RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Bigboat: I read the data on that web-site. Looks like about 41-42 inches long...289 pounds 9 1/2 inch swing and will turn about a 22 inch long piece of stock. Yup...That is a nice Lathe for sure. It looks to be built in China also. Hope they start selling them here. Capt,n

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Most lathe coming from China, you can even chose your own name for the lathe if you import enough :D
BTW, I have the CQ9325A, get all extra's for nothing and pay only 600 euro.
I can't find the China price anywhere.

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Hey Lathe Guys.....can you give me a good tip. I want to get a boring tool for aluminum to bore out holes of 3/8 dia to just over a inch. What type do you think will work good and is worth getting for the price. Maybe a set???? Thanks Capt,n[:-]

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Capt,n

I have carbide insert tools but I prefer to use HSS tools I grind myself. The finish is better IMHO. I know Little Machine Shop has HSS tools you can buy individually or as a set. I bought a bunch of used bits on Ebay that I regrind to fit my job. You could also drill the hole close before boring. I also like to use an end mill to rough the hole. Saves time boring the flat inside the hole.

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

I was thinking about using a end-mill. I would use it in tailstock....right? Thanks Capt,n

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

You are correct. Chuck it in the tailstock and feed it in slowly. Depending on what it is or what it is you are making you may want to finish bore the hole to size. I use them to set the depth and size of the holes at the beginning of the taper and at the end of the taper on a hub then finish bore the size and taper needed. Kind of like connecting the dots. Works well for me. Either way you would still need a boring bar or tools.

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

tim220225: Kinda looks like I am going to need a 4 jaw chuck now. I cannot seem to center the flywheel in the 3 jaw chuck to remove equal amounts off each side when boring. Is it possible to shim under at least one chuck jaw to center workpiece? I did make a sort of a boring tool. It seems to work so far. Thanks Capt,n[img] Note...Flywheel is for a 25cc GT engine

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Shimming is an option but accuracy may be a challenge with a 3 jaw. Are you trying to bore the hole bigger where the nut currently goes to hold the flywheel to the shaft or, cut the ridge down where the hub will seat? If you had a face plate you could attach the flywheel to it then indicate the hole in to center then bore the hole.

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Hey Capt,n

Can you set up the flywheel on an old engine shaft? If so, first turn the OD of the flywheel on the shaft just enough to true it in. Than you should be able to chuck on the clean OD with your 3 jaw and bore the ID as needed.

Of you have the patience you may be able to cheat your 3 jaw in if it's adjustable. Some chucks can be tweaked and some can not. If yours is than you may be in luck.
In some cases you can shim the jaw and tweak the chuck enough to center the hole for boring.

I would think that concentricity is more of a goal as this will limit the amount of balancing needed on you finished product. Turning the OD first will be the best method of insuring decent concentricity.

What I'm not sure of is weather it's a good idea to turn the magnets that are cast into the flywheel. I would think that it is not an issue as long as you can still get the coil gap set correctly. Just something to think about.

Rich

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

I'm with Ross 3951 on the out of round OD thing killing you. When I was setting a mag gap recently, I noticed how out of round the OD of my flywheel was (Hom45). I'd check that out. MIKE

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Thanks for the ideas guys. I got to dig through my engine parts and see if I can find a crank with the right taper to mount the flywheel on. I think I can clean up what looks to be a 1/4 inch wide without cuting into the magnet part. That should give me a good on center way of using the 3 jaw chuck...I hope! Best Regards Capt,n;)

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

What is the magnet made of?? If it is sentered iron, or a rare earth magnet, you may end up with a real mess, and distroy the magnet in the process. Even if you can machine it OK, the chips are going to be a problem. It would seem to me that the magnet should need to be machined. If the flywheel is out of round, it seem reasonable that the magnet is on the high spot otherwise you would have trouble

Capt,n you just got to get you a four jaw. About the only way you can get a good cut on a three jaw is if they have machinable jaws and you true the jaws up just before chucking your work. If you use a crank for an arbor, make sure you dial it in before mounting the flywheel. What you could do though if the crank has shafts on both ends is to mount it between centers and use a dog to drive it. If the ends aren't banged up, the center drills would give you the best accuracy that you can get, that is how the crank was turned to begin with. If you don't have a face plate, you could open the jaws of your three jaw fully and be able to stick a center into the nose of the spindle. Then, either with a dog, or the likes, drive the crank of a jaw of the chuck.

Don

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

That was one of my concerns. Just how hard are the magnets to machine? The answer is that a file will cut into them on a homelite 25. They are harder than the aluminum that they are mounted in and I was more concerned about tool deflection or to be more exact, I think the flywheel will deflect on the modified crank shaft arbor. But I think a few thousands per cut to true up the OD with a HSS cutting tool and some coolant will work fine. A TIR of .003 to .005 would be fantastic however a little more will not kill you.

Concentricity and balance of the flywheel would be something that I would consider to be imperative. This may improve any vibration issues.

It would be nice to have a 4 jaw chuck. There's no doubt about that. I personally would buy an electronic ignition system from CH before spending money on a 4 jaw. As for the Capt,n ... that's his choice. My opinion is that he can get the results he is looking for with a little ingenuity and some clever set ups.

Rich

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

I am going to sell all of my equipment including the cnc mill if anyone is interested you can go to my site and see pics of most of them

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

HF has a 4 jaw for the 9x20 that is ~$50. It is a replacement part for 9x20's, and I think you have to get it from parts department. 9x20's used to include one. It is cheesy and looks like the wood lathe part. If the thread is the same you could use it.
The magnets were the low spot on my FW. IE: set it up for a minimum clearance (a sheet of printer paper) at the magnets, it would hit on the other side. With it on a crank one could easily find the high and low spots with an indicator. You may not have to touch the magnets at all. MIKE

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Well I looked at all the engine parts I have and cannot match the taper on this Toro flywheel to any crank I have. So its off to the repair shops to find a crank I can salvage. capt,n

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Capt,n I would try some sort of face plate. You could make one if need be. Then all you need to do is make some slots in it to bolt the flywheel to. Indicate it in to center and turn it as you need to. You could use a mandrel or arbor to chuck to. Get one with a threaded hole or drill and tap the hole to attach a plate to. The more of these you do the more the face plate will come in handy so you don't need to have a crank to mount to.

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

I tried to order a face plate from Harbor Freight today. I guess it may be 6-8 weeks to get one? So I am going to try and find one sooner from a different vender...if I can locate one that has it in stock. Thanks Capt,n

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Hey Capt,n try this link. http://littlemachineshop.com/product...2544&category= you can unbolt your chuck for this or buy another chuck mounting plate.

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

tim220225: Thanks for the tip. I will call them tomorrow. Best Regards Capt,n;)

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Mike, For $50.00 I would think that you'd get what you pay for... be careful. But it less than an electronic ignition and it is cheep enough that it would be worth having.

tim220225, Good call. Looks like that would do the trick.

All 3 of the homelite flywheels I have are egg shaped. They come from two different manufacturers and the lobe is not consistent. The out of round is most likely caused by the rapid cooling of the aluminum in the diecast mold. I initially thought that the egg shape was actually engineered into the design of the flywheel guaranteeing clearance for the magnets. The more I examine them the more I think they are just cheep casting.

Capt,n I have a spare homelite long shaft. It's yours if you need one.

Rich

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Ross3951: Thanks for the good offer. I have sveral Homelite engines. The taper on them do not fit the Toro flywheel. As I check the engines I have....it seems like the taper on them can vary from brand to brand. Not to standard! The Homelite 25cc seems to be a very easy engine to work with. The Ryobi 31cc is real easy to work on also. The rod is kinda weak looking....but I guess if you do not hop em up to much they do a good job. Take Care Capt,n

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

You've got a compound tool rest on your new lathe, why don't you just measure the angle of the taper on your Toro flywheel rotate your tool rest to that angle and bore a taper into whatever you need??? This is what I had to do for the Craftsman 55 hub.

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

flipflop: Thanks for the tip. I never tried a taper on any Lathe yet. So even though the markings do not look to accurate on the compound...I will try a couple of test peices too see what happens. How exact does the angles have to match on mating parts to lock good? Thanks Capt,n

RE: Lathe for conversions
 

Hi, I was looking at your machine shop tools. What do you want for them and were are you located? thanks