Member postings for Dennis Pataki

Thanks all. Lots of good ideas here to consider.

For the example cited, the bottom of the stuffing box bore has a shaft sleeve hole of slightly more than 1.5", so the expanding adjustable hand reamer may be worth a try.

In any event, while it would be nice to clean out the entire stuffing box bore, what is really needed is to clean out the first 1/2" of depth so the compression gland will enter freely.

Thanks again.

I repair old condensate and vacuum pumps, primarily those used for old steam plants for building heating. Many of these old pumps use old style packing box type shaft seals.

Many times the packing box bores in the cast iron housings develop a corrosion build up that prevent the compression gland from entering the bore to compress the packing rings. As part of my repair work, I have to clean out this build up so the compression gland will enter this bore.

So far, I've been using abrasive flap wheels in a high speed die grinder and this will usually get the job done in a good enough sort of way, but not always.

I'd really like to come up with a hand rotated cutting tool for this job, but need some guidance as to how it might be constructed.

Case in point, a 2.137" packing box bore that is approximately 3" deep.

I'm hoping to find a small tool and cutter grinding shop that could make a hand reamer to this dimension, but no luck with that idea so far.

My dream solution would be a vertical milling machine with boring tool in an adjustable boring head. Problem is, I just don't have room for even a small vertical mill. Other problem is, sometimes I have to do this work at a job site where a vertical mill is not available.

Thank you all for your replies.

My lathe is a 6" CL height (12" swing) Atlas Craftsman. My T slotted cross slide is home made, measures 4" wide X 12" long, surface ground to .900" thick, made from 1020 Hrs. It really works a treat. I've been using it almost daily for at least 30 years.

The operation I am doing is boring and tapping the side of a pump housing for either 1/2 or 3/4" pipe threads. I have an Atlas vertical slide and a home made 4 X 7" boring table for it, but using a vertical slide for this operation won't work; no surface to mount that is 90* to my tapped hole, and more importantly, not enough rigidity.

I scrolled through the posts, and haven't yet found the Woodson article in Popular Science magazine. I am sure with more effort I will find it.

So far, I think the tilting angle plate will be the best solution, unless the Woodson article has ideas I haven't considered.

Thanks again to all who replied.

Often enough I use my lathe like a horizontal boring machine. I have a swiveling table I mount to the cross slide, and the piece part is bolted to it

The problem is getting the part set to the correct height. I mess about with shims and spacers, but its a painful and time consuming procedure.

Does anyone know about an elevating boring table that I could mount to my cross slide, secure the piece part to, and then quickly adjust for the correct height?

Such a device would be a real solution to this problem.

One old time lubricant for machining aluminum was a 50/50 mixture of kerosene and lard oil.

I find screw cutting by manual turning the lathe spindle with with an insert crank handle to work very well. You have total control of everything and no chance of a crash or anything disastrous like that.

When returning for another cut, just withdraw the tool and crank in the opposite direction. No need for a thread indicator dial.

When using this method, I disengage the bull gear from the spindle so the only load is on the gearing, lead screw, and carriage. For most usual threads this takes surprisingly little effort.

Before anyone dismisses this idea, I suggest you give it a try first. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Bo'sun, I'm thinking concentricity. Not familiar with your particular project, but if part is machined mounted on the lathe spindle for which it is intended, concentricity is pretty much assured.

Regarding material, free cutting mild steel might be a good choice too.

Would milling that thread be a better process than trying to single point cut it?

May I please ask that the seller's email also be included in their post?

Those of us not in the UK may be interested, but would prefer to communicate in writing.

Here in the USA we have an aerosol product called LPS 3 Premier Rust Inhibitor. When applied, it resembles penetrating oil, but the carrier is volatile, which evaporates to leave a wax like coating. It seems to resemble some of the spray on motorcycle chain lubes I have seen.

Back when I was working for my former employer, we had a large lathe sent out for reconditioning and bed regrinding. The company doing doing the work transported machines on an open flat bed trailer. The owner told us he used to cover the machines with a tarpaulin, but if it rained they got wet anyway and rusted. He went on to say he now just sprays down the machine all over with LPS 3 and doesn't have these problems any more.

Split point drills work best when guided with a hardened drill guide bushing, the type used in fixtures for production drilling work. They are also useful after the drill has gone through the spotting the BS3 or similar center drill produced.

The difference in angles between the 135* split point drill and the 60* center drill can cause some wandering as others suggest.

Cast iron can be delightful or terrible to machine. Sometimes chills occur in the casting if it was not allowed to slowly cool in the mold, or if questionable quality material was used. These chilled hard spots can cause all kinds of machining problems.

I expect you will have the same results using a collet. At least, that was my experience.

I would recommend you use a Jacobs type chuck. I have one that threads directly onto my spindle, and that's what I use when trying to thread rod or bar stock using a die. It holds much tighter than my 3 jaw, 4 jaw, or collets.

You may need to rig up some way to hold the Jacobs chuck. Perhaps threaded onto a straight shank, held in the 4 Jaw. You may need to drill a clearance hole through the shank if threading the ends of long rod.

Hope this is helpful.

Keep in mind that a worn feed screw will affect the accuracy of movement as shown on the graduated dial. This is most noticeable over a long distance of movement due to wear differences in the screw threads.

A worn nut will only affect the backlash due to excess clearance between the screw and nut.

To modify your lathe for more swing, you might consider fabricating an auxiliary spindle pedestal with it's centerline higher than that of your lathe's spindle.

This auxiliary spindle would be mounted on it's own bearings, it's pedestal be bolted to the lathe's bed, and be driven from the lathe's spindle via belt, gears, or roller chain.

You would have to set your cutting tool to a greater height to match the auxiliary spindle.

Accurate alignment would be necessary to avoid turning, boring, or facing tapers, although this might be an easy way to cut tapers if they are needed.

I assume yours is a type of lathe where the self act carriage feed is provided using the half nuts and lead screw.

If so, you might check for a bent lead screw. In such an instance, a bent lead screw will impart an oscillating motion to the carriage, causing cutting tool movements that would not occur if the lead screw were straight.

If it's fitted with an 8 TPI lead screw, and I expect it is, the graduated hand wheel will need 125 divisions for each division to show .001" of carriage travel.

So, yes, the last division before the zero would be a five.