Author Topic: Building a New Lathe (Read 509370 times)

vtsteam · « **Reply #550 on:** June 26, 2018, 09:15:19 PM »

While not completely finished (it needs cheeks and a set screw) I slipped it on the motor shaft and got a measurement for the belt - 28.4". The closest available matches were 280XL063 and 290XL063 so I ordered both. Delivery by July 2. Won't be turning anything before then, for sure.

No longer a lowly sprue.

Homebrewer · « **Reply #551 on:** June 26, 2018, 11:44:41 PM »

Looking pretty fantastic so far!

Are you still planning to drive the leadscrew electronically or with a series of belts as well?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

vtsteam · « **Reply #552 on:** June 27, 2018, 08:02:04 PM »

Thanks Homebrewer.

Not sure about the electronic leadscrew, yet.

The driver pulley and some 5/8" washers:

vtsteam · « **Reply #553 on:** June 27, 2018, 08:02:46 PM »

Opening washers for drive fit.

vtsteam · « **Reply #554 on:** June 27, 2018, 08:03:14 PM »

Finished pulley:

awemawson · « **Reply #555 on:** June 28, 2018, 02:06:11 AM »

How does it fix to the shaft Steve?

It's a bit thin for a key or a grubscrew

vtsteam · « **Reply #556 on:** June 28, 2018, 09:55:14 AM »

Two set screws @ 90 deg through the spline area. There's plenty of metal. Go back three photos and add the spline area depth to the extensions. That's more depth than the set screw is long, which is all you can get out of any of them.

Flats milled onto the motor shaft. I always mill flats with set screws.

vtsteam · « **Reply #557 on:** June 28, 2018, 12:18:51 PM »

vtsteam · « **Reply #558 on:** June 30, 2018, 04:50:39 PM »

I was hunting around to find a board to make a pattern for a faceplate. I figured maybe 8" diameter would be right. But I couldn't find anything suitable around the house, so I checked my bigger shop/household storage shed, and spied the faceplate I'd once bought for the Craftsman lathe. It looked about 8". Turned out to be 8-1/2".

Now this faceplate had been one of my worst Ebay purchases. In fact I had never used it once. I like faceplate work, but this particular one had been a great disappointment. It had a huge honkin' hub on the back of it, and very short slots. If you tried to bolt most anything useful to it, the hub was in the way. Not only that, but even if you could get the bolt in the slot, and the piece to be turned, the bolt head would often hit the hub. There was probably only one inch of useful range for those slots.

I had LOTS of faceplate accessories, built for my Gingery lathe, and 3 faceplates I'd cast for it. None of the accessories would work with this new faceplate. So it sat for 10 years, unused.

I started looking at it and thinking, could I use this with the new lathe, and maybe cut off that hub entirely?

vtsteam · « **Reply #559 on:** June 30, 2018, 04:53:53 PM »

Yeah Baby!

vtsteam · « **Reply #560 on:** June 30, 2018, 04:55:19 PM »

Boring through to fit the front register of the spindle.

vtsteam · « **Reply #561 on:** June 30, 2018, 04:56:23 PM »

Then a clearance bore to fit the mounting flange.

vtsteam · « **Reply #562 on:** June 30, 2018, 05:02:16 PM »

And a test fit on the new lathe spindle. Really nice fit. And the spindle flange is recessed into the faceplate instead of interfering with slot bolts, as the earlier hub had.

I also plan to lengthen those slots toward the flange. They could actually go right to the back flange (not the register you see in front) because there's still massive amounts of steel forward of the flange. It's a steel faceplate, not cast iron. That will give additional range for the slots. Enough to make this a useful faceplate after all.

vtsteam · « **Reply #563 on:** June 30, 2018, 10:52:16 PM »

I got an email note that the belts had been delivered this evening, so I took a walk out to the mailbox, and there they were, two days ahead of time. So, belt on:

PekkaNF · « **Reply #564 on:** July 01, 2018, 05:06:04 PM »

Starts to look like a proper Lathe!

Neubert1975 · « **Reply #565 on:** July 01, 2018, 05:08:08 PM »

Quote from: PekkaNF on July 01, 2018, 05:06:04 PM

Starts to look like a proper Lathe!

agree

vtsteam · « **Reply #566 on:** July 01, 2018, 07:40:11 PM »

Thanks, boys!

I'd like to see it make chips. But there's a lot of loose ends to get to before I can. For instance, the headstock is just sitting there.... not fastened down. Bearing grease and final alignment. Bearing swarf covers. tailstock ram, lock, and handle. Back plate for chuck. Motor tensioner. Tool mount. Compound slide. Dead centers.

Well some of those aren't strictly necessary to cut something, but in general, still a lot to do.

And today our thermometer hit 99 F. I had to mow lawns with tractor -- I'd let all that slip for a couple weeks while concentrating on this lathe. Basically it was haying, not mowing. We have 3 more days of this heat. Quite unusual for Vermont.

Oh also, I'm going to start to build a bridge this summer. That might slow things down. But I don't want to just stop, as I did the last few years, while building the "waterball" cistern. I'll try to get something done every day or so on the lathe.

vtsteam · « **Reply #567 on:** July 02, 2018, 05:20:57 PM »

Excavator arrived today, and a lot of the block for the new bridge abutments. And another day in the upper nineties heat wave. But that didn't stop us from deciding to make it a casting day, too!

In the morning cool, I started on the pattern. I used cherry this time, as it takes nice detail, and has tight grain. I had to turn it and I didn't want any rough tear-outs. First I jigsawed out the rough blank, then sanded to the circle outline with my little disk sander set to a few degrees off square to add some draft to the pattern. Then I used a hole saw to open out the center. After that, I bored the center out a little more using the compound to again add a little draft.

Finally I coated the pattern with a sanding sealer, which I make by adding baby talcum powder to lacquer (the old fashioned talc kind, not the modern corn starch kind). This is the piece at that stage:

awemawson · « **Reply #568 on:** July 02, 2018, 05:22:57 PM »

Steve,

If the bridge looks anything like as nice as the lathe it'll be pretty d... good

Pictures needed of course

vtsteam · « **Reply #569 on:** July 02, 2018, 05:32:31 PM »

Thanks Andrew!

I don't know how nice it will be, since it's a pretty utilitarian design by an engineer for a logging company that used to own this property. We're re-using those 20+ year old plans -- the approvals to do this have taken 6 months to straighten out, but we have the green light finally for excavating tomorrow. By re-using the plans, the approvals and permits were easier to get. It will be an amazing luxury to be able to drive to our house, rather than carry fuel and groceries by hand 600 feet up and down hill in winter (or heat wave as the case may be). Okay, I'll put some photos in the Watercooler section as it happens.

Uhhhh where was I, oh yes the pattern......sanding the sealer makes nice baby powder dust and is super easy. The sealer dries in ten minutes also.

vtsteam · « **Reply #570 on:** July 02, 2018, 05:34:18 PM »

Then I just hit it with rattlecan Krylon, which is also lacquer based.

vtsteam · « **Reply #571 on:** July 02, 2018, 05:34:58 PM »

Let it dry for about 15 minutes, and we have a pattern.

vtsteam · « **Reply #572 on:** July 02, 2018, 05:38:10 PM »

It was so hot today, I don't think I used much fuel, even for brass! Just kidding. But as long as I was hot and sweaty, what's a little more heat?

vtsteam · « **Reply #573 on:** July 02, 2018, 05:40:41 PM »

Shake out time.

And a duck indoors for a cold iced tea after! No air conditioning, just a fan, but it still felt good.

vtsteam · « **Reply #574 on:** July 03, 2018, 05:10:35 PM »

Sprue and flash cleaned off:

News:

Author Topic: Building a New Lathe (Read 509370 times)