Member postings for ega

PPS re HK knurling tool:

Here is the finished tool with arms reversed and pins shortened and provided with the screwdriver slots which now seem necessary; I left a projection of about 0.050" as an insurance against having to recut the slots in the hard HSS pins:

First test piece with new arrangement:

The original adjusting nut knurled by the tool itself:

The photos are rather poor even by my standards; I dropped my cherished Panasonic compact some time ago and have been struggling with a less familiar camera.

John Coates:

A good friend of mine has a Barker bought from an industrial site in London. I recall him carrying the headstock singlehanded down three flights of stairs - he wouldn't even attempt that today! The lathe had, of course, been installed in one piece via crane.

PS:

"Is it possible to put the nuts on the other side ..."

I notice that HasBean's tool has the nuts on the side away from the chuck and the photo on the HK website has the same. The drawing I worked to, however, indicates that the nuts go on the chuck side and it seems that I blindly followed this. There is a lesson there.

Edited By ega on 05/06/2017 14:04:46

Journeyman:

"Is it possible to put the nuts on the other side ..."

Thank you for this excellent piece of lateral (?) thinking. I just went into the workshop and swapped the arms and will test the operation shortly.

This idea did actually occur to me but I rejected it because I was aware that the arms are handed; I hope this will prove to have been premature and, in the meantime, please consider yourself promoted to Master!

IanT

Thanks for your very helpful comments (and to other posters).

Joseph Noci 1:

Knurl pins: these are screwed into the near side of the arms and prevented by the nuts from unscrewing in use. I made the nuts of a thickness to match the projection of the end mill shanks - the centres in the ends of these can just be seen in my photo - and I agree they could usefully be reduced so as to allow the knurls to work closer to the chuck. I did think of trying Andrew Johnston's idea of turning off the surplus hardened HSS with a carbide tool but wasn't quite brave enough!

The Hemingway design (quite possibly now updated) specified a simple knurled knob to the nut but indicated that a tommy bar might be needed for heavier work. Might it be worth your asking Kirk Burwell if you can buy the drawings alone?

The photo is in my Miscellaneous album; I may upload some of the tool in use. Meanwhile, I look forward to more photos from your laboratory by the sea.

Michael Gilligan:

Thank you - all the more welcome as I gather you are now seeing clearly!

IanT

May I ask how you went about deciding what magnification to go for?

HasBean

Nice-looking job!

I made the Hemingway knurling tool some time ago. In use I have found the tommy bar on the adjusting nut tends to foul the chuck and have finally got round to making an alternative nut with hex head which is tightened with a suitable socket spanner.

In my version,the pins on which the knurls rotate are made from broken HSS screwed shank endmills.

Michael Gilligan:

No dig at you or anyone else was intended. I referred to your post and that of Andrew Moyles 1 simply to give the context and allow anyone interested to go back and look at them.

This present thread is about cheap DTIs and it seemed worth drawing attention to this type of indicator as a possible alternative. In looking up the description of the 564 I was struck by the, perhaps rather trivial, point that I thought worth mentioning "FWIW".

Moving on, my impression is that in these affluent times the "Junior" indicator has fallen out of use and I would be interested to know whether my view is shared by others.

As a result of reading posts here I looked at the earlier Recommended Dial Indicators thread where the last post [and "last word"] by Michael Gilligan referred to the Starrett Indicator No 564.

FWIW, this is not a DTI, having no dial, but it is of the very small and useful kind of instrument favoured by Martin Cleeve. The "Universal Junior" Indicator, to give it its full name, is described in Starrett's 1979 catalogue but I don't know if it is still available.

Incidentally, the owner of the 564 was Andrew Moyes 1 and he posted an intriguing picture of a two-tone Myford.

Edited By ega on 26/05/2017 18:20:57

Vic:

Thanks for the interesting link although I'm somewhat depressed by the "verdict" on my own DTIs.

I had a conversation with the Verdict rep at an exhibition many years ago and was impressed by the complimentary elephant's feet they sent me as a result. My first lever clock of this brand did fail but I liked it well enough in use to replace it with another of the same or similar type ["Supertest 2"].

Edited By ega on 26/05/2017 17:30:06

Ketan Swali:

Thank you for taking the trouble to explain.

Ketan Swali

Whilst I understand your position I find it a bit disappointing; I have been considering the various tee-slotted items you have with a view to use on the plain cross slide of my lathe.

I have had numerous items from you and not surprisingly never been asked what I wanted them for.

I would add the general comment that I very much welcome your willingness to get involved in this forum.

Did anyone mention that the four jaw independent may well have greater capacity than the corresponding three jaw SC? So, less temptation to overstretch the chuck.

Individual usage patterns are interesting but not necessarily helpful to a beginner who may not know what he wants to do.

Jason B:

That high finish on the large ball leaves the photographer nowhere to hide! As to the Bedair, would it benefit from an alternative lever location to avoid the apparent need to reach under the work? I gather you are increasing the insert radius for brass as opposed to steel.

Andrew Johnston:

Presumably, there has to be a second op to part the work and clean up the end(s)? And is there a practical lower limit to the size of the radius of the "neck" between the tapers and the balls?

Neil Wyatt:

New heights of obscurity for those who, like myself, know even less about heavy metal than than they do about brass!

Edited By ega on 19/05/2017 11:30:15

Neil Wyatt:

The OP's "motor has slots in the sides as well as the end cover so is in the line of fire".

I would agree that he would have been better off with a sealed one

I followed up my comment about the author's negative rake for brass point by turning a nominal 1" ball in brass with my JAR/GHT/Hemingway spherical turning tool. The 1/4" dia toolbit on this tool has approximately 4 degrees of front clearance and works well on steel.
All went well with this to begin with until a nasty dig occurred. I then reduced the effective front clearance by honing a land on the toolbit in the way recommended for drill bits used on brass with the result that I was able to complete the ball without further digs but with the tool rubbing and a poor finish.
I plan to experiment further with different tool geometry and or size.
Whilst I have no present use myself for turned balls in brass I realise that others do and invite them to say how they go about making them; I have in mind that clocks often incorporate decorative balls.

Mike E.:

As a barrier cream for dry (ie not involving water) work I have found nothing to beat PR88; certainly not cheap but very economical used correctly.

I am reading the article concerned and was initially puzzled by the reference to "(fig. 3)" in the second column on page 50 where, I think, (ref. 3) was intended.

I have turned numerous ball handles but never in brass. The author suggests that the negative rake tool as recommended for this material may not be practicable with the method used. I wonder, however, whether the large overhang may also be a factor (photo 6).