Building a New Lathe

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RobWilson:
:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: now thats looking real canny Steve :clap: :clap: :clap:

Rob :thumbup:

Manxmodder:
Yep,it looks a top job,Steve. I'm well impressed with the standard of workmanship :bow: ,it's going to be a great asset when finished....OZ.

vtsteam:
Thanks Phil! Roller bearings. I bought a new replacement spindle and matching bearings for a mini-lathe early in the thread, so will install those together in the headstock when the time comes.

(The lathe is just sitting on the feet now, not attached. Had to lift it up to higher to attach the apron.)

Thanks Rob, Oz! :beer: :beer:

Brass_Machine:
Yup. That is looking good. I expect it will out perform the Asian minilathes (like mine) without breaking a sweat!

vtsteam:
Thank you Eric! I hope it will last me as the main machine for as long as I can make things -- if I'm lucky that's still a while yet. So I'm trying to make it solid and accurate, within my capabilities. If it looks any better than earlier stuff that's Rob's fault, because his work always makes me try to do better than I have so far.

And of course the encouragement people here are so generous with and the inspiration of their projects keeps me going back to the shop to make things and put up pictures.

Things don't always go well, of course, I had a disappointment this afternoon in trying to make a tap for acme 1/2" - 10 TPI. These cost $50 if you can find them. That's hard to justify, especially since I need to save for a chuck eventually.
So I've been collecting info on tap making.

I tried a method I saw on another forum after a web search, which showed a tap made by simply grinding 4 flats at the end of some threaded rod, set at a taper of about 30 degrees. This just didn't work for me. I tried it with various angles, and unhardened and case hardened (with kasenit) on a scrap piece of aluminum, I simply couldn't get it started. It would just chew up the aluminum and wobble out of line. I don't know what I was doing wrong.

Seems to me the thread is just too coarse for this kind of tap, even though the reference I read said acme taps made that way had been successful. The picture though in the post was of a very fine thread 60 degree tap, and the example had cut into brass, which I think would thread much cleaner and crisper than aluminum.

So tomorrow I will probably try again, but this time attempt a conventional machined tap, turned on the lathe to an entry taper, with flutes, and some rake angle. And I'll case harden it from the start.

So, fingers crossed it will cut zinc alloy cleanly.

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