The Shop > Tools

My ideal solution

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bogstandard:
For a while now, I have had a dream, where I can cross machine between the lathe and the RT on the mill. With only a few seconds setup time between the two.

When these little items became available a while back.




These bits are designed to allow a Myford spindle nose to be fitted to an RT that has a 2MT thru hole.


My mind started turning over like an old clockwork motor (with added rust).

During my recent, and still carrying on workshop rebuild, I have been knocking together my 'ideal' system.


Before anyone does it

 :worthless:

I will be in the shop for an hour or so tomorrow, so I will take a few piccies of my system.

John

Brass_Machine:
I am curious to see where this goes. I am having a hard time visualizing it. Sounds promising though.

Eric

bogstandard:
Having dragged my almost lifeless body for two miles thru thick snow and ice, I reached my shop, but had forgotten my pictaker, so I had to do it all over again. If it hadn't been for Bandit and his brandy barrel around his neck, I would have got there sooner, crawling while inebriated is not a pretty site. I just hope you lot appreciate what I go thru for the sake of one of these posts.

As I said in my last post, the little myford converters make everything possible for me.

So here we go with the system.

First off, wack a 5MT to 2MT adapter up the spout of the lathe, quickly followed by the converter.
If using this setup on a lathe, you put a piece of threaded rod from the back of the converter, thru the spindle and put a washer and locknut on the back. This stops it falling out of the spindle half way thru a machining job.




Here are the other two bits of equipment I want to use in the setup. The dividing head already has a myford thread machined onto it, and it was that which gave me the idea to use that as a standard fitting. The RT had one of the converters fitted (they can be removed in a couple of minutes if needed).




So basically, I can fit a chuck to the lathe (either a 3 or 4 jaw self centering) with a choice of inside, outside or soft jaws. The part is then machined using the lathe, then the chuck is spun off (still with the job in the jaws) and quickly transferred to either of the units on the mill. You will notice that the backplate is slightly proud of the chuck. When I was fitting the chuck, I machined the outside of the backplate at the same time I made the spigot for the chuck. This extra protrusion is if I want to clock up while in the mill, any errors will then be in the chucks as supplied, and there is not much you can do about that anyway. I have checked this system out, and I have no more than 0.002" TIR, which is an acceptable tolerance.



You may ask why I don't fit a 4 jaw independent to a backplate and fit that, like a lot of our colonial cousins do.

In my mind, there are two ways to inflict uneccessary pain upon oneself, the first is going to bed wearing barbed wire pyjamas, with extra sharp points in the nether regions, the second is fitting a 4 jaw independent to an RT. I would choose the first option anytime. If I needed to get something that close, I would look at every other method of doing it first.

You also say about this setup, you are losing the faceplate feature of the RT. Not so, another backplate was machined up to make one that is detachable and more versatile. See the next pic.

There were 42 4mm holes tapped into that steel plate, I just thank the person who invented the battery powered portable drill. Half an hour, and I had them all tapped perfectly. Just got to make a few clamps and it is ready for business.




This shows the full universal setup, all bits fit between themselves and the lathe.



This isn't a perfect setup for everyone, the first is that you must have a use for it, as I do.

The second is the Linda Lovelace effect. You have to have a deep throat between the milling spindle and table to accomodate the extra height of the RT or dividing head.

I showed you this so that it might inspire a few of you to try to make adaptable tooling that can be transferred between machines. If done correctly, machining and setup times can be drastically reduced.

While I was machining backplates, I also did another bit of tooling that can be used by almost anyone who has a lathe and has a call to machine large tubes or billets of material, without putting a centre drilling in the end.

This is nothing new, and I made it because I had a spare 80mm 3 jaw knocking about.
But it is fairly easy to do, and adds to your arsenal to murder more bits of metal.

Back end.




Business end.



It is a rotating tailstock chuck.


John

Divided he ad:
Well I sure like the set up John.... But as I said the other day... And as you said here (in a fashion)  The gap between spindle and bed are the issue on little machines like mine!!

Still I really like this... Once I finally upgrade my premises I'll be looking for larger machines and the inovative tooling to go with it  ;D



Ralph.

Bernd:
Didn't understand at first what you were doing John, but then realized you have a cam lock for your chuck on the lathe. That's why the morse taper and threaded part, right?.

Nice set of tools you got there by the way. I'm having a bit of tool envy.  :clap:

Bernd

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