Member postings for EdH

Incase someone is interested in why the end of a cylindrical square is finished at an angle there is a description on the use of a cylindrical square on this site along with a picture showing the etched parabolic lines and how to use them by turning the cylinder end for end and sitting it on the angled end.

Look for figure 15

http://its.foxvalleytech.com/MachShop1/Inspection/AngleMeas.htm

If you're interested in what a MES Rotary Table looks like I think this is one in my Albums.

Note there is not a table with tee slots but instead a threaded nose, which is not removable, to take Myford size fittings. I'm not sure if this is a one off or they were all like this. Another Quiz question maybe?

The important thing to bare in mind is that regardless what method or oil gun you use you need to know that the oil gets through the nipple. Just pumping away and getting covered in oil yourself does not mean the bearing has received any oil.

This may help with the oil pump.

The oiling nipples on a Myford pose a problem as they require a high pressure to open them hence the expensive oil gun or oil all over your hands. I found this out recently while putting am old ML7 together.

I do not have a high pressure oil gun and use a Relaing oil can with a 1” length of thick wall rubber tube with an 1/8” bore held on with some cable ties. I took the oil nipples off the machine then using a piece of 1/8” plate with a 2BA threaded hole, this was held in a vice, screwed the nipple in and tested to see if the Relaing had enough pressure to allow oil to pass, most of them failed this test. I suspect using an expensive high pressure oil gun as sold for this purpose by the lathe manufacturer they would all work but who’s going to pay £70+ for one those. This leads me to think that there may be many users out there faithfully oiling their lathe unaware that the oil does not get through the nipple to the place it is required.

To lower the oil pressure I modified the nipples.

Put a nipple in the test fixture mentioned above and run a fine file over the end of the threaded section, with two light strokes the spring could be felt to be released, keep the file held down on the last stroke so the spring doesn’t fly out. Take out the spring and ball then thread the hole in the nipple using a 6BA tap. You only need about 1/8” length of threaded section.

Next use a piece of 6BA threaded rod, an off cut from a 6BA screw used elsewhere, about 3/16” long and holding this in a threaded collet in the lathe drill a 1mm hole through it. The brass rod will only screw so far into the nipple and the remaining space will be taken up by the ball and a shortened spring, the spring was cut to be one coil longer than the space available, a bit of trial and error used here reducing the spring by one coil at a time. This was assembled and tested with the Relaing and every modified nipple now passed oil and was still sealed afterwards by the ball.

I tested a pack of new nipples recently purchased from Myford’s and found the same problem so I modified these as well so this procedure works on both the old and new style nipples.

This modification does weaken the nipple body slightly but as the nipples are not a structural fixing wherever they are used on the lathe as long as the 2BA hole for them is clean they can be screwed in with finger pressure only.

To finish off I shortened the brass inserts so they just poked out of the nipple body and then using a centre punch flared the end to make sure the insert would not unscrew in use, just a light tap with a hammer seemed to work. After modifying the nipples I found that a cheap pump oil can would also now work.

A Forum member was after information about the rack feed tailstock designed by Martin Cleeve (Kenneth Hart), I contacted him as I have one of these. It was suggested others might like to see the tailstock in question. so I have posted some photos in my album, unfortunately they are not very good but the best I can do for the moment.

This was purchased by a late friend of mine from Martin Cleeve's widow along with a front swing clear retracting toolholder, a rear swing clear toolholder and an ML7 lathe he was modifying for a friend when he died. I do not know what happened to the lathe.

I also have Martin's "Machinery's Screw Thread Book".

Pictures of all three tooling items can be see in the Workshop Practice Series No3 "Screwcutting in the Lathe" by Martin Cleeve.

I have tried to reply to the Small Drill thread which is currently active but have had no luck so will add it as a new thread.