Looking for a lathe...

I've got a friend who's a toolmaker that would probably be willing to mill that for me 😀

I've also decide to sell my modded EX10, which should give me the rest of the funds I need to buy the starter kit from LMS.
 
LLCoolBeans said:
How is lathemaster on shipping? Do they ship right away, or is there a wait? I know for sure that littlemachineshop, ships lightning fast. Orders ship out the same day the order is placed. I've placed several orders with them now and I am very pleased with their customer service. They are happy to answer questions too, call and speak to Chris or Roger, they'll get you what you need, and fast.
Click to expand...

This is my first time ordering from them but definitely not the last. From what I've read online, not lightning fast. I've also read online at various places that Bob at Lathemaster is a very great person to deal with. I couldn't get him on the phone but he has responded to my emails daily. I sent payment Tues & I received confirmation that my order is shipping today. I didn't order online though since I also ordered a replacement part from the LM8x14. I paid through Paypal. I'm not in a big rush to get these parts, just happy I was able to get them.

I'm sure I will buy from LSM too. They're only 30 mins away I've been planning to drive there soon but I'm afraid I will leave there in debit. Maybe it's better for my wallet that I don't drive down there. :grin2:
 
Tekno_Cowboy said:
:ohgeez:

I made the mistake of picking up 1/4" cutters, to find that they don't quite fit in the tool post.

What size tooling should I be using with the stock tool post?

Is there a "starter kit" of some sort that works well with the HF 8x12?
Click to expand...


Despite all that you are hearing, you can use the stock toolpost. It's not as convenient, but it does work.

To determine the size that you need, you will simply find what size will have it's top right at the centerline of the chuck.

A simple way to do this (with a ruler) is three step:
1) Put the dead center in your tailstock, move it over to the carriage and measure from the top of the carriage to the tip of the dead center.
2) Measure from the carriage to the bottom of the tool bit (cutter).
3) Subtract the first from the second. This is the size of the tool shank.

Most small lathes use 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2 inch bits.

You may need to grind the tool to give it the proper profile. Once it's ground the top of the cutting edge needs to be exactly on the centerline of the chuck. To achieve that you grind it down if too high or put shims (metal strips) under it if it is too low.

As someone else said, you can probably put any metal behind the bit, and you can stacl two 1/4 inch bits to get a 1/2 inch high stack.


A 1/4 inch bit is not as sturdy as a 1/2 inch bit, but they work fine in aluminum taking reasonable cuts.

When you have the cash, the QCTP is a great upgrade.

Daniel
 
My Enco 7x10 uses 5/16 " tools. I picked up a few blank HSS tools and ground them for a few different operations.
 
will said:
My Enco 7x10 uses 5/16 " tools. I picked up a few blank HSS tools and ground them for a few different operations.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reminder...

If you find that the distance from bottom of tool to centerline is 5/16, you can use 3/8's . Most bit profiles call for grinding some top relief (top rake) so 3/8 minus the 1/16 grind will put you on center.

OTOH, if you have 5/16 to center and grind the top of a 5/16 bit at all, you will need to shim the bit to get it back in line.

Daniel
 
I sold a couple of lights and ordered up the starter kit from LMS. It should get here Thursday, and I'll finally be able to start working with my lathe.

Thanks for all the advice!
 
I got my tooling in today and got it set up. I'll probably go through a few inserts figuring out how to use the tooling properly, but I should have a good time doing it 😀

Here's a couple pics of my machine with the QCTP set up, and the first chips from my lathe:





Here's the first thing I made with my lathe, a holder for swapping led's on Nitecore lights. It sure beats the piece of pipe I was using 😀
 
I know this is a moot point but here is an example of using 1/4" tools in the stock tool post.

rwp8uu.jpg


I don't know if I read this here or not but if you save the metal bands from the shipping container, it makes great shim stock. In the pic I'm using a 3 dollar feeler gauge set from hf. I'll eventually get a qctp but for now this has got me making chips.

What's this? Finally in-stock !!!

208ihjd.jpg


That makes me almost as happy as this.....


2d98t1w.gif



Looking forward the cleaning off the grease this weekend. I've got a bunch of stuff I've been wanting to make for a long time.

C-
 
I know I'm mostly loving my lathe, I just need to figure out how to make it smoother and more precise. The 1/2-3/4 turn of dead space when turning the compound wheel the opposite direction is not impressing me 🙁
It's time to dig out my old CPU heatsink lapping kit too, to smooth out some surfaces.

Does anyone know of ways to clean up the play and smooth out the operation of the lathe?
 
Tekno_Cowboy said:
I know I'm mostly loving my lathe, I just need to figure out how to make it smoother and more precise. The 1/2-3/4 turn of dead space when turning the compound wheel the opposite direction is not impressing me 🙁
It's time to dig out my old CPU heatsink lapping kit too, to smooth out some surfaces.

Does anyone know of ways to clean up the play and smooth out the operation of the lathe?
Click to expand...

1/2 turn is a lot of back-lash. There will always be some backlash on a small lathe, but that seems excessive.

Backlash will come from two primary sources...

a) a poor fit between the lead-screw and the threads cut into the body of the compound.

While the carriage has a split nut to take care of slop in the threads for the cross slide, I don't think that the compound has any such adjustment.

b) a loose fit between the bearing surfaces of the lead-screw and it's mounting point. In most cases it's just a turned shoulder on the screw that is trapped between the handle and a recess in the lead-screw mount.

Occasionally you will find something bizarre, like a burr on the handle shaft that keeps it from seating properly, or a bit of crud that got between the washer that bears on the lead-screw's shoulder.

The compound is easy to disassemble and easy to put back together. I's well worth looking into.

Daniel
 
Nice to see that you have the lathe up and running. Isn't it amazing the things you can do with it? Even simple things like the Nitecore LED swapping jig that you built make life so much easier. Don't know what I'd do without mine.

By the way, back-lash is a fact of life. To deal with it you always make the final movement of the compound or cross-slide the same direction as you will cut.

Let me know if you need an explanation.

Daniel
 
Oh, even my friend Glen's very nice lathe has some backlash, but his is about .002-.005, not .025-.035 😉

Thanks for the tips!
I'm thinking I'm going to add a second nut of some sort to take out the play, and swap the bearing surfaces for a ball bearing. 😀
 
Might as well post mine here too after all it was this thread that lead me to finally get one.

Like with everything (which is an expensive habit of mine), I've spent more time & money getting upgrades for it rather than spending time actually using it like I should. Took practially everything apart to clean, relube, & make adjustments. Adjusted the "springs" in all the dials so now they can be move easily without having to use two hands. I did find one of them that is not concentric & need to correct it (I remember someone posted about the issue somewhere too?). What a huge improvement! I've barely even used it & I've already spent way more on it than what it actually cost. I was warned numerous times that this would happen though. :grin2:



As you can see I need a proper/bigger workbench for it & have been eyeing out this cheap one. Looks like it might not be sturdy enough though. Any recommendations?
Img_9014.jpg





My gears were very noisy. After removing all the gears & pulleys to clean/lube & make adjustments it's much quiter & smoother now. I haven't use the speed reduction pulley yet but I couldn't even get my stock belt onto it so I replaced it. Manual says O-720 but my stock belt is a O-710. 😕
Img_9002.jpg





I find myself laying tools on the headstock way too often so I covered it with some left over automotive clear mask. I'm going to redo it though as I'm not happy with it & will cover some areas while I'm at it.
Img_8994.jpg





Made a couple of knobs for quicker access. Ok, ok, I didn't actually make the knob itself, just machined the screws to fit them. 😉
Img_9022.jpg

Img_9095.jpg





Backsplash mock up. I'm so happy I was able to get this!
Img_8991.jpg

Img_9021.jpg




QCTP from Lathemaster. Solid carbide boring bars & grooving tool thanks to wquiles for the awsome deal as well as advice from him on what other tooling to start with! :twothumbs
Img_9088.jpg

Img_9085.jpg

Img_9082.jpg




I can't thank Will enough for being so very helpful answering all my noob questions & for the great deal on some tooling! Great to have him as a friend! :wave:

Now more waiting for my other packages arrive! 🙁 😗
 
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