On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 02:36 PM, MZ Rider wrote:

Then I hand wound the carriage and what a racket. Short story the half nut was catching on the thread. Also when the nut was closed the lead screw obviously bent towards the front!

There's another other adjustment that affects the half nut/lead screw alignment.? There are two bolts that attach the apron to the saddle.? They fit into slots, so the procedure is to run the carriage to the right as far as it will go, engage the half nuts then in addition to loosening/tightening the LS bearing bracket you loosen/tighten the two bolts on the saddle so the apron is free to reposition itself to remove any force due to misalignment.

If you think about it, these two adjustment points make sense -- the bearing bracket can't adjust toward/away from the operator, and the apron can't be adjusted up and down because they're constrained by how they mount to the lathe.? But the combination of the two gives you some adjustment in both dimensions.

I had an alignment problem that turned out to be caused by crappy saddle bolts -- the underside of each head was rounded so they always just settled back down into their previous location in the slot, despite anything I did.? ?Replacing them with good bolts made a night and day difference.? I had thought the slots were poorly machined and was ready to work them over with my mill but that turned out to be unnecessary.

Mark

So long as the material between jaw and material is the same on all three it is just convenience. I suspect most use drink can aluminium or tinplate.

There is no way of adjusting the split nut I an see. The lever arm and the disc with the two pegs for lock and unlock is all that is there. I thinking filing the top holes the screws fixing the apron to the saddle go through so the apron came forward a little bit sorted the bending of the lead screw out.

Obviously the basic model is very basic. At least i knew what i was probably getting into and if the small problems i have encountered are all that there are it will certainly do for me.

It was the technique I used on my last machine. I will keep an eye on it. Actually pushing the locking lever away from the user rather than to the side actually seems a better way; early days still so time will tell.

Yes, the one on the right. I guessed where it went but had not realised it was reversing the lead screw. I might have made a LH thread on a lathe when I first learnt over 50 years ago but have never bothered since! Thanks for the info, I had no idea what was for.

On Mon, Apr 4, 2022 at 03:18 AM, <j_r_abercrombie@...> wrote:

The headstock bearings are one of the things that seem to be perfectly OK on the Vevor

That's enough information for me, many thanks!

On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 11:36 AM, MZ Rider wrote:

For facing I brought the tail stock up to the saddle and locked it in place.

You are lucky your tailstock doesn't slip. It's an ongoing problem for my lathe.

On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 11:36 AM, MZ Rider wrote:

Using a brazed carbide tipped tool. Cannot say I like them but at least it is good enough to test it with.

Exactly - use what you have to get going is one of my mottos. :)? I've been using HSS tools and I think they work better with light cuts compared to the carbide tools I have. I bought some 'pre-ground' tools (from India) and they are OK, but it was pretty easy- and a lot cheaper- to just grind my own, using square blanks I got from China. Luckily I have a white aluminum oxide wheel in the grinder which seems to cut HSS well.

On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 11:36 AM, MZ Rider wrote:

Using the bench grinder ground a bit off the edge of the half nuts. This seemed to reduce the catching but not the thread bending? as much. So the two holes through which the front of the saddle is fixed to the bed were filed a bit on the front side. The idea being it brings the front element forwards a bit. It worked. Now no more catching and no bending of lead screw.

I'll try that idea of hitting the edges with the grinder; thanks. Mine isn't making a lot of noise but is still a bit prone to 'catching' when the lever is turned down.

On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 11:36 AM, MZ Rider wrote:

Then I found an odd white small plastic gear that had come out the end. Funny that as it work OK. So end off and it is a spare idler gear! I think that is what it is. There is a spot for it to screw into but it does nothing so left it off.

Is it one of these? One is for forward, one for reverse leadscrew movement. For traversing the carriage to the right, or cutting threads that 'reverse' is handy.

On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 05:22 PM, <j_r_abercrombie@...> wrote:

The difference might also affect the size of tools that will still be able to be set at center height.

Using the stock tool post (which is the same dimensions for the 2 lathes - the MicroLux a Sieg, the Vevor a RealBull) here's a 12mm insert tool in the Vevor.

The brass height gauge is at spindle center height.

Here's the same 12mm tool in the MicroLux:



Microlux with 8 mm insert tool in stock toolpost:

On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 05:54 PM, Roy wrote:

There's a dial indictor attachment for that!

Thanks, Roy - I didn't know about those. Actually my mini (cheap) DTI will reach almost as far into the spindle as the Starrett attachment.
Could a coaxial centering indicator be used for checking an internal Morse taper?

On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 06:04 PM, Michael Jablonski wrote:

At first glance most would identify the Vevor as a RealBull and the MicroMark as a Seig.

Thanks, Michael.

开云体育

There's a dial indictor attachment for that!

?<??>

Roy

On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 10:03 AM, Mark Kimball wrote:

Pulling the bearings would be the most definitive way to tell but that's pretty extreme.

Mark- Thanks for that info and ideas about checking the type of bearings in the Vevor. As you say, there's no easy way to get a definitive answer.
I'm quite curious by nature, but even for me there's a limit! :)
The headstock bearings are one of the things that seem to be perfectly OK on the Vevor, so I'm going to work through the list of 'fixit' things, bit by bit.
I need one of those shop signs as a constant reminder: "If it ain't broke, I'll fix it till it is!" :)