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Jeff wrote.......A carriage clamp would fit between those ears but it can get really crowded and hard to access.........

Not if you mount it on the tailstock side of the saddle and offset the bolt to the rear. I also used an allen bolt the same size as the tool clamps on the toolpost and with a ball ended allen wrench it is very easy and only one tool fits all.
HTH
Ellis

Vikki,

I modified my compound rest bottom, new pivot hole and a hole for the
cam shaft. The 1677 has un-needed holes for those cursed hidden screws;
would start to look like swiss cheese. Simple with a mill, even just a
drill press, and can be returned to the original set up if I ever need the
aggravation of those screws.
A carriage clamp would fit between those ears but it can get really crowded
and hard to access, I'm leaning more towards
< >

Jeff

* REPLY SEPARATOR *

John and Ian,
"...you've got me crossed with the other crank, Ian from South
Australia. Close - I'm in Eastern Australia"

OOPS! Sorry, both. I reckon I'll have to start taking more water with
it!
Andy

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your condolances re the dental work. However, you've got
me crossed with the other crank, Ian from South Australia. Close -
I'm in Eastern Australia. I've got a tooth ache just thinking about
that cracking sound Ian described!

John
...with a Sieg - nothing but a pillow block on the end of my LS
(until I get a crank too)



--- In 7x12minilathe@..., andrew franks <andyf1108@...>
wrote:

Hello Ian,
Some lathes, particularly the "Weiss" ones (see recent posts),

have a 10mm long stub on the end of the leadscrew, projecting beyond
the bearing block. It's threaded M8, and as John says, there's a nut
on the end, to adjust the leadscrew end-float. The nut is 16mm long,
and a hex grubscrew goes into the "spare" 6mm, to act like a
locknut. It was hardly needed on my lathe, because the thread was so
poor on the inner 2mm of the stub that the nut was almost
immoveable. I tried a Spanish windlass to hold the leadscrew still,
but in the end had to use a Mole wrench on it, with leather to
prevent scarring, and emery paper for grip.

I'm not sure of the pedigree of John's lathe (a very good

evening to you, John, by the way, and sorry to read about the
dentistry needed on your gear tooth), but it has a similar
projecting stub. Very useful as a starting point for a handwheel and
dial.

Andy


born4something <ajs@...> wrote:
Hi Ian,

See below:

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "steam4ian" <fosterscons@>
wrote:

G'day all, especially Andy Franks.

Some of the 7x12s and their sisters have a nut at the RH end of

the

lead screw to the right of the bearing block. I think the Yellow
versions of the Cummins lathe, the Chester Conquest and the

WB180

are

included. The nut helps take the float out of the lead screw and

is

locked by an internal grub screw.

I can't picture what you mean by an internal grub screw. How's

that

work?

TAKE CARE adjusting this nut.

To start with I put a tinned copper thrust washer on the screw

on

the

LH side of the bearing block.

Why? If there was float, wouldn't you take it out with the nut? I
only have the nut sitting on my shoulders, none on the LS, so I
don't get what you were doing.

I finger tightened the retaing nut and
left it. In service the nut tightend and I heard a clicking

sound

from the change gears. Fortunately the banjo was loose enough to
allow the gears to jump teeth. No damage this time.
I am now making a crank and dial for the lead screw which

includes

a

new longer nut with a sleeve for the extension shaft. The grub

screw

is inside this new nut to retain the locking function. Adjusting

it

with the lathe running slowly was enough to cause the nut to

bind

to

the bearing block and a crack sound emanated from the change

gears.

Very close inspection showed the 80 tooth gear has cracked at

the

perimeter and shed a tooth. The wheel is not beyond recovery,

thanks

to epoxies, and I do have a spare bought previously from LMS for

just

such an emergency.

Yep, great minds think alike. I bought a spare too - a mechanical
fuse.

I plan a hand crank for the LS but have no nut on the end. I think

I

saw some plans in the files area that sleeved an extenion

internally

(drilling the LS end and pinning the extension) so I'll probably
need to go that way.

I think there are more nuts than the one on the end of the lead

screw!

One good turn deserves another.
Regards,
Ian

So one good crank deserves another?

John






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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello Ian,
Some lathes, particularly the "Weiss" ones (see recent posts), have a 10mm long stub on the end of the leadscrew, projecting beyond the bearing block. It's threaded M8, and as John says, there's a nut on the end, to adjust the leadscrew end-float. The nut is 16mm long, and a hex grubscrew goes into the "spare" 6mm, to act like a locknut. It was hardly needed on my lathe, because the thread was so poor on the inner 2mm of the stub that the nut was almost immoveable. I tried a Spanish windlass to hold the leadscrew still, but in the end had to use a Mole wrench on it, with leather to prevent scarring, and emery paper for grip.

I'm not sure of the pedigree of John's lathe (a very good evening to you, John, by the way, and sorry to read about the dentistry needed on your gear tooth), but it has a similar projecting stub. Very useful as a starting point for a handwheel and dial.
Andy


born4something <ajs@...> wrote:
Hi Ian,

See below:

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "steam4ian" <fosterscons@...>
wrote:

G'day all, especially Andy Franks.

Some of the 7x12s and their sisters have a nut at the RH end of

the

lead screw to the right of the bearing block. I think the Yellow
versions of the Cummins lathe, the Chester Conquest and the WB180

are

included. The nut helps take the float out of the lead screw and

is

locked by an internal grub screw.

I can't picture what you mean by an internal grub screw. How's that
work?

TAKE CARE adjusting this nut.

To start with I put a tinned copper thrust washer on the screw on

the

LH side of the bearing block.

Why? If there was float, wouldn't you take it out with the nut? I
only have the nut sitting on my shoulders, none on the LS, so I
don't get what you were doing.

I finger tightened the retaing nut and
left it. In service the nut tightend and I heard a clicking sound
from the change gears. Fortunately the banjo was loose enough to
allow the gears to jump teeth. No damage this time.
I am now making a crank and dial for the lead screw which includes

a

new longer nut with a sleeve for the extension shaft. The grub

screw

is inside this new nut to retain the locking function. Adjusting

it

with the lathe running slowly was enough to cause the nut to bind

to

the bearing block and a crack sound emanated from the change

gears.

Very close inspection showed the 80 tooth gear has cracked at the
perimeter and shed a tooth. The wheel is not beyond recovery,

thanks

to epoxies, and I do have a spare bought previously from LMS for

just

such an emergency.

Yep, great minds think alike. I bought a spare too - a mechanical
fuse.

I plan a hand crank for the LS but have no nut on the end. I think I
saw some plans in the files area that sleeved an extenion internally
(drilling the LS end and pinning the extension) so I'll probably
need to go that way.

I think there are more nuts than the one on the end of the lead

screw!

One good turn deserves another.
Regards,
Ian

So one good crank deserves another?

John






---------------------------------
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G'day crank.
"So one good crank deserves another?.. John"
The tinned copper washer to prevent steel to steel contacr, roughly
equivalent to a babbit bearing.
The internal grub screw is on the same axis and runs in the same
thread as the shaft. Think of it as inside out lock nuts, see the
compound feed screw with its two nuts.

I am glad I don't have to extend the LS with that internal shaft
method. The Long LS will be hard to handle without risking damage.
You could extend it by drilling and tapping the LS end for a say a 6
or 8mm threaded shaft extension. Screw the shaft extension includung
a lock nut to tighten against the end of the shaft, that with Loctite
should never move. You could just screw up the lead screw.

BTW, the Tail Stock has taken me about 10 months to get right. Out of
the box it was seriously high. Lots of blueing and filing of the V
and the face of the body got it closer to right but still not
perfect. I wanted to get on with other things so left it, making
allowances where necessary particularly when drilling.
The other day I taped some emery cloth to the V of and ran the foot
back and forth over it. I put a thin card on the other side to get
some kind of level. Once blueing showed I had good contact along the
V I put emery cloth on the flat of the bed and ran the foot on both
surfaces. I used the depth part of the calipers to make sure the top
face of the foot was level. I did the clamping screw mod filing a nut
out of some handy brass bar. On reasembly I was more than pleased
with the outcome, shear luck, I had the height right and the
alignments parallel. You need to win sometimes! Centre drilling is
now a breeze.

One good turn deserves another.
Regards
Ian

Hi Ian,

See below:

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "steam4ian" <fosterscons@...>
wrote:

G'day all, especially Andy Franks.

Some of the 7x12s and their sisters have a nut at the RH end of

the

lead screw to the right of the bearing block. I think the Yellow
versions of the Cummins lathe, the Chester Conquest and the WB180

are

included. The nut helps take the float out of the lead screw and

is

locked by an internal grub screw.

I can't picture what you mean by an internal grub screw. How's that
work?

TAKE CARE adjusting this nut.

To start with I put a tinned copper thrust washer on the screw on

the

LH side of the bearing block.

Why? If there was float, wouldn't you take it out with the nut? I
only have the nut sitting on my shoulders, none on the LS, so I
don't get what you were doing.

I finger tightened the retaing nut and
left it. In service the nut tightend and I heard a clicking sound
from the change gears. Fortunately the banjo was loose enough to
allow the gears to jump teeth. No damage this time.
I am now making a crank and dial for the lead screw which includes

a

new longer nut with a sleeve for the extension shaft. The grub

screw

is inside this new nut to retain the locking function. Adjusting

it

with the lathe running slowly was enough to cause the nut to bind

to

the bearing block and a crack sound emanated from the change

gears.

Very close inspection showed the 80 tooth gear has cracked at the
perimeter and shed a tooth. The wheel is not beyond recovery,

thanks

to epoxies, and I do have a spare bought previously from LMS for

just

such an emergency.

Yep, great minds think alike. I bought a spare too - a mechanical
fuse.

I plan a hand crank for the LS but have no nut on the end. I think I
saw some plans in the files area that sleeved an extenion internally
(drilling the LS end and pinning the extension) so I'll probably
need to go that way.

I think there are more nuts than the one on the end of the lead

screw!

One good turn deserves another.
Regards,
Ian

So one good crank deserves another?

John

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., Victoria Welch <wrlabs@...>
wrote:

Still, it is a job getting the hex wrench into it. I used the

mirror

from an old cosmetic compact and a small flashlight held just so

in my

mouth and prayed to heathen gods and I was able to do it.

Wrong gods? <G>

This should give Vikki something to wake up to!

At this point I am hoping I will wake up :).

Flat out of ideas here, going to get away from it for a while.

I'm

beginning to see why this might take someone 10 months to get this

right

if this is how it goes. Then, of course, I'll come back and try

it

again :-).

Yes, stay with it. That TS is in my sights but other things snuck up
on the priority list. I'm relying on you to suss it all out and
document the red herrings / solutions in this thread so I can breeze
through it in a day. I don't have 10 months to dedicate. I didn't
know that Ian did either!

John

Hi Ian,

I have seen bike handlebars done that way. My thoughts on such a
locking mechanism were more on a par with a masonry bolt. Slit your
close fitting shaft - even crudely with a hack saw - at every 90
degrees say. Then turn a cone shape to partially sit inside your
close fitting shaft as a spreader. Tap at 8mm for the draw bolt.
That should eliminate any misalignment during tightening. In either
case, during removal you need to loosen the 8mm bolt but NOT use it
to pull the close-fitting shaft out of the spindle as that would
tend to re-lock it.

Just a thought. Both approaches lend themselves to reversal. Turn
the 8mm bolt around and use an off-the-shelf nut on the outer end.
Key the inner end to the cone or wedge section by milling a slot or
pinning. This avoids cutting a long thread with any associated
angst. It also means both bolt & nut can be high tensile with little
chance of ever stripping and easy replacement anyway. Or were you
figuring on cutting the 8mm thread in the lathe?

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "steam4ian" <fosterscons@...>
wrote:

G'day John.

You are lucky to have a significant length of thread left on the

end

of your spindle, I have next to none.
I don't see the expanding shaft as being too difficult, pull the
handle bars out of the neck of a bike to see what I mean. You

can't

make it longer than you can drill anyway.

I am now considering this for an indexer attachment using the

change

gears. What I plan is a close fitting shaft (to the inside of the
spindle) with a relatively steep taper towards the outboard end to
ensure centering. This would be turned down at the end to the gear
diameter and a key way cut in it. The whole would be drilled

through

to take a 8mm bolt. The locking mechanism would be two parts of

the

same diameter as the shaft(close fit in the spindle) made by

turning

down one piece then making an inclined cut through it. The

outboard

piece would be drilled through over size for the 8mm bolt and the
other drilled and tapped for the 8mm bolt. Tightening the bolt

would

force the two pieces to the walls of the spindle thus securing the
indexer. Being two pieces the opposing forces should not misalign

the

attachment too much.
This same method could be used to mount the hand wheel to the

spindle

without risking your spindle bearing preload. There would still be
room for longer work pieces or an excuse to use the steadies.

I must make a hand wheel/ crank to save using the chuck key in the
chuck as a tommy bar to rotate the work when taping.

One good turn (even by a crank) deserves another.
Regards,
Ian

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "born4something" <ajs@>
wrote:

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@> wrote:

The proponent of that is Mike Tagliari, he did it to allow

turning

long pieces with a handcrank. The only downside is having to

make

sure you don't move the nuts, changing the HS bearing preload.

Roy

And using a hand crank with a long bar poked through the middle

must

be a PITA. But a nice option when necessary. <G> Good argument

for

a

big cast valve wheel!

I just checked. My spindle has a full 4mm of thread on the

outside

of the locknut. That should be sufficient to attach a threaded

crank

onto which would tighten under load in the forward direction.

That

begs the question of how to secure it to allow reverse. Maybe a

pin

into a hole or a slot cut in the spindle end? To avoid loosening

the

spindle lock nut during removal a collet spanner could be used.

Thinking through the keyboard here. Is this the makings of a

viable

crank idea?

roylowenthal wrote:

[ ... ]
The boring head is used to hold a short center an easily adjustable distance away from the lathe centerline for taper turning without disturbing the TS adjustment. The downside is losing a couple of inches of working length on the lathe.

Ah, I mistook boring BAR for boring head, that is a really nifty idea to get tapers!

I think that if I ever get that tailstock aligned I am going to have someone weld it together and us this idea for tapers :-) LOL!

Thanks & take care, Vikki.
--
Victoria Welch, WV9K/7
"Cthulu for President - The candidate for the voter who is tired of voting for the lesser of two evils." --Unknown

Jeff Demand wrote:

Vikki,
These aren't very expensive machines :-) and replacement parts are
easily available from < www.littleMachine Shop.com >.

And thank all the gods that be for LMS :-)!

An early modification
to mine was the cam on the tail stock, it makes working much much more
pleasant. Inspired by the tail stock cam I bought premium plans from <
> for a compound cam lock. A VERY
nice modification, haven't used it enough to determine if JWE's moving of
the pivot point really does reduce chatter, but it does increase the cross
slide range.

I like that one a LOT, cranking the compound back to get at the screws if a serious PITA. I think that LMS offers that modified compound base, but the cam lock for it would be a dream.

One thing I know I need is a saddle lock. Thought a bar across the back of the saddle (resting on those two "ears") and something like the clamp the tailstock uses would be an easy way to do it.

As much as I really like to modify my toys the time spent has been a
worthwhile investment for actual paying jobs. Keep at it, sounds like you
are having as much fun a I am.

I'm having fun, but right at the moment I am really frustrated with the utter failure of my first attempt at centering the tailstock. I'll get over it, but it surely is break time :-).

Thanks & take care, Vikki.
--
Victoria Welch, WV9K/7
"Well, one of the sad lessons of life is that things aren't necessarily true just because the anchor on the evening news says they are." --Jame Retief

G'day all, especially Andy Franks.

Some of the 7x12s and their sisters have a nut at the RH end of the
lead screw to the right of the bearing block. I think the Yellow
versions of the Cummins lathe, the Chester Conquest and the WB180 are
included. The nut helps take the float out of the lead screw and is
locked by an internal grub screw.

TAKE CARE adjusting this nut.

To start with I put a tinned copper thrust washer on the screw on the
LH side of the bearing block. I finger tightened the retaing nut and
left it. In service the nut tightend and I heard a clicking sound
from the change gears. Fortunately the banjo was loose enough to
allow the gears to jump teeth. No damage this time.
I am now making a crank and dial for the lead screw which includes a
new longer nut with a sleeve for the extension shaft. The grub screw
is inside this new nut to retain the locking function. Adjusting it
with the lathe running slowly was enough to cause the nut to bind to
the bearing block and a crack sound emanated from the change gears.
Very close inspection showed the 80 tooth gear has cracked at the
perimeter and shed a tooth. The wheel is not beyond recovery, thanks
to epoxies, and I do have a spare bought previously from LMS for just
such an emergency.

I think there are more nuts than the one on the end of the lead screw!

One good turn deserves another.
Regards,
Ian

steam4ian wrote:

G'day John, Vikki, Bruce et al.
I just ducked out to the shop to check out my TS. It is possible to do a mod like that suggested but to stand the bracket much further out from the TS. This will allow easier access for a spanner (wrench).

I see why one would want to do this, but wouldn't this nullify the use of shims? Would they / are the shims even necessary?

the LMS kit. One weakness of my version is that the operating handle can foul the lever on the quill clamp. Does the LMS mod do this?

Don't know, but will in the next few days when the kit arrives and I get it installed. Will let you know then.

[ ... ]
TRY THIS. The clamping screw would be accessible from the bottom (up through the ways) if the slipper didn't get in the way. It would only be a few minutes work to measure up and drill a hole in the plate to allow a hex key into the clamping screw. Fiddly but better than doing nothing.

Actually just milling out a crescent on the clamp works on mine, the lock screw is just visible up through the ways.

Still, it is a job getting the hex wrench into it. I used the mirror from an old cosmetic compact and a small flashlight held just so in my mouth and prayed to heathen gods and I was able to do it.

Problem is that in tightening it (yes, I was *careful*) took it from zero top/bottom to about -0.00075 out on the bottom and from about +/- 0.0005 front/rear to about +/- 0.005.

Just for jollies, I chucked up the wooden dowel I was working on (same orientation, fat part toward chuck) and brought the tool in to kiss the wood at the tailstock end and ran it through. EXACTLY THE SAME AS BEFORE, took *nothing* other than dust off.

While considering chucking the whole mess out the window (4 floors down ought to do it) I flipped the piece end for end, brought the cross slide back to reference zero and ran it again. +/- 0.001 variation end to end. ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

I am about convinced that I ain't got clue one here.

This should give Vikki something to wake up to!

At this point I am hoping I will wake up :).

Flat out of ideas here, going to get away from it for a while. I'm beginning to see why this might take someone 10 months to get this right if this is how it goes. Then, of course, I'll come back and try it again :-).

Thanks & take care, Vikki.
--
Victoria Welch, WV9K/7
"I think - therefore I am not politically correct." -- Unknown

G'day John.

You are lucky to have a significant length of thread left on the end
of your spindle, I have next to none.
I don't see the expanding shaft as being too difficult, pull the
handle bars out of the neck of a bike to see what I mean. You can't
make it longer than you can drill anyway.

I am now considering this for an indexer attachment using the change
gears. What I plan is a close fitting shaft (to the inside of the
spindle) with a relatively steep taper towards the outboard end to
ensure centering. This would be turned down at the end to the gear
diameter and a key way cut in it. The whole would be drilled through
to take a 8mm bolt. The locking mechanism would be two parts of the
same diameter as the shaft(close fit in the spindle) made by turning
down one piece then making an inclined cut through it. The outboard
piece would be drilled through over size for the 8mm bolt and the
other drilled and tapped for the 8mm bolt. Tightening the bolt would
force the two pieces to the walls of the spindle thus securing the
indexer. Being two pieces the opposing forces should not misalign the
attachment too much.
This same method could be used to mount the hand wheel to the spindle
without risking your spindle bearing preload. There would still be
room for longer work pieces or an excuse to use the steadies.

I must make a hand wheel/ crank to save using the chuck key in the
chuck as a tommy bar to rotate the work when taping.

One good turn (even by a crank) deserves another.
Regards,
Ian

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "born4something" <ajs@...>
wrote:

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@> wrote:

The proponent of that is Mike Tagliari, he did it to allow

turning

long pieces with a handcrank. The only downside is having to

make

sure you don't move the nuts, changing the HS bearing preload.

Roy

And using a hand crank with a long bar poked through the middle

must

be a PITA. But a nice option when necessary. <G> Good argument for

a

big cast valve wheel!

I just checked. My spindle has a full 4mm of thread on the outside
of the locknut. That should be sufficient to attach a threaded

crank

onto which would tighten under load in the forward direction. That
begs the question of how to secure it to allow reverse. Maybe a pin
into a hole or a slot cut in the spindle end? To avoid loosening

the

spindle lock nut during removal a collet spanner could be used.

Thinking through the keyboard here. Is this the makings of a viable
crank idea?

Typo correction - the Sieg plate is 160mm!

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "born4something" <ajs@...>
wrote:

Hi Veni,

If you can cut slabs of your PVC with something other than the

lathe

(bandsaw?), 6" pulley shapes would be achievable on a 7x using a
face plate. You'd need to attach your work to the plate using

bolts

through the work at staggered radii. The staggered radii would
permit removal of some of the bolts for a staged facing operation
without dismounting the job from the plate. The standard Sieg face
plate is 180mm (6.3"). After facing one side, flip it so that
becomes the reference flat for all remaining operations.

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@> wrote:

Delta used to offer a compound slide attachment for their wood

lathe

to allow limited use with metal lathe tooling. I've never seen

or

used one, it stuck in my memory because it was such an oddity.

The 7x12 metal lathe only swings about 4 - 4 1/2" over the

carriage,

you can face & do peripheral cuts on thin larger pieces. If you
mount a large chuck you get limited by the jaws striking the

bed.

I

think you can use a 5" chuck, with a 4" the lathe "looks" right.

If you look at the imported wood lathes, you'll find they're not

very

robust. You might get away with spinning on one, I don't think

it

would be a fun experience. The one dedicated spinning lathe I

ever

used was noteworthy for how robust it was; heftier than the old

Delta

wood lathes. For something the size you're trying to make,

you'll

need a larger, stiffer machine than either a 7x12 or a cheap

Asian

wood lathe.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "veniaver2006@"
<veniaver2006@> wrote:

Hi machinists,

Wonder if turning a PVC cylinder OD= 6", conversely
to make plastic or basic aluminum pulleys) could be
done on a wood lathe.

Know that it will work as spinning lathe (with a
heavier motor) but doubting it will does
plastic/metalworking of small pieces (up 6")

It's an imported WOOD lathe (40" axis length )

If it shouln't be possible, before ordering a 7x12
brand new , alternatives are:

1. To upgrade it for doing 'basic aluminum turning'
with a 6" (or greater) chuck (3 selfcenterd or 4 jaws)

2. Adapt a toolpost accessory as long with a toolpost
base to get 'parallel' turning

Wonder if all needed parts can be got from reliable
suppliers i.e. TheLittleMachine
/HF/Grizzly/Use-Enco/Homier /Cummins, etc , you named.

About labour cost, assume that it's a DIY approach to
a minilathe and let's say that that have some cheap
time for fun :)

Think that a 6" ( 7" or 9") chuck and toolpost will
have to cost under $200 otherwise , as floor space is
finite, will consider to buy a complete 7x12 just out

of the box.

BTW googlin' found chucks from China below 100 bucks.

I got inspired by an eBAY book that was offered last
week.

Alledgelly was written by Delta in the 40's, it's
publicize tjat some metal work can be done on a wood
lathe, built more ruggedly those years.

Any comment about metal turning on a wood lathe ?

It will be for doing repeatable turning of small
pieces , i.e. a small pulley.

It will have same diameter every time , so not quick
change needed.

Comments about pros and cons of modding a wood lathe
to do PVC/aluminum turning are welcome.

Related hints will be highly appreciated.

Veni


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Hi Veni,

If you can cut slabs of your PVC with something other than the lathe
(bandsaw?), 6" pulley shapes would be achievable on a 7x using a
face plate. You'd need to attach your work to the plate using bolts
through the work at staggered radii. The staggered radii would
permit removal of some of the bolts for a staged facing operation
without dismounting the job from the plate. The standard Sieg face
plate is 180mm (6.3"). After facing one side, flip it so that
becomes the reference flat for all remaining operations.

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@...> wrote:

Delta used to offer a compound slide attachment for their wood

lathe

to allow limited use with metal lathe tooling. I've never seen or
used one, it stuck in my memory because it was such an oddity.

The 7x12 metal lathe only swings about 4 - 4 1/2" over the

carriage,

you can face & do peripheral cuts on thin larger pieces. If you
mount a large chuck you get limited by the jaws striking the bed.

I

think you can use a 5" chuck, with a 4" the lathe "looks" right.

If you look at the imported wood lathes, you'll find they're not

very

robust. You might get away with spinning on one, I don't think it
would be a fun experience. The one dedicated spinning lathe I

ever

used was noteworthy for how robust it was; heftier than the old

Delta

wood lathes. For something the size you're trying to make, you'll
need a larger, stiffer machine than either a 7x12 or a cheap Asian
wood lathe.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "veniaver2006@"
<veniaver2006@> wrote:

Hi machinists,

Wonder if turning a PVC cylinder OD= 6", conversely
to make plastic or basic aluminum pulleys) could be
done on a wood lathe.

Know that it will work as spinning lathe (with a
heavier motor) but doubting it will does
plastic/metalworking of small pieces (up 6")

It's an imported WOOD lathe (40" axis length )

If it shouln't be possible, before ordering a 7x12
brand new , alternatives are:

1. To upgrade it for doing 'basic aluminum turning'
with a 6" (or greater) chuck (3 selfcenterd or 4 jaws)

2. Adapt a toolpost accessory as long with a toolpost
base to get 'parallel' turning

Wonder if all needed parts can be got from reliable
suppliers i.e. TheLittleMachine
/HF/Grizzly/Use-Enco/Homier /Cummins, etc , you named.

About labour cost, assume that it's a DIY approach to
a minilathe and let's say that that have some cheap
time for fun :)

Think that a 6" ( 7" or 9") chuck and toolpost will
have to cost under $200 otherwise , as floor space is
finite, will consider to buy a complete 7x12 just out

of the box.

BTW googlin' found chucks from China below 100 bucks.

I got inspired by an eBAY book that was offered last
week.

Alledgelly was written by Delta in the 40's, it's
publicize tjat some metal work can be done on a wood
lathe, built more ruggedly those years.

Any comment about metal turning on a wood lathe ?

It will be for doing repeatable turning of small
pieces , i.e. a small pulley.

It will have same diameter every time , so not quick
change needed.

Comments about pros and cons of modding a wood lathe
to do PVC/aluminum turning are welcome.

Related hints will be highly appreciated.

Veni


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around

Hi Roy,

Combining these ideas, an offset adjuster as detailed at LMS could
be made with a graduated scale as well as provision for a socket
wrench on the end. Say an M6x1 bolt and major graduations every 9
degrees, minor ones every 0.9 degrees if you're keen. Then you turn
a bit at each end of a test bar and mike it to determine the current
offset, tweak the adjuster using the graduated scale and eureka! Of
course, you'de re-check with the test bar the first few times at
least...

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@...> wrote:

Another approach to aligning the TS is to turn a test bar between
centers to measure the misalignment, then adjust the TS off the
lathe. Unlike on larger machines popping the TS off is effortless
and it allows access to the underside locking screw. To move it
controllably, use a depth mic (or a depth base on a dial caliper)

to

measure the original position of the upper part relative to the
base. With a measuring tool involved it's easy to get it into

final

position without having to make an adjuster.

The boring head is used to hold a short center an easily

adjustable

distance away from the lathe centerline for taper turning without
disturbing the TS adjustment. The downside is losing a couple of
inches of working length on the lathe.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "wrlabs" <wrlabs@> wrote:

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the response!

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "Bruce Leo Hartmann"
<goodsnout@> wrote:

Hi Vikki
Oops, sorry about misspelling your name. I should have paid

closer

attention. (I do suffer from ADD and dain bramage.)

LOL, anything but late for chow :). I probably didn't notice

for

the

same reasons ;-).

6-32 is a good "starter size" because if this size proves to

be

too

small or weak for the job (at times I've had to put a lot of

torque on

the Tee wrench to get everything perfect on a particular job)

it

will

be very easy to move up to an 8-32 then 10-32 screw size due

to

the

common thread pitch; however, 6-32 is VERY course which makes

this

size one of the more difficult to cut without breaking a tap.

10-32 sound like a better idea, I just had some of the stainless

6-

32s

from an antenna project left over. No real biggie to go get

some

at the

local Ace Hardware.

(Breaking a tap will really ruin your day. 10-32 will prove to

be

a

much easier size to tap without breakage. That said, cast iron

tends

to be an easy material to tap.

I'll be gentle :-). Actually, I am still leery of hacking into

the

machine, but getting more open about it over this whole tailstock
experience. Hopefully doing the cam lock mod will get me over

it.

If you go with 10-32 you'll soon
discover that your 4mm metric Tee driver fits the screw head

better

than the 5/32" wrench that 10-32 SHCS's were designed to take.)
Remember that stainless "steel" really isn't steel (it's

stainless

iron) and not as strong as your standard black (usually grade

5

or 8)

SHCS's. This is especially true of common 300 series (non-

magnetic)

stainless fasteners.

Not sure what Ace has (easiest to get to in the traffic quagmire

in

Seattle), but will check.

I've never done a camlock conversion although this

particular

upgrade will make life much easier. Instead I simply cut a 17mm
combination wrench in two. I use the box end (which is slightly
offset) for tightening my tailstock nut. (My tailstock nut is

a

10mm

acorn nut.) The offset box end combined with the acorn nut

makes

adjustments "fairly" easy. I was all set to make life much

easier

and

convert to a camlock but before this happened (I kept putting

it

off)

I had occasion to drill some very large holes using the

tailstock

chuck. I discovered that unless the tailstock base nut was

VERY

tight,

I would get some tailstock movement/slipage. You can get the

tailstock

locked down much tighter using a wrench. (The threading on the

base

screw gives you more mechanical advantage than a cam.) If you

never

drill holes larger than 1/2", slippage shouldn't be much of a

concern

with a camlock.

I don't have a drill bit bigger than 1/2" and if I did I'd have

nothing

to hold it :-(. I figure for anything bigger I use boring bars.

Trying to tighten the tailstock with a straight open
end wrench (like the one that came with the lathe) WILL drive

you

nuts

quickly.

Noticed that :-), but it was a short trip from where I was :).

I've

got a 17mm combination on there and if it was cut in half it

would

indeed be much more tolerable (only "good" one I have).

The reason the camlock is so popular is not becasue it saves
your wrist and hand but because it's SO much more accessable.

You

don't have to worry about those tricky tightenings when you

have

to

work around (under) the cross slide dial. This is where having

an

offset 12 point box wrench makes things easier but not quite

as

easy

as a camlock.

Sigh, so many variables here. Possibly to remove the cam lock

and

use

the nut in anything critical I would think. Better an

occasional

PITA

than a full time one :).

I would only make the LMS tailstock adjuster (your included

link)

if I had to often offset the tailstock to cut long tapers. This
modification will make it much easier to move the tailstock by

minute

amounts but you'll still have to cut test pieces to make sure

your

adjustment is perfect. Of course once you get the tailstock

adjusted

to zero taper (using any method), you'll likely want to mark

the

upper

and lower parts of the tailstock (straight chisel mark, two

punch

marks or a scribed line) so you can get back to zero (or near

zero)

quicker if you do offset the tailstock to cut a long taper.

So far I have no need / desire to cut tapers (I seem to be doing

it

just

fine though LOL), but I am sure that can change although just

what

that

would be for I have no idea at the moment.

I got the thing aligned last night (I think), zero top and

bottom

and

around 0.0005 front to rear. It is the ~0.003 I am getting on

the

quill

outside that perplexes me, would seem that if the DI is showing

that

tiny deviation I should not be having the tilt in the quill?!??

Or

at

least that much. Perhaps I should mike the outside of the quill

to

be

sure it is not tapered (slow, but we get there :-).

Now I need to find out what color they used to do touch ups on

the

tailstock. Was surprised that the little nylon hammer could

chip of

that much paint with so little force :-(.

It has been an exciting exercise in understanding what is going

on

in 3D

space :).

I put off pulling it out and tightening the lock SHCS on the

bottom

for

today, I wanted to be sure I was well rested before taking that

one

on,

I just hope I get it right the first time and don't jar it out

and

have

to start over, although it will be easier next time :).

Unless you
need as much space as possible between centers it will be much

easier

to do longer tapers (i.e. too long to use the compound) by

mounting a

boring head in the tailstock.

Err, I thought boring stuff was for inside things? I think I am

missing

something here?!?

Thanks & take care, Vikki.

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@...> wrote:

The proponent of that is Mike Tagliari, he did it to allow turning
long pieces with a handcrank. The only downside is having to make
sure you don't move the nuts, changing the HS bearing preload.

Roy

And using a hand crank with a long bar poked through the middle must
be a PITA. But a nice option when necessary. <G> Good argument for a
big cast valve wheel!

I just checked. My spindle has a full 4mm of thread on the outside
of the locknut. That should be sufficient to attach a threaded crank
onto which would tighten under load in the forward direction. That
begs the question of how to secure it to allow reverse. Maybe a pin
into a hole or a slot cut in the spindle end? To avoid loosening the
spindle lock nut during removal a collet spanner could be used.

Thinking through the keyboard here. Is this the makings of a viable
crank idea?

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "born4something" <ajs@>
wrote:

Hi Roy,

I was wondering about utilising the locknut on the end of the
spindle. This would have the advantage of keeping the spindle

free

for long jobs. Anyone else looked at this?

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@> wrote:

The most common methods use something that expands into the HS

bore,

attached to the actual handcrank. One style uses a diagonally

cut

piece that expands into the HS bore when it's tightened;

exactly

like

a bicycle handlebar adjuster. The other style uses a double-
expanding concrete anchor to grip the bore. You'll want about

a

6"

lever arm with some flavor of knob. If you can get one, an

old

valve

handwheel works nicely, as does a defunct ball joint in a

piece

of

flat stock.



Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., <gregorstransky@> wrote:

Does anybody know a procudure how to make a handcrank? A

while

ago

I ran

across a procedure on one of the lathe/minilathe/machining

websites. But I

do not remember any more which website that was.
Thank you.
Gregor Stransky, San Antonio, Texas

----- Original Message -----
From: "roylowenthal" <roylowenthal@>
To: <7x12minilathe@...>
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2007 9:15 PM
Subject: [7x12minilathe] Re: Threading and using the Dial


The handiest threading accessory you can make is a handcrank!
Particularly on short, shouldered pieces turning the lathe

by

hand

gives more torque & much better control.

Delta used to offer a compound slide attachment for their wood lathe
to allow limited use with metal lathe tooling. I've never seen or
used one, it stuck in my memory because it was such an oddity.

The 7x12 metal lathe only swings about 4 - 4 1/2" over the carriage,
you can face & do peripheral cuts on thin larger pieces. If you
mount a large chuck you get limited by the jaws striking the bed. I
think you can use a 5" chuck, with a 4" the lathe "looks" right.

If you look at the imported wood lathes, you'll find they're not very
robust. You might get away with spinning on one, I don't think it
would be a fun experience. The one dedicated spinning lathe I ever
used was noteworthy for how robust it was; heftier than the old Delta
wood lathes. For something the size you're trying to make, you'll
need a larger, stiffer machine than either a 7x12 or a cheap Asian
wood lathe.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "veniaver2006@..."
<veniaver2006@...> wrote:

Hi machinists,

Wonder if turning a PVC cylinder OD= 6", conversely
to make plastic or basic aluminum pulleys) could be
done on a wood lathe.

Know that it will work as spinning lathe (with a
heavier motor) but doubting it will does
plastic/metalworking of small pieces (up 6")

It's an imported WOOD lathe (40" axis length )

If it shouln't be possible, before ordering a 7x12
brand new , alternatives are:

1. To upgrade it for doing 'basic aluminum turning'
with a 6" (or greater) chuck (3 selfcenterd or 4 jaws)

2. Adapt a toolpost accessory as long with a toolpost
base to get 'parallel' turning

Wonder if all needed parts can be got from reliable
suppliers i.e. TheLittleMachine
/HF/Grizzly/Use-Enco/Homier /Cummins, etc , you named.

About labour cost, assume that it's a DIY approach to
a minilathe and let's say that that have some cheap
time for fun :)

Think that a 6" ( 7" or 9") chuck and toolpost will
have to cost under $200 otherwise , as floor space is
finite, will consider to buy a complete 7x12 just out

of the box.

BTW googlin' found chucks from China below 100 bucks.

I got inspired by an eBAY book that was offered last
week.

Alledgelly was written by Delta in the 40's, it's
publicize tjat some metal work can be done on a wood
lathe, built more ruggedly those years.

Any comment about metal turning on a wood lathe ?

It will be for doing repeatable turning of small
pieces , i.e. a small pulley.

It will have same diameter every time , so not quick
change needed.

Comments about pros and cons of modding a wood lathe
to do PVC/aluminum turning are welcome.

Related hints will be highly appreciated.

Veni


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around

Another approach to aligning the TS is to turn a test bar between
centers to measure the misalignment, then adjust the TS off the
lathe. Unlike on larger machines popping the TS off is effortless
and it allows access to the underside locking screw. To move it
controllably, use a depth mic (or a depth base on a dial caliper) to
measure the original position of the upper part relative to the
base. With a measuring tool involved it's easy to get it into final
position without having to make an adjuster.

The boring head is used to hold a short center an easily adjustable
distance away from the lathe centerline for taper turning without
disturbing the TS adjustment. The downside is losing a couple of
inches of working length on the lathe.

Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "wrlabs" <wrlabs@...> wrote:

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the response!

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "Bruce Leo Hartmann"
<goodsnout@> wrote:

Hi Vikki
Oops, sorry about misspelling your name. I should have paid

closer

attention. (I do suffer from ADD and dain bramage.)

LOL, anything but late for chow :). I probably didn't notice for

the

same reasons ;-).

6-32 is a good "starter size" because if this size proves to be

too

small or weak for the job (at times I've had to put a lot of

torque on

the Tee wrench to get everything perfect on a particular job) it

will

be very easy to move up to an 8-32 then 10-32 screw size due to

the

common thread pitch; however, 6-32 is VERY course which makes this
size one of the more difficult to cut without breaking a tap.

10-32 sound like a better idea, I just had some of the stainless 6-

32s

from an antenna project left over. No real biggie to go get some

at the

local Ace Hardware.

(Breaking a tap will really ruin your day. 10-32 will prove to be

a

much easier size to tap without breakage. That said, cast iron

tends

to be an easy material to tap.

I'll be gentle :-). Actually, I am still leery of hacking into the
machine, but getting more open about it over this whole tailstock
experience. Hopefully doing the cam lock mod will get me over it.

If you go with 10-32 you'll soon
discover that your 4mm metric Tee driver fits the screw head

better

than the 5/32" wrench that 10-32 SHCS's were designed to take.)
Remember that stainless "steel" really isn't steel (it's stainless
iron) and not as strong as your standard black (usually grade 5

or 8)

SHCS's. This is especially true of common 300 series (non-

magnetic)

stainless fasteners.

Not sure what Ace has (easiest to get to in the traffic quagmire in
Seattle), but will check.

I've never done a camlock conversion although this particular
upgrade will make life much easier. Instead I simply cut a 17mm
combination wrench in two. I use the box end (which is slightly
offset) for tightening my tailstock nut. (My tailstock nut is a

10mm

acorn nut.) The offset box end combined with the acorn nut makes
adjustments "fairly" easy. I was all set to make life much easier

and

convert to a camlock but before this happened (I kept putting it

off)

I had occasion to drill some very large holes using the tailstock
chuck. I discovered that unless the tailstock base nut was VERY

tight,

I would get some tailstock movement/slipage. You can get the

tailstock

locked down much tighter using a wrench. (The threading on the

base

screw gives you more mechanical advantage than a cam.) If you

never

drill holes larger than 1/2", slippage shouldn't be much of a

concern

with a camlock.

I don't have a drill bit bigger than 1/2" and if I did I'd have

nothing

to hold it :-(. I figure for anything bigger I use boring bars.

Trying to tighten the tailstock with a straight open
end wrench (like the one that came with the lathe) WILL drive you

nuts

quickly.

Noticed that :-), but it was a short trip from where I was :).

I've

got a 17mm combination on there and if it was cut in half it would
indeed be much more tolerable (only "good" one I have).

The reason the camlock is so popular is not becasue it saves
your wrist and hand but because it's SO much more accessable. You
don't have to worry about those tricky tightenings when you have

to

work around (under) the cross slide dial. This is where having an
offset 12 point box wrench makes things easier but not quite as

easy

as a camlock.

Sigh, so many variables here. Possibly to remove the cam lock and

use

the nut in anything critical I would think. Better an occasional

PITA

than a full time one :).

I would only make the LMS tailstock adjuster (your included

link)

if I had to often offset the tailstock to cut long tapers. This
modification will make it much easier to move the tailstock by

minute

amounts but you'll still have to cut test pieces to make sure your
adjustment is perfect. Of course once you get the tailstock

adjusted

to zero taper (using any method), you'll likely want to mark the

upper

and lower parts of the tailstock (straight chisel mark, two punch
marks or a scribed line) so you can get back to zero (or near

zero)

quicker if you do offset the tailstock to cut a long taper.

So far I have no need / desire to cut tapers (I seem to be doing it

just

fine though LOL), but I am sure that can change although just what

that

would be for I have no idea at the moment.

I got the thing aligned last night (I think), zero top and bottom

and

around 0.0005 front to rear. It is the ~0.003 I am getting on the

quill

outside that perplexes me, would seem that if the DI is showing that
tiny deviation I should not be having the tilt in the quill?!?? Or

at

least that much. Perhaps I should mike the outside of the quill to

be

sure it is not tapered (slow, but we get there :-).

Now I need to find out what color they used to do touch ups on the
tailstock. Was surprised that the little nylon hammer could chip of
that much paint with so little force :-(.

It has been an exciting exercise in understanding what is going on

in 3D

space :).

I put off pulling it out and tightening the lock SHCS on the bottom

for

today, I wanted to be sure I was well rested before taking that one

on,

I just hope I get it right the first time and don't jar it out and

have

to start over, although it will be easier next time :).

Unless you
need as much space as possible between centers it will be much

easier

to do longer tapers (i.e. too long to use the compound) by

mounting a

boring head in the tailstock.

Err, I thought boring stuff was for inside things? I think I am

missing

something here?!?

Thanks & take care, Vikki.