Member postings for Thor 🇳🇴

Hi Antony,

0.11mm runout is a lot more than what I get on my cheap Chinese milling machine. Is the runout the same if you remove the drive belt and rotate he spindle by hand? With the indicator on the taper, how much can you push the spindle sideways with your hand, up or down? This would tell you if there is much play in the spindle, if there is little movement - far less than the runout - you may have a problem with the spindle itself. Is there someone knowledgeable that live near you and cn give you advice? Good luck.

Thor

Hi Steve,

I run a 30mm dia. cutter with the APKT inserts that Jason mentions, on my old Sieg X2. It works as long as you take light cuts.

Thor

Hi Andrew,

I have a ER-32 collet chuck for my milling machine that is around 0.01mm TIR, the one I made for my small lathe is around 0.02mm.

Thor

Hi Matt,

If you can find a Colchester Student in good condition you will get a good lathe. I have a Chinese 290 lathe and it has served me well for a decade, don't know if that would be within your budget. A friend of mine has a Sieg SX-3 and is very satisfied with it.

Thor

Hi Colin,

Nice find, why not try one of the larger counterbores and see how it works as a face-mill.

Thor

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the forum. A Warco WM16 (with R8) should be within your budget, remember you also need either some collets or a collet chuck. A milling vice is also handy.

Thor

Well, I think a drill sharpening jig is useful. I use a drill sharpening jig I bought decades ago, it works - sort of.

Thor

Hi Harry,

When painting galvanised steel proper cleaning/degreasing with for instance an alkaline cleaner is the first step. Make sure the rail is dry before the next step. Next a primer for zinc coated steel, then paint using for instance an acrylic-latex exterior paint or an oil-based paint. You may want to let it dry and apply a second coat.

Thor

Edited By Thor 🇳🇴 on 12/08/2023 16:30:50

Hi Chris,

The GH600 has a larger swing than the WM250 so you could turn a slightly larger pulley on the GH600 if that is important to you. The GH600 has a slightly larger range of pitches for screw-cutting and is heavier so if you can live with a bit more noise and get it into your workshop - go for it.

Thor

Hi Vojislav ,

Welcome to the forum and congratulations with your ML7. The subject was discussed in an earlier thread - here.

Thor

Hi Tim,

An orrery sounds like a fairly complex project, good luck. I have only made model steam engines.

Thor

Hi Tim,

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations with your Colchester. What are your main iterests?

Thor

Hi Jonti,

Welcome to the forum. ARC sell spares - including motors and controllers - for their machines, may be you could find something suitable there. IIRC the smallest motor is 150w (for the C0 or C1), next is 250W (for the C2). These are brushed DC motors. The SC2 has a brushless 500W DC motor, may be larger than you need.

Thor

Edited By Thor 🇳🇴 on 26/07/2023 07:26:08

Hi Mrgaret,

If you have a boring head with replacable shank you could make a new cylindrical shaft and a suitable toolpost-holder, something like this. Several descriptions of how to make one on the Internet;

***Link***

***Link***

Thor

Hi Robert,

Welcome to the forum. It seems RDG has 2.5" Aluminium pulleys with 1/2" bore, unfortunately the groove is rather wide but it might get your lathe up and running.

BearingShop YK seems to be able to deliver 50mm pulleys (SPZ) and let you determine the bore size.

Thor

Hi Eddie,

Welcome to the forum. There was a thread on the forum about the Stringer EW lathe, see here.

Thor

Edited By Thor 🇳🇴 on 16/07/2023 19:26:02

Hi Chris,

I converted one of my lathes to 3-phase 4 pole motor, using an inverter to supply the 3-phase. The motor I bought can run at both 50Hz and 60Hz so running your motor at a higher frequency than 50Hz should not be a problem. I regularly run my motor over 60Hz, and after more than a decade I have had no problems. A 4 pole motor should be able to give more torque than a 2 pole as long as you don't turn the frequency too high.

Thor

Edited By Thor 🇳🇴 on 13/07/2023 18:09:42

Hi Gareth,

Welcome to the forum. Nice hammer.

Thor

Hi Steve,

Will this be of help?

Thor

Hi Grant,

Welcome to the forum. My first milling machine was a Mini-Mill, similar to this. It worked and is still working even after nearly two decades of (ab)use. It is a bit small and I still use it for light work. I mostly use a somewhat larger machine - similar to this. The larger machine can take heavier cuts and is the machine I mostly use for milling. I would recommend a larger milling machine if you have room for it in your workshop.

Thor