Member postings for Chris Parsons

I am now starting to think about the logistics of buying an SX3 mill - my workshop is in a spare room on the first floor, and as the machine weighs close to 200Kg it is a bit heavy to get upstairs...

I have been told that the delivery driver basically dumps the machine on your drive, in the crate and waves goodbye - so I am thinking about dismantling it into 'manageable' components to get it indoors?

I have read the excellent guide from Arc about the complete stripdown but am hoping to avoid taking too much to bits initially - once it is indoors and installed on the stand I can do any 'fettling' or cleaning required etc but am hoping someone has been in a similar position that can offer any advice or guidance?

Probably more caution than reluctance, but have visions of the rain clouds gathering and the light fading while I am still struggling to take things apart

Thanks

Chris

Edited By Chris Parsons on 01/07/2013 11:28:16

I have combined all the PDF's into one which you are welcome to have, if I can work out how to send it to you - you don't appear to be able to attach files to posts?

Regards

Chris

Mr Gilligan, you are my hero!

This is exactly what I need, thank you SO much - you have made my day <g>

Give yourself a gold star and a chocolate biscuit...

Best wishes

Chris

Thanks very much - I was thinking the same thing, actually - if I could get a decent image I might have a go at making a replacement, I am novice but as you say it would be an interesting project?

Not even sure I need an image actually, as I can measure up the one that holds the horizontal pointer and adapt this - now you have go me thinking, if I achieve anythng I'll post some images of my progress <g>

Regards

Chris

Excellent, mystery cleared up, thanks very much

Looks like I am missing a little clamp for the rod which would have given me a clue, what a pity - not much chance of tracking one of these down now I guess.

There is a space in the box for something else, I did wonder if this was something to do with
it and now I know - very interesting to see the original advert though

Thanks for the help

Chris

The arm on the rising part has a clamp to allow the rectangular 'finger' to be attached? (the pointer with the knife edge?)

I am talking about a round, perhaps 4 inch stylus with a knurl one end and a blunt, rounded nose on the other - there were four components with the gauge, a 1.5 inch high cylinder (for calibration presumably) a rectangular clamp, a rectangular finger made out of what appears to be tool steel with a bevelled top surface and knife edge, and this stylus?

I am in the office but could post an image tonight? Looks a bit like the stylus you get on a PDA, perhaps a bit longer - it must be part of the gauge as there is a groove for it inside the case!

Regards

Chris

Just got one of these - thanks Brian - but am wondering what the 'stylus' I found in the box is for?

Can't see anything obvious, can anyone enlighten me? The previous owner didn't know either.

Thanks

Chris

You are such a helpful lot!

I thought about feeler gauges, sure I have some somewhere from the days when I used to do car maintenance (before all the electronics and turbochargers...)

Might treat myself to a new metric set, and agree with Jason that a bit thicker would be a bit easier

Glad someone else found this useful, sometimes one feels a bit stupid asking but there are lots of clever 'tricks' to learn...

Regards

Chris

Ahhh...use a shim material (I will need to get some!)

I did think about a metal rule and measuring the thickness etc but didn't think it would be that accurate - but of course shim material is a known thickness, obvious really, thank you

Chris

I have never really used the micrometer dial on the tailstock to measure depths of holes (I use the markings on the quill) but now want to drill to a more accurate depth and use a D bit to flatten the bottom of the hole?

If I spot drill the start for the main drill, how do I (re)set the drill point at 0, other than the mark one eyeball? If I zero the drill on the end of the work, and then swap it for the spotting drill it's difficult to get the drill back to the same position in the chuck?

I was also wondering If there is a formula to calculate the depth of the tip compared to the drill diameter? Guess I could dig out some geometry books and see if I can work it out myself - it was the relationship between the diameter of hole and the cone at the bottom on the hole, to know how far to advance the D bit to remove the cone?

Any thoughts would be welcome

Chris

Edited By Chris Parsons on 31/05/2013 09:12:32

Hello Frank - I, like you am a beginner, I got my first lathe in December last year, and I bought a bench drill a month or two prior to that.

I also aim to make model steam engines, and have just completed my first one - I looked long and hard at the used market, but ended up buying a chinese lathe, a Sieg SC4

My logic was that I didn't have the skill to judge whether the second hand machine was good or bad for the price, and wanted something a bit more modern? This is certainly not to decry Myford, only my preference, The machine I have offered some facilties that I thought were useful that I could not see on other machines

I also did a two day course in Axminster Tool Centre (I live in Exeter in Devon) and while this cost a couple of hundred pounds meant that any expensive mistakes were on their machines not mine, and they use the machine I intended to buy, giving me a chance to try it out in advance.

I am very happy with my decision, but would reiterate what others have said - I do use the drill a lot and this is another 200-300 pounds, and have spent at least that again in tooling etc (four jaw chuck, steadies, indexable cutting tools, grinder to sharpen HSS cutting tools...) the list could go on and on but I have enough to keep me going for some time - but can see that I will buy a milling machine eventually, and the one I am looking at is 1200 pounds, approximately what I paid for the lathe.

Lot of money but is has opened my eyes into a new world (I am a software developer who is also interested in electronics and RC model aeroplanes)

If you want a chat send me a private message and I'll give you my phone number

I am a way off retirement unfortunately, and the weekends are never long enough!

Best wishes

Chris

Edited By Chris Parsons on 20/05/2013 13:29:49

Ahh - thanks

As I am a diver, I might make something up and use a compressed gas cylinder - but think I will be have to be careful with the pressure (normal cylinder is 232 bar or 3300 psi+) so I will have to stick a diving regulator on it but the intermediate pressure for that is around 12 bar which is 170+ psi...

...or perhaps I should bite the bullet and cough up for a small compressor with tank and put up with the noise when I run it to recharge the tank, but they are not cheap as the thread mentions (at least for the quiet ones)

Chris

Edited By Chris Parsons on 16/05/2013 09:13:03

Having just completed my very first steam engine (see

and

for shameless plug) I need to think about something to run it before I get started on a boiler? I have used an air line and was delighted when it sprang into life (with a helping flick of the finger) but have had a suggestion about using an airbrush compressor and hose (changing the inlet to suit)

I have found this **LINK** and this **LINK** but am not sure if they would be suitable?

Also not sure if they will be a bit noisy and it would be better to buy one with a reservoir?

Thanks

Chris

I just re-read the post about printing and realised it says printing _is_ allowed so perhaps this is not an issue - as you can install a 'PDF printer' on your PC and print to this, which gives you a PDF file instead of a piece of paper, overcoming the need to scan etc.

If anyone wants more details let me know

Regards

Chris

Is the post about printing correct?

Can someone (David?) confirm that the digital copies can be printed with images/plans without any restrictions in quality? (clearly having due regard to copyright issues and so on)

Chris

Just bought some replacement tips for my Glanze tools from this supplier **LINK**

Most of my tools use these type of tips, although the ones I bought were for a parting tool (different)

I don't have any affiliation to the company but they seem to have a good range and have been recommended by others? (delivered pretty quickly too and were helpful when I called) They are in the UK, not sure where you are?

You can rotate the tips giving you two cutters for the one tip, and I find it useful when I chip one to be able to 'cannibalise' a tip from another tool temporariy

Regards

Chris

Thank you Neil - that looks pretty good, think I might have a go at making this too, be good practise for converting from metric (I want to be able to use both Imperial and metric, my lathe is metric but I know Imperial drawings are very common)

It is always interesting to see different design approaches as well

Appreciate you posting the plan

Regards

Chris

Final episode!

Here are the results of my toolpost handle project and thanks for all that helped!

I even managed to make it carefully enough so I didn't need a spacing washer - the arm is off my tapping tool, as my 10mm die is now too blunt to cut, and I don't know (yet) where to buy the ball ends (although suitably encouraged, now I might think about making a ball turning attachment tool...)

Chris

I have been having a go at this too - I have posted some photos, warts and all - look in my album?

Think the workings of this have been explained above, but tightening up the nut on the changewheel pulls the tapered 'plug' at the opposite end which makes the mandrel open up and grip the inside of the lathe spindle. You can see the photo of this while looking at the terrible job of cutting the slots to allow this to work! (the lesson learned was cut ALONG the mandrel not ACROSS it and the line might have been straight - this will annoy me so much I expect I will make another mandrel!)

My lathe is a Sieg SC4 and I mounted the support plate by removing (one at a time!) the cap screws holding something in the gearbox and making stand off hex spacers (in brass, it was the only bit of hex bar I had at the time)

My lathe has a 45 tooth gear which gave me the three divisions (15 teeth per division) I was after, and I 'notched' the plunger to let me use the top of the teeth too, giving me 6 (7.5 teeth per division)

I have other changewheels (quite a few) so will have no problem making up most divisions I want I think!

The plunger is not a great fit in the block which means there is a little bit of play so I might make another one of these too. (I am also learning and a complete beginner)

The slot in the swivel plate was to allow bigger gears to be used and keep the plunger aligned with the axis of the gear which did not seem to be considered in the original design?

You are welcome to ask me any questions you like, I also did this as a learning exercise and it seems to work reasonably well.

Best wishes

Chris

I have been toying with the idea of subscribing but was a bit concerned about the remarks about the quality of the PDF's?

If this is what is being offered as a digital edition and they are hard to read, how does one make out any plans or diagrams??

Chris