Vertical slide question for Mr John B. Standard..

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John Hill:

--- Quote from: bogstandard on March 30, 2009, 03:58:32 PM ---John,

There is enough metal to drill and tap the top face, but that would be your decision not mine.

John

--- End quote ---

Aw gee John, I was gonna invite you over for a beer one afternoon and tell you to bring your taps! :)

bogstandard:
Sorry such a terse reply John, trying to catch up a bit before it gets too late.

Couldn't have an afternoon power nap because the witch from next door came visiting, so feeling a lot tired and grumpy.

Let us know how you decide to proceed, and if you are paying for the air fair, I don't mind a few days out visiting, to drill and tap a few holes, but I can't drink the beer.

John

John Hill:
Oh, I think you misunderstand me John, I did not take your response as at all terse, sorry I came across that way. :bow: And our beer is not so bad, we can even warm it up for you if you like! :ddb: (On a more serious note, I can not drink much beer myself nowadays and I guess some of the treatments I have had in the last few years have long term effects.)

Having endured several trips to the antipodes (UK and Europe that is) I would not wish a return visit on anyone! Thirty or more hours sitting in the one chair (which for most people is far too small for them), watching about 6 movies, eating 5 breakfasts, two dinners and a couple of lunches is not my idea of fun. One trip I did to Prague was 46 hours door to door. But if you are ever tempted just bear in mind that Los Angeles, or Singapore, are not even half way to where I live!

Realisticly, I expect not much will come of my musings regarding vertical slides. I seem to spend a lot of time thinking about cheap ways to do things then wind up either doing nothing or buying the real thing. The only reason I wound up with this 'big' lathe is because I had a feeling that the similiar priced lathe/mill combinations were probably neither a good lathe nor a good mill.

bogstandard:
John,

I bought 18 cans of beer at New Year, there are 16 left, and I could only manage 1/2 a can before throwing it away, my mate had the other one. So if anyone visits, there is beer here, it might be a bit out of date, but who is worried about dates on a can.

The way I showed with the plate, IMHO is the way to try things like this out. Can be chopped and changed about to get the right position without any damage to the lathe at all. A bit of plate must be cheaper than a new cross slide.

I think I have explained before about why I chose this lathe, it was basically the largest one I could fit into the space I had, plus with it being a new model based on a 15 year or so old design, there couldn't be much wrong with it mechanically, as they should have sorted those out years ago. What I didn't realise was that it wasn't the old design that caused any problems, but the 'new' bits they fitted to bring it up to date. Mainly chuck guard, coiled leadscrew cover, DRO head fitment and Chesters own conversion to double the range of spindle speeds the machine had.

After a few months of gentle persuasion from myself, the leadscrew cover was removed and a new, much larger chuck guard was fitted at their factory (to a new lathe, which was then swapped with my old one, which also had a few manufacturing faults). All problems have now been addressed except for the drive belt swapover. That will eventually be remedied when I can get welding facilities organised to weld up the tension system I have designed for for belt swapping (a thing that is not required on your machine).

Once that mod has been done, apart from making sure the threading is up to scratch, this machine will be, for me, the dogs dangly bits. More accurate, powerful and easy to use than anything I envisioned I would ever need.

So I hope you can now realise, after getting the machine to such a good state, I am very reluctant to drill holes willy nilly all over it, and is why I attempt to stop people doing the same things to their machines, by suggesting other methods to do the job.

If I do a mod on this lathe, it has to work first time, if I can't guarantee that to myself, it doesn't get done.

I use that rule for all my machines, and any I work on.

You have basically the same machine as I have, and even though you bought it as a 'second thought', you have in your possession, IMHO, a lathe, that if looked after, will satisfy all your needs, and last you a lifetime.

Now is the time for my power nap, might be surfing again about 3am BST.

John

John Hill:
Understand perfectly regarding drilling holes etc in the machine, so far I have managed to get the cable DROs on and a couple of little things like my 'improved' compound holding bolts (that dont need a spanner) etc and the closest I have come to 'butchery' was to put a very heavy downward force on the outlet of the chip/drip pan so that the coolant can find its way home.

I didnt get a lead screw cover though it would be nice when doing 'dirty' jobs like I was yesterday turning some kafeka (tropical hardwood from the island of Niue where I used to live in the early 70s) however a plastic wash-up brush soon got all that crud off the lead screw.

All things considered I am now looking at these :

my thinking is that by making a vertical plate which will attach to the travel steady mount and be braced back to the cross slide (maybe utilising the tool post mount) I would have X,Y and Z. But no swivel though I could get some vertical swivel by making a swivel attachment to my mounting plate. The 'table' would be mounted with the single handle uppermost, that would give me be 125mm vertical and 200 horizontal movement. The lathe cross slide would not do anything.

Seems the best idea so far and would cost just a little under a hundred quid and would not require any alteration to the as yet virgin lathe, but I am still thinking. I am also telling myself that the compound table would also be useful if/when I ever get a real mill.

I must remember next time I buy a 'slab' of beer to send half to you as your rate of consumption is about the same as mine. :beer:

Have a good kip John.

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