Is it my turn? Anything to do with lathes, mills and other shop tools

I have both those tools and that holder. They're fine for the mini-lathe and the light work I do on it.

I bought a bigger set for the Seneca in the garage and they're okay for finish work but I still prefer a ground HSS tool for hogging cuts.
 
I gotta say once you have a few tool holders and a QCTP you will never go back to a lantern post. Convenience and rigidity.
Carbide inserts specifically for aluminum, much sharper edge makes a big difference. Navigating the shapes and features of indexable carbide inserts is daunting.
 
QCTP for sure! I have tool holders set up with straight and left carbides, an extra for HSS tools, a cutoff tool, and one for boring bars. Biggun for the Seneca, littleun for the Grizzly. Turn to size and face off just by flipping a lever and setting a new tool in place.

You can spend a staggering amount of money on a QCTP and tool holders, but the hobby-grade stuff for under $200 for the big one and around $100 for the little one is plenty good enough for this sledge-hammer machinist.
 
Well the mill is ready to go in a uhaul. Gotta love an "engine hoist".
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One good thing to note about engine hoists/shop cranes are that until you spend $400+ they are all about the same. If you do a lot of work on cars spend the extra and get a more expensive lower profile one, that way cars can sit lower to get the engine out. If however it'll be used to move things around more than engine work, the harborfreight one with a coupon is the best deal short of finding a used one. The 2 ton can be had with a coupon for $190, the 1 ton for $140. I like the 2 ton specifically for the extra reach it has.
 
When I sense the need for an engine hoist coming on, I buy a used one off CL then sell it when it's done the job. If I'm careful I make a couple bucks on the flip. ;)
This does "typical motorcycle tasks" just fine...
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Hoyer or patient lift, got one with a little rust, off CL for $30....
 
I can see one of those patient lifts working well. I use my hoist often enough for moving BIG things that I'm ok folding it up in the corner. The space used isn't a big deal since it is always there when needed. Which could be a sudden desire to rearrange the garage.
 
Had a fab/welding project that I've been wanting to do for a while, needed steel. At the project I was just on the plant had got in a couple of new stretch-wrappers.The shipping pallets are the steel below. I asked the customer and was told I could have them. Had my guys cut the tubing off of the bases so it would fit in my truck and hauled it home.
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Yesterday started on project. Got the steel cut to size and started to tack it all together. Half way through my mig quit working. Damn. The click escaped from the finger switch on the gun. Wanted to keep going. Corn cribbed a foot switch for a temporary work around. When I finish welding I'll take the gun apart and see if the switch can be replaced. I've only had the welder for a year and a 1/2. Haven't run 5 lbs of wire through it. Must be a damn cheap switch.
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The welding project is a table for my arbor press I got recently. It's now heavily tacked together. The reason the top is so much larger than the press is I may upgrade to a 3 ton press in the future. I'm sure some are wondering why it's 3 legged.The top is 5 inch channel and the legs are 2x3 inch 7 gauge tubing. Heavy duty tubing. If I have stability problems I have feet on the legs so it could be bolted to the floor or I may weld a 2 foot long angle on the backside of the back leg to act as an outrigger. Still need to add a few braces under the table and finish welding it up.
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So.....you veterans don't laugh, please. Everyone starts out at some point. I've been doing a lot of research and weighing many options for buying a lathe for home/shop/hobby use. Have always been interested in learning to turn metal. Even thought about buying cheap HF lathe to learn on, but my better judgement dictated I should wait for a good used lathe with metal gears to show up. Well, one showed up on Craigslist that caught my interest. It's a Logan Model 200 vintage 1946, and I bought it for the right price after quite a bit of back-and-forth. It came with a lot of tooling, 4-way jaw, etc. Online reviews on this lathe have been positive with quite a following on Youtube, etc. Forward/Reverse with power cross-feed. I learned enough before buying on how to assess the condition. Bought from a guy who's grandfather bought it originally and he inherited it upon his death. Stored in a wood shop. Dirty as can be but mostly from sawdust. All the v-ways, head stock, tail stock, etc., seem to be tight and everything looks to be in really clean/lightly used condition. I'll be tearing this thing down and restoring/re-painting as needed before using. The original instructions book came with it and it states to use a machinist's level to ensure it is spot-on, else it could throw the bed off and cause the lathe to turn and bore taper. "It is impossible to do accurate work on a lathe that is not level and the lathe will be damaged beyond repair". Yikes. Should I foot for an expensive machinist level? Will be buying machine levelers as I can't drill into my concrete shop floors to mount it (have in-floor heat). As near as I can tell, all bearings seem to be in good condition but replacement parts appear to be available as needed. Opinions please..... Pics to come....just wanted to get advice from you pros.
 
Sounds like it'll be a good one for you. Leveling is important, but a machinist level isn't much better than a good long level if it isn't calibrated. I just used a 24" level for mine and will do it again after I finish moving. A little off level won't hurt anything at the home shop level of machining. The closer to level the better, but there are adjustments to get rid of taper on most better quality lathes.
 
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