Lathe design not keeping up

The magnetic read heads I used (Machine-dro) are rated IP67 so no issues with foreign body or coolant ingress unless you are planning to use the machine at a depth of 1 metre for more than 30 minutes. (that would be serious 'flood' coolant)

I've been considering fitting one under the cross slide instead of on the side as it is now, the cross slide needs to come off sometime soon so that may well happen at the same time.

Should have had a look at mine Johnny done 5 yrs ago, Harrison M300 and M400 use same parts since part of 600 Group.

Magnetic wont fit in the back recess unless fouling the cross slide dovetail often needed, might be last picky showing and rear mount toolpost fitted off it. Remedy mill out and sink scale lower and hang out the back with bracing. Lost 7.2mm where tailstock butts up.
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What it would be like with C type scale.
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Used in a small scale heavy production environment daily, about 30 yrs use of diyer. Coolant used and wipers not needed. Would only recommend the 1 micron read heads not about at the time, the 5 micron I have cause some grief for fine threading and repeatability.

Just checked my Manual all 1/4 & 5/16 screws are UNC

The number ones are all 10-24

guess yours will be similar

Steve

John - have you finished upgrading the Bantam yet? Wondering what other enhancements you ended up with in the end.

Murray

Pretty similar story i just had the magnetic one lying about from another

As other said they are Ip 67 so cooland doesnt affect them When i schemed it out for the bloke it too had the Glass scale hung off the back on the cross slide though i made some clamps to clamp grip the rear flat guideway thus eliminating the 15 degree slant

I keep looking at uni mats on eBay. I like the size as I could have one on the dining table and make small parts for my engines. Wife should be happy as I am only in the next room and not at the outside workshop ( garage), I also know how to work the vacuum thing To clean up. HOWEVER they are so expensive for second hand ones. ⚡️I have some 25mm linear slides, why not make a lathe for the dining table, it would look cool at the side of the "plant" on the table😉. So I have started to draw me a home made lathe for domestic use age next to the 🌿. I will use a Panasonic motor, just cos I have one. Spindle nose will suit unimat chucks etc.

Slow project so don't expect regular updates.

Bri

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Had to take back seat for a while, been away for two weeks and now playing catch up.

Still need to finish the rear DRO mounting and then the wipers are next but had a brilliant out of the box thought about these.

Watch this space but will be next week now.

Things left to do are the modify the two steadies I just located to fit, they are 1" too high but other than that fit perfect.

Fit one of the I-Gauging scales to the tailstock and then just a reassembly of the machine.

In terms of wipers, what function do you think they should do? I can't completely convince myself quite what the ideal mechanism is.

Should they be completely wiping the ways clear each time they pass, rather like a squeegee? Or leaving the oil but pushing the swarf out of the way? Or sweeping swarf out of the way and actively spreading oil on the ways? I would think the middle way myself but it's rather critical to decide which is best.

The wipers that I removed had gone hard and possibly shrivelled, so difficult to draw any conclusions.

Looking through some photos earlier I came across a couple of photos of the wipers I made using felt and a set of wood chisels and hole punches. To my mind they clear swarf but leave a film of oil.

Murray

Looking through some photos earlier I came across a couple of photos of the wipers I made using felt and a set of wood chisels and hole punches. To my mind they clear swarf but leave a film of oil.

Getting a bit boring I suppose but if you want to clean out your ways use your favourite oil mixed with colloidal graphite

The crap just drops out, it doesn't allow anything to stick to anything

Wipe the residue off your ways with a tissue and drop on a bit more CG impregnated oil

We've all heard of penetrating oil over the decades, well this stuff actually penetrates

Owners of the Bantam 2000 with its 1" higher centre height won't thank you for that

Thanks for that Jason, I wondered what they were off. I know they weren't Student as the bed is wider.

Still going to modify them as steadies for a 1600 are quite rare, start at £120 and go upwards and these two were free.

Whilst we are on the "What does it fit ? "

I have a faceplate, 16" diameter on a D1-3 fitting. Seems a very small fitting for a large plate and what lathe that has D1-3 has a gap that big to take this ?

Some of the 2000s also had a gap bed!!

OK was in two minds whether to post this in the Bodgers Lodge thread or not, it's borderline so anyone of a nervous disposition need not continue further.

Rear DRO mounting finished and tested, no pictures unless needed as very basic.

Next job is to fit one of the iGauging scales to the tailstock. Got these on the other 3 lathes and could not do without.

Tailstock on the Bantam is squarish at the top so choice of 3 sides to mount it. Front mounted gets in the way of the top slide.

Top mounted leaves it quite vulnerable so rear mounted looks the best and all the others are rear mounted as well and work well and out the way.

One problem on the Bantam is the barrel lock has a vertical spindle and there isn't enough room between to get the scale, so warm the spindle up at the bottom and give a slight tweak, better but still not enough and also the shape of the casting is not conductive to the scale following on.

SO, stick it on the mill and after careful and very, very accurately marking out, remove the bit in the way.

Mill enough away so that the read head fits.

Then follow up with clearance for the scale.

Offer it up for a test and jobs a good un. That broken bolt BTW is just holding the read head down so it doesn't tip.

Plenty of clearance now.

Bit of a plate bracket and shot from the back.

And from the front.

That's as far as I got tonight as a hungry dog stopped play. Just need the clamp to go round the barrel and connect to the scale and poke the surplus of wire into a heat shrink sleeve and warm it up.

The whole lathe is also in for a repaint so all these mods will soon blend in.

Edited By John Stevenson on 14/11/2015 21:53:45

Repaint eh? Let's see what kind of crowd that draws.....

Thanks for these posts.

Cheers, Colin

Only managed to get a bit done to the Phantom Bantam today but got the tailstock finished.

Front view:-

Rear view with the wiring in heat shrink.

The bracket is drilled and once painted the cable bunch will be held with two cable ties for neatness.

Next on the agenda are the wipers.

The 600 group has these for £125 the set of 4. They are obviously that proud of them it would be shame to force them to part with them. Got an idea but if it works it will be an article for Neil.

If it doesn't work it will be felt seals

Just noticed looking at the last picture I have not drilled the cross slide for ball oilers, done the saddle and increased then from two small to 4 large but for some reason the cross slide has no method of oiling other than a squirt on the ways ???

Edited By John Stevenson on 15/11/2015 22:14:33

So a bit disgusted tonight.

Pulled the cross slide off to fit some ball oilers and this is what I see.

Nothing.

No oil ways, no method of getting oil onto the slides at all.

Then to add insult to injury this is close up.

Just a fly cut finish, no grinding, no scraping and the mating face is the same.

I was under the impression that these were a class machine, far more attention to detail than the cheap imports ?

Sorry, colour me pi$$ed off. Even a SC3 or a C3 has ground slides and ball oilers.

So now got to spent the best part of a night scraping this in when it should not be necessary.

EDIT.

I suppose someone will say the fly cutting marks will hold oil and I must agree IF it was able to get oil under the slide in the first place

Edited By John Stevenson on 18/11/2015 23:43:31