Hello fromlincoln

Hi my name is Michael I’m 71 year old and I’ve never used a metal lathe before, I have used a wood turning lathe, I currently have a cnc laser and have sold my cnc router, I’m now into model steam engines & I wold like to have a go at making one myself, not sure how or if it’s possible as I’ve just been diagnosed it with early on set dementia, but I would like to know what machinery I need to make a steam engine and how big it would need to be, I’ve have been looking at small hobby lathes, any advice would be welcome, regards Mike.

Welcome, Mike!

Age is NO barrier.

Keeping your mind and body active will be good thing for you.

I keep forgetting where I put down my 6" rule!

Lincoln and District may be the closest Club to you.

Join, and you will meet (Covid permitting ) with fellow Model Engineers, who will help to give guidance and tuition, and advice on how to go about things.

We all like to ride our particular hobby horses, though!

You will find a metal turning lathe even more useful and versatile than a wood turning lathe, but some techniques and equipment will differ.

Which machine you choose will depend on what you intend to make; so the advice and experience of M E Club members will help you.

You will not start straight into building a loco, if you want to avoid disappointments. A 2-10-0 is not a good starting point for a novice! And once you get into 5" gauge, lifting a model can become a two person task.

A mini lathe can be about as much as one person can lift to install or reposition. A lathe that can swing 12" will weigh around 300Kg so definitely a job for lifting equipment! Even a chuck for such a machine can be quite heavy, when you want to change it.

FAR better to make mistakes, and learn, on a bit of mild steel bar than on an expensive casting from a kit!

Learn the basics first of all, finding out what accessories you need to supplement your lathe. (You will have to have measuring equipment, and how to use it, drills and Taps and Dies. )

Some accessories, you can make. This will provide good experience for you, and improve confidence, while producing tools which will be of use in the future. Tap Wrenches, Die Holders, (Hand or Sliding Tailstock variety come to mind ), and a Centre Height Gauge will save time and frustration in the future.Almost certainly, you will need a Bench Grinder. This will enable you to grind High Speed Steel (NOT Carbide ) tools; again a useful learning experience..

You are doing this as a hobby, not on piece work, so a few seconds saving on an operation is not essential.

Read up on using a lathe.

A set of Zeus Charts will be an often used reference pocket book.

Ian Bradley "The Amateurs Workshop" is good.

L H Sparey, The Amateurs Lathe" is regarded by many as the "bible" for Model Engineers.

Harold Hall, ( former M E W Editor )and Neil Wyatt (Curreent M E W Editor ) have each written books entitled "Lathework"

The "Workshop Practice Series" contains volumes on particular aspects of Model Engineering and the tooling involved. You will not need all, by a long way. .

You have now seen some of the hobby horses in my stable

Howard

Welcome to the forum

H

''Welcome to the party Mike. Howard has said it all, he is right about the weight of even a smallish 5" gauge being more than a man can lift. Seasons greetings. Noel

Hi Mike as Howard says age, is no barrier I am in my mid 70's as well and as long as one remember what you went to the bathroom for you'r ok still, misplacing (or rather tools going missing while it is in your hand) or don't remember your wife's birthday one can live with that i think.

Another mike

Thankyou guys, appreciate the advice and Mike you’ve just described me to a T 😂😂, I can see there are a lot of steam modellers here, need to do a lot of reading and Howard your a diamond 👍

regards Mike

Welcome Michael to the font of knowledge you will ever need! If you have a query, just get in the habit of using the 'search' facility (use the one half way down the 'Home' page, rather than the one at the top of the forum pages - seems to work a bit better ) and you will be amazed that pretty well anything you think of has been covered before!

If still not sure, don't be afraid to ask - there's no such thing as a stupid question, and members on this site are thoroughly helpful and patient.

I used to do a lot of woodturning years ago, and I must say metalworking lathes are a very different kettle of fish altogether. About the only applicable valuable lesson you will transfer from woodturning is the sense to keep your fingers out of the way!

I agree with Howard - get copies of the couple of lathework books he mentioned, they will be a goldmine for people like yourself

Take care, all the best Mike

Thank you Mike appreciate the advice, I certainly will get the books,

regards Mike

Be aware, this is a rich man's hobby. You will always have your hand in your pocket for something and you will be making tools and attachments more than you will be making models at first, that was my experience anyway. The lathe in itself is almost totally useless unless it is supported by range of other workshop tools and equipment. Fortunately, the Chinese have made things a little more affordable with their products and, although some contributors on here would have you believe they are absolute rubbish and shouldn't be touched with the proverbial barge pole, I have always found far eastern kit to be very acceptable by and large for the price. If you don't already have one, a bench or pillar drill of 13mm capacity is essential, IMO, and you can almost pick these things up with the weekly shopping because they are so relatively cheap. Ebay is a good source of most tooling if you must have it now or perusing trader's stalls at traction engine rallies and exhibitions (if we ever get to go to one again) always gives satisfaction when a bargain item is obtained. I actually, and very naively, started out by trying to build a steam locomotive but found that, with the limited time I then had available at home, as I was always an itinerant contractor together with the meagerly equipped workshop that I could only just afford, that I enjoyed making the tooling more than I enjoyed building the steam engine. This was because I could actually complete something that was useful and could be used to make something else so I sold the steam engine chassis and continued to make the tooling. The attachments got more complex as time went on, from machine vices to dividing heads through to gear hobbing and thread milling attachments, although time and other pastimes have interrupted the output a little over the years. But good luck with your workshop and your ambition for a steam engine. I think that you will find the pass-time rewarding despite the inevitable damage to your bank balance.

Hi Chris, thanks for your input, when I had my router I managed to break 3 £20 end mills in a day so I’m well used to putting my hands in my pocket without the wife knowing 😁, all my machines bar one was Chinese and apart from spending more time checking the electrics & tightening everything I’ve been very happy so I may go for a Chinese one purely based on cost.

regards Mike.