What to do with a pile of bits?

So, I am now the proud owner of this pile of bits. Once upon a time it was a Seig C3 lathe, it's now a collection of parts.

I had originally thought to make a tool and cutter grinder - I have a nice quarter horse motor with a VFD - and mill the top side flush and the bottom carriage flush which would give me an X/Y table and attach a collet chuck to the top slide for the cutters.

Then I thought I might buy one of the X2 column and bases from Ketan and make a small Mill. Then I thought of taking the little DRO's off the topslide and trying to adapt them for my Chester Lathe.

THEN I thought it might be a good idea to do NONE of the above and save myself a load of time and aggravation. But that's no fun now is it?

Gear hobber

or

Headstock + tailstock + stepper for computerised dividing head.

Cross-slide etc for rose engine.

Bargain-Basement equivalent of the Quick-Step ?

MichaelG.

I don't think so Michael. The headstock casting is no lightweight and add a motor..........

I'll give that one a miss I think.

So what is a rose engine? Excuse my ignorance.

graham.

T&C grinder , camshaft grinder , dividing head or small cylindrical grinder are some of the things I would want to make if I had these items at hand .

Ian

.

My error, Graham ...

You did say the bits were from a C3 but, just looking at the photo, I mistook them for something much smaller.

I would still consider using the Headstock as a Milling Attachment of some sort ... but it's unlikely to be toolpost-mounted !!

For my education; could you please give the approximate outside dimensions of that Headstock casting, and also remind me which model of Chester Lathe you have.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: I see, from another thread, that you have the DB7VS.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 11/02/2014 07:54:31

Bin it and move on to a project you want to do.

Don't put it in a corner so you think you will find a use for it later, you will run out of corners

.

Wise words, old Al ... as I know to my cost.

Currently wishing that I had a spherical workshop

[so there would be an infinity of corners]

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 11/02/2014 11:17:08

You could always give it to me, no use for it at the moment but have sheds and lots of corners.

It has been some time since I've been able to get into any of my corners Al - but I've always known why.

'Head' says "just get rid of all this junk" but 'Heart' says "you might need it some day"

So whilst I would really like one of those lovely (tidy & well laid out) workshops that I so often envy online, the truth is that I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. Stupid I know....

IanT

As always, the thread has been an education.

I now know what a Rose Engine is though I have long since seen the Holzapfel lathes, fascinating.

I am really ruthless when it comes to "corners", my workshop is one of those 'organised' ones. I can't be doing with disorganised catastrophe. My memory isn't good enough, I need everything to have a place so I can remember where I put it, whatever IT is

My first thoughts were a Tool and Cutter grinder, more specifically, something to sharpen drill bits with. I have all the components, including the material for the table and bracketry/adaptors so it would cost me nothing other than time so the consensus seems to be that route.

old Al is right though, I have a sort of rule of thumb: If I haven't used it in the last six months it is time to move it on. Tailstock and a few of the other bits are Bin Bound though, the Controller board I will sell and put the money to good use, IF it sells. The covers and boxing are also bin bound.

Michael, the headstock casting is 15.5 x 9 x 14 cm approx increasing to 22cm long if you take into account the shaft and gearing.

graham.

.

Thanks Graham,

Thinking-Cap is on ...

[Although in fact it's usually a matter of letting things simmer at the back of the mind.]

Next question: Does the profile on the bottom of that Headstock match your lathe bed ?

MichaelG.

Graham - I finally bit the bullet and got a Worden from Kirk @Hemingways and threw all the old "this is going to be a drill sharpener someday" bits in the bin.

Best move I've made in a decade.

My thoughts, anyway.

John.

Order a lathe bed of Ketan and put it back together