Member postings for ega

KWIL:

Thanks for your interest (you may remember our earlier correspondence).

In my experience owners don't appear to know how to spell it either! Fortunately, search engines are alive to that although it is faintly irritating to be asked if I meant "Wilson".

My lathe is no 13582/906 and information on lathes.co.uk suggests that it is a "very late" model although, I believe, still called a Mark I. I have always understood that these lathes date from the 1960s but I should be interested in a more precise date.

Brian John

Here is a photo of the cross slide handle on my Willson slant bed. It's a simple piece of flat MS with a hole to slip over the standard handle and another hole to receive the extension handle; the latter came from Arceuro and was modified by having its rotating centre removed and being tapped for the retaining screw. My top slide handle is made on similar lines and I was prompted to make it by a need to improve the finish of tapers. The "inspiration" may have come from the late D H Chaddock whose Quorn book has several photos of his own similar device.

I have just noticed that in my post of 14/09 I said "top and top slides" when I meant cross and top slides. It looks as though the ability to correct mistakes by editing is not available at this stage.

John W1:

Thanks for the detailed reply. To illustrate your point about who owns what, I was surprised to learn that VW indirectly own Ducati. The name Draper rang a bell with me because I had saved some information about the firm's history and couldn't remember anything in it about Mitutoyo. Some of this info is in the relevant Wiki and there is some interesting material in the Mitutoyo ditto.

I have a slightly sentimental attachment to the products of Ambrose Shardlow as a friend gave me an unusual combination 1"/2" mic by them, essentially a 2" device with a removeable one inch long anvil. Since then I have acquired a number of other mics by the firm, mostly ex-WD.

I've never handled the new digital type and wonder what the working principle is - obviously not the same as the ubiquitous digital scale which reads a printed pattern.

John W1:

Did Draper buy Mitutoyo or vice versa? In either case, can you elaborate?

John Stevenson:

Years ago I was given a Mitutoyo Combimike which I think may be your non-preferred type. I have no experience of the present type but despite the Combi's clunkiness compared to a conventional mic I do value its ablity to display both metric and imperial simultaneously and, of course, it doesn't have a battery!

I just went back to page 1 of this saga to remind myself of the identity of the machine concerned and note that the English distributor is Excel Machine Tools which treats its customers "with the best service you'll find".

The OP is lucky to have received such detailed and helpful advice from the forum; not sure how far he asked the supplier for help.

Comments about the German reputation for quality engineering are very topical given the damage being done to the VW brand.

Manny lambert:

I know of no formal reviews but can tell you that I am very pleased with my Vertex tapping chuck.

Michael Poole:

Many thanks for your rapid reply. I shall have another look at the manual in the light of your comments.

Vic:

You don't say what woodturning lathe you have but on my Graduate I have always followed the advice of the late Peter Child and slowed the lathe by pressure on the LH faceplate when turning between centres. I accept this doesn't answer your question directly and, like you, am no expert on VFDs. I don't have one on my machine but feel it would be very useful as changing the belt is tiresome.

Michael Poole:

I found your explanation to Vic helpful. Are you by any chance also conversant with the TECO Minicon VFDs? I have never got round to fitting the braking resistor which the supplier provided mainly because despite diligent reading of the manual I was not clear as to where it should be fitted.

My VFD runs my metal lathe where consistent, rapid braking would be a great help with screwcutting.

CotswoldsPhil:

As far as measurement without dismantling goes, about .032".

The book is "Improvements and Accessories for your Lathe" and contains reprints of many, some very ambitious, projects originally published in ME. It also contains a purported photo of "the author in his study" which was in fact of the late H A Taylor; I don't know if this has been corrected in any subsequent edition,

John W1:

I don't claim any particular expertise here and, of course, accept that there must be some swivelling of the saddle under load. So far as lubrication is concerned, I am a long term fan of Rocol Ultraglide despite its expense.I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned that the narrow guide setup means that the tailstock shares the inside edge of the front shear with the saddle step which may aggravate the problem. As I understand it, and I welcome enlightenment from others, Myfords changed their design from narrow to wide and, from what you say, did so against their better judgment. I have great respect for the views of the late T D Walshaw and would be interested in knowing his reasons for converting wide to narrow. Narrow is obviously better if it can be made to work and it may be that proper adjustment and lubrication can achieve that. I remain on JAR's side of the discussion.

Neil Wyatt:

Many thanks for so promptly granting my wish and I hope it helps the OP amongst others.

In answer to CotswoldsPhil, I modified my S7 saddle many years ago with a simplified version of JAR's method: essentially, just inserting a strip of gauge plate between the rear step of the saddle and the (unworn) rear shear. Whether one follows JAR completely or not, his article is well worth reading for anyone with a worn Myford saddle.

I would also recommend dowelling the front gib strip to prevent lateral movement against the adjusting screws and making up a new, full-width, felt wiper to the saddle.

Neil Wyatt: so far as I am aware, I've never suffered from jamming and the saddle still moves very sweetly the full length of the bed. JAR's article is reprinted in the TEE book but I wondered if it could be made available on the website (if not already)? Another thing I would like to see is an authoritative explanation of how and why Myfords came to see the light. I'm guessing that the Seven's saddle was designed as a development of earlier, shorter, Myford saddles and so "inherited" that wear-prone front step.

Has anyone mentioned the old idea of fitting a larger throw handle to the cross slide, etc? I have made up quickly-fitted extenders to both top and top slides for my larger lathe and find them helpful in obtaining better finish. I have power crossfeed on that machine and do use it but, of course, on a facing cut conventional PXF cannot give constant surface speed. Hand feeding in conjunction with judicious speed increase can give an approximation to CSS.

Small fine thread taps in thin material are OK with a hand drill where the sensitivity should help to avoid breakage. In your 1/2" plate you might try the combined drill/taps which come with a hex shank in combination with the clutch feature on the drill; Axminster do a set which might be suitable.

Sam Stones:

Caveat venditor, too! IIRC, some years ago a well-known skin cream manufacturer was successfully prosecuted for falsely over-stating the quantity of their product; the misrepresentation lay in the oversize container with the empty compartment in the bottom.

Andrew Johnston:

Great-looking cutter! Might you give a little more information? I'm intrigued by the apparent Rippa effect on the relieved flanks of the teeth.

naughty boy:

Thank you for clearing that up. Coincidentally, I had occasion to speak to Dave at Drives Direct and he mentioned that Direct Drives is in the tarmac business - inversion is a powerful thing!

naughty boy:

Just checking; did you mean "direct drives" or Drives Direct?

I used to enjoy a visit to Tracy (sic) Tools when they were in Twickenham

Since we are talking about "Fearnought" rather than Dsel's Fearnaught, may I mention that there are at least two references in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels. One definition of the cloth sense is:

fearnought A stout woolen cloth used as clothing in cold weather. Also, a thick felt used to cover the outside door of a powder MAGAZINE, portholes, and HATCHWAYS during battle. Also called “dreadnought screen.”

When our hero has a cold he is offered "fearnought draught" which has the interesting characteristic that it has to be drunk in twos, "or the first glass is mortal"!

John Stevenson:

Many thanks. I have sent you a PM.

John Stevenson:

I have had a Myford lever feed in amateur use for several years and much prefer it to the standard screw feed. My lever needed overhauling to remove play in the bearings and I have also fitted it with an improved, longer handle with more comfortable grip. The positive experience with the Myford was one reason for wanting to modfiy my larger lathe and I did think about a scaled up lever feed but felt it would be unsatisfactory partly because I couldn't see how to design a linkage that would give me the length of barrel movement that I want. I shall not be emulating the superb Cazeneuve although I do plan to incorporate the capstan within the body of the tailstock rather than hang it off the end.

Good point about the Super Seven barrel: mine is 1.115" diameter which is certainly not a standard size for silver steel. I have ordered a length of 1.5" material for my project and the supplier assures me it will be round and that I may return it if proves otherwise.

Can you tell us how your combined screw and lever feeds contrive to co-exist?