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

[Karliboy]

Mines a 8inch Chinese copy of tours @tinman with swivel base. it cane from MSC industrial supplies a few years ago. They were about £90 back then.
I’ve have just looked on there now and they don’t advertise this one any more only the 4Inch version with swivel base at £106ex vat.
I actually got it given to me off a lad at work as he thought the screw thread had seized up, so was scrapping it.
In my last pic there is a locknut with a grub screw in it which had come loose and tightened up on itself making it feel seized I spotted this and asked if if I could have it and he said willingly it’s chinese crap so I took it home, within 5 mins it was perfect again.
I often take it back to work for jobs as it’s far better than the ones we have there as I can’t be bothered messing about with bits of paper to get things square.

I know it’s a tad rusty at the min as workshop gets a little damp in winter as I don’t do much in there with full time work and farm jobs of a evening send weekend but it will clean up soon enough through the summer.

 

[tinman]

It wasn't dear new at the best of times and yours certainly wasn't dear the way you got it, wouldn't it do the very best for what it has to do.
the far east lads are good at copying stuff, as for the quality it can be very questionable but if you were a real die hard you could take it apart and scrape it in for more accuracy but as long as it holds the work piece good and clamps down right then happy days.
to be fair, having an accurate vice on a 30 or 40 yr old mill that's ways are tired isnt going to make the job any more precise.

Next on my wish list is either a 8" or 12" 6 jaw griptru chuck for the lathe or both even, a burnerd or a bison is what id be after, they are like rocking horse dung unfortunately but some day....

 

[Karliboy]

To be fair when I use it at work on the cnc (I’m at toolmaker by trade) it’s very accurate the job in it would be sq to within a few microns if I was blocking it up at work.
But as you say it’s the quality of the mill that counts the most.

 

[Karliboy]

I don’t know if it was this thread or another but I got this lathe cheap as chips last summer. sadly there was no steadies with it or 4 jaw chuck, so a d1-6 camlock 4 Jaw is on my list and a fixed steady. (I may try and justify a genuine steady as I think the lathe deserves it for what I paid for it )

 

[tinman]

To be fair when I use it at work on the cnc (I’m at toolmaker by trade) it’s very accurate the job in it would be sq to within a few microns if I was blocking it up at work.
But as you say it’s the quality of the mill that counts the most.

if its that accurate you couldn't fault it at all.

My mill is on the tired side at this stage, im going to get the saddle, table and the knee ground at some point, its on my to do list and getting closer to the top of it.

like your shed anything in the workshop here would be flash rusting when you'd get back to it the next day unless you wiped it down with oil before you left, i hate the climate here for that.
i took it upon myself to convert an old byre into a insulated tool room over the last 3 years or so, any chance i got between jobs or in the evenings or weekends i would get another bit done, finished it before Christmas gone.

bought a mascott long bed for it and rather than putting it in with an aim to reconditioning it at a later date (which i know id never happen) i made a bit of a clean spot on it and got carried away, its at the point now the only bearings i haven't changed it it are the spindle ones because that id be a small mortgage and i dont think she needs it, its costing enough as it is but under budget so not so bad yet.

i remember you putting that optima up before, all i have of their stuff is a pastille grinder but it seems well put together not that there is much putting together on a grinder.
there is a crowd in athlone, or used to be anyways that sold their stuff, at the old lund factory iirc.
how much is a new steady for it?, not that cheap id imagine.
would you make one you being a tool maker n all..

 

[Karliboy]

The lathe came with a 40 position quick change tool post but I’ll be damed if I know how to size it up for holders if anyone knows how it would be greatly appreciated
I bought a new bison one for now to put me on

 

[tinman]

multifix is it, or a clone of one.

http://canon-photography.com/Multifix Sizes.jpg

 

[Gerbert]

@tinman Abom on the youtubes has a far east 6 jaw on a lathe, he was very happy with quality and repeatability. I looked the prize up one time, still not cheap by any measure.

 

[tinman]

@tinman Abom on the youtubes has a far east 6 jaw on a lathe, he was very happy with quality and repeatability. I looked the prize up one time, still not cheap by any measure.

I didnt know it was far east origin, i missed the one where he got it at the time, Cheers for that.
the colchester book i have here, and the harrison one would have the life scared out of you stating not to be putting on anything other than a balanced chuck, iirc burnerd is mentioned, but of course it would be..

but like you say, even the far east one is steep coin, up to 6" isnt dear but after that..

 

[Simmy]

Machine shop I used to work in had massive thread size charts on a notice board. Like presto and dormer etc. Just wondering if you can buy them. They were fairly handy, rather than ratching for the Zeus book

 

[tinman]

I'd always be keeping an eye out for such on the bay but no much luck.
SPI do a chart but it just covers the standard metric sizes in a corner of it, useless really.
Once upon a time charts like that were nearly given away but no more I'm afraid.

 

[hutchy143211]

Hi All,
I've been looking at/thinking about getting a Herbert drill. Thinking something like a V type with 3MT and possibly autofeed. Main reason for a herbert is our local engineering shop has one and would be able to advise on use etc. Seen a few on ebay but not sure what they're worth for one in decent working order. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

don't know if this is in wrong place,
but I got this dividing head, no chuck with it, wanted to get a chuck for it, now the center hole is MT 2,
and the threads for back plate seems to measure 1,5/8 of an inch, and threads are 8 tpi, will this be a common size? As I have nothing to fit it

 

[powerfarmer]

A Boxford chuck is 8 tpi , 1 1/2" Tho

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

A Boxford chuck is 8 tpi , 1 1/2" Tho

It is,
I just wondered if 1 5/8" is available to buy or
an odd size, and will have to make one

 

[davieh3350]

Surface plate was miles out, so made up a lap out of an angle plate and another lump of old machine and got rubbing.
It was concave yesterday, now it’s high on the corners, with one pair diagonally across slightly higher.
The level placed on the plate showed up the high spots and the high corners, which matched where the straight edge pivoted.

Made a tool for the power scraper out of a piece of leaf spring. Worked ok, but the machine ran hot and died, so need to have a look at it properly some time

 

[Mur Huwcun]

We’ve got a marking out block that’s been stamped, centre punched and engraved to hell and back over the years. Just before the lockdown I went a bit drastic and set it up in the 4 jaw chuck on lathe and skimmed it!! Next job is to sort out the moving bed on the Cincinnati and mill the surface down and maybe dig about in the box of bits and see what head we can use....

 

[Swarfmonkey]

It is,
I just wondered if 1 5/8" is available to buy or
an odd size, and will have to make one

1 5/8th” 8 TPI is a South Bend lathe spindle thread pattern, model 11R. They are pretty ancient (i.e. 1930’s) so I suspect you’re going to have to buy a raw backplate casting and DIY it.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

1 5/8th” 8 TPI is a South Bend lathe spindle thread pattern, model 11R. They are pretty ancient (i.e. 1930’s) so I suspect you’re going to have to buy a raw backplate casting and DIY it.

Thanks, I just got a boxford back plate, and took out the spindle out of the dividing head, and re cut the threads to 1 1/2 @ 8 tpi, job done, and if I need another back plate in future, easy got

 

[davieh3350]

Anyone around Derbyshire with a hiab fit to lift 4.5 ton and a bit of storage space For a while?