New to Model Engineer

Hi

I have been in engineering since I left school in one form or another and have used this site quite a few times in the past so it's about time I joined.

I have had my own machine tools for about 25 years so not new machining at home

Cheers,

Kim

Hi Kim welcome to the forum. It sounds like you could have enough experience to help as well as getting information on here but what are your interests.

David

Hi David

Engineering but older engineering from the 1940s to the 1970s and how they made things back then. I find the skill level back then to be second to none and which is dying out today. If I could be Half as good as some of people I have worked with I will die a happy man.

Welcome Kim, what are you thinking of making?

Regards

Brian B

Hi Brian

Current project trying to make a Boxford BUD metric lead screw to fit to my Boxford Lathe which will be followed by a set of half nuts and thread dial indicator.

Welcome to the forum. That is quite an undertaking. The leadscrew is over a meter long do you have a larger lathe to make it on or are you going to do it in sections ? If you need it just for metric threads it would be easier to either obtain or make the conversion compound gears 127/100. If you are going for a full metric lathe, apart from the parts you mention in your other thread you will need new dials , crossfeed leadscrew & compound leadcrew. You will also need a mill to put in the full length keyway and a way to straighten the lead screw afterwards as it will probably bend like a banana when the key is cut. I have had several Imperial Boxfords but am not sure if the change gears have the same pitch/mod as the metric version.

Good luck I hope it works out ok. regards

Hi Brian

a lot boxford lathes came with metric dials as has mine its just the lead screw that's imperial. I did make a conversion gear 80/63 teeth which works well however it has its draw backs my outer lathe which is bigger than the boxford should coupe with the lead screw just, but I like a challenge

Welcome to the forum

H

Hi Kim,

Re : a lot boxford lathes came with metric dials as has mine its just the lead screw that's imperial.

That would probably have been a machine in an educational environment that was originally built & supplied as all Imperial. To reduce the costs to educational establishments when we went Metric, Boxford did a kit of metric cross & topslide screws, nuts & dials but just supplied a conversion gear for the Imperial leadscrew rather than a new screw, half-nuts & additional changewheels (or gearbox). IIRC it was a 100/127 gear - I had one for my CUD, but both lathe & gear are long gone now.

Boxford did supply all Metric machines unlike Myfords with the "7s", whose "metric" machines retained Imperial leadscrews AFAIK.

Nigel B.

Hi Nigel

The lathe I have owned for a least 25 years and it is used quite a lot where it was before that who knows The bed is starting to show its age but still cuts true which is a credit to those who built it after 60 years service and I have had very little trouble with it having just replaced the cross feed nut and half nuts which did not need replacing but did it any way. How many machines can that be said.