Hobbymat MD65 fixed steady

Hello everyone! This is my first post here, let me introduce myself.

My name is Gene, I'm originally from Russia, currently I'm living in Luxembourg. I'm 36 and work in IT as a developer. I really like making things, metalworking in particular fascinates me (although I'm also into woodworking). Besides this I also like outdoors, hiking, mountain biking and motorcycles.

I'm about to pick up a Hobbymat MD65 lathe, which will be my first lathe. I was dreaming about one day having a lathe, for more than a decade.

Currently I have are a drill press, cordless drill and an angle grinder.

I'm really excited and, in anticipation to getting to play with it, am reading Harold Hall's "Lathework: A Complete Course". I'm planning to follow the exercises in the book as he recommends, however in several of them the fixed steady plays an important role. The lathe I'm getting comes with various accessories and tooling, but there are no steadies. I've searched for a Hobbymat Steady and only found an article by a blogger called Bazmonaut, where he makes one from scratch. However, he has a Hobbymat milling machine as well - I don't have a mill, nor do I have space for one for the foreseeable future. I am working in a 3.25x3.25 m cellar, which also has to store car wheels, camping gear, couple of cabinet's for my wife things, and a lot of woodworking hand tools (planes, chisels, saws, axes). The lathe will be sitting on a shelf when not in use, and brought out to the workbench when needed. Really can't imagine where I would put even a small mill.

So my question is - are there steadies available for Hobbymat somewhere? If not, is there one not specifically offered for Hobbymat, that would fit, possibly with some modifications? Would I be able to do these modifications without a mill? Alternatively, would it be possible to make a steady from scratch, using only the tools I have (lathe, drill press, hand tools)?

Thanks in advance.

Gene

Hi Gene

When new the Hobbymat was supplied with an angle plate (shown here) that allows the compound slide to be mounted vertically on the cross slide so that the lathe can be used for milling. If you have this, or can make one, you might be able to do the precision parts of the job with the lathe and use hand tools for the rest.

There are some forum posts and photos here showing another fixed steady being made **LINK**

Brian G

Hi Brian, thanks for your answer.

The lathe I'm buying comes with the angle plate and also a vise (looks also like an original accessory).

I was wondering how exactly it should be used, I was thinking I'm gonna have to buy a vertical slide to mount on the angle plate, but if I understand you correctly, the compound slide can be mounted on it and basically becomes a vertical slide? The vertical slides I've seen for sale use T-slots to hold the work, but the Hobbymat angle plate has just a few drilled holes in it. Are they for mounting the included vise to hold the work?

And thanks for the link. I wonder if someone has technical drawings for a steady that would fit the Hobbymat, although I guess it would be fun to measure things and design it in a CAD (have to learn that first, though!)

Hi Gene.

A version of the Hobbymat is still (?) in production - it is known as the SU300 Masterturn lathe, and is available in the UK from;

https://www.emcomachinetools.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=124&product_id=1253

In Europe, I only found this, whom I think are the current manufacturers/Licence holders - maybe they can help?

www.tecoznojmo.cz/english/su300.php

The machines were widely marketed throughout Europe for many years, so those auction sites may also yield used examples. All variants of the MD65/SU300 part should fit - the machine was "branded" under many names, possibly the most complete resource is this one..

www.lathes.co.uk/hobbymat/

It is possible that a steady from another machine can be adapted, providing it has a 65mm centre height.

Good luck D

You may find this useful, Gene

**LINK**

http://www.bazmonaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Prazi-SD-300-manual-b.pdf

MichaelG.

I've never seen one in use Gene, but I think the hole spacing is the same on both faces of the angle plate so that the compound slide can be fitted in the same way as to the cross-slide. You might get some more flexibility if you drilled and tapped a steel plate to fit in place of the toolpost so you can clamp awkward workpieces to it where you cannot use the vice.

As your space is limited, it might be an idea in the long term to look out for a BFE65 miiling head which fits to the back of the lathe bed. They come up occasionally on eBay.

Brian G

Hi Gene here is a photo from my Hobbymat manual, it shows the set up using the angle plate to convert the lathe into a useful milling machine. The top slide is taken off and replaced by the angle plate. Remove the tool post and bolt the vice to the top slide. The top slide and vice is then bolted to the angle plate. All the holes will line up for easy fitment.

Ian

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I did write to Teco Znojmo, the manufacturer of SU300. I haven't got a reply from them so far, I will call them at some point.

I understand know, thanks to the picture in the manual, how the angle plate and vise are installed to allow movement along 3 axes, and thus can be used for milling.

I am, and will be, checking for the BFE65 milling head, or the complete BF400 mill on various auction and classified websites. I've read on several forums, that when mounted to the lathe, the milling head doesn't give too good results due to severe lack of rigidity (this was also said about combination lathe/mills, in general). Perhaps that would be still quite useful for tasks where high precision is of less importance.

I'm now starting to contemplate the possibility of machining a fixed steady using only the lathe. I am not sure of the maximum capacity that the Hobbymat vise can hold. It looks rather small on the picture, I might have to use an alternative fixing arrangement for securing the steady on the top slide? I'm also wondering how a hole in the middle of the workpiece should be bored? Would you recommend to use aluminum or steel for the steady?

I'd like to follow Harold Hall's book in the order it presents the content, however it seems like I'm gonna have to jump around to read about the operations I would need to do to machine the steady. Looks like there's a fair amount of milling involved, I've ordered a Milling Operations in the Lathe (Workshop Practice Series, Band 5) book by Tubal Cain, hopefully that would provide enough information.

If someone has a rough outline of the process, it would be helpful to hear it before I start trying it out myself.

Most of the forum and blog articles on the topic include the use of a mill, rather than using only the lathe. But surely I'm not the only one contemplating doing it on the lathe alone. Harold Hall's books also mention that some years (decades) ago many home workshop owners had access to only one machine - a lathe. Not even a drill press in some cases. And they managed to produce quite impressive results with the lathe alone. I guess it could be fun to try to work under these limits, although if I had the space, I would probably get a mill as well

Thanks again.

P.S. Hopefully I will be able to pick up the lathe this weekend or early next week. It's a bit of a difficulty, since it's in Ashford area, I'm in Luxembourg, but I come from Russia and I don't have a visa from UK. Initially I had enlisted a local neighbour to come with me to Calais, then he would cross the channel alone by Eurotunnel, and drive to pick up the lathe and come back. However he couldn't make it, so now I'm hoping to find someone from Ashford or Kent who would pick it up and bring it to Calais.

--Gene

Gene,

I’ve just found this: **LINK**

https://picclick.co.uk/Hobbymat-MD65-Prazimat-Carriage-stop-Fixed-steady-kit-283287151235.html

Follow the link to the ebay listing and re-listing.

... it’s sold, but there are some very helpful images still there.

MichaelG.

Michael,

It looks quite interesting, and the two-piece design is quite neat, and also reduces the max size of a part to be machined. I don't get the meaning of the part in the upper-right corner of the picture.

I couldn't see any other pictures besides the one in the link. Trying to follow the link opens the eBay error page. I guess it's because the listing is from 2018, from what I understand eBay doesn't keep older items available for viewing. But you mentioned multiple helpful images, were you able to see the other images? If so, how did you reach them? I'm very interested in the method, because I'm very often encountering links to eBay in older forum postings, only to find the links not working.

Thanks

... in ebay: Go to ‘original listing’ [even though it’s sold]
Some of the ‘roll’ of images may be missing; but if you select the large versions you will find more.

Grab them whilst you can !!

If it doesn’t work for you ... send me your eMail address via Personal Message

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 09/01/2020 20:32:16

Normally I'd try it like you said, but in this case I follow your link, click "See details on eBay", then this page opens: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283287151235

It just says "We looked everywhere. Looks like this page is missing. If you still need help, visit our help pages."

There's no meaningful links to follow there. I wish it worked for me, I wonder how does it work for you. Give me your superpower!

PM'd you my email.

Thanks

Evgeny,

There is an article on building a Fixed steady for the Hobbymat in issue 216 of Model Engineer's Workshop, I've made it for my Hobbymat and it works well.

Gerry

Edited By Gerry T on 09/01/2020 21:12:31

Michael; thanks for the link, the bed stop details most useful..

Gene, aluminium will be fine for the steady, I have one and will photograph/draw as soon as I have time.

It is just a round aluminium casting, lugged and drilled radially with three holes for the pins that support the work, and with a flat "foot" which is secured to the bed with a "U" bolt.. not a very elegant solution, but it works..

The aperture does not have to be bored - depending on the style, most of the body could be made with hand tools if necessary, with only the three holes for the support pins and the flat base requiring accurate drilling or facing, for which they could be clamped to either the top- or cross-slide..

I'll post as soon as I can.. busy for two days, I'll try to steal some time..

Just received some pictures from Michael, thanks.

Michael, they are all screenshots taken from your iPad, aren't they?

I think I figured out that riddle. I've now installed the eBay app on my (Android) phone, and when I open that picclick link in the browser, and then click on the "See details on eBay", that link is automatically opened by the eBay app (not the browser), and in the app, the item information / photos are still not deleted.

So, it seems that eBay has some separate storage (or perhaps data access policy) for their website, and their mobile app. With the website not able to find an item anymore, and the mobile app still able to do so (I wonder for how much longer, though). That's a great info, as I often encounter some interesting links to eBay which are no longer working. Next time I'll try them in the app! Thanks again Michael

.

Good to see that the behaviour of the two Apps is consistent.

MichaelG.

now dreading ebay’s next ‘bug-fix’

Gerry, thanks for pointing me to the MEW issue 216. I've subscribed to the magazine, and read the article, it's a nice read. The two-part design has similarities to the eBay item mentioned by Michael, I liked to hear that the author of the article was able to make the steady using the lathe alone (not even a drill press). What he has and I don't, is knowledge and experience, but I have to start somehow. It's a pity he didn't include drawings for the steady itself, only for the mounting base (or did I miss the drawings)?

Diogenes, thanks for pointing out not needing to bore the hole. Logically it makes sense to me the round part doesn't really touch anything, so how precisely round is it doesn't matter in the slightest.

Meanwhile, today I drove to Calais and back (800 km), while a nice gentleman from UK had picked up the lathe I bought from Wye and delivered it to me in Calais (I'd drive to UK but being a Russian, I need a visa to go there). The lathe was made in 1987 but looks to be in excellent condition, with no signs of rust and not much paint missing. The top slide wheel is quite tight to turn, I guess it needs some adjustment. Everything else turns nicely. I was pleasantly surprised to find the lathe already equipped with a slow-speed attachment, at least it looks an awful lot like one I saw in the pictures online. There are also all the change gears, 3-jaw chuck labelled TOS, a 4-jaw chuck in a carton with writing in German and English (I guess original accessory? It's not marked with a manufacturer's name), the angle plate and the rather flimsy looking machine vise. The original round tool holder, as well as another kind of tool holder with dovetails on two sides, and matching holders (4 of them) with tools. This is all in 4 metal boxes, along with various odds and ends - lots of taps, dies, and holders, assorted carbide-tipped tools, two keyed drill chucks (one marked Jacobs, and a smaller one that says Made in China). Plus a bunch of assorted metal. Some of smallish rods are marked silver steel. Some of the stuff I don't know exactly what is it, or I don't know what goes together with what. There is also no manual (I have one in PDF but I'll probably buy a printed one), and I couldn't find something that looks like a chuck key! There's also no tommy bar for operating the dovetailed quick-release toolpost, however there are 3 bigger size tommy bars which I don't know the purpose of. I guess I better post a separate topic about this, with pictures, to know what kind of treasures (or useless bits) all of the things are

Hi Gene, it sounds like your lathe came with a useful selection of accessories.

The second part of the article in MEW describes the upper part of the steady, it is in issue 217, p.40

Below are some photo's of the Hobbymat-supplied item. It looks flimsy, but I've never had any problems using it. Also a quick dimensioned sketch made with a view to hacking one out of a piece of 110x90x20 aluminium plate with hand tools and drill press - apologies for it not being a more formal drawing, I hope most of the essential details are clear..

Dear Diogenes,

Thanks a lot for your drawings and the photos. I see you put a lot of care into there, I really appreciate it.

I will check the MEW issue you mentioned, as well.

Meanwhile I took many pictures of what came with the lathe (and a few of the lathe itself).

I have many many questions about those items, I hope someone will be patient enough to help me with those

Do you think I should start a new thread for these?

Hi Diogenes

That steady bears the MESAS logo who were a Model Engineering Supplies and Services firm based up north so perhaps the steady was built from 1 of their kits.

Emgee