MEW 259 - parting off

I wonder whether Geoff Walker's tip about a container secured by a screw to the cross slide could be adapted to provide a "catcher" for parted off work pieces?

When they have a central hole it's often possible to catch them safely by means of a rod held in the tailstock chuck but solid pieces often end up in the swarf tray.

Woodturners simply grab the offcut with their free hand, of course, but this would be inadvisable on a metal lathe, even assuming a hand was free.

Edited By ega on 07/09/2017 10:19:48

Edited By ega on 07/09/2017 10:24:51

My immediate thought was, why screw it down? Glue a magnet underneath and it can be placed anywhere.

Geoff

If it's a small component I'm parting off, I just catch it a little old yeast tin I keep on the lathe for the purpose.

Powerful neodyminium magnet suspended over the work on a skyhook. Just the right strength magnets counters the pull of gravity and enables greater accuracy, but not too powerful or it could distort the work.

Neil

Unfortunately, the magnet followed the cross slide and the 'saw the chuck'. wherapon it swang into it hitting one of the jaws. After a short transfer of kinetic energy the magnet swung violently backwards and up, hitting the light fitting. It was after the light had gone out that I tripped over spilling the paraffin bottle onto the workshop heater and setting light to the shop. Which is why your honour I have now taken up knitting.

(with more than a passing nod to Hoffnung's story of the barrel of bricks and the pulley)

;0)

Martin

Tried an inexpensive magnetic base tray, courtesy of Mr Lidl, but it turned out to be pretty much exactly the wrong size to use with my Smart & Brown 1024. A bit bigger or bit smaller I could have worked with but wasn't going to faff around with extra brackets and plates to get this one where it was needed.

Main issue, especially with a magnetic one and ferrous work, is arranging things so you collect the part(s) but not the Swarf. Well Mostly not. Applying cling film or a thin plastic bag, the uber cheap transparent one time use transparent freezer ones on roll are good, to a magnetic one before use is effective. Turn the bag inside out as it comes off or reverse the wrap to remove the swarf in a nicely contained package. Could do same for brass as otherwise the horrible itsy bits teensy weensy stuff gets everywhere. My 1024 had been used for a fair bit of brass work before I got it. It was respectably clean but I was still finding small quantities and little clumps four years later despite not doing any brass turning myself in that period.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 07/09/2017 13:00:05

"Martin, is there no good news?"

"Yes, the heat of the fire warmed the ground, and the daffodils came up a week early!"

Geoff

So that's where the Fureys got it from (and the Dubliners and...)

Thats Blaster Bates I think.

Clive Foster:

Thanks for your helpful comments.

Yes, Martin, it is.

Geoff

Hi Ega,

I use this swarf tray to catch parted material. It was a readers tip some years ago in MEW, can't remember the issue number.

Two lugs on the tray slide into the cross slide tee slots, so easy to fit and remove. sorry about the angle of the picture. geoff

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 09/09/2017 10:49:07

geoff walker 1:

Thanks for the tip; don't worry about the angle of the picture - my lathe isn't set level either!

I know that many authorities recommend a travelling swarf tray; I once used one myself but now prefer the device shown here

which is just a length of unequal aluminium angle held to the saddle via the tapped hole for the travelling steady. The short leg of the angle is covered in self-adhesive velour Fablon which slides nicely against the edge of the cross slide.

I like your namesake, Geoff Theasby's, idea of the magnet although as has been said there are some real disadvantages to their use.

Edited By ega on 08/09/2017 16:02:20

I usually use a takeaway food tub, pop one under the work just before it parts off. Works for me..

Regards

Richard