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

[Downeaster]

Progress report on my antique lathe:

The compound lock problem was a case of a broken off set screw jamming up the threads. The location was where logic dictated it would be, but I'd tried putting a bolt in there. Ran it down snug and it had exactly zero effect on locking the compound. Chased it with a bottoming tap to get the broken bits out of the threads and all is well.

The lead screw nut for the compound I had to fabricate, but it also went right where I thought it must. Conveniently enough, the lead screw is a common 7/16-14 thread so I was able to TIG a post to an ordinary hex nut and fix that issue as well.

Now all I have to do is see about truing up the chuck a little better and learn to grind HSS lathe tools and I should be able to make chips.

 

[fredintoon]

- - - Now all I have to do is see about truing up the chuck a little better and learn to grind HSS lathe tools and I should be able to make chips. - - -

Hi Downeaster,
kudos on bringing that antique lathe back to life, with careful use it should be making things for decades to come.
You will find that chips, or even curly shavings (we used to call it swarf) are easier made with tungsten carbide disposable insert tooling
rather than with eyeball-ground HSS and your inner cheapskate can be appeased by offsetting the extra cost against the special grinder
wheel you won't have to buy.

 

[Downeaster]

Fred, I built myself a 2x72 belt grinder and have belts from 150 to 36 grit on hand.
I ground a hogging tool just for grins out of a piece of HSS that came with the lathe with some funky hook-shaped tooth ground on one end (threading tool maybe?) Flipped it around and ground my tool on the other end.

I set the table on the belt grinder for the recommended relief angle and eyeballed the rest. More than somewhat to my surprise, it made chips! Nice little curly chips that broke in about 1/4" segments just like they're supposed to.

Not at ALL sure about the accuracy/consistency yet tho. I was experimenting with just how big a cut I could take and the cross slide seemed to want to move on me.

One of the drawbacks to the carbide insert tools is that you're pretty limited on depth of cut, at least on my little lathe. Not a lack of power but the geometry of the carbide. Might try my HSS tool on the little lathe (if the tool height can be compensated for) just to compare. The HSS tool was taking about a .200 cut on mild steel on the big lathe as long as I kept the feed rate down.

 

[fredintoon]

- - - One of the drawbacks to the carbide insert tools is that you're pretty limited on depth of cut, at least on my little lathe. Not a lack of power but the geometry of the carbide. Might try my HSS tool on the little lathe (if the tool height can be compensated for) just to compare. The HSS tool was taking about a .200 cut on mild steel on the big lathe as long as I kept the feed rate down.

Hi Downeaster,
I got my machinist's papers 60 years ago and then went into drafting and back then HSS tooling was the norm.
My first experience with carbide insert tooling was at age 60 when I got a little Solomon at a hydraulics company
after the head office dimwits closed the Saskatoon office and frankly, I fell in love with the disposable little bastards.
Turn away until the point busts off, two more points to go then bin the thing. Admittedly I wasn't paying for them.

 

[Downeaster]

Oops...I guess I shouldn't try to teach my grandma how to suck eggs, eh Fred?

 

[fredintoon]

Oops...I guess I shouldn't try to teach my grandma how to suck eggs, eh Fred?

Hi Downeaster,
most likely you have put in a lot more actual machining time that I have so I'm not sure which of us is the grandma here.
My enthusiasm for disposable carbide tip lathe tools is based on me not having to buy them.
My employer's was because the firm only made money when I was making things, not when I was resharpening HSS lathe tools.
OTOH, you are self-employed so sharpening HSS tools is free but if you want carbide tools you gotta go buy them.

 

[Ratranger]

I like using the WNNMG inserts. They are sorta triangular, and as long as you don't break the tip off you get 6 corners out of them. However HSS works really well on smaller lathes. Once you get the grinds right you can get better finish, or deeper cuts than carbide, plus you can make any specialty tool shape you need. Carbide has been best for me when you have the power to turn fast with high feeds with coolant. When I ran an Okuma lathe I was normally running 2000 surface feet with .25" depth of cut and .015 feed for roughing.

 

[gggGary]

Just a dabbler, but once you have a QCTP and insert carbide cutters you won't go back aside from the oddball specially ground shape.
Kinda like points vs Pamco.

 

[Downeaster]

Just a dabbler, but once you have a QCTP and insert carbide cutters you won't go back aside from the oddball specially ground shape. Kinda like points vs Pamco.

I use inserts on the little lathe. I have an econo-QCTP, but it needs some work to actually be useful. The turret-and-setscrew tool post has detents to help lock it in position and keep it square. My Chinese QCTP does not. I should look into having some machined in...

The antique has the lantern-style tool post. Ewwwwwwwwww... The only thing worse is the price of a QCTP sized for that big of a lathe. And tool holders. And inserts...

Maybe if I'm REAL nice for the rest of the year, Santa will hep me out. (I'm thinking too little too late...)

 

[gggGary]

But, but, but; It's a free lathe LOL

 

[Ratranger]

Shars are pretty good tools for the cost. I've got a shars AXA qctp on my atlas. However I have found my atlas lacking in rigidity and power to take advantage of carbide on anything but steel. Unfortunately no matter what I use depth of cut is limited enough that things take a bit longer than they would on a bigger lathe. Plus I got a stack of HSS blanks and a baldor grinder, I'm not doing it for a living at home so the time doesn't bother me.

 

[gggGary]

Stay away from grizzly for carbide they peddle oddball size holders so you are stuck forever buying their expensive inserts. grr.

 

[Beags64]

….and the garage just keeps gettin' smaller & smaller. Well, better get it unloaded before it gets dark.

 

[gggGary]

Horz mill with a vert mill attachment?

 

[Mailman]

View attachment 129430 ….and the garage just keeps gettin' smaller & smaller. Well, better get it unloaded before it gets dark.

Dang, that thing looks like it would take half the neighborhood to carry in!

 

[Jim]

 

[MaxPete]

Beags - you need one of these puppies to unload that snazzy new mill.

Pete

 

[Beags64]

She ain't winning any beauty contests, but with a little luvin' and a few minor repairs she should be able to munch some metal.
Steptoe No.0 w/Halco vert. head. Got 1 horz. arbor, handful of cutters and a set of #7 B&S collets for the vert head. One nice thing - horz. spindle takes #9B&S taper (same as my 645 Index vertical mill). Tooling interchangeability always a bonus!
1200# of "vintage" American iron. Now to get it set in place and camouflaged before the boss comes back from Fla. next Sat., you would think she'd know better than to leave me alone with no adult supervision!

 

[member28833]

"Swiss Style Screw machines" these are so tight ! Fast, accurate, and quiet. Very tight tolerances such as a few tenths on features can be achieved on over night runs on soft metals such as aluminum or brass if the machine is properly setup and up to temp by 5:00 .. Then it's cross your fingers til the next morning. Pretty fun !

 

[Beags64]

....OK, maybe a whole lotta luvin'!