WarezWally Posted October 20, 2008 Posted October 20, 2008 Just won a 7x12" mini lathe on eBay for $300 AUD, apparently it has never been used but even if it used I still got one hell of a bargain. They sell for $700 - $800 normally.
Swede Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 Excellent. Time to get busy making tooling. Lathes are great, you can make rocket tooling, pumps, all sorts of cool stuff. Look for one of those QCTP's (quick change tool posts) sized for that lathe. They are hugely useful and worth every penny. What are you planning on making?
WarezWally Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 I've already spent over $100 on stuff for it already (caliper, drills, tooling, stock etc) and I still have to get a tail stock chuck and a bench grinder. Going to repair my supposed 3/4" Chinese tooling first
marks265 Posted October 22, 2008 Posted October 22, 2008 Well I found out on Sunday that Bumbles still do bounce! I took my nephews harley for a ride and crashed. OF COURSE DRINKING HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. LOL! Anyway my ribs are kinda sore and I can't hardly operate a screw driver with either hand. The good thing is I did not go to the hospital nor did Washington County's finest find me. He knows the repairs are on me and he himself has customized the bike in a crude manner! All I can say is scratching your ass in the weeds at 40 MPH really does not feel good, But I can say that ya ai did that!
superman1451 Posted October 23, 2008 Posted October 23, 2008 I just finished putting the final addition to our movie room, 1 JVC HD-1 projector. Before we were using a low quality Sanyo, but now picture is absolutely beautiful and crisp. I was getting 1080i out of my Xbox 360 which even the root menu is wonderful to look at. And the games! I can actually see detail now The room consists of:5 THX certified speakers (in a surrond sound format)a large 3' X 2' X 2' subwoofer1 110 in roll down screen and now the HD projector
Mumbles Posted October 23, 2008 Posted October 23, 2008 *Attention* Hell may have frozen over I should actually have some videos for you guys, possibly as soon as this weekend. I have the raw video and need to compress it into a more manageable size and format. If anyone is particularly good at this and really wants a sneek preview(and to convert it for me ) send me a pm and I will set you up. Sounds like a very nice room superman.
WarezWally Posted October 23, 2008 Posted October 23, 2008 Just spent the last 2 hours cleaning the packing grease off my mini lathe (Getting my hands dirty in a kero bath never bothered me) All of that nasty grease just confirms that it is indeed brand new, best $300 I have spent in a long while.
Swede Posted October 23, 2008 Posted October 23, 2008 I thought I'd made a post on your mini lathe before, but it vanished... What are you planning on making? Rocket tooling? Pumps? You're going to have a lot of fun! Take a look at the QTCP (quick-change tool posts) sized for your lathe. They are incredibly useful. I know you are in Australia, but take a look here... http://www.littlemachineshop.com You'll get a lot of good info and ideas from these guys. Enjoy!
Mumbles Posted October 23, 2008 Posted October 23, 2008 You did, on the previous page. http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?s...ost&p=41589 I'll chalk it up to being too early
marks265 Posted October 23, 2008 Posted October 23, 2008 Cool!!!!!!!!!! I helped my brother build a bar in his basement. Same thing with a 10 or 12 foot screen. THX is very good move. After playing some race game on his Xbox I couldn't drive home worth a crap. And drinking didn't have that much to do with!!!! I just finished putting the final addition to our movie room, 1 JVC HD-1 projector. Before we were using a low quality Sanyo, but now picture is absolutely beautiful and crisp. I was getting 1080i out of my Xbox 360 which even the root menu is wonderful to look at. And the games! I can actually see detail now The room consists of:5 THX certified speakers (in a surrond sound format)a large 3' X 2' X 2' subwoofer1 110 in roll down screen and now the HD projector
Richtee Posted October 24, 2008 Posted October 24, 2008 Cool!!!!!!!!!! I helped my brother build a bar in his basement. Same thing with a 10 or 12 foot screen. THX is very good move. After playing some race game on his Xbox I couldn't drive home worth a crap. And drinking didn't have that much to do with!!!! Given yer recent record... I'd re-examine your driving habits and substance consumption. Just a word to the "wise"
tentacles Posted October 24, 2008 Posted October 24, 2008 Just spent the last 2 hours cleaning the packing grease off my mini lathe (Getting my hands dirty in a kero bath never bothered me) All of that nasty grease just confirms that it is indeed brand new, best $300 I have spent in a long while. Wally, a few things you should *really* know about running a lathe, that a lot of references don't mention.. 1) The changegears should be OILED, not greased, same with the rack and pinion and the leadscrew. 2) Use "Way oil" to oil the ways. Should be available somewhere nearby that supplies machine shops with sundries. You might also just call your local Esso dealer (not a petrol station though). Otherwise, just find a local machine shop and see if you can't talk someone out of a quart or so. 3) Don't run the changegears too tight, there should be a little play in there, it will make them last much longer. 4) Remove the chuck key BEFORE starting the lathe, or it may self remove itself to your facial region. That hurts, believe me.
Bonny Posted October 24, 2008 Posted October 24, 2008 Wally, a few things you should *really* know about running a lathe, that a lot of references don't mention.. 1) The changegears should be OILED, not greased, same with the rack and pinion and the leadscrew. 2) Use "Way oil" to oil the ways. Should be available somewhere nearby that supplies machine shops with sundries. You might also just call your local Esso dealer (not a petrol station though). Otherwise, just find a local machine shop and see if you can't talk someone out of a quart or so. 3) Don't run the changegears too tight, there should be a little play in there, it will make them last much longer. 4) Remove the chuck key BEFORE starting the lathe, or it may self remove itself to your facial region. That hurts, believe me. 5) If you happen to have more than one tool in the toolpost (not sure what kind you will be using)and you turn the post to use a different tool...turn the chuck by hand BEFORE starting the lathe...I modified (shortened) a really nice heavy boring bar years ago with the jaws when I changed to a different tool and didn't check. Made a nice loud bang and gave myself a bright red face as everyone in earshot came to see.
marks265 Posted October 24, 2008 Posted October 24, 2008 Given yer recent record... I'd re-examine your driving habits and substance consumption. Just a word to the "wise" YA yer right if the motorcycle won't kill me the xbox might! I'll leave both of them alone for good while! BTW I'll be looking into repairs today!
WarezWally Posted October 24, 2008 Posted October 24, 2008 Wally, a few things you should *really* know about running a lathe, that a lot of references don't mention.. 1) The changegears should be OILED, not greased, same with the rack and pinion and the leadscrew. 2) Use "Way oil" to oil the ways. Should be available somewhere nearby that supplies machine shops with sundries. You might also just call your local Esso dealer (not a petrol station though). Otherwise, just find a local machine shop and see if you can't talk someone out of a quart or so. 3) Don't run the changegears too tight, there should be a little play in there, it will make them last much longer. 4) Remove the chuck key BEFORE starting the lathe, or it may self remove itself to your facial region. That hurts, believe me. For the tool post and leadscrew gear I wiped a vasoline based metal protector on most of it, for the ways and leadscrew I sprayed a commercial lube + rust protector (like WD-40) on it. I haven't touched the change gears yet. I have to pull it apart anyway, was cutting some brass today and the swaf is very very fine so I'm guessing some went into the tool post etc A bigger chuck is on the list of things to buy.
tentacles Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 Along Wally's lines here, I picked up a mini-mill today. I've been lusting after a larger unit for a long time now, but I just don't have space right now and I could really use a mill. So I doled out $750 for a Sieg X2 (MT3 version) locally. I know they can be had cheaper, but the Canadian dollar is the pits again and this was a sale price for a display unit. Ironically, this one was nicer than the unit they opened when they moved the store location. My only complaint so far, and I've hardly done more than lug it up the stairs on turn it on, is that the gear train is rather noisy. Otherwise it seems to work pretty well even with the gibs pretty loose and plenty of backlash. It's not the 300-400lb mill that I've been wanting, but it will do in a pinch I suppose. I couldn't think of a good way to get a big machine up the stairs to the apartment, and onto a table, etc.
Bonny Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 Along Wally's lines here, I picked up a mini-mill today. I've been lusting after a larger unit for a long time now, but I just don't have space right now and I could really use a mill. So I doled out $750 for a Sieg X2 (MT3 version) locally. I know they can be had cheaper, but the Canadian dollar is the pits again and this was a sale price for a display unit. Ironically, this one was nicer than the unit they opened when they moved the store location. My only complaint so far, and I've hardly done more than lug it up the stairs on turn it on, is that the gear train is rather noisy. Otherwise it seems to work pretty well even with the gibs pretty loose and plenty of backlash. It's not the 300-400lb mill that I've been wanting, but it will do in a pinch I suppose. I couldn't think of a good way to get a big machine up the stairs to the apartment, and onto a table, etc. Right on Tentacles! I'm sure I can find some small milling jobs for you...
tentacles Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 Bonny: I plan on doing up those star plates someday soon. I might check the prices on SS dowel pins over at Luke's or Aadams. Every time I look on msc, mcmaster or enco, I kind of cringe. I realize I'll be making 4 or 5 plates, but spending $70+ on pins is a lot.
Mumbles Posted October 31, 2008 Posted October 31, 2008 If you're already making 4 or 5, whats one more? Sometimes I wish I wasn't so focused on science and math in school and took some vocational classes. If it's more advanced than a table saw, I wont even touch it.
WarezWally Posted November 1, 2008 Posted November 1, 2008 Turning teflon bar stock on my mini lathe is amazing, I can take massive cuts and the tool just glides along with ease. I have a few more 19/26 teflon stoppers now
tentacles Posted November 1, 2008 Posted November 1, 2008 Wally: Just watch out with plastics, sometimes the tool will dig in and bite hard (catastrophic) and then the plastic will twist or spin in the chuck. Not really a big deal but something to watch out for. UHMW is really bad about it, but other soft plastics (teflon, HDPE, LDPE) can be that way too. I bought some teflon bar stock a while back for the same purposes, stoppers and adaptors. It's cheaper than buying new ones (glass or otherwise).
WarezWally Posted November 1, 2008 Posted November 1, 2008 A bit of brass was doing that (turning in the chuck), turns out the the tool was to high. Going to buy some HSS blanks soon. I also found out that cutting oil is essential when turning cold rolled steel.
tentacles Posted November 1, 2008 Posted November 1, 2008 (edited) Cold rolled is a whore to turn, what you want is hot rolled... the HR won't have the internal stresses and differing hardness layers that CR has. Then there's the free machining / leaded types of steel, those certainly live up to the name, but they can be pricey. You still want to use cutting oil, though. A lot of guys on the Myford group like chicken drippings (the rendered fat) for cutting oil. I buy mine, it's cheap and you really don't use that much. HSS are all right, but good quality carbide inserts can do just as well even on a small lathe like the 7x1X series. Buy yourself a reasonable set of chinese indexables (5pc set) and then pick up some good inserts. I really like these - http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...em=370070895405. They look ordinary but they are anything but. They have a positive cutting angle and just slice off aluminum. I've used them successfully on stainless but it's not recommended, as they will chip/break more frequently used that way. Sometimes you can find the CCMT inserts in this style (for the cheap indexable boring bars). That price ($5/ea) is a steal for this quality/type of insert. I've found few things on the lathe as frustrating as sharpening up a HSS bit, and then dulling it on the first cut on some hard metal or other (or interrupted cut).. Edited November 1, 2008 by tentacles
Swede Posted November 2, 2008 Posted November 2, 2008 12L14 is indeed the bomb, and worth every penny. Just amazingly nice stuff to turn. One thing to keep in mind with lightweight, benchtop lathes is the rake of the tool. Learning to grind your own can be a PITA but it does pay dividends, and gets easier with practice. The reason I think it is useful is that you can create geometries that are optimized both for your machine, and for the material. Most carbide tools have zero or negative rake, which works well for heavy and rigid machines run at an ungodly speed, but those rakes increase the cutting pressure, and with lighter machines, tends to push the work away from the cutter. This springing action causes a ragged cut, especially in carbon steels. By keeping the tip radius small, and executing a steep rake, you have created a tool that can "shave" even stringy high-carbon steels without skip or rub. The drawback is, it should be considered a finishing tool. It does not have the tip strength for rapid or heavy cuts. Keep feeds low, and it does almost miraculous work on steels considered almost "unturnable" on a light lathe. Infeeds of 0.0004" are possible. Here is an example: http://www.5bears.com/cncm1/p16_07.jpg
tentacles Posted November 3, 2008 Posted November 3, 2008 Swede: Top rake, bottom rake or side rake? ;P I'd try grinding my own HSS but it's a PITA to do with a dremel. I don't have room for a bench grinder right now, and the carbide does me right every time.
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