Tuning a new lathe

[Shepherduke]

  Has anyone any advice for the tuning and stting up of a new lathe please?
  All advice gratefully received.  Shepherduke

[bogstandard]

Hi Kevin,

Can you tell us what model of lathe you are getting, then we will have some idea as to types of gibs that are fitted, plus someone might also have the same model of lathe that they already have done all the hard work on. Almost each different model of lathe has quirky bits on it.

If you can, beforehand, get yourself some slideway oil and some general purpose lube. Oil is a lot cheaper than replacing worn out parts. A 1litre bottle of each should last you a couple of years of normal use.

http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Chronos_Catalogue_Oils__Lubricants___Adhesives_etc_124.html


John

[dsquire]

Shepherduke

Welcome to MadModder. If you could tell us the brand and model of the lathe I am sure that others with the same or similar lathe will be glad to help you as to what to watch out for etc. Reading the manual would be a good first step although most times they are of little use. A good cleaning of old or shipping grease is a good start. A couple of pictures of your lathe would be a good start to get acquainted with the gang here at MadModder. 

Cheers 

Don

[Shepherduke]

Sorry John and Don, , my previous answer seems to have got lost. The lathe is a 7x14 model made by Real Bull, which it seems is the basic "chassis" of several well known lathes which have been re-badged in various guises. I can't send a photgraph yet as I haven't received the lathe, but like the Scouts motto, I wanted to "Be Prepared"! Thanks for answering, I'm hoping to learn quite a lot on this forum. Kevin

[John Hill]

Hi Kevin

Is this the one?







Quite a story on getting and setting on up at:
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Reviews/Big_dog/bigdog2.htm

[bogstandard]

Kevin,

Lots of info about the mini-lathe, here is some more from the same site.

http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Tuning/tuning.htm


John

[75Plus]

Another site with a good info is the Little Machine Shop. They have a down loadable operators manual.
Here is the site.

http://littlemachineshop.com/Info/MiniLatheUsersGuide.pdf

Joe

[andyf]

These might be useful:

http://www.toolsandmods.com/mini-lathe-mods.html

http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/

Andy

[cedge]

Shep
One of the most important mods I made to mine was a simple dimple in top of the cross slide nut. You'll notice there are 3 screw in the top of the cross slide. The outer two tip the bronze nut to take the slack out of the screw threads. The center screw pushes down on the nut to remove slack in the dial.

If you drill a small dimple into the spot where the center screw contacts this nut, it prevents the nut from being able to slide beneath the screw. It only needs to be deep enough to accept the end of the screw. There are dozens of different mods on line that "remove" backlash, but this one was the only one I ever found that actually did what it said it was supposed to do.

Steve

[khand]

First thing I would do is check the headstock alignment. Gadgetbuilder shows how to do this on his web site. Also lap the gibs and adjust the apron. Then you may want to check the tailstock for alignment. Just a few of the main things to get you going. I'll see if I can find Martin Kale's page. This guy went to extremes tuning up his lathe.

[Shepherduke]

Yes John, that is the lathe. Thank you all very much for your information and answers.  Regards, Kevin

[bogstandard]

Kevin,

I think you now have enough info to chew on for the time being. 

So you should now be able to get it set up correctly.

The next questions I suspect will be how do I use it correctly.

When you get to that stage, don't be afraid to ask, and I am sure you will get the same sort of response as you got this time. 


John

[Shepherduke]

 Thanks John, as you say quite a bit to get through.  Having said that, I'll know where to come if I get stuck!  ATB Kevin.