools you bought the chuck from, then the three most likely chucks, judging from your photo are as follows:

1-10MM CHUCK = B12 fitting.           Order   Drill arbor MT2  X B12 with tang

1-13MM CHUCK= B16 fitting.            Order    Drill arbor MT2 X B16 with tang

0.5-16MM CHUCK= B18 fitting.         Order   Drill arbor MT2 X B18 with tang

Edited By old mart on 09/12/2019 20:39:57

Edited By old mart on 09/12/2019 20:41:20

Yes the paint is suspect, but there are no signs of the common drilling marks. And the scribe mark which lines up the zero on the base has not been made yet.

Edited By old mart on 09/12/2019 17:08:51

If you are staking brass, they would not require hardening.

I notice that ARC sell the set of dividing plates to fit your table.

I stumbled on this 5" milling vise one ebay today. It is a Toolmex, Polish make with a swivel base. Priced to sell fast, it is better than the average by a mile. I would have snapped it up, but for the 5" ARC one I have and the pair of Bison 4" ones.

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You could get more info and manuals from lathes UK;

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Have you balanced the needle?

As far as I know, grease is not recommended even if the nipple looks like a grease one. I t has probably been added later in the lathes life. If there are traces of grease, it should be removed by stripping down and washing. The only exceptions to this on the Model A that I use are the leadscrews of the tailstock, cross slide and compound slide which get motorcycle chain grease. The main threading leadscrew gets oil.

I use semi synthetic 5W 40 oil in the head bearings and apron, but if you want the exact stuff, then get Mobil DTE light.

Edited By old mart on 08/12/2019 16:19:54

This is what I think would be the best profile for the locks. First get the diameter of the lock wedges the same as the quill. Then relieve the inboard ends a bit so the outside clamps first. The angle of contact is slightly greater and hopefully less likely to jam in place when the tension is removed. Touching at B would be preferred.

Edited By old mart on 08/12/2019 15:57:36

We have two mills at the museum, a large Taiwanese drill mill and a Tom Senior light vertical. The both use the same style of quill lock as your Centec, the D M one works perfectly and the T S one tends to jam and need hitting lightly to free it. It must be the way the pinch clamps fit the quill. I must look at the way they fit the quill.

Now the side view puts things into perspective, it is obvious that the bolts do not pass through. I did notice that the bolts into the concrete are not the same from side to side. I expect the threads were lubricated, as they look like stainless steel rather than galvanised.

I remember Fred Dibner feeding long studs through his house from front to back to prevent further bulging of the brickwork.

I got a chance to drive a Land Rover Freelander at a test track near Honiton in Devon. It was automatic, and had a number of push button options for driving on slippery surfaces. I was impressed at the difference gained just by pushing a button. I drove it down a 1:3 slope covered in loose pebbles and dirt, completely safely and commented to the instructor that I would not have been happy riding my Beamish Suzuki down there.

Edited By old mart on 06/12/2019 20:06:21

Not knowing whether drilling a horizontal hole that long is possible without a large error at the other side, lets now assume the holes are blind. They would have to be at least 2 feet deep in the brickwork, and bonded in using one of the modern glues, or the self mixing glass tubes of epoxy. The studs are a good 40mm diameter, judging from the adjacent brickwork. A bonded in threaded stud will probably break before pulling out. The extra length of stud sticking out is insurance against damage, and allows a long screwed on fitting while driving them home with the hole partially filled with glue.

I have seen one before, but cannot remember where, one of the frustrations of getting old.