Member postings for Ajohnw

Came across this looking for something else. Might be of interest

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John

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I love the comment at the end of the listing on that one

There is a short section of a slideway grinder in this video

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Not the type they probably use in China for their precision lathes. There is another type that takes the other bits and pieces so that after grinding they all match and things line up. Maybe due to low labour costs they don't go that extreme and spend more time setting up so that things will match and line up. Either way time on machines like this cost no matter where they are. Machines to locate parts and drill holes in the correct place and tap them also cost and I doubt if anyone would use a budget cnc mill for that as it probably wouldn't last long enough.

Must admit I do wonder why some one doesn't produce a small precise lathe to the same standard as the bigger ones but suspect a lot of people would find the price out of order. I also suspect it would just have to be heavier than a baby lathe and have more between centres to interest enough people.

John

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There is one of those here

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Weight around 1 tonne + a bit. I visited Excel once and there were several machines of that sort of size but a bit more heavily built on the way out of the door. All Chinese and from memory all though not that big a lathe around 1 1/2 tonne. I'm not at all sure that it's possible to compare lathes of this sort of order with lathes like Brian's or mini lathes. There is a bit of a price difference as well. It just isn't possible to say lathes costs are pro rata to size. They most definitely aren't for the same quality levels.

John

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They did some Myford clones some years ago Brian that were highly rated. One aspect was an excellent choice of cast iron. These days i believe they do some chucks etc. However in another area, microscopes, I have heard more horror stories than you wouldn't believe that in many way are similar to the problems you have had with your lathe. Distorting and really poor alignment made worse by parts being epoxied together rather than having the usual screw adjustments. Again of course I have only really heard about the bad ones and in your case the alignment seems to be pretty good really.

John

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I'd guess that it has been run on something like this one - if it is 2.5hp.

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John

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Edited By John W1 on 10/11/2015 12:02:22

I think these people can help too

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or

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I decided to get my grits from these people this time. No pitch though as they have problems with their usual supplier. However they suggested visiting the Jewellery Quarter and getting it from there. It's used for as a support while working on certain metals.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 10/11/2015 11:44:55

For what Hopper has done Brian cost it at over £20 per hour, more likely £40 really, could even be more. I need to visit a machine tool recon company to change a bearing for me. If it's simple no charge at all as a favour. If work needed £40 per hour and vat that I could probably avoid by paying cash but sometimes that isn't possible. Most claims about toolmaking costs in China suggest around a 50% reduction in cost. I mentioned one of the ones I am fully aware of that mustn't have any of the problems mentioned here.

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Done from what I can gather by a factory owned by a company that is based in the US and has plant in several countries, not China owned. The tools that were made finished up on automated machines that were in the UK and are now in India. Few people are needed at this stage but the Indian labour rates are lower but by far the biggest cost is the actual plant, Circa £1M in this case and getting near being worn out.

John

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There is usually a plate on the motor that will show the current it draws which will be a lot more than 2.5hp suggests from a straight calculation using 746w = 1 hp. To give you some idea the max motor size that can be run on 13amp 240v supply with a normal plug is reckoned to be 3hp, max current draw 13 amps under a full load. As mentioned here as some probably wont believe

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Actually if some one did really fully load a motor like that on a UK plug for any length of time the plug or socket would very probably probably overheat. Some motors will take less than that for the same power rating but it's always going to be significantly more.

I'd hazard a guess that a replacement 240v motor will be the best option not just the cheapest.

John

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You must be one of the few happy users of an EQ3 head Neil. I've often thought that the biggest problem with the smaller heads is the tripod. I tried and EQ1 and 2 initially and wasn't too happy with an EQ4 with the scope that came with it on. All gone now.

John

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It might be an amazing buy for final price - £800. Pity about the "might".

John

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A concrete slurry might be better than just plain sand.

I recollect seeing 2 prices in the past for these sizes of lathes and biiger - as they come and cleaned up. Ketan might clear that up but my impression was that the cleaned up price included removing the preservative. It all seems to be one price now so assume the preservative has changed.

John

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There is a much more interesting one here

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John

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From the listing it looks like it takes 5 days to get the bits and bolt it together.

John

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I would have thought you might be better of with a carpenters pencil. The leads in them aren't round so that they can be sharpened to a chisel point. The extra width gives them some extra strength when used that way as well and they can also draw sharp lines. Or ordinary but good quality pencils sharpened that way.

As I did work as a draughtsman for a while I can tell you there are some terrible quality propelling pencils about and leads for them as well. The dearer Staedtler's might be your best bet.

John

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Take care. It can be a much worse experience than buying lathes - even baby ones.

John

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There is no need to wait for the motor to stop and etc when an indicator is used. Just disengage, wind back and engage again at the same mark or choice of marks depending on the pitch being cut.

They can also be used to work up to a shoulder when the lathe has to be reversed with the nut engaged when a pitch has to be cut that the indicator can't cope with used in the normal way. That makes it much easier to work up to a shoulder even in this case.

John

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You might find one here at some point but currently you would have to buy a mirror and flat and maybe sell the mirror on ebay or where ever. 

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Or you could put a wanted add here if there are none for sale.

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If you search telescope mirror making kits there are a few companies about that sell flats along with mirrors, mirror blanks and grits for grinding them etc. I should add that some of these will recoat mirrors as well.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 09/11/2015 12:38:38

Edited By John W1 on 09/11/2015 12:39:29

Not bad Neil. I'm always interested in times and the gear used etc. When I look around astrobin I see hours of integration and very little else.

John

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This is the company I mentioned, it looks like their mini lathe does come with a metric indicator. I think they all should but more gears are needed for metric lathes as the earlier link explains. Just need one with imperial but in practice in the wider world the capabilities of those has varied on larger lathes.

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He's also on ebay, harry something and enjoys the same sort of reputation as Arceuro has with a number of people. He even usually has stocks of 5% cobalt HSS toolbits.

John

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