Member postings for mechman48

Re clearances,

Concur with ChrisH; when I served my apprenticeship I was also taught to aim for 1 thou' per inch shaft diameter, have done all my career & have taught apprentices the same.

George

Steve

Like Rik I have the WM- 16, would have also liked to have gotten the WM18 but size (workshop would 'just' have taken it) & the few extra quid needed prevented me getting that model. So far it does all I ask of it, the gearing is a bit noisy but what Chinese mill / lathe gearing isn't? it can be quietened down with a bit of judicial tweaking ( or belt drive conversion) so unless I'm silly & put some stupid doc's on it I don't intend fiddling with it .. 'if it aint broke.. don't fix it' is my mantra.

I have fitted X & Y axes DRO's on it (look in my album pics for fitting), well worth the money doing it if you can,certainly takes away the discrepancy of backlash.

George.

Hi Jamie

I can only concur with all the advice previously given, I have the WM 16 (smaller brother to what you have) & I have taken reasonable cuts with it, dependant on material. one thing that I did note was that you state that the cutter kept coming loose. . I wonder if you have got a collet spanner, you must ensure that the collet nut is securely fastened up tight, I hold the spindle with the spanner provided in the set that came with the machine (power off of course) then have the cutter extended out only as far as is necessary for the job, then pull up tight with the collet spanner, really hand tight, not hammered! there will be enough grip in the collet to prevent any movement of the cutter, if you haven't got a collet spanner there are plenty available on the tool suppliers sites or flea bay for as little as a fiver, or make one.

When I got my machine I trammed it in vertically & locked it up permanently with a couple of head locking blocks, so for the angles I needed to machine I use an angle vice or set up in my main vice, both set ups checked with digital angle gauge. I have no intention of moving my machine head from the vertical in the foreseeable future, before starting any cuts I ask myself.. is everything locked.. is all as rigid as it could be, after all these are only hobby machines not industrial grade but are quite good enough for what we 'hobbyists' need, happy milling

George.

p.s. Have you considered MT3 indexible tip cutters? I have a 19 mm 2 tip & a 50 mm 4 tip that I use if I want to rip off any heavy cuts.I hope this hasn't come across as patronising, it is certainly not intended to be, just constructive commenting.

Edited By mechman48 on 27/05/2014 18:43:32

Edited By mechman48 on 27/05/2014 18:49:56

Hi Wolfgang

It's a common problem when parting off; we've all done it, in the early days with the resultant broken blade, . I have built a rear tool post from a Hemmingway kit (usual disclaimer) which I can say much improves the parting off experience (for large MS items) as the cuttings drop down instead of building up on top of the tip, plus the resultant cutting force is directed down onto the headstock bearings rather than trying to lift the bearings, remember to add plenty of coolant. I still use the front post method for small stuff, small MS, brass, aluminium, bored out items etc. I have since conquered my initial fear of parting off, which many of us have had for years (don't say you haven't !) & can now part off under power without trepidation. Look in my album for 'Rear tool post' build pics, you can see a couple of thick washers I made using the rear tool post .. Happy machining.

George.

Hi Wolfgang

I have the WM250V-F lathe & had this problem initially also, it was the fuse too, take it easy with your depth of cuts etc. also check the fuse that is on the back of the electric panel at the back of the lathe, you won't see it from the front but that can blow too.

George

I went to Harrogate yesterday(Sun) & as usual there was a gamut of superb exhibits, I was intrigued & impressed with J.Eva's 'scrapyard', I asked him what inspired him to come up with it to which he commented, tongue in cheek I assume.. 'women drivers'. I assumed that his Mrs had heard it umpteen times over the weekend.. ?

I bought a few bits 'n' pieces that I needed mainly some indexible tips, a couple more 'Dickson' type holders & other bits, some ally bars... price of ally & brass has shot up!. It's a pity Chronos / Arc euro were not there as I was looking to get some items off ea. but there again Ketan did say on this forum that he wouldn't be there so no surprise, never the less you always like to look at what you intend to buy where you can, s'pose I'll have to wait until the end of month to order on line.. being a pensioner & all that . A good day out never the less.

George

I use one for most of my machining 95% of the time; I am tempted to get a left hand version but cannot justify the expense for what I do. Was considering getting a piece of the Crobalt tool steel to try out, am going to Harrogate show tomorrow so will see what's available. I use a small hand diamond lap to take the front corner off the cutter creating a fine radius which I find gives a decent finish for most materials.

George

Bill H

What d'ya mean 'fifteen to twenty years from now.. I'm just retired 2 years now & am knackered as it is, well I feel like it, arthritic joints, farty pants with the 'Oooops' near miss syndrome, asking mesel' 'what did I come in here for' when I go into my garage/shop.. Just kidding not really as bad as it sounds... I think ... give it up for 'Thomas the tank'.. .. LOL

George

Hi 'T'

Welcome & enjoy our crazy, & sometimes frustrating, world.

George

Hi John'

See my write up for some info that may help you, plus look in my album for some pics on garage conversion...

**LINK**

Cheers

George

Here's one I made earlier ( 2012 ) .. from a Hemingway kit

Establishing centre height..

Tool post prior to machining..

Most of the machining done..

Blade set at 7* angle as per Hemingway drawing instructions..

This proved to be unsuitable as the amount of blade extended to maintain centre height resulted in too much flexing of the blade resulting in convex/concavity of the parted off item faces , so resorted to turning the block 180* & using a commercial tool holder which gave a much more rigid setup, eliminated the concavity/convexity, & allowed some degree of adjustment for centre height..

example of washer parted off.. under power feed too! IIRC approx 200 rpm, min feed rate as on crossfeed chart..

My golden rules for parting off.. rigidity.. minimum blade extension.. plenty of lubrication,  for everything except brass.. even then?  .. don't stop feeding in whether by hand or power feed.. blade tip on exact centre height, oh & lock the saddle too. Have since put a small angle on blade to eliminate remaining ring ( on washer ) this allows the leading edge of the blade to break through first on ID.

Some other interim pics of parts / machining in my album.. 'Rear tool post'..

Cheers

George.

Edited By mechman48 on 19/03/2014 20:23:52

Edited By mechman48 on 19/03/2014 20:25:37

Edited By mechman48 on 19/03/2014 20:27:23

Grabbed myself a set last week, converted them for use as a small height gauge .. works well enough for normal marking out, anything finer I use my 'decent' gauge.

George

Superb Allan; excellent work,& thanks for the super write up. look forward to No1.. I am going to remake another simple double acting oscillator now that I've got myself turned around after last weeks PIA!.. this time I'll lock it away every night!!

George

Pin vice with a tommy bar.. way to go

George

A neighbour has had a small extension to his kitchen completed this week, had a nose round the skip, nothing but brick & wood flooring, did have an old dishwasher stood outside.. but nothing sprang to mind as to what I could salvage immediately.. but ! there was a splash back..600 x 700 x 1.0mm 'Stainless Steel' , needless to say that got 'recycled' to my cave

George

Super job Allan, I'm sure you will get the timing sorted, I know I'll have similar probs when I get round to doing a similar engine. I have a Stuart Progress - S50 - 10V to look forward to, once I get my head back into gear after last week, it's amazing how demoralised, & angry you can get over a simple engine that some B****** nicked, as some others could verify... still ..'onward & upward, into the valley.. Nils carborundum.. etc,etc thanks for your commiserations any how. look forward to your next write up.

Cheers

George

Hi Allan

Same size as the one some low life nicked from my garage last week, including the nozzle, air line, blow gun, regulator, plus a few other tools ..& my first oscillating engine model .. make sure you fasten it down securely to the floor & lock all accessories away..

George

Hi Ron

Yes, you only need to remove the hand wheel & end casting ( make sure you have the table fully extended as far as poss' ) to allow you easier access for drilling the mounting holes & to ensure that you level up & align the scale & reading head. Whilst I had mine adrift it gave me the chance to inspect the leadscrew thrust bearing & clean ,relube' before reassembly, also it gave me the opportunity to scrape off paint that had over sprayed on the joint prior to factory assembly as I had noticed that there was a slight drip from the joint when I was using coolant at one stage so I scraped the joint clean, fitted a brown paper gasket ( lightly greased ).. in fact I did both ends whilst in the process.. sorted.

George

Hi Ron

Look in my album; I have fitted X & Y axis DRO's to my WM 16 without too much bother, having fitted the X axis to the front I have removed the ability to have the table stops useable, but this can be remedied by extending the fastenings further out if need be, so far it's no big loss. Some have fitted the X DRO to the rear of the table.. personal choice.

George.

Have a look at my thread re. heating etc.

**LINK**

George