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KiwiJohn Guru Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: New ZealandPosts: 691
Posted: 08:21am 19 Jan 2009
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Hi Bryan
No, I am on grid, city dweller actually, farm boy long ago!
A mill capability would be nice and I probably have most of the pieces here in the form of an X-Y table and vice but its a bit sloppy for any accurate work. Maybe I could make finer screws and come more screws to adjust the gibs. I would need an accurate right angle to mount on the cross slide and that would be it I think.
I really, really are a newcomer to this sort of work so I need to get the basics of turning under my belt first!
Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1460
Posted: 08:45am 19 Jan 2009
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Hiya John,
Ok mate go cut ya teeth on the lathe and make sure you read some books first and learn simple equations like cutting speed, different metal to machining relationships etc. I do have the castings here for the myford vertical slide and I was thinking of scaling it up for larger homeshop lathe's. I do have a local foundry here that owes me a few castings after I dropped 5 ton of scrap CI.
For turning a lathe into a mill you will need a tee-slotted cross slide so you can accomadate clamping jobs on the cross slide. Once you have that a rear parting tool, slotting attachment etc can be extra tooling that can be used.
Basically I learnt to use a lathe when I was 8yrs old and mate once you know the basic's you can make anything if your head is screwed on.
Best of luck learning this age old trade and DO beware of the traps... If you see an old guy who was a machinist and has all his fingers and other body parts intact you'll know he was good.
I do have over 50 years of the model engineer mag here so really any project has already been covered and would just need scaling up to suit your bigger lathe.
Cheers Bryan
GWatPE Senior Member Joined: 01/09/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2127
Posted: 11:58am 19 Jan 2009
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Hi kiwijohn,
Here are some pics of the coil winding former I made using a lathe. There are no round turned surfaces. All the pieces were machined while set up in the tool holder. The unit was made from the inside out.
This is a pic of the assembled unit.
This is a pic of an exploded view.
I used a 35mm slot drill as the cutting tool.
Gordon.
PS: edit I noticed some things in the photos. These are solid steel, for durability. Alu, and plastic did not work.
I made several of these moulds. This one is a little rusty now. The mould was modified to wind a 3phase coil, hence the filing marks on the exploded view.
The coils were glued, while in the mould. This is why there are so many pieces, that can all come apart.
Edited by GWatPE 2009-01-20become more energy aware
Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904
Posted: 02:39pm 19 Jan 2009
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Here's another future lathe project for you kiwijohn
As you can see, your imagination is the limit what you can make on a lathe.
KlausKlaus
KiwiJohn Guru Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: New ZealandPosts: 691
Posted: 01:32am 21 Jan 2009
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That looks like an interesting project Klaus!
I searched the town today looking for a fly cutter or an end mill (morse #3) that I could use to trim this tool holder down, huh! It seems this town that used to be able to make railway locomotives, cars, trucks, toasters and alarm clocks has no manufacturing going on and noone to support them, the best I could buy was some 1/4" HSS and tonight for my first project I will try to make a fly cutter.
Around about next Christmas SWMBO will be asking what I have managed to make on my new lathe... Edited by KiwiJohn 2009-01-22
KiwiJohn Guru Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: New ZealandPosts: 691
Posted: 07:57am 21 Jan 2009
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Well it took me about half an hour to make the fly cutter, a while to test it on various bits of metal then I tried milling down the oversize tool holder. It worked quite well except one end is about .6mm thicker than the other, obviously I did not have it square in the clamp but there is enough meat left to correct that when I figure out how to get it accurate in the holder, tomorrow I guess.
Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1460
Posted: 08:46am 21 Jan 2009
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Hiya John,
I saved a pic of your lathe and it does look like a similar size cross slide to my big lathe. I have a pattern for casting here so I can get 2 made and rought out the the casting. I can send you some books over but you would have to agree to a loan first. I've been burnt once by a local bloke once and to say I'm put off is wrong, I do like to help people in the R.E World and it doesn't matter what country. If you would like my help just singout and get ya butt into IRC and we can nut it out.
Cheers Bryan
Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904
Posted: 02:26pm 21 Jan 2009
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Just show her the many adapters you've made for your new toy by then KlausKlaus
KiwiJohn Guru Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: New ZealandPosts: 691
Posted: 06:08pm 21 Jan 2009
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Thanks Bryan for the offer but I think I will pass on it just now.
Cheers
John
Klaus, I hope by then I also have a nice big pile of swarf to show her how industrious I have been.
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