Here to learn and find the correct way :)

Hi there, Dave from Brum here and I have good intentions but little patience

4 years ago I decided a lathe was required, no specific reason just a handy toy. I bought a SPG2109 a slight step up from the mini lathes.

It has been used on and off for various jobs that could have been done by other means but, i wanted one . I feel the need for a mill now

Off to find the appropriate section now to get some help in setting up my lathe properly. After 4 years the bearings gave a rumble and I thought it was time to set it up properly. Getting something oval instead of round needs addressing.

PS i maybe quite mad, its the tablets honest

Hello Dave,

There are probably a pair of nuts on the far end of the main spindle that you can use to adjust the bearings.

Neil

Sit and think about what kind of work you want to do on a mill. I love my Bridgeport because it suits my old motorcycle hobby, to big and pricey for a lot of folk unless you come across an early one with 36" table. I am not to far from Brum, in between Lichfield and Burton on Trent.

Your in the right place if you want to change the bearings. The front cone can be a pain to get off. The fit of the rear ones varies but can sometimes benefit from a very light polish to ease refitting. Arc euro have a pdf on titivating one of their lathes and they are all very similar. For slide adjustment Taig have a good pdf concerning building one of their lathes from their kit. Do it as they suggest lead screws out and look for a bit of resistance pushed by hand.

BMTS are in the middle of town. If you take the spindle along and ask they will probably get the front cone off for you and refit a new one. Take the bearings and buy a decent european brand. It's likely to need a bearing press so as they are close no point in trying to knock something up at home and risk damaging the spindle.

If you do change the bearings you will need to make a few bits and pieces. Couple of discs a touch smaller than the od of the bearing with a hole in the middle for all thread to press the new shells in. Something to locate in the spindle and keep the all thread central and a spacer to pull the spindle out. I did that badly like this, different lathe but the principle is the same.

I didn't make sure the all thread was central. That made it a lot harder to get out and scored the spindle a touch. Fortunately it didn't damage it.

What mill is more or less set by what table size and travel you need. In other word the area it can machine and also the daylight under the cutter which limits how "tall" work can be. If you want something that really has some grunt and doesn't take up much space personally I would go for one of these and not one of the variable speed machines.

**LINK**

They used to be available in a number of sizes and sold well. I'd hope they still deserve the same reputation. I haven't got the space otherwise I would know. For a bigger industrial machine Bidgeport wouldn't be my choice but all sorts of bits and pieces are available for them. Ideally I would want a universal but changing over on some might result in a hernia. They also tend to weigh a few tonnes. There are all sorts of makes available on the used market in all sorts of sizes.

John

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What or where is Brum ? I am from Gippy , in the S.E. corner of Australia

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Possibly the centre of the Universe

**LINK**

That's where filling in your profile can help, and perhaps an avatar incorporating a location indicator.

its near the black country!

Yes and no. Touch south of some of it.

John

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Good link Michael. I had never noticed it before.

It should add that Brum has more miles of canals than Venice. They are probably a little less romantic though.

There is a bit more about the place here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 25/04/2016 18:00:19

I will look for my profile and add some info, Erdington near Spaghetti Junction.

Not clear in my post above but i have started another thread about setting up my lathe, I changed the bearings already replaced the unbranded ones for some Timken ones.

Its an SPG2109 and the manual supplied does not match my lathe it seems, shows a different pulley setup where mine just has one belt and a 2 speed gearbox. Manuals states 2 x 30206 bearings. NO... Luckily i managed to remove the old one before the wrong one was posted out to me. Changed my order to a 30206 and a 32007.

Whoever fitted the bearings at the factory must have broken a bit of the casting off, there is a small piece missing, but just a small piece so that shouldnt be a problem. When i try to lift a longer shaft fitted in the jaws i do not get any rock as before and it still spins freely. Are the bearings only lubricated by oil splashing off the gears?

Thanks.

My spindle only has the 1 locking ring with a grub screw, not the 2 locking nuts as per the supplied manual.

They should be greased when assembled and then the correct preload set. Have a read of the Timkin Manual and then run your tests from the other thread again when the lathe has warmed up.

Brum and the Black Country mentioned in the same thread? The locals will be up in arms!

Andy, from Stourbridge, birthplace of the Stourbridge Lion - has anyone modelled it?

If i click my name it says no profile?

Dave, If you click on 'Settings' on the green bar at the top of the page, at the top left of the page that opens will be 'My Profile'. Click on that link and you can create / edit your profile.

Andy

Thanks for that, I missed the profile link assuming the address page was it.

I should have one now?

I wondered if the grease would be washed away by the oil from the gearbox, The bearing outer race fits into the headstock and there are drain points below them. The old bearings were covered in oil when i removed them.

Thanks.