Clutter in lathe swarf tray

Prompted by the posting on the industrial stand drawer I got to thinking about my seeming inability to stop myself filling the swarf tray on my lathe up with what ever I last had in my hand, calipers, spanner QC toll holder etc. Does everyone else do this or am I the only one. If you don't how have you trained yourself out of it? I already have a rack for toolholders but they still wind up in the tray 9 times out of 10. I know ultimately it's self discipline but there must be ways to encourage good practice. Maybe you think it doesn't matter but I know it puts me off cleaning up regularly if I have to relocate 20 items before I can start swarf removal. Having just changed my lathe I am keen to acquire some better habits.

regards Martin

The answer is to have well sorted out rack with a space/location for everything.....it needs to be nice and visible so one can see at a glance whats missing etc

I was taught to ALWAYS replace everything in it's right place, and to ALWAYS pull the lathe over by hand while looking at the rack...if anything is missing then sort out where it is BEFORE turning the lathe on. This has stood me in very good stead during the intervening 50 or so years....

I bought a set of 4 magnetic shelves from Machine Mart & have a couple stuck to the Super 7 stand (one at each end). Gives a bit more horizontal surface (with no-roll-off edges) for "stuff" - but the tray still gets cluttered.

**LINK**

Nigel B

My workshop is usually a tip. I've never been able to be a tidy worker; it's just how I am! However, I made a resolution some while ago to ensure that I always leave my lathe spotless and lubricated. I've managed to do that for well over a year now, so it's a goer. What is nice is that when I next go into the workshop, after I've fought my way through the piles of rubbish, at least my lathe is ready for action, with all the slideways with pools of clean oil sitting on them, and pools of the stuff in the drip tray.

My intention was to extend this discipline to the milling machine next, then perhaps one workbench at a time, so gradually I'd get into the habit of working tidily. Not happened yet!

Trouble is, it takes quite some time to clean up, and there must be some happy medium somewhere between spending all your time polishing the floor to actually getting something done...

...never heard it called a swarf tray, I thought that handy flat area around the lathe was for tooling

No, I know the problem all too well and am guilty as charged.

That's why the QCTP holder rack thread was so intspiring the other day - have one in-progress now.

...as to whether I'll always use it though, only time will tell

Jon

In the swarf tray next to the tailstock I always, always, always have:

1. Tailstock Chuck Key
2. Toolpost allen key
3. Extension dead centre to give extra clearance between end of work and tailstock so toolpost compound slide doesn't hit the tailstock when working on small diameters at -2.5 degree compound angle (pen finial angle with larger diameter adjacent to headstock, I do so many that the compound is often left at this angle for weeks).
4. 2mm aluminium spacer. My Warco doesn't have re-settable dials, being keyed to the leadscrews. This means with a 2.5mm pitch, I can put the spacer at the end of the work, press the tailstock chuck held drill against it, wind out to 20, lock the tailstock, then the dial will be at zero as the drill touches the work.

I don't have anything else there, and that's the position where these bits always live.

Regards

Richard

Edited By richardandtracy on 23/02/2017 13:31:21

No need to train myself out of it as I never got into the habbit.

May be due the the previous emco having a central tray that had vertical sides and was about 5" deep so not much good for resting tools on.

Now all I keep on the tray is a small file for knocking off corners and small wire brush to clean threads as they are cut. Old paintbrush also usually somewhere on teh lathe for cleaning swarf off toolpost between changes etc.

J

I have exactly the same kind of personal discipline!

Of course, I can't always keep the rest of the workshop quite as "tidy".....

Regards,

IanT

Ian, that little tool tray is a mighty fine idea. Think I'll do one for myself. Will save the bits getting oiled up when I smother the lathe. Wish I'd thought of it.

Richard

Well that's certainly one good idea (lift out tray). At least it would contain what does end up there. I have got some degree of organisation going on. I have a pierced shelf next to the lathe that holds drill chucks, centres and taper tooling vertical. A QC tool holder rack and hook board that takes care of all the chuck keys, spanners and stuff. I think my biggest problem is getting myself to slow down. Case of more haste less speed I think. I am convinced that being tidy as you go is quicker than waiting until you have to tidy up but its hard work when you are trying to finish the bit you are on before it's time to go in. Still retirement looms and perhaps I shall be a little more relaxed.

regards Martin

Never been a problem. The only things in my swarf tray, apart from swarf, are a paint brush, an old hacksaw blade and a bit of stainless steel sheet for cleaning up swarf. My lathe has a handy rubber covered area on top of the headstock for chuck keys. Tailstock tooling, and MT drills, are stored on a shelf behind the lathe. Allwn keys and the two most used lathe tools are on the power gullotine to the left of the lathe. Everything else is collected for a specific job, and then returned at the end. One advantage of a crowded workshop is that there are plenty of convenient places to temporarily put stuff without needing to use the swarf tray. If I stored stuff in the swarf tray I'd never find it. Bad enough when I drop something or part off work in progress.

Of course there's a caveat. I keep the hydraulic copy unit behind the lathe, at the tailstock end. But it's sitting on two large brass blocks, so it doesn't count as being in the swarf tray.

Andrew

I'm afraid that I always replace a tool as soon as I have finished with it.

Along the front of my S7B swarf-tray are a number of very strong 'earth' magnets which hold all my chuck keys.

The swarf-tray is covered in absorbent pads which contain all the oils and the swarf, and, as I have a free and

guaranteed continuous supply I simply remove them all, put them in the bin and put fresh ones on the tray.

So, there are NEVER any tools on the swarf tray as everything is close to hand.

Everything I know re home workshop I learned from 'Curly'.

OK - so I have to walk two steps to replace drills. Disabled I may be but I can manage that.

Taps and dies (not B.A. which are in a block), D-bits and slotting cutters are in small drawers which are hung

on the wall.

The shed measures 12' x 8', well, not quite as there is 3" of roof insulation and another shed built inside so it is never really cold in there.

A dehumidifier runs from 04.00hrs to 11.00hrs so there is no condensation.

The last thing I do when I leave early evening (I am a carer so time is limited) is to sweep the floor, check all digital read-outs (verniers etc.,) are off then kill the main dis-board. There is one twin 13amp socket which by-passes the dis-board and this supplies the dehumidifier and a small oil-filled radiator.

The machinery consists of a Myford S7B with rack-feed on the tailstock and powered by a Newton-Tesla converter

which is one of my 'best-buys';

A Warco WS16 mill with all it's accoutrements on shelves close to hand; the table is covered with 3mm plastic so I just brush the swarf into a dust-pan - the vice has not been moved since squared and bolted down.

An Italian band-saw and two bench grinders - one of which now sports a diamond disc and a 50 yr. old grinding jig which I have altered to give fine feed and does an excellent job.

Thanks to MEW for the instructions for several small bits and pieces and I do NOT have a SWMBO.

Sorry for the long epistle - just thought there might be some one else of the old era (I'm 84) who remembers the old days when people usually had only a lathe and built superb engines.

I will now go and play the organ, which, according to my G.P is excellent physical exercise!

Regards to all and just enjoy your workshop.

Richard.

Fortunately - even my workshop isn't normally that untidy - well, not most of the time anyway.

I had to move everything around to fit another one of my 'Orphans' (old machines that need a home) in a few years back. It involved a lot of work, as things have to either be lifted onto a dolley or moved on rollers - so it's like one of those puzzles where you have to slide one piece around at a time...

I used a simple 'A' frame - just to lift and lower the (lighter) bits... used to be able to lift this without any aids once...

Anyway - all so I could fit this MFA in.

And afterwards, I even managed to find somewhere to put (most of) that junk away too....

Regards,

IanT

In a word no. The only thing in the swarf tray is, er, swarf. Oh, and oil. Hard enough job finding a parted off component sometimes...

What wonderful, organised, disciplined folk you all are!

The shelf just above and behind the lathe carries drill chucks (Am sure that mine breed!) rotating centre, faceplate, catchplate, steadies and mandrel handle. A plywood tray on the headstock cover carries chuck keys, Parting tool holder key, a couple of spanners, a T handle Allen Key (for the removable chuck guard) and bits of metal that I am too idle to put away. How did the knurled Aluminium knob get there?

Drill boxes, and boxes of Taps and Dies live on a shelf on the other side of the shop, with a box of miscellaneous Tap wrenches and Die holders. So close that they are accessible just by turning around.

There is almost no space on the fitting bench because of all the drawer units holding the various sizes of nuts, bolts, washers spare taps, knurling and deburring tools.

On a good day I can lay hands on what I'm looking for!

No wonder I work in the prototype for Rubiks Cube.

Howard