Member postings for Robin Graham

Hi. I had a jam-up drilling from the tailstock using a 19mm blacksmith's drill - result is that the keyless chuck I was using has 'self tightened' beyond ever loosening it seems. The most brute force I've applied is holding one part in the vice and using a chain (oil pump) wrench on t'other, (OK, so not a lot) but I can't budge it. Internet search suggested whacking the end of the bit inwards towards the chuck, but that's not worked. Any ideas bar sticking it in a drawer labelled '19mm drill and chuck assembly (complete)'?

Robin

Michael G -that works for me, I come from a physics background, but the same terminology is used - when setting exam questions, when one says rigid one means inflexible...

Tonight this project taught me several things, the foremost being that I shouldn't clutter the mat on the headstock housing too much - experimenting with feeds and DOC, as one does, I got a chatter at some speed which dislodged something off the mat and sent it chuckwards with a BANG. It went past my left ear (it turned out to be steel rule) - if I'd been a foot to the left it'd have had half my face off. Really - it ended up embedded in a chunk of wood. So I I need to be tidier. Or maybe I should put the chuck guard back on which gets in the way mostly? It's scary how fast bad things happen when they do - no point in clenching buttocks, it's all over before you know.

Don't try this at home I guess,

Regards Robin.

Thanks for your myriad replies - too many to address every one individually, but all read, digested, and appreciated.

Concensus seems to be that doing this borders on lunacy - I too thought it mightn't be the best way of getting to where the customer wants to go (hence the thread title), but I took it on because it gives me the opportunity to try some new things out, so customer gets what he wants, I learn summat, win-win. As Capstan says, if I charged commercial rate for this the guy could have got himself a new drill... Meddings probably, time it's taking me.

The column is indeed 46mm and I sought far and wide (but not so far as Canterbury - thanks John C) for tube or bar, but found none to size locally, so worked with 2 inch stock.

Scaff tube was my first thought, but it would have ended up too flimsy by the time, with my limited skills, I'd got it round and straight (the stuff I blagged off local builders was neither).

Should say that this is for woodworking, so maybe it'll work....

Anyhow, I'm learning stuff, so thanks again,

Regards, Robin.

I wouldn't be starting here, I seem to hear... but

I've been asked to upgrade a cheap (Lidl, Parkside) drilling machine by making a longer column for it - at present the column is 430mm, and the 'customer' wants it extended to 750mm, whilst still being able to go back to the original length when necessary. Personally I think he should just buy a bigger drill, but not my call.

I've made the flanged collar to fix to the drill's base plate, and 'first stage' column from solid bar. My thought is to make a threaded recess and female register at the top of this to mate with a similar (male) arrangement on the 320mm extension. Sort of like how a Myford chuck mounts, not that I have one. So my questions are (a) is this a reasonable plan, and (b) if so what sort of dimensions might be appropriate? I was thinking of maybe a 25x2mm thread and a 35mm diameter x 10mm deep register, but these numbers are just plucked from the air really. I'm thinking of the deep register in case it's necessary to bung in grub screws radially in the top piece to stop it loosening in use.

Any thoughts welcome, would like to get this done and dusted tomorrow!

Having 'upgraded' to a bigger lathe I feel I'm back to square one again!

Regards, Robin.

Edited By Robin Graham on 30/05/2015 22:38:27

The tool looks to be one of the 5-piece set sold by Proxxon (for a mere 64 quid!) for use with the PD400. I too bought the set because I knew almost nothing about lathe tooling when I bought the lathe, so reckoned I should start with 'proper' tools. I was confused by the Form 1 thing - I assumed that it must be a standard designation, but it seems to be a Proxxon thing. Except for the parting tool they work well - a 3mm DOC in mild steel with the tool shown is possible, though perhaps not advisable on this light machine.

13Sigs - if it was the parting tool in this set you broke it's unlikely that the problem was with sharpness (all the tools are sharp OOTB). More likely it jammed - the saddle/cross-slide assembly on this machine is insufficiently rigid to take the cutting forces with such a wide blade, although the spindle has the power to drive it. Well, that was my experience anyhow.

Regards, Robin

Thanks both for your info. Sounds like RDG is out then. The Gloster ones in John's link are even cheaper at 50 quid and if they're good enough for John, should be good enough for me.... but I think as I'm still feeling my way with this big (for me) new machine and don't really know what I can expect from it in terms of accuracy, I think I'll go for the TOS to reduce the number of variables. For example, after facing off the 10 inch faceplate supplied with the machine and replacing in the same orientation there's 0.05 mm total 'wobble' measuring on the face near the periphery. Whether that's good, bad or indifferent for a lathe of this class I have no idea. Certainly worse than my little bench top machine which is < 0.01 on a 6 inch flange mount faceplate, but that is billed as a 'precision' lathe.

Thanks again for your input, Robin.

Hi. I need (or want at least) a D1-4 backplate to mount a lathe collet chuck. Warco and RDG sell them at around 55 quid, or Rotagrip do a TOS one at about 95. Anyone got any experience of the cheaper ones or general advice on (in)advisability of going that way?

Regards, Robin.

Points taken - didn't know that the guards had to be fitted for safety reasons. I don't like making irreversible mods to machines, but that's probably irrational - think I'll follow JS's method and just take the angle grinder to it.

John / Bogs - wasn't intending to decry the machine in general, just had a frustrating day with it - apart from the issue with the leadscrew covers I had discovered that the travelling steady supplied was unusable and opening a box from Axi found they had sent me a fixed steady as a replacement. So was in a Bad Mood as I have a deadline to meet!

Thanks for all your replies, Robin.

Hi Andrew, I've done the same at the headstock end for the same reasons, but the collar which the telescopic bit contracts into is longer at the tailstock end for some reason. Think it has to be removed, just nervy about keeping the leadscrew etc aligned. Probably straightforward, but I'm still feeling my way in these things.

Regards, Robin

Hi. I have what is (I think) the Axi version of the Chester Crusader lathe, aka the Grizzly 'gunsmith's lathe'. I want to turn a 30 inch long bar down - no problem, I seem to hear you say, your lathe is 36 inchs between centres, plenty of room there. But the trouble is the saddle can't get close enough to the tailstock end to cut anyhere near this length because of the blasted telescopic lead-screw cover arrangement. It looks like I can just take the pillow block off at the tailstock end and slide the offending items off - if I didn't have recourse to this forum I guess I'd just try it, but as I do I thought I might ask if anyone else has done this and knows of any pitfalls I might encounter. I seem to be spending as much time fixing this machine as making stuff on it

Shall go for the Plumbers' Mait - hadn't thought of that. Thanks chaps, Robin

If one's lathe should start leaking suds onto the floor through the bolt-holes between the lathe feet and the stand/tray, would a fillet of that silicone bathtub sealant stuff be any good? Or would the suds just eat it leaving a sticky mess making things worse? Don't want to lift the machine off the stand to replace gaskets if I can help it.

Regards Robin.

Make you wonder really. If I got a 10% discount on a 1600 pound mill, that would be, erm, pause for braincell, 1440. Which would be 1200 before VAT. For a machine that has travelled thousands of miles by sea, then been lugged from Felixtowe or wherever to Sittingbourne, then delivered by road to my door 200 miles away. And everyone in the process makes a profit presumably. So what's the factory door price? 500 quid? Not trying to make a point or anything, just wondering.

Robin

Edited By Robin Graham on 03/05/2015 22:18:28

Sounds like an alignment issue then, as I suspected. I'll have a fiddle tomorrow. If it works out I might have a spare courtesy of Axi, if they can't be bothered to pick up the original one. Think if you ask for a supplier to pick summat up under Sale of Goods and they don't within six months, it's yours. Might be a bit hazy on that though!

Regards, Robin.

OK, thanks chaps, think my question is answered - I'm not going to get any worthwhile discount by going up there. Apart from the possibility of saving money my only other interest in going to the show was to view the machines 'in the flesh' as it were, but I think I've made a decision on specs anyway really. Although I like looking at the models etc on display I am not good in crowds, so on balance think I'll give it a miss.

Thanks again to all who have replied - saved me a journey and a slightly stressful experience.

Robin

OK, thanks - I'll save more by not going to Harrogate - when I've gone in the past I've always ended up buying stuff (Good god, a box of miscellaneous blunt reamers for only fifteen quid, must have those) that I don't need.

David - if I get the bigger mill my metric WM14 will be surplus to requirements.

Regards, Robin

Thanks John, I think you have confirmed my suspicion - I shall check the alignment. I'd already done the check you suggested (swapping the connectors at the readout box) and it's deffo the read head at fault. It is shimmed off the bracket with standard washers as you say.

I actually still have the original one, when Axi replaced it I repeatedly asked for a returns number, but they don't seem to want it back - so I'll strip it down and have a look see.

Regards, Robin

I recently bought a lathe (think Chester Crusader) from Axminster which came fitted with 2-axis Sino scales and readout. The cross-slide scale started playing up pretty soon after I installed the machine - intermittent stalling, then conked out completely, just flashing on the last digit when winding the slide. I took it off, and it seemed to work perfectly on the bench, so I put it back on, everything fine for a few hours, then the same story. So I called Axminster and they sent a new one out pronto, I fitted it, worked fine for a few weeks, then failed in exactly the same way. No doubt Axi would replace again, they're good like that, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's summat to do with the mounting arrangement - seems too much of a coincidence that I've just got two bad uns in a row. Anyone out there had a similar experience and resolved it themselves?

Regards, Robin.

Hi. I'm planning to buy a Warco milling machine. I have read about people getting good deals by ordering at shows, but I've never gone that route myself - although I've wandered round the Harrogate show before just to look and buy bits and bobs. Do dealers actually offer significant reductions on machines at these affairs? I'm wondering if it's worth my going to Harrogate next weekend, don't really need to unless I could save money on the mill. Any experiences to share?

Regards, Robin

It's a magic holesaw Neil. Being zero thickness, it doesn't have any molucule thingies obviously.

Robin