Japanman

Not wanting to paint a picture of this lathe as rough or anything, but some of the burs I am thinking of require a file to get them off[X(]... remember, this is a $299 lathe!


Stefan

cncswiss1

burrs are ususally from tooling problems, not sharp enough, center height low/high, negative or neutral cutting edge/edge prep.. try small nose radius turning tools 5 degrees positive (or better) and nail the center height, I bet you will be pleased with the results.

hogflyer

My little $239.00 HF 7X10 does a pretty nice job. I measured the TIR at 6" from the 3-jaw - .001", not too bad for a cheap Chinese made lathe. It makes some pretty clean cuts as long as I set it up right . If I don't set things up correctly, well, the results speak for themselves [>:][].

Hogflyer

peterburford

Hey USD, just make a start with the best you can't really afford. Then start collecting tooling and go on from there.
You are into a serious-spending hobby now!
Makes car racing look budget. ( I maybe start up the Banks-Europa next week! Entered in a Supersprint in four weeks.)
Peter

D Bronk

Howdy All..Peter I want to see pics and Video..

...Cnc, I think Jman ,Means, the Burrs on the Actual Lathes` parts.Not the parts, that the Lathe Makes..

...I excercised some self discipline this week..I didn`t allow myself, to go on RCU/Computer, till I got all My Silica sand.To get it ,I had to bust a few holes, in my Basement floor, and install a Drainage, and Sump system.I needed to do this, because, sometimes the ground water gets so high, that my basement floods..[:@]..I made a Sump pit 3' round ,X 5' deep(JMAN I think I almost made it to your place), and the material I dug up ,resulted in 2 Wheelbarrows full of Super Fine, Silica Sand.There was a glass Blowing factory that was in operation near here, years ago that used this sand,It`s high Quality..Told you, it was within ,walking distance.Any how ,I dug under the floor and installed some weeping tile ,A couple Floor drains,and while I was at it, a drainage system, for the Laundry machine.All the holes/tunnels were repacked ,and lined with gravel..Once the Gravel was in place,I started to carry bags of concrete, down the stairs,to finish off the holes,that I had punched, in the floor, all over the place..That led to another Job ..I didn`t like ,the Cracking sound, the Stairs made, when I lugged, that first bag of cement into the basement...So new Stairs were made too.After all, I`m going to be carrying a lathe down them,eventually .Floor is Fixed up now.I`m not quite done yet ,have to install the pump, and ,plumb the discharge outside.So ,since I was such a good boy this week, I allowed myself, to come see what`s going on around here in RCU.

Now that I`ve got a Dry basement I`m going to set up a small work area ,with the Lathe, and a nice place ,to build Models..

..I know ,I talked about, wanting to fire up that furnace this weekend,.NOT Happening.I had a heck of a time, finding my materials for the Furnace.I finally found all the ingredients ,to make my furnace lining..So Construction Starts on that today/tommorow...

...I`ve decided not to rush the Lathe ..I`ll decide on something, for the end of next month.In the meantime ,I`m just going to hunt around ,and look for a good deal..I need to find something soon though.I`ll need to make patterns, for molds ,and cores..

D Bronk

Well today was ,Thanksgiving here in Canada..I had a full day, of Chowing down,on Turkey, stuffing,Smashed Potatoes,Cranberry sauce..and,,,PUNKIN' Pie. I didn`t do anything, with that furnace project, because, I was busy eating ,and,,,, Napping in-between, eating sessions. Without trying,I even Managed ,to put my Foot in My Mouth, twice today,by contradicting, what I posted above here, yesterday..1`stly ,by NOT ,building the Furnace, and ,2`ndly, By the, "taking my time", on Buying a Machine, thing..I Won ,MY ,260 Pound Baby ,on E-bay..A brand New ,Harbor Frieght, 8" X 12", Central Machinery ,Lathe..It is actually ,an 8"X 14"er..The Guy, who held the Auction ,is up here in Canada.He bought it a year ago,and, never used it .It`s still ,in it`s original packing ,and, was never set up.Since, it`s up North here,My shipping will be cheaper,I don`t have to pay,Currency exchange, no Taxes ,and, No Duty to Pay, either.It doesn`t have much ,for tooling,but ,it uses ,most of the 7"X series Accessories..It`s a much Beefier machine,a little more than ,3 times heavier than the 7 "X xxx`s..I`m ,pretty Pumped ,now..It`s identicle to, the LatheMaster 8"X14" lathe..I hope you guys, on the Southside of the Border, have as Good a ThanksGIVEN`er as I am/did, when it`s your turn ,for Turkey Day..Check her out here http://www.harborfrieght.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44859

YeeeHaa !!!!!!!!!!! Food ,and Toys.Just need a Good woman, and ,the day would be all," KINGS & ACES"[8D]

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

At first I thought Harbor Freight had a fancy, new web site, until I realized tha's one of those "squatter" pages.

Compare: http://www.harborfreight.com/

D Bronk

LOL..You thought, they Downsized ,and, reduced inventory to ,just 1 lathe..

Tim Wiltse-RCU

You go Dave..you da'man! Enjoy your new machine.

LAter,
Tim

D Bronk

A Metal Melting, &Transforming,Engine making, Machining Madman!!![sm=48_48.gif]

D Bronk

Well, I have had nothing but Snow falling at home, here, since the last post above.It`s put a damper, on my Furnace ,endeavors.There`s no way, I`m going to fire that thing ,in my house ,nor melt metal indoors...as for doing this outside now,I don`t want to do that either.If I go and pour a melt ,and ,happen to spill off the mold ,there`s a high chance of injury..Molten metal and water/snow, Don`t mix.We`ve nearly got a foot of snow now .. So, when the lathe Shows up,I`ll concentrate on, making some patterns,and cores.Anyone have any,, 1/2A related ideas ,that would make for a usefull project..I have some time, to think things over..Maybe, I need to make, a covered SandBox to play in this winter.Something that I can work over top of..

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

mister D, NOW I know why I don't smelt my crap [X(]

hogflyer

DB must live in a bad neighborhood - he has that guard dog protecting the car.......

DB - put some skiis on a plane and go flying........all we've seen here lately is wind, rain and more wind......

Hogflyer

D Bronk

"all we've seen here lately is wind, rain and more wind...... "HG"

That`s what are Summer was like,there was no Autumn ,went straight to winter..

"mister D, NOW I know why I don't smelt my crap "

Did that once, Never ,Again....

D Bronk

For those intrested in Small lathes,Here`s a link to info ,about the 8"x14" lathe.There`s a Neat picture, of a 7"X10" ,sitting on Top, of the 8 X 14 incher..look around

http://www.fignoggle.com/machines/8X12lathe/index.htm


...OR


http://www.fignoggle.com/machines/index.htm

...and look for the harbor 8"X12"

old git

Hi there,

At risk of "teaching my grandma to suck eggs", I made some castings in the early 60s. I used motorcycle parts (British) such as chaincases, crankcases, rocker boxes, pistons etc. These were originally cast from virgin aluminium by the manufacturer which is why they polished so well. They were cast from 11.4 Silicon Aluminium which is best for low melting temperature and good flow capability. These parts are therefore very good for re-casting into whatever you want. I suggest you use gravity cast components, forget pressure die cast bits, not so likely to work well. We used aluminium welding flux to control the oxide and slag. We found that Japanese alloy parts were not as good, they are made from mixes of scrap and virgin Al. The Japanese alloys contain more than Aluminium. It is for that reason that the Japanese parts do not polish as well as British aluminium. I've just realised I have little memory of what we used as a crucible, I think it may just have been a steel tube with a bit of steel plate arc welded onto the end. We didn't use any fancy casting sands or resins that I guess would made made fewer attempts necessary.

I remember that in College as an engineering lecturer I used to demonstrate the different melting temperatures of pure and silicon aluminium by putting a bit of 10-12% Si Al aluminium brazing rod together with 5% Si Al and a bit of pure aluminium welding rod then adding an off-cut of the material you wish to cast in a spoon (as a temporary crucible) with Al welding flux. When the spoon is heated the differences of melting temp can be seen easily.

One last comment, my Uncle ran a model shop in the late 40s - 50s and with a toolmaker partner manufactured OO Gauge railway rolling stock and other components. He poured molten metal into a damp mold and the molten metal was driven into his face by the steam produced. His eyes were not damaged but afterwards he had what appeared to be a bad case of acne.


old git - - - -aka John L.

mylamo

My Feedback: (1)

John : I recall visiting with "Gadgit" Gibbs and Carter at
Carter's shop in 1958 . They showed some beautiful castings
for racing engines. I don't remember the alloys or methods
used but the workmanship was outstanding.
Ralph

D Bronk

Hi John.I`ve been doing some research, and, have found out, that unlike steel ,as I suspected ,Aluminum,changes very little,Composition wise,from its original, Solid state ,in a Melt and Cast scenerio..I`ll be buying Powdered flux,and also injecting the molten materials with Argon.That should make, for some very respectable Castings.I have some foundry experience ,so ,I knew as soon as I seen, what you wrote about ,your Uncle pouring into a Damp Mold,was going to Happen.He was lucky.I`ve heard that many people have used a steel pipe ,and then Corked the bottom,for use as a crucible.But steel does, change your molten aluminums composition,So I`ll spend the money to buy a proper factory made crucible..My Donor metals are all old Snowmobile engine parts and some pistons ,so essentially, It will be good to use, for model engine making/building,because, they will have started as engine parts,in the first place..

Japanman

Dave- You say you`ll inject the molten metal with argon- do you mean use the argon to do a kind of injection mould?[X(]
or do you mean you`ll bubble it through the molten aluminium to stirr it up a bit?
I am on the look out here in Japan for some kind of flux. I have brazing flux but it is usually already a paste when you get it due to the high humidity here and the tendency for the stuff to attract moisture. I suppose I could put it on the metal at the beginnning of the melt before I start to heat it though....

Y`know I think you`r going to have a lot of fun with that lathe. Mine was, as I mentioned earlier pretty rough in a few places- take off the tool post and look for big walloping burs where there is a groove forged in- file them off before they cause (any more) trouble. Appart form that on my lathe I really just took off burs and rounded the edges a bit- I hate skimming my knuckels all the time on machines with unnecessarly sharp edges-
One of the biggest advaces came when I used some decent oil in the cross slides etc- after taking ALL the slop out.(i err on the tight side)

Yesterday I was machining something and I suddenly realised that my cheapo $299 lathe is significantly more accurate than any I have worked on before. All dialed up I hit 0.01mm tolerances every time. Your bigger lathe can only be better- heavier so you can take off bigger cuts- nice.

Stefan

D Bronk

..Hi Steffan. I won`t be Injecting the Mold with molten Metal..I`ll be injecting Argon into the molten metal inside the Crucible,at very low pressure.
..Getting a cut, that you are actually aiming for, within 0.01 mm. is very deadly.To get better ,you would need to hone the part.I won`t have the lathe for another 1 1/2 weeks My neighbor is picking it up for me .The Lathe is in Sudbury Ontario,and shipping would cost another $200.00..I would rather spend that money on Accessories..One of the first things,I want to get, is the milling Attachmentm that gets attached to the Saddle..Well, there`s lots of things I`ll need,the lathe dosen`t come with much..

D Bronk

..1`st : pic is the Harbor Freight model(what I bought).Shows DRO on it, the guy who owns it installed it (not included)

..2`nd: a LatheMaster model.comes with more stuff and a Splash gaurd,HF doesn`t..

..3`rd: neither model of these lathes , have a quick change gearbox.I can live with that.They do have metal gears though..

..4`th; shows a 7"X10" sitting on a misslabled 8"X14" HF lathe.


I noticed something with the difference in the tailstock just now.It appears that the HFreight tailstock, can be adjusted for tapers with out taking the Tailstock off the Bed.

D Bronk

..Rip Van Winkle (Dave) Wakes up, looks around and sees that he is back at RCU.Where did the Time Go?? At Least I didn`t Miss Christmas..Well I did as Peter Burford said," Buy as Much Lathe as I really can`t afford". At 290 Lbs the Shipping was a killer.Overall I came out pretty good Since the Lathe was new and in Canada Already..It has been sitting at my Back door for a Good month already..I got to make a stand ,chip tray,and Splash Guard,up for want to put a coolant pump on it..Just this week I bought some cutting tools,got them locally just before the price doubled..Still have things to purchase for it..But the Biggest part of the investment (?) is under the roof..Tyhe machine is the Central machinery labeled 8"X 12" ,in reality it is an 8"X 14".It doesn`t have the conveniance of a Quick Change Gear box ,but it also does not have any Plastic gears..I think She`ll work out, to be a very nice Basement Shop Machine..I haven`t even plugged it in yet ..It needs a bath to remove the shipping lubes..It will stay that way till i`m ready to Run it..I`m eager to run it ,but I have the Patience to wait also...Soon I`ll design some Cores for making the patterns and Molds,out of wood ,and see what I can come up with for a Homemade engine..I won`t be pouring any metal till spring,but in the meantime ,I`ll be making some Foundry Equipment, and tools that I will need ..

In the New year I`ll continue to horse around with the Fora 0.020" engines from Larry Driskill..The lathe will come in handy for some of those mods.. I still have Steve Adams Cox 0.020" Tee-Dee to do Timing measurments on,Ran in to a small delima when taking it apart the tank cover was Cracked around the Center screw,Probably was over tightened at one point..I never did run that engine..I`ll make a new one for that,maybe Cast Aluminum ..Is it common for those engines to Crack those covers?? Still have the Schoolboy kit from Steve ,Haven`t even glued 2 sticks together on it..The Ace simple Series Corsair has been on hold for a while now too..Last thing I did to it was Sheet in the Foam Core wing with 1/32 " balsa planking,and gave the wing tips a Scale profile..I used Weld Bond (Brand) Glue ..Made a very strong wing, and it did a Great job !!

..The Last thing Is.. I`m wishing all my RCU friends, a Very Merry Christmas ,and a Happy New Year in 2007..The 1/2A forum, is about the only place I know, that the Christmas Spirit Runs around the Clock & 365 Days a Year..Thanks to the Members, who make it this Way !!...............Dave B.

build light

Good to hear from ya again!
Merry Christmas!

One more thing you need for your lovely new machine is pinstripes!
Robert

D Bronk

LoL ..I`m thinkin`,,Flames..Or that BASF Extreme Paint that flips Colors ..Have my Licence to Shoot that Paint..The paint on the Machine is poor,it Chips and falls off easily..I doubt if the Steel was even cleaned before it was coated..Hmm ,Pinstripe Yeah, don`t have to Clean any Guns that way..In the Next couple days I`m going to have to see ,what everyones is Working on.Always something intresting go on, around here...Have a good one, Robert

digital_trucker

I'm looking very closely at the Micro-Mark lathe. It's a Seig lathe of course, but the main thing is that it has true imperial inch leadscrews (each turn advances 0.05"). From what I've been able to determine, all the other Seig lathes in different names have metric leadscrews with imperial-marked handwheels. Somehow a metric leadscrew with an imperial handwheel doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to me.