Lathe, mills, drills, slotters, shapers and grinders (not angle grinders)

[Shovelhands]

But we get by is a pretty crucial statement.
By and large we are jack of all trades, masters of some.
I'd dare bet if a machine broke down on a Sunday afternoon we'd have it going again before the machinist zeroed his lathe.
Ok that's a broad statement but you get the idea.
The ability to cobble something together off the scrap heap requires a genuinely large amount of skill. And not something that is ever taught in text books or classrooms.
Out of the precision machinist or the professional bodger, I'm not actually sure who is most skilled

 

[powerfarmer]

But we get by is a pretty crucial statement.
By and large we are jack of all trades, masters of some.
I'd dare bet if a machine broke down on a Sunday afternoon we'd have it going again before the machinist zeroed his lathe.
Ok that's a broad statement but you get the idea.
The ability to cobble something together off the scrap heap requires a genuinely large amount of skill. And not something that is ever taught in text books or classrooms.
Out of the precision machinist or the professional bodger, I'm not actually sure who is most skilled

Very true, I was lucky enough to work with a few amazing maintenance guys in a dairy plant who had the ability to fix almost anything with pretty basic workshop kit and "make something out of nothing"

 

[davieh3350]

Not getting disheartened when things go wrong is the hardest part. It would be all to easy just to walk away from it.

have you all got your machines levelled correctly?

 

[TheTallGuy]

Not getting disheartened when things go wrong is the hardest part. It would be all to easy just to walk away from it.

have you all got your machines levelled correctly?

I was shocked after I put my lathe in place - I just dumped it in place with the intention of levelling & squaring up in a day or two. A couple of of months later I remembered to do it & found that it was bang on! The milling machine was a different matter as the floor where it sits isn't quite level

 

[pycoed]

Apropos the other thread where digital calipers vs vernier gauges came up.
I had a Mitutoyo digital caliper & a couple of ALDI £10 specials. Both were more than adequate for my needs (or capabilities!), though obviously the Jap one was much nicer to use.
One day I had both in use on the lathe & was setting a art in the chuck backing it onto a couple of parallels between the jaws. I made the schoolboy error of switching the lathe on before removing the parallels
Guess which caliper the parallel caught & threw right across to the darkest corner of the workshop? Never worked again
The ALDI ones still work though

 

[davieh3350]

Apropos the other thread where digital calipers vs vernier gauges came up.
I had a Mitutoyo digital caliper & a couple of ALDI £10 specials. Both were more than adequate for my needs (or capabilities!), though obviously the Jap one was much nicer to use.
One day I had both in use on the lathe & was setting a art in the chuck backing it onto a couple of parallels between the jaws. I made the schoolboy error of switching the lathe on before removing the parallels
Guess which caliper the parallel caught & threw right across to the darkest corner of the workshop? Never worked again
The ALDI ones still work though

Watched a clip on YouTube where the lad had 4 pieces of round bar screwed to the face of the chuck. He faced them (without the jaws in) to the length he needed to still be able to grip the part with the jaws, but to stop the part moving in towards the headstock, no need to worry about parallels.

 

[davieh3350]

I've been tinkering...

Fired up the grinder for the first time... Wired a plug on and started the wheel motor going, I meant to switch it off again to check it was running the right way, but in my excitement I forgot and I pressed the table reciprocation switch on and sent it crashing into the table trip switch and jammed it solid, because it was running in reverse... good job no one found out

Sorted that and had a bit of a play with a bit of bar which was lying about.

Didn't get much stuff with it, but I had a 4 jaw chuck which came with my wee lathe

so I fitted a back plate to it

and then screwed it on...Only to discover that it jammed cos of the screws for the jaws sticking out slightly.

Ground them down with a flappy disc and fitted it back on, but it was only just clearing the table, but no problem cos I can grind the fecker down
A wee dress of the wheel

and squared the chuck to the table and fired it up

Its shiney


Going to take a wee bit more off and do the face too.

its needing a bit of work done to it like rigging up the coolant and a bloody good clean (like the rest of the stuff) and some new belts but it's feckin awesome

 

[Dave W]

That looks awesome.

 

[Simmy]

Needed a radius on some small ptfe bobbins. Used a drill extension clamped to the compound with the drill chuck in. 30mm cutter in the chuck and Bob's your uncle

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

But we get by is a pretty crucial statement.
By and large we are jack of all trades, masters of some.
I'd dare bet if a machine broke down on a Sunday afternoon we'd have it going again before the machinist zeroed his lathe.
Ok that's a broad statement but you get the idea.
The ability to cobble something together off the scrap heap requires a genuinely large amount of skill. And not something that is ever taught in text books or classrooms.
Out of the precision machinist or the professional bodger, I'm not actually sure who is most skilled

But I know which is best value for money.....

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Needed a radius on some small ptfe bobbins. Used a drill extension clamped to the compound with the drill chuck in. 30mm cutter in the chuck and Bob's your uncleView attachment 822704View attachment 822706

Who mentioned professional bodgers?

 

[stroller]

I've just bought this milling machine/drill, it only came with one cutter, I'd like to put a drill chuck in it as that is what I'd use it for mostly but what is the fitting. It looks like a Morse taper but it's held in by a long rod with a threaded bit on the bottom.

 

[TheTallGuy]

The current Major model has a 3MT taper & uses a 3/8" Whitworth drawbar to hold it in place, although the thread on your drawbar may be different.

 

[bravheart]

I've just bought this milling machine/drill, it only came with one cutter, I'd like to put a drill chuck in it as that is what I'd use it for mostly but what is the fitting. It looks like a Morse taper but it's held in by a long rod with a threaded bit on the bottom.
View attachment 824731View attachment 824732

That looks familiar, lucky guy, one or two people on here will be pretty angry/envious if it’s the one from here. There looked to be a load of bits for it in the bench cupboard, take it the bench wasn‘t for sale.

 

[tomlad]

Genuine question , is warco stuff any good
Presumably Chinese?
Im not dissing anyone

 

[TheTallGuy]

Warco is average stuff - it's Chinese (as is a lot of stuff these days) & built to a price, in much the same range as Chester. Obviously not to the quality of the old big names like Bridgeport, Colchester, Harrison, etc., but perfectly adequate if used with respect.

 

[stroller]

It is the one that was advertised on here, whoever was going to have it first changed their mind so the chap offered it to me. I didn't realise how big and heavy it is, was a challenge to get it out of the shed through a standard doorway, using 3 bits of scaffold pipe and some wood blocks.
It will be miles better than my current Axminster power tools pillar drill with a fixed vice. I will give warco a ring about the drill chuck.

 

[MrNoo]

I had the lathe, that was also great fun trying to get that out the workshop using the three tubes!!! But we managed in the end!

 

[stroller]

I had the lathe, that was also great fun trying to get that out the workshop using the three tubes!!! But we managed in the end!

Was there a drill chuck from the mill amongst the lathe bits? Peter said he had a good look round but couldn't see one.

 

[MrNoo]

To be fair I havent had a really good look at it all, just dumped it in my workshop and got on with pre harvest chores, will have a look, there will obviously be one for the tailstock chuck for the lathe, guess it'll be morse taper too.