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Thread: Looking a lathe

  1. #41
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    And why mine gets coiled and held by a ball cap! No stray hairs hanging in power tools! Even the dang cordless drill can hurt if it grabs some hair!

    Quote Originally Posted by W.R.Buchanan View Post
    I walked into a friends shop one day right after an employee had chucked up a 12' piece of 1" dia 17-4 and turned the spindle on. It was a Mori Seiki 25 hp CNC Lathe and the spindle speed was programed at 2500 rpms.

    The bar folded over and completely destroyed to entire headstock enclosure, tweaked the headstock and took out the wall behind it. My friend figured out all this was happening when the bar ate thru the brick wall behind him.

    It cost him $15K to get that machine back up and running again, and needless to say the operator wasn't there to see it.

    I luckily have never experienced this first hand but seeing what it did I was able to avoid it.

    At on Oil Field shop in Ventura CA (OCO Tool) a machinist had a long braded Pony tail . Down to his belt. He was repeatedly warned about the possibility of getting caught and one day while threading a piece of drill pipe he got caught and was being reeled in. Luckily the boss had just warned him and when it happened he was able to stop the spindle before it took the guys head off... He left the guy trapped for about 5 minutes and then grabbed pair of tin snips out of the guys tool box and cut off his Pony Tail at the base of his skull.

    It is still hanging above the door to the shop, and nobody has ever had long hair there again.

    It is amazing how much you can learn from other people.

    Randy

  2. #42
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by bob208 View Post
    one thing I saw. don't bolt the lathe down to the floor. if get crooked even just a little you will never get a straight cut. do level it both ways and don't use a carpenters level.

    look on utube for atlas 618. they show how to make a milling attachment for a lathe. if you make oe that will get you by for a year or two.
    +1 on the milling attachment! However rather than just a simple vise setup like most I made mine with a small milling table that I bought from ENCO (RIP ENCO we sure miss you!). Basically I just removed the bottom plate leaving only the long axis and then mounted this to a heavy angle plate mounted on the cross slide, this gave me travel in all axis plus I had T slots to clamp to rather than just vise jaws. It's a big pain doing setup while trying to clamp using the T slots on that vertical table but it allows just about all the versatility of a real mill, about as much travel in some axis as a small mill but with more power and almost as much rigidity as a large mill. I built my first HighWall style rifle totally from scratch using raw bar stock and no machinery except for the 14x40 lathe and that home made milling attachment. I have a couple of mills now but if I had to settle for just one machine it would definitely be that lathe with the mill attachment again!
    Statistics show that criminals commit fewer crimes after they have been shot

  3. #43
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    Much good advice on this thread! Esp. safety related. I have never bolted my lathe (Monarch EE) to the floor but do check level yearly. Aluminum makes for good relatively cheap practice. Your next mission will be scrounging material assuming you are not independently wealthy. Just gotta remember once you cut off the rust and scale it looks just like new inside.
    Enjoy! It is therapeutic.

  4. #44
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    Well I am not independently wealthy lol would be nice but the odds are if I did come in to a pile of money I still be at the scrap yard picking up stock to use. I went to the yard last week and picked up a few pieces of round stock and some alum pipe thick wall saw a 4 dia solid stock but passed it up. Got home and was looking at U Tube and a guy made him some leveling jacks and what did he use 4 inch stock lol.
    So back to the yard I went well I found out it was 6 foot long well that is to much for me to pick up and walk out with so I loaded up all the scrap I had at the house and carried it to the yard. Off loaded the scrap and the crane put the round stock on the trailer I got 2 bucks for the weight difference. My guess is the 4 inch weight in around 300 to 350 lbs that is more then I care to lift and carry about 200 yards to the truck.
    This weekend I cut off a chunk chucked it up and turned it down for the threaded part of my jacks lots of material to remove but I wanted to practice cutting. I got it cut down and turned my treads with turned out fairly well I think. Chucked up a new piece of the 4 inch and drilled and bored it out to the correct size for the threaded piece I made. Then After cleaning up the edges and prep I cut the threads in it and it was a good day for me when they screwed together man I was happy. I now just have to make the female parts of the jacks three more times and cut the threads section down of each one.
    I am also going to make some bolts with a pointed head like a plum bob kind of that match the top of the plugs that I will cut out to match. This will keep the lathe from slipping off the jacks. I think this was a great project that covers a lot of different task to learn on I hope to have them finished by next weekend.
    Well I learned a lot from people I spoke to and U tube waiting on my books to show up but I down loaded and printed off a pile of information. Wife asked me what I was doing printing a book lol I told her NO I am printing two or three books.
    My boys came by today and both had a something they were wondering if I could make on the lathe so maybe I will have enough to do to justify buying it.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  5. #45
    Boolit Master

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    You've already done more than enough to justify it to me.

  6. #46
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moleman- View Post
    10" swing and large bore, sounds like you ended up with a heavy 10 which makes a great gunsmith lathe.
    Exactly what I've got. When you set it up, use a machinists level to make sure the bed isn't twisted. Very easy to do when you don't get the outboard legs adjusted properly.

    I kinda wish the bed was longer, I have to do long barrel O.D.s in two setups. But so far it has served me well. One problem is that there isn't much available for chuck mounting plates and faceplates to fit that obsolete threaded spindle nose. I had a guy up in Massachusetts called Tools4Cheap.net who had what I needed, but his URL seems to be broken now.

    Still on the skid, dressed in cosmoline.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails South Bend Lathe.JPG  
    Last edited by uscra112; 03-05-2018 at 04:11 AM.
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  7. #47
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    My bed is 4 1/2 which it looks like the 1/2 is 6 inch I see you have the twist style clutch like mine I like the cam level I see on some models but getting the hang of the one I have now. I see your counter I am calling it for the thread cutting is sitting off the acme thread mine was the same way. Is this done to keep the wear off the gear when not needed ?
    I leveled mine the best I could with the levels I had on hand which were not machinist levels and have it shimmed to get it as level as I could. As soon as I get my leveling jacks finished I am going to level it again with a plum bob if I can not find a proper level.
    You use some flat stock that is flat with about a 4 foot pole plum bob is hanging off the pole, You set it on the lathe marking where the bob settles then checking it up and down adjusting it as needed. Well that is the thought I have to watch the video again to see more detail right now my ? is if you start on a out of level section all of it is out of level. I can see it working for the ways or front to rear but not so much for left to right. I know I should be saying x y but I have not learned them well enough yet.
    But if the ways are level will it really matter if from the chuck to the tail stock is not level perfect?
    I am going to ask the guy that has a machine shop that has offered to come by the house and show me a few things has a level or will mill me some flat stock so its perfect flat.
    I also read to bolt it down and use shingles as shims others tell me they do not bolt them to the floor. Right now I am going with the leveling jacks 4 inch foot print to set mine on. I just do not see leveling it with shingles then bolting it down over time I think it would settle and be out of level just by the weight and vibration working on the shingles. Well that is my thinking so far but I am open for any other way to attack this matter.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  8. #48
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    Cool

    Parallel to the spindle axis is always Z. Across the bed is X.

    The old plumb bob trick! I'd forgotten that.

    The objective isn't so much to have the lathe bed actually LEVEL, as it is to have it STRAIGHT. It turns out that a precision level is the best instrument for this, because its' reference plane is the gravitational field of the Earth, which on our scale is flatter than anything we can make by our own hands.

    In my career I installed, or saw installed, hundreds of machines, mostly much larger. We set them on steel wedge mounts like thus:
    https://www.mcmaster.com/#machine-mounts/=1bukyu9
    The ones we used had a hole through so we could tie the machine down with a stud set in the concrete.

    Kinda overkill for this lathe, so maybe these: https://www.mcmaster.com/#machine-mounts/=1bul22m

    McMaster has no minimum, you can buy with a credit card, and they ship very fast. Often next day for me. If they don't have it, you don't need it.

    Large machine tools are set on deep concrete foundations, and the foundation is a big part of the machine's stiffness. Those machines are always bolted down. Long lathes are poster-boys for this kind of installation. The little Heavy 10 is stiff enough within itself do not need this, so I wouldn't. And I didn't. I just used a bolt through each hole, resting on a 1/4" steel plate about 3" square. One nut underneath the lathe foot, jam nut above. It hasn't moved.
    Last edited by uscra112; 03-06-2018 at 05:35 AM.
    Cognitive Dissident

  9. #49
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

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    Thanks USCRA 112 I am committed to the leveling legs I been working one they may not work out but I am learning a lot just making them and they do not have to be precise for the most part. They well also raise the lathe to a much better working height for my build. If I fail at this I very well may be ordering some lol.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  10. #50
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    LOL! Yes, it was definitely designed when machinists were 6 inches shorter than we are. Ironically it's working out for me now; since my back and knees have failed me I do as much as I can sitting on a stool.
    Cognitive Dissident

  11. #51
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    Ive seen a lot of these machines on riser of 4"-6" usually made from plate and tubing. We did one in one shop it was a small lathe with spindle speed up to 2500 rpms, raised it up 6". The spindle speed made it good for polishing tool buttons and knock outs. Raising it up made it much easier to use. A small jib crane near the machine can be handy for supporting a heavier part while chucking setting up. Another we had was a piece of round stock long enough to go thru the chuck with some extra. ( we left them in the chucks) this gave handles on each side and you could lide into spindle and let go with one hand and slide in place having a hand free to lock it down, A block of wood to protect the ways and set the chuck on helps a lot also.

  12. #52
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

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    I already have a block of wood to protect the ways, I was told by a friend that knows way more then me the danger of a heavy chuck being removed or installed. I also place the wood on the ways when I was putting 4 inch round stock in the chuck a little protection never hurts the way I see it.
    When I picked up the lathe it was on risers but the way it was installed on them was not to my liking. I thought it would be fine sitting on the floor but I have decided after using it for awhile raising it up some would be a good plan.
    I think I read your post right you are talking about using some stock material as a handle to lift the chuck up and install or remove on the lathe now that sounds like a good way of doing it.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  13. #53
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Yes we had pipe cut that fit in the spindle bore loosely. insert and thighten chuck on it. You want it I far enough soo you can slide it out and get ahold of it while still in the spindle. We left them in the chucks on the bench so they were where they need to be. This gave a hand hold on each side of the chuck removing and installing. When installing pick up set on wood block get a proper footing lift slide end of pipe into spindle. Remove hand and gently side onto spindle nose and lock down. This really worked good on the D series spindles. But made the screw ons and screw rings easier.

  14. #54
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    ^^^^^^^^^^^That is a great little trick!

  15. #55
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

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    Well I swapped out my chucks today and the pipe trick worked like a charm thanks for that tip. I took the day off and spent it in the shop turning out parts for my leveling jacks. One more piece to turn and then to drill the holes in the jacks so I can raise and lower them. After speaking to a buddy of mine that ran one of these for around 20 years talking over my jacks we came up with change of plans. I was going to just place them where the mounting holes are in the base and legs but looking at them the holes on the tail stock end are off to the side not were the load would be. We decided that may put pressure on the leg bowing it outward and may even snap the mounting flange off. So I will be getting some plate steel for the lathe to sit on then placing my jacks on it to keep the load where is should be.
    That being said I may need to turn two more leveling jacks out so I will have 4 under the main section and two on the legs hope that makes sense to everyone. Just picture a small table under the large motor base and a coffee table under the legs lol. Since placing two right where the mounting bolts would be center of the large base or am I over thinking this?
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  16. #56
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    On the old heavy jacks the threads were square or acme form ( even on the better c-clamps) this stopped the binding spreading effect of the Vee form thread under loads. A lot of these smaller machines are actally more comfortable to run if they are raised up 4"-6" most on their legs sit down a little to low to really see reach comfortably.

  17. #57
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    On a side Note: McMaster-Carr is the best run company on this planet. I have used them frequently for 30+ years. In that 30 years they have failed to deliver the next day exactly one time. It was a Royal Hand Counter Sink tool that was out of stock and took 3 weeks to get in.

    Every other item I have ordered from them has arrived the next day including the compressor part I ordered yesterday at 5 PM that arrived at 10:45 AM today by UPS.

    Nobody else in that business is as reliable as Mc- Carr,,,, Period!

    The fact that they stock virtually everything known to man isn't bad either.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  18. #58
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    I couldn't agree more about McMaster Carr, I have dealt with them since the 70's and even still have a catalog from back then, it was business orders for the mine I was working for back then but I stayed with them and still use them today, they are just a part of life and it seems I just take them for granted! They may not be the cheapest around (nor are they the highest) but they don't have cheap junk either, if you need it they have it and will get it to you quicker than anyone else. As we always said, if McMaster doesn't have it you didn't need it in the first place!
    Statistics show that criminals commit fewer crimes after they have been shot

  19. #59
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    I used McMaster at the casino, we had a corporate account and they actually had a rep stop twice a month and do refill orders for the hardware we used.

  20. #60
    In Remembrance - Super Moderator & Official Cast Boolits Sketch Artist

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    Well it looks like everyone thinks the steel plate would be a great plan I see if McMaster has it in stock.
    Country Gent I did not think of the weight on the threads but that is a good point if mine fail that will be the next style of threads I use. Since I have 4 made ready to go I will be adding two more for the plate I will install to the lathe.
    Oh I priced the plate 130.00 bucks the next day I went to the scrap yard to drop off some metal and there laying right out in plain view was a piece of 1/2 plate perfect size for me. All i had to do was cut to length for the main base the drop was big enough for the leg section with very little to spare. I drove out with my plate and 44 bucks in my pocket .
    Was going to carry it to my buddies to cut but had a few cut off wheels that fit my saw and in about a hour I have them cut down to size now just need to make them look good and drill some holes today was a good day for me.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check