Member postings for Mike Crossfield

Thanks Martin. Very useful video, which seems to give all the needed info.

I would still like to find the forum thread I referred to though.

Mike

Some time ago someone posted details of a rather handsome regulator clock with an etched dial. The thread gave a detailed description of making the dial, but despite much searching I have been unable to retrieve it. Can anyone help?

Take care if buying gears from HPC. Most of their standard gears are 20 degree pressure angle, whereas Myford change gears are 14.5 degree pressure angle.

Andre

The method you describe is actually well established. I have used it a few times with good results. I use a similar method to make clock wheel and pinion cutters, though instead of using an offset arbor I turn the profile on the end of a bar of silver steel, then offset in the 4 jaw chuck before drilling the centre hole and parting off. Incidentally, it isn’t essential to make the two button tool. You can make a tool with a single button and cut the sides of the profile one at a time. You can also use an end mill of the right diameter to cut the profile - Graham Meek uses this method with excellent results.

I would recommend buying Ivan Law’s excellent little book on Gears and Gear Cutting, which describes the method for involute cutters. It’s in the Workshop Practice series, and inexpensive.

Thank you for the update Gray.

Regards

Mike

Paul

Diametral pitch (P) is defined as number of teeth(N) divided by pitch diameter (D)

I.e. P=N/D

Or rearranging, D=N/P

Outside diameter (OD) is pitch diameter plus twice the addendum, and the addendum is 1/P.

So OD = N/P + 2/P = (N+2)/P

Hope this helps

I have one of these machines myself, and the one for sale looks very similar. I can’t see anything odd in the 4th photo. The only differences from my machine that I can see are the engraving on the handwheels (mine are blank), and the toolholder, which is not standard. There is useful info, and pictures, at www.lathes.co.uk.

The creamy yellow colour was standard for the inside of the bed and lettering, and the early Super 7s had the crossslide and topside brackets painted in the same grey as the rest of the machine. Lots of useful info and pictures at www.lathes.co.uk

As others have already said, if the filler coat is sound, why remove it? Smooth it off and paint over it. If you are really determined, A soak in cellulose thinners will probably soften it suffiently to allow it to be scrubbed off.

Do not under any circumstances use caustic soda. Several parts are aluminium alloy, and caustic soda will attack them ferociously.

Thanks for that explanation Gray. I knew it would not have been unconsidered.

Looking forward to seeing a write up somewhere and making my own copy!

Regards

Mike

Gray

Just a small aesthetic point. Was there a good reason for not matching the reduced diameter of the base to the diameter of the tailstock casting?

Mike

Nice work Gray. I’m really looking forward to seeing the plans for this is print so that I can make my own copy.

Mike

Peter

When I refurbished my S7 over 20 years ago I discovered a crack in the area you mention. Not wanting to risk welding, I used your option 2 approach, though I used Araldite not JB Weld. The repair is still solid as a rock.

+1 for white spirit. I believe our US friends call it Varsol..

I’m 6’1” tall, and raised my Super 7 cabinet by 4 inches to stop backache. A bit more would have been even better, but I happened to have a length of 4 inch square hardwood to hand.

Mike

Like the artful codger, I needed a new stock of Loctite 603, and was seduced by a 50ml bottle for less than £8 from China. The labelling, at least the English parts, is completely upfront about it being made in China by Henkel Asia Pacific, and the use by date on mine has just passed. Would they do that if they were trying to counterfeit? Anyway, the product looks and smells very similar to the nearly empty 20 year old bottle I have on the shelf, and it seems to work ok though I haven’t done any severe tests. However I’ve noticed that liquid leaking from a joint sets hard if it isn’t wiped away very quickly. It seems that being in contact with cured material in the joint is sufficient, even though it’s in the open air. My old stuff stays liquid for ages if it’s outside the joint. Something is certainly different, But does it matter in terms of bond strength?

Peter

Your Super 7 is similar vintage to mine which was made in the change over period between Mk1/Mk2. It has the drip feed oiler and the later clutch and gearbox. I noticed some play in the area you describe a few years back. When I stripped it down I found that the retaining circlip had become deformed and was allowing some sideways movement of the pulley. I fitted a new circlip but a little play still remained, so I added a shim washer which fixed it completely. My lathe also has a clutch push bar without the spring and ball. I believe these were added later to reduce a tendency for rattling, though I’ve never had a problem with this. If the noise you describe stops when you release the clutch it is almost certainly worn bearings in the 2 step pulley. The bearings only rotate when the clutch is engaged.

Mike

Gray,

What a neat solution. I built your Super 7 carriage handwheel a couple of years back and find it invaluable. I look forward to seeing construction details for the tailstock dial in due course. Where will the article be published? ME, MEW, or elsewhere?

Mike

Went out to the workshop with the intention of taking some photos, but in the course of playing around with the dti some more I realised what had caused the problem and fixed! It! A little while back I removed the two finger pivot adjusting screws in order to clean and degunge. What I’m pretty sure happened without me realising it was that the other end of the now-loose operating arm was able to slip out of engagement with the helix. When things were put back together the arm engaged with the helix one turn along, at a position where there was very little preload. Moving the operating arm one turn of the helix along has put everything right.

I’d still be interested to know how the dial part of the gauge comes apart!

Mike

As I said in my original posting, my Verdict gauge is a lever type. The doubleboost videos all relate to the push action variety, which work completely differently.

I’ll try to take some photos to make things clearer.