Using compressed air on the lathe

Some years ago I was given a "Windy" type compressed air drill, I decided to use it along with my GHT Headstock Dividing Attachment. So I made up a right angle bracket, clamped it to the cross slide and bored a hole at centre height to suit the drill. I then drilled and tapped for a clamping screw. The photograph shows making a jig for making cylinder covers.

Edited By BERT ASHTON on 30/09/2014 19:31:05

Edited By BERT ASHTON on 30/09/2014 19:32:01

Very nice Bert, but don't be tempted to use air blast to blow off swarf and turnings from the lathe; it is all too easy to force small swarf under wipers on the moving surfaces where they get up to mischief out of sight

I have always used a bannister brush to clean down machines after use, soft bristles in a longish handle about 3 inches wide, you can sweep away a lot of mess with it.

Regards

Brian

The first photo shows drilling the holes for the 4 jaw chuck for the Stuart model lathe.

Hi Bert, I agree with Brian , NEVER use an air line to clean your Lathe or any other machines,I brush down the heavy stuff then I use an old vacuum ( it has a very nice gentle mans name ) this I find is safe and adequate.

Ken.

Francis of Assisi ?

Frank

I like the drill idea.

I may have to down size my workshop and remove my milling machine, ending up milling on the lathe so I like threads like this.

Gives me hope that I can still mill.

Brian

well, I see the wanna be elfins are out in force already. Don't see any suggestion by the OP of using an airline to clean down his machine. Just a good example of how comp air can be used to advantage on a machine. Glad I've never mentioned that I use comp air all the time on mine, to run either a hilsch vortex tube or a fogbuster, cos then I'd have had the elfins on my back too!

I agree that cleaning machine tools with compressed air is bad workshop practice, but after spending most of my working life in engineering I remember machine shops where most of the men was on piece work, time was money so everybody cleaned down with a quick blast of the air gun. how times have changed.

When I was a lad we had men come round to clean the machines, well the big ones. I use an old foot pump for air supply on the lathe. A bit of small bore tubing and you have an easily controlled blast for cleaning eg. chucks. Not enough puff to endanger anything.

Hi Bert . Please can you tell Me where you got the dividing machine from .It looks much simpler to make than others that I have seen , and I want to make one.

Thanks Maurice.

Hi Maurice, nearly all the extras on my lathe are the designs of George H Thomas, in the UK kits and drawings are supplied by Hemingway Kits. www.hemingwaykits.com GHT also wrote a number of books on model engineering, well worth a read.

There was an article In ME a few years ago for a low pressure air nozzle for use on machinery. I use a bit of plastic tube, and lung power, or a rubber bulb(solder sucker).

Ian S C

You are probably thinking of Peter Spenlove Spenlove's 'puffer'. As i reacall it was for a short 'puff' and included an extra ring of holes to cerate an sir shroud and reduce blowback of swarf - goggles still needed of course.

Many commercial puffers have a long reach, one of the things the HSE advise for swarf blowers.Lots of sound advice on the topic on their website.

Neil

Hi Bert , thanks for the information. I Have now got the book and when I have some spare time will read it

HI all,

any chance of the ISBN no of the G.H.Thomas book please.....

many thanks Frank in France

The book you are looking for is Workshop techniques by G H Thomas

• Publisher: TEE Publishing Ltd; Revised edition edition (Oct 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857611063
• ISBN-13: 978-1857611069

Available from Hemingway Kits or Amazon

I can see what your thinking but logic says whilst machines in use those debris will do exactly the same without air blast.