Member postings for Lathejack

Quillstar in Nottingham have been selling new Zytel gears for the Align power feeds for a few years, they are currently £35, but I think they are 107 teeth.

An oil grade commonly recommended for compressors is SAE 30. Machine Mart sell it, and on some of their packs in small print it also states it is suitable for petrol engines. Aldi also sell stacks of it from time to time.

The small direct drive piston compressors of around 8CFM with a 25 - 50 litre tank are pretty good for the small home workshop, but they are noisy and can't power most air tools very well as they require a lot of air. But they can be used for most other tasks and easily inflate tyres and can be used for paint spraying.

A few years ago I bought a Clarke Air twin cylinder 14CFM belt drive compressor with 50 litre tank from Machine Mart, a very good quality Italian made machine at a reasonable price that can fit under a bench. They are also slightly quieter and more durable than direct drive types.

For several years I have also been using one of Machine Marts rotary compressors with a 25 litre tank, I think it is called Shsss Air or something like that. It is extremely quiet, so is great for constant use in the home workshop, but they are now quite expensive and their air output is feeble when compared to piston type machines.

Last year I really pushed the boat out as I wanted to do my own blasting, so yet again off I went to Machine Mart and bought one of their Industrial Air compressors. This is 3 HP with a 14CFM belt drive pump and 150 litre tank, and this has a relatively soft and quiet exhaust note. These are built in the UK but appear to use mainly Italian components. A bit big for under the bench though, unless you have a big bench.

Apparently, it's the FAD ( Free Air Delivery) that counts, rather than just the CFM rating. The trouble is the FAD rating is rarely quoted.

Edited By Lathejack on 05/02/2015 22:46:07

Edited By Lathejack on 05/02/2015 22:52:21

Edited By Lathejack on 05/02/2015 22:58:37

Edited By Lathejack on 05/02/2015 23:08:43

Hello Gordon.

The SPG lathe you are considering is one of the now common 10 inch swing by 22 between centres machines offered by just about all of the well known suppliers.

Despite its much lower price it does in fact have a slightly higher spec than the others. As well as having powered cross and longitudinal feeds, as do most of the others, it also has an improved quick change gearbox wth nine selectable feed rates as opposed to just three, so that means less time spent swapping over change wheels. One other advantage is that it has a quick release type headstock spindle flange, but the spindle bore is a little smaller at 21mm while on other versions it is 26mm.

The SPG machine also uses a traditional type of tumbler reverse mechanism for the leadscrew, similar to that used on Boxford and Myford lathes. SPG have been selling this machine for quite a few years, but more recently Chester Machine Tools have introduced it with a choice of an enclosed or open type quick change gearbox. I think Chester call it the DB10V Super.

If I remember correctly, the much lower priced SPG version does not include fixed and traveling steadies, or an independent four jaw chuck and possibly a face plate. But even paying for these separately still leaves a usefull saving.

For the past few years I have been thinking of downsizing a bit, and it is this lathe that I have been considering on and off. SPG did briefly offer a long bed version of it with 30 inches between centres, but I didn't fancy that one.

If you decide to go ahead and get one it would be interesting to hear how you get on with it. Generally, all the 10 x 22 imported lathes are pretty good model engineering machines.

Edited By Lathejack on 05/02/2015 21:44:29

I have just looked at the link posted by Nick, and was surprised to see that the small Record bench drill shown was just a Far Eastern machine.

I remember that 15 - 20 years ago Record used to produce their own bench and floor standing drill presses, what ever happened to those? They were the usual Record blue with hexagon shaped tables and excellent castings. One of the three Tabwell Tools shops in Bakewell used to stock them.

Record had an advert out at the time that showed close up photos of the inferior details of an imported drill press against their own product.

On the whole though I think the Far Eastern drills work fine and are mostly worth the money. Last time I looked you could buy a floor standing machine with a two morse taper and sixteen speeds for just over £200. The few that I have used have been fairly quiet and smooth running.

Alright, they can flex a bit with their thin light castings, particularly the casting that supports the table, and the quills are a sloppy fit on most of them. But they are just a drilling machine and most are light years better than a noisy Black & Decker hand drill clamped in a drill stand.

Having said that, I have just been using my Elliot Progress 2G back geared pillar drill, what joy! Although I do wish it had a rack and pinion rise and fall table like most of the Taiwanese and Chinese machines do. I must get the new three phase motor and VFD fitted that I bought a few years ago.

Edited By Lathejack on 29/01/2015 18:15:01

No, there doesn't appear to be any connection with the Ceriani that makes motorcycle front forks. The videos show the bed castings being machined, surprisingly just mounted on a large vertical / horizontal mill table, although they really may not still do them all that way.

Typical of a lot of lathes this size made outside of the UK and USA, they do not have a back gear. There is a choice of spindle bore size of 20 or 32mm which use a four or five inch chuck respectively.

When I was examining one at the dealers the only area that seemed to be a little crude in design, although well made, was what appeared to be a traditional tumbler reverse mechanism for the leadscrew that was operated by a simple cap screw through a curved slot. I should have taken a closer look but got distracted with chatting to other visitors and tea, but I think that is how it was designed.

I also think they offer a variable speed version. The lathes seem reasonably priced, but the mills are fairly expensive.

Edited By Lathejack on 24/01/2015 23:30:30

Hello Andrew.

If you are after a new high quality machine of a similar capacity to a Myford, but still at an affordable price, then the Italian made Ceriani lathes are also worth taking a look at.

These are 100mm centre hight with 500mm between centres. Like the Myford 7 series lathes, they have a small gap section in the bed. They use dovetail type guides for the bedways, but thankfully have separate guideways for the Camlock tailstock. This allows the use of a long saddle that will remain stable and accurate over a long period.

The top model has a simple quick change fine feed gear box. But switching between screw cutting feeds and fine longitudinal feeds requires the use of change wheels, as the leadscrew is engaged for both, and no powerfeeds are built into the apron. But this is typical of many similarly designed lathes.

I remember reading some feedback comments made by owners a few years ago, and one happy owner enthused it had "Hardinge performance at an import price".

To take a closer look last year I visited a dealer that imports them as well as Chinese lathes and small Emco machinery also made in China, plus the German Wabeco range. The Ceriani had a faultless finish and build quality with a thick and solid bed casting, I was quite impressed. There are some videos on the web showing them being manufactured.

Edited By Lathejack on 24/01/2015 19:32:34

I remember the TV comedian Jim Bowen used to own and live in a converted old station at Arkholme on the Leeds to Morecambe line.

Edited By Lathejack on 12/01/2015 12:19:42

Edited By Lathejack on 12/01/2015 12:20:45

Today I decided to pay a visit to the Newark Classic Bike Show. It is the first time since I packed in motorcycling around 23 years ago that I have felt interested enough to bother going to a bike show of any sort.

The show seemed a bit lacking and was very disappointing, particularly if you were interested in sorting through lots of piles of spare parts for something you needed, or a complete old bike, although there were a few. But not even a single, solitary BSA C15 anywhere. But then it wasn't all that expensive to get in.

Maybe the poor weather we have been having is to blame. There were four Myford Super 7's on offer, and JB Cutting Tools were also there.

Edited By Lathejack on 03/01/2015 17:50:42

Edited By Lathejack on 03/01/2015 18:09:24

Hello Martin.

If buying new on careful budget then a Chinese lathe of the type you are interested in can be a good choice for model engineering, they can usually be pleasant and capable machines. I use both British and Chinese lathes.

A couple of alternatives that might also be worth looking at are the SP2124 from SPG Tools and the DB10 Super from Chester Machine Tools. These are both very similar to the WM250 and have the same major castings.

But as well as powered cross and longitudinal feeds these also have a quick change gearbox with nine feed rates instead of just three of the Warco and others. They also have a quick change spindle nose fitting and a traditional type tumbler reverse lever for the leadscrew, similar to Boxford and Myford. They do however, have a slightly smaller spindle bore of 21mm as opposed to 26.

The Chester version also comes with the unusual choice of being fitted with either an open Norton type of screwcutting gearbox, or an enclosed oil filled screwcutting gearbox as on the SPG machine, both with nine feed rates.

Just a thought.

It sounds like a good buy. A few years ago I instantly snapped up a good old one when it appeared at work on the back of a trailer with a load of other gear. Its a 1cwt size with its original cast base and has had little use, a nice thick slice of tree trunk would be nice to sit it all on.

The description by Jeff of how the better ones are made is very interesting. I have seen the small cheap ones he also mentions, are they around 5 - 10 kg?

A bit larger than that were the ones made by Record, are they still available? These were very nicely cast but just out of grey iron I think. Does anyone have one of these that they have whacked the hell out of that still survives?

I used to visit the three 'Tabwell Tools' shops in Bakewell years ago. One sold machine tools by Record, myford and Emco amongst others, another was for modelling and crafts and the third sold power tools and was full of Record products such as vices and the anvils. I think the shop owner was also the owner of Record at the time.

I have two other anvils, one is a tiny but perfectly formed one by Record, the other is one I cut and shaped out of old railway line.

Hello Chris.

If you haven't done already, why not take a look on the 'Just Engines' website. They list all sorts of parts and accessories for small engines, including reasonably priced miniature spark plugs with the 1/4x32 glow plug thread.

As well as glow plugs they also offer miniature CDI ignition systems, including one for a three cylinder engine, and also the tiny magnets that are required for them.

My only connection with them is that of a previous customer. I bought a few miniature spark plugs and a CDI ignition kit off them a few years ago, but have not yet used them. In fact I wonder where the hell I have put them.

Hello Robin.

Another thing worth checking on this type of Chinese lathe is the actual fit of the chuck backplate on the Camlock spindle. There can be the problem of the tapers mating together well before the flat faces of the spindle and backplate do.

This can lead to the chucks easily being pulled up unevenly when the cams are tightened, which would give the errors you have. It can take a great deal of force to get the backplate to mate up squarely, with even a small gap visible between the two flat mating faces on one side, and wobble of the chuck as it rotates, if it isn't done right.

My Warco 1330 suffers from this problem, plus a couple of other low cost Chinese lathes I have worked on. The higher quality lathes I use at work have Camlock spindles and these have a distinctly different fit. The taper and the flat mating faces on these make contact almost simultaneously, making repeated accuracy easy and with considerably less force needed on the cams when tightening them up with the key. They also release very easily when the cams are slackened, but on my 1330 the backplates remain stuck fast.

It seems to be a quirk of some of these low cost Chinese machines with Camlock spindles. I do know of someone who bought the same type of lathe as yours and did some work on all the backplates and face plate to get a better fit.

Edited By Lathejack on 29/10/2014 20:52:32

Oh dear, the 290VF stand seems a bit disappointing. With the lathe weighing close to a quarter of a ton it does need a fairly solidly made stand.

Regarding the gap piece on the other new Chinese lathes, it is very odd to be discouraged from using a feature that they are built with and that is used as a selling point in the advertising.

The improved manuals on the Grizzly Machine Tools website have a few paragraphs on removing the gap piece, but they then strongly recommended that you do not attempt to replace it and that you accept the reduced travel of the carraige towards the chuck because of the open gap section that would leave the saddle partially unsupported, crazy!

I have removed the gap piece on my Warco 1330 lathe, and despite the lathes other faults the gap section had been well prepared and fitted before machining and grinding in situ. I managed to refit it without too much fuss with careful tightening and a few deft strokes with a rubber mallet in the right places, so I don't know why they make a bit of a fuss about it. Maybe there have been some badly fitted examples from the factories that just cannot be refitted accurately enough.

Anyway Mark, have you run your new lathe yet or done a bit of turning with it?

Edited By Lathejack on 29/10/2014 00:02:31

I missed the info on their site that they were not attending, I just saw on the show site that they were, but I suppose this is not always updated in time.

I was going to buy one of their 1BI horizontal steam engines, in fact maybe two of them. I will now have to wait until my stock of spare cash, and cake that I was parted from at Arceurotrade has recovered.

I visited the show on Thursday, it did seem quite different from last year and the year before.

I had a pocket full of cash that was destined for Forrest Classics, they were listed as attending but I just could not find them. If they did not turn up then it is the second time I know of that they have not attended a show that they were listed as doing so, a shame.

After a couple of hours in the throng I retreated to my van for a snack and a cuppa, and decided to leave and pay Arceurotrade a visit for the first time, and I am glad I did.

I enjoyed visiting Arc so much that I went straight there on the following Friday. I don't know if they were glad to see the back of me in the end, but all funds I had set aside to spend at the show was handed over to Arc for various goodies. They were also very efficient at relieving me of all my cake and biscuits.

I was very impressed with Arc's set up and the investment they have made, they are not larking about at this business.

Hopefully my funds will have recovered for next years show, and Harrogate.

If a Fobco quill spring will fit the Elliot pillar drill then take a look at Tony Griffiths spares site at www.store.lathes.co.uk.

He has quill springs for the Fobco, but they are £28 each at the moment. I don't know what any of the other sellers charge for them, but I suppose it's worth it to keep these excellent drills going.

As well as the trade stands, I am grateful for the efforts made by all the exhibitors in showing their work. But I was annoyed by this chaps attitude that the show is not worth paying the admission fee to just be a visitor, to then come away from the show with nothing.

Or am I being a little unreasonable? I don't think so.

Hello Mark.

A very nice lathe you've got yourself there, the 290 & 280 type machines are very good model engineering lathes. I must say that Warco's new version did look very impressive with its new posh stand when I saw it at Harrogate.

If shims are needed to adjust a lathe, they do not go under the actual headstock or tailstock. They are placed under the mounting foot of the lathe bed at the tailstock end of the machine, or under the base of the stand.

But if you are going to fit adjustable feet under the cabinate then you simply adjust these to make any fine adjustments needed, this will twist the cabinate and the lathe bed if needed. But don't worry about it too much just yet, just get your new machine set up and reasonably level without rock and use it and see what it's like.

A few years ago I bought some of the mounting feet from Warco that were supposed to be adjustable. But again these had just one nut fitted but with a hexagon formed integral with the thread, so they were really designed for threaded holes. But with the plain holes in the bottom of Warco stands you can simply fit a second nut, as has already been mentioned by Martin, which is what I also did for my much heavier 1330 lathe. To make adjustments to my lathes accuracy I simply tweak the feet under the stand at the tailstock end.

I hope you enjoy your new machine.

Edited By Lathejack on 11/10/2014 07:54:59

Edited By Lathejack on 11/10/2014 07:55:26

Well I'm all set to visit the Warwickshire Show next Thursday and Friday. I mainly go for the trade stands, especially those with machine tools, but I do have a good look at all the exhibitors work and enjoy the whole engineering show atmosphere.

Yesterday, while I was at work, a local chap who is a model engineer popped in, as he regularly does, for some materials or whatever. So I asked him if he was going to the show, but he was not happy and said he would not be going.

First he had a rant about falling out with the judges at Harrogate over the way they had marked down one of his exhibits, and he would not bother again. So I suggested he just go as a visitor and enjoy the show, to which he replied he would rather save ten quid and sit at home and look at his own models, adding that why should he pay £10 admission to then come away with nothing, by which he meant without a prize.

We all have our different reasons for visiting these shows, and I have never exhibited anything, I don't have much to exhibit. But I must admit I took a little offence at his attitude. I had thought about offering to drive him there with me, but I didn't bother after this.

So anyway, I will be there with pockets full of cash at the start, and rather empty by the end.

Edited By Lathejack on 09/10/2014 21:49:08

Danny.

What a view to have while in the workshop, I just wish I hade some windows.