I need to fit a suds drain to a cast iron lathe cabinet. I have a pilot hole, but now need to drill and tap to a suitable size. I was thinking maybe 1/2 BSP but thought I'd ask here in case someone has a better suggestion based on availability of fittings, etc. I don't have any large BSP dies. Suds tubing will probably be whatever I have, about 3/4" o.d.
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BrokenBiker
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Suds drain on my lathe is cast into it, but culminates in a 3/4 hole si anything around that size should be fine as long as you have a decent mesh strainer to keep the swarf out of the sump and pump
Agroshield
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Lack of a die has never stopped me tapping something.
What thickness is the item? In other words, how many 14tpi threads fit within it? 1/2" BSP pipe threads in a fitting use roughly their nominal diameter (21mm) of engagement.
What happens to all the swarf that drops down the open pipe?
Leave it unthreaded and use a tundish below with a mesh strainer. It may need something akin to a drip groove on the underside of a window ledge.
I mentioned not having large BSP dies in case any suggestion would involve making external threads for an adapter. But I can single point thread.
About 1.3" thick.
Tundish... Let me check my dictionary.
BrokenBiker
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drip tray...suggestion to drill the drain hole, then have a container directly below to either act as the sump (thats how my lathe does it) or to divert into the sump if you cant get the sump directly under the hole
I'm going to route a drain pipe to a convenient bottle somewhere. It's not going to be flood coolant.
tundish= funnel @Agroshield is showing his age!
Agroshield
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Thanks. I did not know that derivation. I know it from the plumbing world, as something that assures an air gap in a flowing stream, for instance a boiler condensate line. I think they are on Megaflow* cylinders as well.
* I first typed Magaflow, but that is Donald Trump social media, not plumbing.
Edit: 1/2" BSP tapping drill is 19mm (3/4") so maybe a TCT holesaw would be good enough if a blacksmith's drill was not available. Bonus nachos if you can drill it with a Morse drill in the lathe's tailstock.
Access from below is tight and I would rather do most of the drilling and tapping from above. I drilled the pilot hole from below but that was with a right angle drill.
If I have to drill a much larger hole in the lathe cabinet I will probably use my drill press with the head swung around. It's actually a larger job than it sounds as I will have to clear a pathway to get the cabinet and pillar drill in a mutually suitable position. But it's possible!
Wedg1e
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How about... drill hole to whatever diameter you fancy.
Turn up a bit of alu bar to make an oversize Rivnut. Wide but thin flange to sit on top of the tray, neck it within the thickness of the cast and turn hose barbs, of whatever diameter suits your pipe, on the lower section.
Thread the inside and make a suitable mandrel (large bolt?).
Bit of pipe sealant around it, drop in the hole, wind a big nut up the mandrel/bolt and it'll compress at the necked section and lock itself into the hole.
Granted you might not get every last drop of coolant down it owing to the thickness of the top flange, but then my Boxford never clears completely either, some of it just evaporates.
Turn up a bit of alu bar to make an oversize Rivnut. Wide but thin flange to sit on top of the tray, neck it within the thickness of the cast and turn hose barbs, of whatever diameter suits your pipe, on the lower section.
Thread the inside and make a suitable mandrel (large bolt?).
Bit of pipe sealant around it, drop in the hole, wind a big nut up the mandrel/bolt and it'll compress at the necked section and lock itself into the hole.
Granted you might not get every last drop of coolant down it owing to the thickness of the top flange, but then my Boxford never clears completely either, some of it just evaporates.
If I don't use my suds system, ie use a brush / squirty bottle then I leave the drain hole blocked with a grommet and have a catch tray under the bed for swarf etc. If I use the suds it has a perforated cover over the drain to keep most of the swarf out.
Have a look at the brass outlets they have on water tanks.
Have a look at the brass outlets they have on water tanks.
Farside
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I've seen a few lathes fitted with what, for all the world looks like, drain strainers - like an upside down tea strainer.
roofman
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i have plenty of BSP taps and dies here, including a pipe threading kit that goes up to 2"...if you need to borrow just let me know
Agroshield
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That (L4 3833) looks like a mini version of the plug hole in your sink or basin (a male threaded item through a plain hole with a back nut on its underside) rather than something threaded directly in the casting.
That being said, it could be difficult to find that part in anything other than 1 1/4 or 1/1/2. All I can think of is something like a parts washer.
Use a tank connector for a plastic water tank. Drill a suitable hole through the lathe fit the tank connector with some sealant. Add a stub of copper pipe to the tank connector using a compression fitting and push a bit of hose over the pipe.
No threading needed and it would be unlikely that the metal on the lathe would be thick enough to take a good thread anyway.
I'll take a photo of this setup on a water barrel I have.
No threading needed and it would be unlikely that the metal on the lathe would be thick enough to take a good thread anyway.
I'll take a photo of this setup on a water barrel I have.
Agroshield
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Above, he says it is 1.3" thick at the relevant point.
Some thought would be needed on the height/thickness of what is the inner flange of the tank connector. If it is too fat, the coolant would pool in the tray before it flows over the edge. It could be thinned down in the lathe.
We used to specialise in making concrete slabs where the gully outlets were at the high point....
