Questions after 1 hour of use

[rocketeir]

Originally Posted by Andyman

The pin in picture 5 engages the bull gear to the cone pulleys. If your chuck spinning off means it is spinning freely from the cone pulleys in high speed then your bull gear pin came out. This has happened to me a few times.

The pin in picture 4 is for locking the spindle or could be used for indexing work

i checked it out and dont see any way the pin being out would make the chuck stay on or spin off. what am i missing?

Also.. What is indexing work?

[rocketeir]

Originally Posted by precisionworks

For a quick tutorial on setup of the tooling, click here & watch the videos.

The link is great but the vids dont seem to work.

[rocketeir]

Originally Posted by Ironman

And, if a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a site with downloadable videos and more words than Bernanke has dollars.
http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/142-machine-shop-1 Machine shop - 8 is where the lathe starts.

Now this is worth all the tea in china!

[Norm W]

Welcome to the wonderful world of "?". The more questions you can get answered the better you will be. Don't be afraid to ask. The best finish for that type of lathe would be a round nose turning tool, a light cut (.002) and a slow feed. Keep the nose of the tool as close to the tool post as possible. The farther out, the less rigid the set up. The quickest way to find out if the tool height is "on center" is to hold a steel scale (or similar piece of metal) lightly against the work with the tool. Is the scale is vertical, then the tool is on center. If the scale tilts toward you the tool is low, I'm sure you can figure the rest out. The formula for RPM is 4 X SFPM (surface feet per minute) divided by work diameter. Mild steel the cutting speed is 100 SFPM, with HSS tools. If the work is 3/8", it would be 4 X 100 / .375 = 1066 rpm. You will probably use a slower speed while learning. Give it a try and keep asking questions.

[Fla Jim]

Here's a link for how to run a lathe, again from the vintage machinery.org site.
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=3789
Also get a copy of "The machinery's Handbook".
You can usually get a used older version pretty cheap.

[Ironman]

Originally Posted by rocketeir

i checked it out and dont see any way the pin being out would make the chuck stay on or spin off. what am i missing?

Also.. What is indexing work?

Indexing.
Lets say that you want to scribe degree lines on a collar so that you can turn a handle 35 degrees. You make the collar on the lathe, then use a sharp pointed tool and with the lathe off, engage the tool bit to the work and move the carriage toward the headstock.

You cut a line. Now that is your zero line. Pull the pin, move 'X' number of holes along and re-insert the pin. Scribe again. Repeat.

If you have a milling head attachment, well that opens up another world.

[rocketeir]

Originally Posted by Norm W

Welcome to the wonderful world of "?". The more questions you can get answered the better you will be. Don't be afraid to ask. The best finish for that type of lathe would be a round nose turning tool, a light cut (.002) and a slow feed. Keep the nose of the tool as close to the tool post as possible. The farther out, the less rigid the set up. The quickest way to find out if the tool height is "on center" is to hold a steel scale (or similar piece of metal) lightly against the work with the tool. Is the scale is vertical, then the tool is on center. If the scale tilts toward you the tool is low, I'm sure you can figure the rest out. The formula for RPM is 4 X SFPM (surface feet per minute) divided by work diameter. Mild steel the cutting speed is 100 SFPM, with HSS tools. If the work is 3/8", it would be 4 X 100 / .375 = 1066 rpm. You will probably use a slower speed while learning. Give it a try and keep asking questions.

So the tooling should be always perpendicular to the work? Not pointing upward or downward to the work?
And for my dumb question....
Why do people use mainly T handles on the chuck? Why not a rachet? I ask because my lathe didnt come with a T handle.

Sent from my iPhone using SFT

[Scotts]

Originally Posted by rocketeir

So the tooling should be always perpendicular to the work? Not pointing upward or downward to the work?
And for my dumb question....
Why do people use mainly T handles on the chuck? Why not a rachet? I ask because my lathe didnt come with a T handle.

Sent from my iPhone using SFT

The point should be perpendicular to the work. Pointing up or down changes the geometry of the operation. Get your manual and read just a bit on tool point geometry. This is a lesson in patience and discovery and just never ends. Enjoy the ride you should never be bored of it.

The T handle allows better tightening by reducing friction on the chuck parts. A single ended tightening tool, such as a ratchet, will pull to one side not allowing you to tighten in the proper manner, much like a tap handle.

Just some thought to consider.

Scott

[precisionworks]

Why do people use mainly T handles on the chuck? Why not a rachet?

A chuck key is 10X faster than a ratchet. Plus it allows pushing with one hand while pulling with the other hand when you want to really tighten up on something.

There are lots of oversize chuck keys on eBay, around $10 or so delivered, and they can be ground down to fit the square holes in your chuck. I bought three of these & they aren't too bad. Made in India as I recall, better finished than most of the el cheapo stuff.

[rocketeir]

Well....... all was going great.. I was turning down a piece of brass. and then it happened.....
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The question is... Being cast.. and not being in a NEED to be precise. Can it be welded or do I need to search for one?