my new lathe ... Precision Matthews 12x36 ...

tino_ale said:
Thanks a lot. AXA vs. BXA is an important choice for those who don't have a mill to touch-up tool holders!
Not 100% sure yet but the PM 12x36 will most probably be my choice too.
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Without a mill a belt sander (portable or stationary) can work. No need to be precise or pretty, just grind it down til it fits. Your parts will never know the difference 🙂

Measure with a micrometer; mark with chalk; cut with an axe.
 
wquiles said:
Theory is one thing. Reality is that the best size for the 12x lathe is the BXA size. The tool post is larger and stiffer, and same for the tool holders, which go up to 3/4" width. It is true that for a few tools you might have to touch up the bottom of a tool holder for them to go low enough to center properly, but so far that has not been necessary for standard lathe tools - I only had to do it for the 1" tools, which are really CXA size, so it is to be expected that some work is needed in those rare cases 😉

Will
Click to expand...

Am I missing something here? Standard BXA holders hold 5/8" max not 3/4" (shank height). Standard CXA is 3/4" & CA is 1". Or were you guys talking about something else?

The oversized Aloris BXA (1S) holders hold 3/4" max as well as the older Dorian BXA oversized holders. The newer Dorian BXA oversized holders hold 1" max.



BVH said:
I'm still a newbie at this but I can add that none of my Dorian or Chinese (Phase II) BXA holders bottom-out on my PM1236 compound, including the heavy duty, taller holders that Will cites.
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Same here. Since I got the BXA I try to stay away from modifying tool shanks & tool holders & I haven't had to yet until now. I have an oversized Dorian BXA holder that accepts 1" tools which I'm using a 3/4" shank tool in it & it still does not bottom out.

Generally, most of the time the cutting tip on a tool should be inline with the top of the tool's shank. So if you are milling down a 1" or 3/4" shank tool down to 5/8" to fit a standard BXA holder, you should not have to mill the bottom of the BXA holder for clearance to hit centerline of the spindle. But the slot in a BXA holder (China, not sure about Aloris, Dorian, Etc) is 5/8" x 1/2". So if you mill down a 1" shank you will have at least 1/2" of the shank hanging off the holder. Some 1" height shanks tools can be wider than 1".
 
darkzero said:
Am I missing something here? Standard BXA holders hold 5/8" max not 3/4" (shank height). Standard CXA is 3/4" & CA is 1". Or were you guys talking about something else?

The oversized Aloris BXA (1S) holders hold 3/4" max as well as the older Dorian BXA oversized holders. The newer Dorian BXA oversized holders hold 1" max.
Click to expand...
Sorry about the not-so-clear note above Will. Standard is 5/8", but I have several of the Dorian/Aloris ones that hold 3/4" tools, like this Dorian, although I did not know BXA now can cover a 1" shank - impressive!
DSCF7755.JPG
 
I replaced the burned out lamp bulb that came with the lathe with a JC GY6.35 24V 35W.
That is a $2 bulb that works well, but makes the lamp hot.
I wanted to try an LED array.
I ordered one from China.
AC DC 12V 24V Volt SMD LED Light Bulb Lamp G4 JC GX4 globe Low power consumption ( 390369969021
It was about $4 plus $4 to ship from China.
LEDLightBulbLampG4JCGX4.jpg

The leads were not long enough or fat enough.
I wanted the .75" longer and .045" in diameter, not .025" in diameter.
Also the leads were not soldered on right. They were surface mounted then they should have used the plate through hole.
So I soldered on fat wires and put some Kapton tape between them.

ReplacebulbwithLED.jpg

LED.jpg


I think the LED is only half as bright, but cool.
 
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too bad none of the Chinese toolholder makers or vendors has figured out there is a market for 3/4" or 1" BXA toolholders
 
The problem is not a lack of 3/4 or 1 inch BXA tool holders. They are available. The problem is that the center height of the lathe has to be higher than the sum of the tool hight plus the thickness of the bottom of the tool holder plus the height of the compound.

The chart at http://www.industrydepot.com/DorianToolToolHolders.htm gives a nice comparison of the holder dimensions.

My 9 x20 lathe has only .930 inches between the center of the spindle and the top of the compound. No matter what I do, it will never use a 1 inch tool. It does quite well with 1/2 inch tools and a holder which has a bottom that is 3/8 to 4/10 inch thick. But I bought a BXA toolpost and the bottoms are .440 thick. I'm faced with lowering the compound or shaving a bit off the top of the compound or altering the holders. Of course, I could simply get an AXA toolpost like I should have, but I already bought the extra 8 or 9 holders. 🙂

Edit: I actually did buy an AXA tool post. The cheap import tool holders are too thick under the tool, matching the thickness of the BXA so I jumped to the conclusion that I'd bought the bigger one.
 
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unterhausen said:
too bad none of the Chinese toolholder makers or vendors has figured out there is a market for 3/4" or 1" BXA toolholders
Click to expand...

gadget_lover said:
The problem is not a lack of 3/4 or 1 inch BXA tool holders.
Click to expand...

Yes they are available but I think what unterhausen meant is that there are currently no import oversized tool holders available.

Standard Aloris & Dorian BXA holders are $65-$75 ea. Aloris & Dorian oversized BXA holders are $90-$100 ea. The Aloris 1S BXA holders hold 3/4" shanks & the newer Dorian 1-100 holders hold 1" shanks (older Dorians hold 3/4"). Import China BXA holders are $15-$20 & if there were oversized holders available I bet retailers would charge $50-$60 for them up until if they became more popular & readily available but I doubt it.

The oversized holders don't pop up much on ebay & when they do (listed properly) they rarely go for cheap. But if you take the time to search you can more often find the oversized holders listed "improperly" & get lucky on them.
 
that's right, I really don't want to spend that much on a tool holder, and I'm not set up to mill them right now. I have two of the Chinese tool holders that I've machined out to fit 3/4" tools, but I'd like a couple more.

I have a 13" lathe, so I am not too aware of the problems of the 12". Given that I don't have much room to drop my tools below the centerline, I see how that's a concern for the 12" lathe owners here.
 
Quick update from this afternoon's post. My cheap import AXA tool holders did not use the specs that they should have used. The 'A' dimension is .440 inches where it should be .375. Sigh. That puts a 1/2 inch tool just above the .930 inch maximum height on that I can use on my lathe.

I took the easy way out. I milled .040 off the plinth of the compound. The plinth is the raised part of the compound where the toolpost mounts. I checked the plinth with a file first, and confirmed it was not hardened. I mounted the compound in the vice on the mill, making sure that it was exactly level. I used my 2.5 inch 3 insert face mill to do the job, and it came out perfect. I confirmed the work on a surface plate. The last thing I need is a slanted plinth.

Now I have .970 from the top of the plinth to the center height of the spindle. All my tool holders are now the right size.

Daniel
 
Milling down an over sized shank is not a bad job. I did one recently, taking a .750" square shank to .625", using an APKT face mill (5 inserts). Made the first pass at .120" DOC with the finish pass at .005" DOC. Smoothed down the mill marks with a surface conditioning belt on the Burr King & ground a tiny 45° chamfer on all the sharp edges. Dunked the shank in Brownells Formula 44/40, wiped it dry & covered the surface in Vactra #2 way oil. Took 45 minutes from start to finish.

Taking a 1.000" shank to .750" is similar. First pass at .240" & a clean up pass as .010". Speed set to 100 sfpm, feed on the #1 dial setting, AccuLube coolant.
 
I recently did the same thing. Except I used a surface grinder to finish them up to kept the qualified faces square.
 
As I mostly thread "the wrong way" - meaning straight in, not at 29.5deg, I usually simply lock the compound at 90deg, and forget about it. But then I am cutting bevels I have to use it, so I of course unlock it. But the metal in that hex bolt is soft/cheap, so it was too loose after a couple of years of use. So I replaced it with a hex cap screw and a steel ball bearing - now it is even tighter than before, and much, much easier to use/adjust 😀
DSCF7943.JPG


DSCF7944.JPG



Will
 
Just found this post after all these years and I am considering buying one myself.

I have a question for you. Are you still happy with your lathe? Has anything broken or worn out?

Any regrets?

Thanks
 
gkemper said:
Just found this post after all these years and I am considering buying one myself.

I have a question for you. Are you still happy with your lathe? Has anything broken or worn out?

Any regrets?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I am currently waiting on a PM1236 myself. It should be in most anytime according to Matt at QMT. I had originally ordered a PM1127 to replace my Atlas 6" that was way too small. After months of research and waiting I called Matt and changed to the PM1236 only 2 weeks before the 1127 was due in. Been a long wait but I am glad I did.
 
tripletap3 said:
I am currently waiting on a PM1236 myself. It should be in most anytime according to Matt at QMT. I had originally ordered a PM1127 to replace my Atlas 6" that was way too small. After months of research and waiting I called Matt and changed to the PM1236 only 2 weeks before the 1127 was due in. Been a long wait but I am glad I did.
Click to expand...

Good decision. That makes the third person here to change their mind from a PM1127 to a PM1236. I also had done the same thing & so did Bob (BVH). We're both happy we made the change so I know you will be too. Thanks goes to WillQ & this thread for helping me make my decision.



gkemper said:
Just found this post after all these years and I am considering buying one myself.
Click to expand...

I hope you guys both stick around for a while & please post when you guys get your machines. Pictures are required or else WillQ will scold you!
 
precisionworks said:
Seems like I purchase machine lighting on a regular basis :devil:

The best "low cost" magnet mount lamp so far is the Electrix 7330: http://www.electrixtask.com/model_7330.htm Retail is $130 USD but online for just over $50 USD: http://www.windycityliquidation.com/store/electrix-7330-black-50-watt-halogen-gooseneck-task-light/

They are currently out of stock. Planning to order 2 more when they get them in.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, that's a great price. I checked at Amazon and it was $117. I have one on it's way at $49.95!
 
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