hi from notts

[Gazz292]

Hello all,

i'm Gary, known as gazz tho,
always had an interest in making things, have build 2 motorhomes, a beach buggy, re-built a few motorbikes, added a tow bar to a scooter, made a scoot rack for the motorhome then a doggy trailer so the dog could come with us when we went out on the scoot,

got a few tools in me garage, had a wood turning lathe a few years ago, but sold it as it took up too much space, and i prefered to turn bowls rther than spindles,

but i'm now looking to buy a small metal lathe, probable one of the sieg C3's under one of it's guises,
money is extremely tight for me (medicaly retired) so i'm currently selling everything i can to afford a lathe... anyone want to buy a kidney, maybe a leg or 2.... also got a brain i guess i could sell, still in it's origional packing, never been used 

Been reading through a few projects people have been doing, i abdolutely love the things 'bogstandard' does, given me a lot of inspiration.

one of the first things i want to do one the lathe when i get it, i build replicas of train control levers, for a train simulator drivers desk i'm making, i prefer to 'pretend to' drive diesel and electric loco's, and am basing the desk on a german class 120 loco,
been looking for real train control levers, but they go for silly money (1500 euro's for a power lever for a german train) so hoping to replicate one using some bits of delrin turned to the right profiles.

[saw]

Hi and welcome. 

[Stilldrillin]

Hi Gary.
Welcome to the Collective. 

All sorts of everything, made by all sorts of people here.....   

You seem to posses our type of humour. You'll do! 

Hope you soon acquire your lathe. Don't forget, we need pics. 

Enjoy!

David D

[j45on]

Welcome Gaz 

[Gazz292]

thankyou for tha warm welcome,

stuff i had on ebay went pretty well, i'm about 75 quid short of the seig C3 lathe at arc euro tools, who seem to be the cheapest for this lathe, and handily not too far from me.... tho whether one will fit in the back of a smart car remains to be seen.... i'll take me hacksaw with me just in case 

i've actually got a tow bar to fit to the smart, but havent found a suitable circular tuit yet, plus the weathers not been nice, i could clear some stuff out of the garage, but who on earth put a car in them nowadays.

of course i need to budget for the tools to use on the lathe and some bits of metal/plastics to play with, but the first few days will be spent stripping it down, cleaning it up, and putting it backtogether properly, and adjusting it all up.
so that should keep me occupied for a little while,

[dsquire]

thankyou for tha warm welcome,

.... tho whether one will fit in the back of a smart car remains to be seen.... i'll take me hacksaw with me just in case 

Be careful where you use the hacksaw on the Smart Car. Wouldn't want to let the magic smoke out would we. 

Cheers 

Don

[andyf]

Hi gazz, and welcome from me too 

You might consider this:
http://www.amadeal.co.uk/acatalog/7_X_14.html .

Same 7x14 format as Arc Euro's standard C3, but made by Real Bull(!) rather than Sieg. Some say the overall fit and finish of RBs are a bit better than Seigs (I wouldn't know). Part are mostly interchangeable. The Amadeal offering has a 4" rather than 3" chuck. Price is a bit less, but there would be a charge for shipping unless you could get up to London to collect.

Andy

[krv3000]

HI gazz and welcome jump in and have fun     

[Brass_Machine]

Hiya Gazz 

Welcome to the collective

Let us know how it goes getting your lathe.

You could always rip the engine out of the Smart and drop a Suzuki Hayabusa engine in... 

Eric

[Gazz292]

Now youve thrown a spanner in the works, i was all set to get a sieg C3,
the real bull one looks a little better, larger motor, but not much info on it to be honnest... i.e. does it still use a 2 speed gearbox and the motor is a brushed DC motor,

i saw that there is a C3 super, that has a 500 watt brushless motor, no need for a 2 speed box so there isnt one, but it's 100 quid more, and arc dont have any in stock.


RE: the smart... i'm not a speed demon anymore, sold me motorbikes when my hips got worse, so now i'm happy to pootle about using as little fuel as possible, hence my smart has the diesel engine shoved up its bum, waited 5 years for them to bring out the right hand drive diesels, and i got one of the first ones available over here,
i didnt pay for it mind.... my parents did, they had put my brother through uni, so bought me a car.

[andyf]

Now youve thrown a spanner in the works, i was all set to get a sieg C3,
the real bull one looks a little better, larger motor, but not much info on it to be honnest... i.e. does it still use a 2 speed gearbox and the motor is a brushed DC motor,

Hi Gazz,

The Real Bull is the same design as the Sieg (both clones of some long-forgotten Russian machine, it is said). There are detail differences; the saddle is square on one and H shaped on the other, the RB has a nut on the end of the leadscrew to adjust its end float (the threaded stub which the nut goes on gives a good start towards fitting a handwheel on the leadscrew) and the RB has a sprinkling of oil ports to help with lubricating the leadscrew and saddle. The RB is available with a 4" spindle flange to take the larger chuck. The 2-speed gearbox is exactly the same. 

As an example of the general interchangeability of parts, a pal of mine has fitted a 4" RB spindle bought from Amadeal to his Seig C3: http://mikesworkshop.weebly.com/headstock-upgrade.html

Choices, choices....

Andy

[Gazz292]

I can see the bigger chuck is a deffinate advantage,

and the real bull has a more powerfull motor, but apeers to not have a cam lock tail stock, tho it's pretty easy to modify i guess... something to do on the lathe when i get it, along with making up metal wheels to replace the plastic ones on the tailstock and saddle.

I'm now leaning heavily towards the real bull (naff name, but i have a vinyl cutter, so can soon change it to something even naffer 

Need to find a few more things to sell on ebay (anyone need any halstead finest gold boiler bits, got heat exchangers, valves, pump, fans etc then measure the smart and see if it'll fit in the boot, or i need to take the trailer, and a trip to laandahhhn is in order me thinks.

I see he does a quick change tool holder for 33 quid or so, is it any good? it dosent look like the ones i see for double that money, i.e. no big lever sticking out to operate the piston to lock the holders in place.

[andyf]

The tailstock should be easy to modify, Gazz. If you look at Arc Euro's pic of the C3, theirs seems to be basically the same casting, but with a lever and a cam arrangement to pull up a plate under the bedways, hence clamping the tailstock.

Dunno about the QCTP. I have a cheapo one of a different design, which isn't perfect but much better than no QCTP at all. You need to check the availability of extra toolholders; if my experience is anything to go by, you will need at least 10. I make my own, but this would be difficult without a milling machine. There are DIY QCTPs which can be made entirely on the lathe.

Andy