New Lathe

[bc30se]

It's damn sexy...

 

[rosinante]

Hi all , well lathe set up and running fine , made an ally clamp collar for a vice I am making, also bored a 390 mm hole thru a brass plate 12 mm thick , no problem , a bit slow I thought but I am used to wood turning, haven't used a metal lathe since 1985.
Q,in the pic of the head stock there is a shaft above ,behind the main spindle with 2 gears on , the are kept in disengagement by a pin ,if the gears are slid over and engaged drive is lost, what are they for?? Thanks in advance ,
Chris

 

[Seadog]

Chris, that's the back gear. When this is engaged you need to disengage the main bull gear (the large one immediately behind the chuck) or else, as you say, everything locks up. On older lathes this is usually achieved by sliding an engagement dog out of the way. I can see in your picture what looks like an Allen bolt to the right hand side of the gear. This is probably what you need to slacken to allow the dog to slide. Don't forget to tighten it again once the dog is disengaged.
Graham

 

[gaz1]

also the one to your left on the machine may also be your back gear selector the one with a pull out pin slide up and reengage it

the one where all your cogs are on the left of the machine

 

[rosinante]

Hi thanks for quick reply, have just done what you suggested the bull gear is disconnected with a pin as you described,engaging the back gear related in drive to main spindle and the lead screw rotates much slower, is this correct?Is this for thread cutting?the lever indicated by the arrow changes the lead screw direction.
Cheers
Chris

 

[rosinante]

Yet another question,
The lathe does not have graduated control wheels ,the price of them on ebay makes me feel quite weak at the knees, would fitting a spur gear to the lead screw shaft to act as a primitive indicator of advancement be of use.
I think the pitch of the grayson lead screws are 1/8 in so a 62t spur gear and a pointer would give a rough indication of advancement of about 2 thou,they are also quite cheap,
Q, would this be a waste of time with consideration of the crudity of the lead screw.
Cheers
Chris

 

[gaz1]

have a look at my gearbox its has teeth per inch by cog reference

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/myford-ml7-homemade-gearbox.56156/#post-670210

 

[Seadog]

Chris, slow rotation is exactly what back-gear is for. You're right in your assumption that it's for threading but, also, for drilling with large diameter drills e.g. 1/2" and over for a lathe of this size.
Regarding graduated wheels, why not make some? If you're not too worried about accuracy you could print yourself a scale on paper, 0-125 for an 8tpi screw, then, measure the length of the scale as accurately as you can and use the equation 'circumference = Pi x diameter to work out the diameter of disc you need to turn. Then, when the scale is wrapped round it the 0 and 125 coincide. With a bit of care you could then transfer the position of the graduations onto the disc (aluminium would be my choice as it will take a scribed line more easily then steel).

Gaz1, I think the lever you're referring to is to engage the tumbler for the lead screw.

 

[tinman123]

what about something like this, i know its american but ive seen them from the uk before iirc, give you an idea tho.
maybe they would be too big for the lathe but they would be close on accurate.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-12-LCD-...hash=item5683427836:m:mnsfDwm8w1IBOp7zrd2IQ9Q

nice buy there, it was a steal at that price given how well it will clean up.
best of luck with it.

 

[rosinante]

Hi Sea dog, thanks for that , the idea had occurred to me, 125. 1mm divisions would give a dia of approx 40mm , I just doubt my ability to make the scale accurately,had thought about self adhesive measuring tape but doubt it would stay on hence the plastic, metal spur gears, Possibly a " clicker" to drop in between the teeth.a 62 t gear would give near enough 2 thou resolution which would be plenty good for me.
Ideally the proper items would be best but too pricey.
Tinman those are a bit big for my little lathe,
Cheers
Chris

 

[Pete.]

You can make collars easy enough or you can buy adhesive-backed foil that you laser print scales onto and wrap that around. If you want to make a collar you could pop up to mine ad I'd let you do it on my mill with a dividing head.

The end of the leadscrew could accommodate a handwheel with graduations quite easily given the number of locknuts it sports.

 

[rosinante]

You can make collars easy enough or you can buy adhesive-backed foil that you laser print scales onto and wrap that around. If you want to make a collar you could pop up to mine ad I'd let you do it on my mill with a dividing head.

The end of the leadscrew cd to get some ould accommodate a handwheel with graduations quite easily given the number of locknuts it sports.

Hi Pete thank you for you kind offer which I would gladly accept, when and where? What prep should I make regarding the material, I have some ally plate that I can band saw to discs
is this suitable or do I need to get some bar, I have Pm, d you with my phone no ,
Cheers
Chris

 

[rosinante]

More good news,put a dti on the spindle nose , zero run out ! Very pleased, needs a few tweaks on the reduction pulleys, degreasing or replacing,the cabinet will get replaced,I plan to have a folding top and front panel to totally enclose it when not in use as I do a lot of wood butchery and want to keep it as dust free as possible.will update as and when,
Chris

 

[rosinante]

Bump ,now for sale, see sale section cheers