AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks Paul. I looked at that one and drooled over it for a while before I pulled the trigger on the Taig.

Harbor Freight has a nice lathe but it is more expensive than the Taig and it is made in China. It is bigger with a higher HP motor than the Taig and Sherline. It is very difficult to get parts for it should you need them.

There are US companies that make accessories for it though. You can get quick change tool posts and other accessories.

Andy

MRadu

Hey thanks Paul,

I checked out the web site and found that it is $549.99 and another $49.99 for some extra tools. Andy what are your thoughts? The product is made by Central Machinery.

Michael

AndyF

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Michael,

It is a nice looking unit, and I drooled over it for a while. My biggest issue is that its Chinese made, and parts are hard to get if you need them. From the comments, the lathe can be trued and it does work well. Some people received damaged units and had to return them and to get another one, which isn't bad if you picked it up at your local store. If you have to order it online it can be a hassle. I have bought a lot of Harbor Freight stuff over the years and most is good for light/medium duty operation, I bought a 90 Amp flux welder (like a MIG without the gas) for $89 and it will work well for the little bit of welding I need to do once or twice a year. I'm sure it will last 10 years.

If I had not found my Taig at such a good price I probably still wouldn't have one. I bought mine used for $275 and then paid the same guy another $90 for about $350 of retail value of additional accessories. What I bought for $365 Would have cost over $800 brand new. I would never have spend that much money up front. My wife would have killed me. I used my airplane money that I got from the RC swap meets that I go to during the fall and winter.

Having said all of that, if I had the money and could pick one up at the store and check it over before I left, the Harbor Freight lathe is a nice piece.

Andy

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

A much better source is from Grizzly Tools. The service and support is outstanding and they have spare parts. I have the G4003G Gunsmiths lathe with large throat opening. I can fit 1 5/8 shaft through the head. http://www.grizzly.com/search/?s=cat...ce%3aascending

I am turning a cylinder for a radial. I built the clear lexan shroud over the whole chuck and bed of the lathe so it contains all the chips and water at high speeds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWJ9HChgBBQ&list=UUGRJYbD3SpI2gDTQRPQgcYg

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Propworn,

That looks like a nice one. Maybe someday I can graduate to a big lathe.

I would love to have the skills to attempt something like that.

Andy

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

Andy before I bought this one I had an old second hand Atlas belt drive I had to change the gearing for each thread. Light cuts and take your time and you can still do the same things with the small lathes. Grizzly even sells a small one of similar size to the Harbor Freight but I would bet the support and availability of parts is much better. They have a little 4X6 micro lathe for about $400. http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-x-...al-Lathe/G0745 and a combo mill/lathe for about $1500 http://www.grizzly.com/products/Combo-Lathe-Mill/G4015Z

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks Propworn.

Is the lathe sold by Grizzly.com the same as the one from Harbor Freight? Except for the color they look very similar.

Andy

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

Most of the Chinese lathes look very similar. Not sure if they are the same. I don’t think so as the quality between the larger Chinese look a likes are quite varied. I am a toolmaker by trade over 40 plus years in the trade. I would have liked to purchase a true North American made lathe but could not justify the cost. I looked at many of the offshore brands. Many of them looked very similar with identical specifications. This made it hard to make a choice. I was able to run a few including a Grizzly a fellow had locally. The gear train, shifting mechanisms and levers on the carriage of the Grizzly felt smoother and more robust than the others. The fellow who had the Grizzly said he had to order belts for his some 6 years after the purchase and he had them within a week. I was able to talk directly to Grizzly support and they confirmed they try and keep parts in stock for longer than normal times. Based on this I ordered my lathe and I have been more than pleased with it. One problem I experienced was a tight spot in the three jaw chuck. They immediately sent me a replacement and told me to keep the old one they did not need it back as shipping cost would exceed the value of the chuck. I live in Canada so this was all done cross border with no problems at all. I would definitely deal with them again.

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

Please what ever lathe you decide on pay close attention to the threading/feed abilities, some are not capable of threading at all. Some do not have a feed for turning which makes it hard to produce a even finish. I know you can use a tap or die to do the threading but there are many times I have repaired or made threads that I would have had to purchase a tap or die to do the job. This ability to reproduce many thread pitches and feeds is what will drive the cost of the machine.

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks that's great advice. This is my Taig with a NEMA 23 stepper power feed. The guy that I got the power feed from makes a setup for the head stock that allows for asynchronous and synchronous operation. He says with that setup you can make any kind of thread available and even some you think up on your own. I have no experience with that kind of thing so I don't fully understand what he's taking about. I still in the early stages of learning.

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

I have used the Taig lathe before and it’s a fine small lathe. One of the better models available and it will probably take care of 99% of your requirements. A few things I might mention. The hand wheel for the lead screw looks close to the wood top it might prove awkward for your hand. More important is the two electrical considerations I see. The electronics on the top right might suffer damage when you start machining metal and the chips begin to fly around. Also the plug box facing upwards might end up with chips in the plug openings.

I have seen miniature cannons, working scale steam engines and terrific looking and working engineering projects made with nothing more than the Taig lathe and mill. It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you take your time.

Some interesting links for you.

http://www.micro-machine-shop.com/

http://homepage3.nifty.com/amigos/index-e.html

http://www.micromark.com/

http://www.toolsandmods.com/

Very large resource index
http://www.cartertools.com/

http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCResourcesInd.htm

Strictly IC model engines and how to articles.
http://www.strictlyic.com/

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the Links PropWorn.

The most complex part that I have made so far is the compass housing. It has a flanged face and an elongated ball shape for the housing I bored out the center where the compass wheel will go and I turned a brass bezel for the front of it. I'll post pictures of it in a day or two. I have also turned a small pulley for the torque tube, and some bezels for the instrument panel. You can find pictures of them throughout this thread.

Andy

BobH

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Andy, not trying to hijack your thread . Just wanted to show you some metal work from my pup.

valleyk

Finally someone makes a cowl that does not stick out so un-scale like. Nice job your detail is over the top. just some advice about incidence please put a little negative incidence to the top wing. I have both wings at neutral and need constant elevator correction when flying. Also two degrees right and down thrust helps with tracking. One thing I found when flying is at final approach the plane likes to flair by itself making landings so much fun. My GTM Fokker is another story. Here is a clip of my plane that has half the detail...read no parachute very good book.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB4DrPOCTFI

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

Nice work on Chin Chow. ! Who's kit is that? Mine is a JW 1/3 kit. Yes the cowl is the right size. Or so it seems. I added the cable groves to the cowl and the side parts. The kit uses screws to attach them.. ugh.
FYI my engine is the Evo 160 7 cly radial.

FYI, all the full scale WWI planes need down elevator when fling. Its a function of the under camber and lots of lift generated by the wings.
I'm not going to off set the engine.. It'll be rigged per the full scale plane. My bud has the book..no parachute.. he told me it was a great read

valleyk

Well I got this balsa usa model from someone who had it in an attic for twenty years and the wood was rotting so needed a complete overhaul. I rebuild it like GTM kit with brace wires in fuselage and scale hinges. Came in at forty pounds and took two years to build so maybe starting with a JW kit would have been the better way to go. I used a da 100 for power.

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

OK. well it still looks pretty good. Yes lots of work I imagine. I'm guessing it flies well

valleyk

Flies ok and lands great. You will find that making a turn requires rudder first then aileron in the direction and opposite to prevent rollover still feeding in rudder. Its not a bank and yank plane. I have realflight 7 simulator that really nails the flight characteristics of the sopwith pup and I recommend it highly for training.

BobH

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Sounds like it flies just like my SE5a.. Rudder is a must for turns ..

AndyF

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Hi Bob,

No problems, feel free to post your pictures too. It makes the thread more interesting.

Your cowl looks great. How did you put the groove in the edge of your cowl? I want to do that too.

What kit is that? I love the scale detail of the framing.

Andy

AndyF

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Your plane is beautiful ValleyK. Great work!

Andy

AndyF

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Bob,

That is very nice! I am not familiar with JW where did you get it?

Andy

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

Andy,
Vogelsang aeroscale carries the planes..
Here's a picture of the tool I used to make the grove. I bought it at Harbor Freight cheap and cut the front section off.
You can see the slot and punch on the tool. The spacing is suck that when the sheet metal is against the jaw closure you hare about the right spacing for the cowl grove.. pretty neat.. I also used it for the side groves too.

AndyF

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks Bob!

I just got back from our monthly club meeting.

I have an expensive version of that tool. That I use for crimping terminals.

I was thinking of turning a couple of steel wheels on the lathe one would come to a blunted point and the other would have a matching groove. I would mount them to a couple of steel bars and use some kind of clamp mechanism to force them together. The idea is that I would roll them around the edge of the cowl to produce the groove, but I like this idea as it is simpler.

I have been on the Voglelsang site before, in fact, I bought his 1/3 scale turnbuckles and some 1/16" wire thimbles to use on my pup.

Where did you get your engine? It is a beauty!

Andy

BobH

My Feedback: (2)

I has a similar idea. they do make a tool that creates goves in sheet metal. It works very much like you described. The problem is that all the wheels they supply make the grove too large for our purposes.
Plus I don't know how difficult it is to keep the cowl aligned if working alone?
The crip method does work. I made the grove deep only to discover that it made adding the side parts so that it all fit around the wood parts was a bother.
The JW kit's wood is sized to have the top and side bits screwed into place. The cowl is then attached to a fixture in the front. This becomes a butt joint and not overlapping like the Full scale is.. So.. i had to make the grove in the wood and reduce the diameter of the whole front for everything to fit..