Member postings for Gavlar

I had a tatty Clark CMD1225 round column mill that used these hand wheels with the three protrusions. The same mill is sold with many manufacturers badge on it, Warco, Draper, Nutool, Pinnacle to name but a few.

Axminster also sell it, I think their model is the ZX30M

I replaced two of the handles on mine prior to selling it on with parts from Axminster, though they are not particularly cheap, about £15 each IIRC and Axminster quoted a 20 week lead time! In fact they were a little quicker but not much. I ordered them just before Christmas 2019 and they arrived this March

Prior to ordering from Axminster, I searched the net for spares for every manufacturer I could find without luck.

Oh yes they are!

All wild birds are protected. Wood pigeon and collard doves can be controlled under the (recently changed to be much stricter) terms of the general licence.

Just a quick public thanks to Chris who, as well as the advice above, has sent me a scanned copy of the manual this morning

Thanks Chris, that worked a treat!. I don't think I'd have found that by trail and error in a month of Sundays, though I've no idea how I managed to reverse the settings in the first place!

I have messaged you with my email.

Edited By Gavin Freeman 1 on 19/04/2020 08:03:48

The paint isn't so dear when you consider 1/2 litre will do a whole machine and doesn't need undercoat or primer. You can prime it but it's not essential. Just thin it slightly, roll it on with a small sponge roller then run a clean brush over it to remove the stippling effect.

You will be disappointed with the colour match if you use 'smoke grey' see my post above.

Also, if you intend to take the cast components like the bed, headstock and tailstock back to bare metal, when they were manufactured the finish quality of the castings was never that good, they are full of filler and will need to be re-filled to get a nice result. The sheet metal parts like the base and belt cover can just be sanded back to bare metal and painted.

Edited By Gavin Freeman 1 on 15/04/2020 13:35:24

In my experience, Boxford 'Smoke grey' comes out almost light blue. It is a similar colour to the blue/grey Boxfords and may have been correct when the machines were new 50 odd years ago but it won't match now. It is the same with enamels from both Paragon and Craftsmaster.

To match the blue/grey colour of the older Boxfords I mixed Boxford smoke grey with black around 60/40 by volume and got it near perfect.

The enamels in brown, olive grey or green of the later machines match perfectly.

I have a stupid question about the DRO on my lathe. It's likely to be basic set up but I don't have the instructions!

It is a M-DRO MDC700L

I'm re-fitting the X axis components but this time doing it properly so that the bracket holding the X axis sensor doesn't interfere with other moving parts.

I think I worked out how to do it without drilling anymore holes, then mocked it up prior to machining a new bracket but the readout is in reverse, that is, as cross slide moves towards the work piece, the readout on the DRO goes up rather than down.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks, Gavin.

Program the parameters as follows;

P11 to 2 (tells the VFD on/off will be via an external switch)

P53 to 5 ( X4 Wire forward)

P54 to 6 ( X5 wire reverse)

Those settings will give you three wire on, forward and reverse via external switches.

Connect com to X4 for forward, or com to X5 for reverse.

In its simplest form, you could do that with a single, three position switch to give forward / off / reverse.

You will still need to program the VFD for all the other parameters, ramp up and down times, max speed, min speed etc but for most of those the supplied instructions are easier to work out.

Edited By Gavin Freeman 1 on 28/02/2020 18:12:16

Edited By Gavin Freeman 1 on 28/02/2020 18:17:25

As a rule, you can use high voltage switches for low voltage applications but not the other way round!

I've made VFD control panels with these or similar;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22mm-NO-NC-Momentary-Panel-Mount-DPST-Control-Push-Button-Switch-AC-220V-LED/173833190213?hash=item287943fb45:m:mhMdQStVId-IXE6UujeCezw

Checking the ones I have, they are rated at 440v but are only switching 12v

A simple three pin toggle switch is required for forward and reverse.

Depending on what VFD you use and how it is programmed, you may want to include a relay in the start circuit so as to act as a NVR switch

I bought it direct from the school and I can only assume they had it from new. It's the third time I've bought machinery from a school (different schools, different LEAs) and they are always quality machinery, poorly maintained in my experience.

I've got white spirits and brake fluid in the workshop, I'll go and apply some in a minute and leave it overnight. If that fails, I'll try the heat gun and/or oven cleaner tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice.

Edited By Gavin Freeman 1 on 13/02/2020 19:04:46

I recently acquired a 'new' old engine lathe. The condition is quite good but it is filthy, I'm not sure it has ever been cleaned. It is ex-school and as such it is caked in a sawdust and dried oil mix which has set like an epoxy resin and I'm finding near impossible to get off. I can clean the flat and unpainted surfaces with a scraper but I can't get it out of the various painted nooks and crannies without damaging the paintwork with abrasive cleaning methods. I've tried to soften it by soaking it in turn with oil, petrol, diesel and brake cleaner (which I think is acetone) but nothing is touching it.

It's not effecting the function of the lathe, I don't want to strip and repaint it and I can live with it, but it would be nice to get it properly clean.

Any ideas for removal, please?

If you have a proper 415v three phase supply, and your motor is 240/415v then the motor should be configered to 'star'.

If you have an artificial 240v three phase supply as is common when running via an inverter, then 'delta'.

With respect, if you don't know enough to make that decision without having to ask, I would be inclined to use someone who is qualified. 415v won't just smart a little if you get it wrong!

Sorry, can't help with a wiring diagram

It is the same as the 330. Plug is on the RHS of the headstock above the fill level indicator.

To open the top cover, which will only give access to some of the electrics, you need to open the side door and undo the locking screw at the top front LHS of the headstock.

Edited By Gavin Freeman 1 on 02/02/2020 14:37:38

I meant 'Y' axis leadscrew in my earlier post. I'm new to this and I get easily confused, sorry!.

I recently moved an SX3 on my own. I used the strop around the head method to lift it onto the base with no obvious ill effects. The table is a substantial percentage of the total weight but can be easily wound off after removing a circlip that acts as a stop, on the end of the x axis lead screw. The circlip doesn't seem substantial enough to me and I replaced it by drilling and tapping a hole in the end of the leadscrew and bolting on an over sized washer. I also found that the mill is front heavy on the base (the front feet are too far back, not on the corners where the should be) and whilst it is not unstable per se, it wouldn't take much to tip the whole thing forward, particularly if the table is wound all the way forward. As such, if you have the same base as mine and are as clumsy as me, bolt it down.

Edited By Gavin Freeman 1 on 23/01/2020 21:27:03

Yes, I think that's right. That bracket of which I speak would simply secure the link between it and the chuck. Thanks.

Thanks David. I see no reason why making a bracket that bolts to the head stock wouldn't work. I had already considered it but I didn't want to drill and tap the head stock if I could help it. There is plenty of meat on the head stock and as the bracket's only job is to give the lever a pivot point this may well be the simplest solution. Thank you.

I recently purchased a S/H Burnerd LC-15 collet chuck and collets for use on my Boxford 280. The chuck was I believe originally from a Colchester Chipmaster so whilst it has the correct D1-3 fitting, the anchor bracket is of course wrong.

Milling a new bracket to correctly seat on the ways is currently beyond my skill and equipment level and I've not been able to source the correct bracket.

The Burnerd website doesn't seem to be of much use, though I haven't contacted them directly.

Can anyone advise me where I can get the correct bracket or should I just bite the bullet and buy a key operated chuck?

Thanks

Gavin.

I've just joined this forum after lurking in the background for a little while so now it's time to introduce myself.

Firstly, I have no formal mechanical engineering background, training or experience bar the little I learned at school, over 40 years ago. I do have a largish workshop in my back garden in which I did a little carpentry but to be honest, I was never much good at it, the dust got everywhere and I got more pleasure renovating old machines than using them which leads neatly on to my first engineering lathe, little generic 9 x 20 Chinese thing, used for making spares for the woodwork machines. That lathe got me interested and I have since upgraded to a Boxford 280 that came up a little too cheap to be turn down. I bought this machine from Warco of all places (I assume they had taken it in as a PX). It had no faults (other than the feet had been ground off and had to be replaced) but was not very well equipped.

I initially ran the lathe via a phase converter but have recently fitted a VFD controlled via a new switch panel, making my set up far more quiet, efficient and flexible than before.

My latest aquisition is a Burnerd LC-15 collet chuck, which will be the subject of my first question here!

I now use my machine for making or modifying parts for my own use and for friends and have even been offered professional prototype work, though this holds no interest for me. I'm not sure I'll ever have the ability or patience that some of you have but the satisfaction of scratch building a part, even when buying the same part might make more sense, cannot be underestimated.

Happy Christmas to you all!!