Author Topic: Building a New Lathe (Read 509623 times)

vtsteam · « **Reply #575 on:** July 03, 2018, 06:34:57 PM »

After cleaning up on the lathe:

Neubert1975 · « **Reply #576 on:** July 03, 2018, 06:38:20 PM »

and as usual it look good

vtsteam · « **Reply #577 on:** July 03, 2018, 06:43:40 PM »

Hoping to get at least one good bearing cover out of it, Neubert, and if lucky, two. And as usual thank you kindly, bud!

Neubert1975 · « **Reply #578 on:** July 03, 2018, 07:04:01 PM »

then two it is

vtsteam · « **Reply #579 on:** July 04, 2018, 07:42:11 PM »

Here we go Neubert, cutting a recess:

vtsteam · « **Reply #580 on:** July 04, 2018, 07:43:10 PM »

I flipped the piece and cut another recess from the other side:

vtsteam · « **Reply #581 on:** July 04, 2018, 07:44:23 PM »

Time for lunch and a cooling tea. Temps still in the 90's:

vtsteam · « **Reply #582 on:** July 04, 2018, 07:45:24 PM »

Then I split the two covers off, and faced and finished them:

vtsteam · « **Reply #583 on:** July 04, 2018, 07:47:18 PM »

And here they are. Found a little casting flaw in one of the covers, but we'll call it good enough for who it's for.

vtsteam · « **Reply #584 on:** July 05, 2018, 01:11:56 PM »

Cutting wipers out of 1/4" hard felt:

vtsteam · « **Reply #585 on:** July 05, 2018, 01:12:36 PM »

vtsteam · « **Reply #586 on:** July 05, 2018, 01:13:03 PM »

vtsteam · « **Reply #587 on:** July 05, 2018, 01:13:26 PM »

vtsteam · « **Reply #588 on:** July 05, 2018, 04:05:10 PM »

Sawing the front bearing cover in half so it can be installed without pressing the bearings back off of the spindle.

The rear cover doesn't present that problem.

vtsteam · « **Reply #589 on:** July 05, 2018, 04:06:18 PM »

Felt wipers to fit:

vtsteam · « **Reply #590 on:** July 07, 2018, 04:44:49 PM »

Punching screw holes in the felt. First time I've used this leather punch tool -- I bought it in a bargain bin a couple years ago, for $3.99. Well, good investment -- It worked perfectly for the wipers.

vtsteam · « **Reply #591 on:** July 08, 2018, 02:55:17 PM »

In order to fit the rear bearing seal, I realized that I needed to make a spindle spacer -- it goes between the rear pulley and the rear bearing. I took its O.D. from the front spindle boss, since my front and rear bearing covers are the same size. That's a little under 2 inces across. The I.D. needed to fit the rear of the spindle -- that's a little over an inch in diameter. The length of the spacer needed to be about an inch long.

So I began looking for 2" diameter scrap aluminum, at least 1 inch long. And I came up with this big sprue. Looking at it more carefully, I saw stamped on it "Al- Cu 4." Now why did I stamp a sprue? Oh yes, it's an aluminum copper alloy I experimented with in an earlier thread https://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,10705.50.html -- and made the lathe's bed end bracket with in this thread.

Since it's been a couple years I wondered if it's properties had improved through aging. The non-artificial type!

Anyway it was just the right size, so I requisitioned it.

vtsteam · « **Reply #592 on:** July 08, 2018, 03:00:46 PM »

It seemed to machine about the same as my typical cast aluminum. Maybe a little finer finish, but with the same ready tendency to weld a chip to the lathe tool and mess that up. It felt "crunchy", as noted before, not chewey, in case that means anything to anybody!

vtsteam · « **Reply #593 on:** July 08, 2018, 03:05:06 PM »

And here is the finished spacer, along with a piece of the sprue. To me, in very bright sunlight, I thought I could detect a very subtle copper tone to it, but maybe that was just my imagination.

I still don't know if it's any stronger than my conventional cast aluminum ( I use pistons, mostly). But the specs say so, so I'll accept that.

.

PK · « **Reply #594 on:** July 08, 2018, 06:22:57 PM »

Nice job on the wipers. Brings back memories of a set I made a while back.
Lets just leave it at "NEVER cut felt with a laser!"

vtsteam · « **Reply #595 on:** July 09, 2018, 08:03:14 AM »

Thanks PK,

I laughed when I read about the laser! I can just imagine the felt was gone in a bit of smoke. Probably didn't smell too good.

I wasn't sure that making felt wipers for the spindle was a good idea or not. I don't think the 7x12 Asian mini-lathes have them. I think they use same size plastic bearing covers without packing. I was wondering if they use O-rings instead. But a tear-down video I watched didn't show them. The spindle in this lathe is designed for a mini-lathe and purchased on sale.

The covers and felts are almost all fitted as I write this. I was a bit worried that they were too tight, because there was definite drag on the spindle with the front felt in place. But I put a few drops of oil on the felt, and there was a big reduction -- enough to feel that friction will probably disappear altogether with a little break-in time once the lathe is working. Otherwise It's pretty tricky to try to trim back a small amount of felt, once they are cut out. Well, maybe if a laser worked! (and you had one).

Thanks again PK, that was funny!

vtsteam · « **Reply #596 on:** July 09, 2018, 02:12:14 PM »

Finally finished putting the covers on!

That was a lot harder than I thought. Locating them on a round corner casting with draft, and drilling and tapping holes so they didn't interfere with the spindle or hit the spindle bore was really tricky and time consuming.

I probably could have made the clearance bore on the covers a bit wider than I did, but I used the same dimensions that the mini-lathes show for their plastic bearing covers. Since they don't use any seal or packing (to my knowledge) they show only about a mm clearance to the spindle, in order to keep swarf out.

With the hard felt seal, that opening could have been larger, which would have made locating the covers a little less of a hassle. Oh well, They're in now and I can move on.

awemawson · « **Reply #597 on:** July 09, 2018, 02:16:17 PM »

Looks very smart and has a classical look to it

S. Heslop · « **Reply #598 on:** July 09, 2018, 02:51:53 PM »

Glad to see you're back at it. It's amazing how much the paint transformed it. It looks real swish!

vtsteam · « **Reply #599 on:** July 09, 2018, 04:13:45 PM »

Andrew, thanks very kindly -- it means a lot coming from you!

I kinda like the way jewelers lathes look, and also I really love the Rolls Royce lathe (I'll find a link in a little bit), though I know I'm not at their level of workmanship. Still, I wanted to make this a personal lathe, and I like old machines, so it's kind of coming out that way. I didn't draw plans for anything except the headstock -- it's just evolved along with this thread.

Kind of ironic that I started it 3 years ago asking folks here what lathe I should buy, because I wanted to build engines right away, and the Gingery wasn't up to the job, and my Craftsman too big to fit on the bench of my tiny shop. I said I didn't want to build a lathe, because that would just delay building engines. Somehow that concept slipped..... Uhhhhhh, yes Steve it would!

When this thing is done, I am building engines

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Author Topic: Building a New Lathe (Read 509623 times)