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Usually, you sort of match the knurl to the work diameter; little
things with coarse knurling look odd. On the 7xX, the machine isn't
rigid enough to be happy with a fixed knurling tool; the scissor type
is the way to go. Along the same lines, the QC knurling holder that
comes with the HF QC toolpost set is pretty much useless. When you
put any pressure on it, it happily loosens the clamping nut,
relieving knurling pressure:-(

Roy

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

Gerry, others,

So what should I look for in a knurler? Buy just the knurls and

make my

own mount or buy the whole tool? Seems to me that buying the whole

tool

would be best. Do I really need multiple tpi knurls? I'm just a
beginner so I can't imagine needing more than just the 'average'
knurled knob.

Any articles on how to use a knurler? Which type (sissor vs. fixed)
would be best for a beginner? Thanks.

Rance


RE: [7x12minilathe] Re: Way Wear, Hard Gibs

I have the scissor type and apart from the physical restriction on

what

you can knurl due to the throat they have worked very well for me.

Mine

will take just under 2" and in reality this has not proved a

problem

for the type of stuff i do.

Gerry
leeds UK

Hi,

Just a suggestion.

For making plastic handles on shafts I turn a few grooves (for axial
keying), grind a couple of flats (for rotational keying) and then
cast the handle with fibre glassing resin from the hardware store.

Use oversized PVC conduit as the former so centre isn't critical.
Glue a piece to some scrap with silicone, etc. Then spray the inside
lightly with WD40 as a release agent. Support the shaft by clamping
from above and pour the resin in. Next day, stick the shaft in the
chuck and turn off the PVC. If the WD40 has worked well you won't
need to machine much before it slips off anyway. Discard that and
continue turning the resin to shape. Fine cuts go smoothly and
produce mountains of fine stringy swarf. Don't let them build up or
the job will eventually grab the whole pile and wrap it up! Finish
with emery or wet & dry if you want a nice polish.

Place where I once worked used to cast blocks of that stuff for
making items from. They always saved the offcuts in a bin for
smaller jobs. Turns beautifully.

John



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

I doubt there is a "best" plastic for turning. Most of the less

heat

sensitive plastics turn nicely if you use very sharp bits with low
rake and modest rpm -- plastic will self-feed like brass so zero or
negative rake helps if you take deep cuts. Regular bits work OK

for

shallow cuts.

I've had good luck with: Delrin, nylon, HDPE, and polysulfone.

These

are not too sensitive to heat but they do make long, stringy swarf.
Tufnol is less temperature sensitive and turns to dust rather than
strings - excellent for pulleys and gears.

Lucite is very temperature sensitive so it is much more difficult

but

with care it can be used for lenses.

PVC turns OK, is a bit temperature sensitive and often has

impurities

that produce surprising tool wear.

John



--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "wireless_paul" <paul@>

wrote:

Wondered what the best plastic was for turning?
Paul

Hi Chris,

I assume we're talking a Sieg 7x here? I just measured my Sieg
steadies (I have fixed and moving) at 1-1/2".

I think you'll need to fabricate your own. You'll need a pretty
stout structure. Shouldn't be too difficult to do a specific purpose
one. Of course, if you want it to be generally useful then you'll
need better adjustment provisions and it gets to be more work. How
about boring a 2-1/4" hole in some 1/4" plate and tapping three
holes for set screws at 120 degree angles around it. Simplest mount
may be to the carriage using the couple of tapped holes on the h/s
side intended for the Sieg travelling steady.

John



--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "Chris Eilbeck" <chris@...>
wrote:

What's the maximum diameter of material I could fit in a fixed

steady?

I need to true the ends of a piece of 2.125" tube but it's way to
long to just run in the chuck without any additional support. I'll
have to mail order a steady but I can't get any scale from the on-

line

pictures of the device. Are there any other ways of doing this if

I

can't just use a fixed steady?

Cheers

Chris

Hi Rance,

I'm running a 7x12 so can't give specific models. However, I could not
conceive of having a lathe without both 3-jaw (scroll) and a 4-jaw
(independent) chucks. My machine came standard with the former and I
automatically bought the latter at the same time.

The 3-jaw gets 90% of the work. Mostly because it's quick and easy. It
holds round and hex bar and has no setup time. However, a 4-jaw can be
set up more accurately and square bar won't even sit in a 3-jaw. To
set things up in a 4-jaw you really need a dial gauge and magnetic
base too.

Between those 2 chucks you can handle most jobs and get accuracy when
needed. The other item to consider is a face plate. They are useful
for clamping odd shaped work to - stuff that doesn't lend itself to a
chuck. I bought one as an extra with my lathe and the vendor had a
combined package that included a couple of steadies.

I know what you mean about dollars. When I bought my lathe someone
told me to expect to spend about as much again on tools and
accessories. I didn't want to hear that advice at the time so I
ignored it. But they weren't far off. :-(

John





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

I'm looking for accessories in anticipation of my 8x12 HF purchase.

There are so many chucks to choose from. 3", 4", 5", self centering

or

independetent jaws. In my limited knowledge, I expect that

independent

jaws is what I want. Should I get the biggest that my lathe & pocket
book can handle? Price IS a consideration to me. Any recommendations
for a 5" (specific part #'s please)? Thanks. :)

Rance

Hi Veni,

Did you include a pic or attachment with your post or am I missing
something? Pics and attachments aren't supported by this forum's
messages.

John


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

Hi,

I'm newebie and wonder if this minilathe carries any
kinda of NORTON gearbox.

Neverthless any equivalent alternative would be OK
mostly if done with a reasonably priced substitute.

Intend turning a 3/4 " hole within a PVC cylinder.

That PVC female receptable should to fit a 3/4" piece
of std plastic cold water pipe cutted to a lenght of 1
1/4" .

Bests,

Veni


--- 7x12minilathe@... wrote:
__________________________

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Hi Rance,

I bought both HSS and a set of carbide tools. I work mainly with
steel (and stainless). Later I read that carbide is a bit of a pain
on these small lathes as it's prone to digging in, stalling and
chipping whereas HSS is more tolerant. Well, that was my experience
too. That said, my tool post was less than rigid and I've since
lapped gibs, etc. with a vast improvement in that department. But
HSS is infinitely more flexible.

Not so sure about the relative costs. I suspect it depends on where
you shop. Cheapest I've seen for HSS in the US was Enco (www.use-
enco.com) but their freight options to Australia were crippling. In
Australia I pick them up on eBay from Ozmestore1 (check item
250091086115). Also, when comparing cost you may like to weigh up
the 3 or 4 lives you get by rotating a carbide tip versus the number
of times a HSS tool can be sharpened. Don't be put off HSS by the
need to master sharpening. It's not that difficult to master and
you'll eventually find you need those skills anyway. Best use I
found for carbide was as a performance benchmark to compare my HSS
creations against!

John





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

I'm looking for accessories in anticipation of my 8x12 HF

purchase.

I thought Carbide would be better but HSS seems to cost more. Why?

And

which one should I opt for? To tell you the truth, I'm thinking

that

the inserts would be the best route. But picking the right ones

out

seems to be a nightmare.

I expect I'll be turning mostly alum. but also brass, copper, and

a

little bit of steel.

Rance

Hi Rance, Gerry,

The other snippet I picked up somewhere in my reading is that you
shouldn't be too timid when starting the knurl. As the initial
imprints come around again the knurl teeth need to slide into the
previous imprints. To aid that you need plenty of lube. You should
also make the OD a multiple of the knurler pitch to help the pattern
synch up. Being timid and starting really lightly is the best way to
prevent that synch-up process.

Note that's all head knowledge from my reading. I wasn't told about
these tips when I did metalwork at high school 35 years ago and I
recall I had problems with double imprints. My new scissor knurler
is somewhere over the Pacific Ocean in transit to Australia as I
type. I bought the larger LMS offering. The LMS site doesn't list
the smaller one as suiting a 7X. I'm confident it would. Chris at
LMS recommended the larger one - admitting it was his design - and I
figured it was about the same price as the smaller one by the time
you factor in the cost of the 3 sets of wheels it comes with.

Hope that's helpful,
John






--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "gerry waclawiak"
<gerrywac@...> wrote:

Rance,

without doubt i would say that the scissor type is the only way to

go with

the mini-lathe because the machine is so light and flexible

(compared with

larger and industrial types). The scissor action means that most

of the

forces stay in the tool and are not transferred to the spindle,

bearings

,slides etc.

Although it would be a relatively easy project I would suggest

that you have

done and buy a small scissor knurler as I did.

The one I bought here in the UK looks amazingly like (identical

even) the

smaller of the ones that www.littlemachineshop.com do.

I have had mine for about 3 years and it has been fine for

everything I have

needed which has ranged from 3/16" lockscrew though various knobs

up to 1

1/2" knobs and hammer and screwdriver shafts mainly on ally and

brass. Finer

knurl wheels might be preferable if you are down at 1/8" or so but

all my

results have been good, certainly I don't think you would be

disappointed

with it.

There is nothing particularly hard about knurling just align

throught the

centre of your work, tighten the knob, select slow speed and apply

plenty of

cutting oil and just tighten up and keep applying oil as you go

until you

get the knurl depth you need. If you are knurling a shaft just

slowly

traverse the carriage from end to end as you go tightening form

time to time

at either of the ends.

If you want an article might I suggest that you subscribe to the

premium

content of frank hoose's www.mini-lathe.com site which covers

basic lathe

operation and some neat starter project in plenty of words and

pics and

idealfor a newbie to the minis. I subscribed when I got my lathe 3

years

since and thought it was probably one of the best $25 I have spent.

No connection with either of these sites, just pleased that they

are there

for us mini-lathe types.

Gerry
leeds UK

From: "rancerupp" <rupps@...>
Reply-To: 7x12minilathe@...
To: 7x12minilathe@...
Subject: [7x12minilathe] Buying & Using a Knurler
Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:43:20 -0000

Gerry, others,

So what should I look for in a knurler? Buy just the knurls and

make my

own mount or buy the whole tool? Seems to me that buying the

whole tool

would be best. Do I really need multiple tpi knurls? I'm just a
beginner so I can't imagine needing more than just the 'average'
knurled knob.

Any articles on how to use a knurler? Which type (sissor vs.

fixed)

would be best for a beginner? Thanks.

Rance


RE: [7x12minilathe] Re: Way Wear, Hard Gibs

I have the scissor type and apart from the physical restriction

on what

you can knurl due to the throat they have worked very well for

me. Mine

will take just under 2" and in reality this has not proved a

problem

for the type of stuff i do.

Gerry
leeds UK

_________________________________________________________________
Upload 500 photos a month & blog with your Messenger buddies on

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Spaces. Get yours now, FREE!

Trevor,

Now I'm very glad you posted that link. I went out to Busy Bee this
afternoon, and they had a chuck that looked just like the one you
pictured except it had a JT-6 taper for $17. I just finished
checking it; it's only out about 0.001" over 4". Far better than my
tailstock which is aligned for centre accuracy rather than "pointing"
accuracy. (My minilathe like most has a MT-2 taper bore to tailstock
bore of about .002" per inch)

Next time I order from LMS I'll pick up that one for the drill press.



The Groz one turned out to be a real Goliath. That is to say,
inappropriate for the minilathe.

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "Paul Moir" <paul.moir@...> wrote:

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

Check out the chucks on sale at LMS. I bought this $9.00 one and am
very happy with the quality.

Trevor

Trevor,

Thank you for your reply. ...
- Paul Moir

Hi Chris,
I have never tried this but perhaps you could make a loose plug
attached to a spindle. Insert the spindle into the tailstoch chuck.
Lubricate the plug with silicone or washing up liquid ( for plastic) or
oil (for metal) and insert this in the tube so that it is sitting
inside but close to the end of the tube. Now you can clean up and true
the end of the tube using a lathe tool. Then withdraw the plug turn the
tube around and trim the other end.
I hope this is useful.
Kind regards
Mike
Kingsley, UK

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "gerry waclawiak" <gerrywac@...>
wrote:

It is surprisingly difficult to get any info on the capacity of

steadies but

according to littlemachineshop.com the one for the min-lathe is only

good

for 1" so not a lot of good for you.

Just for reference, I've maxed out my SIEG steady (courtesy of LMS) at
just over 1.5". I had to put the fingers in backwards, trim the prism
until the steady was well leveled, and even file a bit of the body
away for this to happen!

Engineman has a nice steadyrest that looks like it could be built to
handle quite large diameters, see(near the bottom of the page):



John

THEORETICALLY if the microwave hasn't been used for a while, the capacitor
MIGHT not have a charge on it as many units have a bleeder resistor across
them. BUT, capacitors will charge up from static in the air around them,
just sitting naked on a shelf.

ANY capacitor over a hundred volts or so should be stored with a shorting
wire across the leads which should remain there until after the unit is
attached to its circuit. (and if a cap is a really large value, anything
over 40 volts should be shorted - the skin resistance can be broken by just
a little more that forty or so volts, depending on moisture, etc. If the
leads break thru the skin, ANY voltage can be lethal - once you're past the
epidermis, as little as a few milliamps can kill.

I learned the lesson long ago with CRT's from televisions - they'd build up
a charge just sitting by themselves. Later, in college, we were working with
fractional farad capacitors of the multi-thousand to megavolt range - those
were built in 30 and 55 gallon drums (some even larger) and we used to take
great fun in loosening the nut on one side, swinging the shorting bar out
for a minute or so, and then flipping it back into place (with a wooden
broom handle) - just to hear the snap. Sometimes you'd get a bit of a tickle
even through the broom handle...We had to quit since we were burning the
bolts away - monel nuts and bolts in the 1 1/4 size were quite expensive,
even 35+ years ago <G>

Rabid
Uncle Rabid ( )
We Repair Electronic Speed Controllers
For Asian Mini Lathes and Mini Mills
"Just Crazy Enough To Get the Job Done"
(Join Rabid's Lathe/Mill Controller/Mod's List!)
(Also visit BarStockEngines - join us in building without Castings!)

It is surprisingly difficult to get any info on the capacity of steadies but according to littlemachineshop.com the one for the min-lathe is only good for 1" so not a lot of good for you.

I honestly don't know how I would tackle this problem but hopefully someone will suggest something.

Sorry!

Gerry
leeds UK

From: "Chris Eilbeck" <chris@...>
Reply-To: 7x12minilathe@...
To: 7x12minilathe@...
Subject: [7x12minilathe] Max workpiece diameter for fixed steady?
Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2007 14:11:30 -0000

What's the maximum diameter of material I could fit in a fixed steady?
I need to true the ends of a piece of 2.125" tube but it's way to
long to just run in the chuck without any additional support. I'll
have to mail order a steady but I can't get any scale from the on-line
pictures of the device. Are there any other ways of doing this if I
can't just use a fixed steady?

Cheers

Chris

_________________________________________________________________
Exclusive Ed Byrne daily comedy clips on MSN Video

The standard minilathe chuck is an 80mm (just over 3") three jaw and I suspect that your 8x14 will come equipped with a 3 jaw of similar or slightly bigger size as standard, maybe a 4". Some of the 8 and 9" hobbty lathes come bundled with a 3 jaw and four jaw independant so you may not need to do anything.

If you do have to buy one I would suggest that you start off with a budget 4" 3 jaw to get a bit of practice in as these are very versatile, easy to use and are generally accurate enough for most work, especially if you are turning parts that do not need re-chucking.

Four jaw independants are for more accurate work, holding irregular parts, boring and turning off centre etc but they involve a lot more setting up with dial test indicators so are best left until you build up some lathe time.

Many people think it is a good idea to get the biggest chuck they can get to fit and this is a common mistake as they forget that the jaws extend past the chuck body as the workpiece size increases and the jaws will then hit the bed or saddle long before the chuck capacity is reached so you can have the bizzare situation that when fitted to the lathe your physically bigger chuck has less usable chuck capacity than its smaller brother!

There was an interesting article either on www.mini-lathe.com or one of the links about selecting chucks generally as well as fitting larger chucks to the 7x minilathes and as an 8x is not that much larger it may be of interest to you.

Gerry
Leeds UK

From: "rancerupp" <rupps@...>
Reply-To: 7x12minilathe@...
To: 7x12minilathe@...
Subject: [7x12minilathe] 1st Timer Accessories-Which 4-Jaw chuck?
Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2007 13:48:15 -0000

I'm looking for accessories in anticipation of my 8x12 HF purchase.

There are so many chucks to choose from. 3", 4", 5", self centering or
independetent jaws. In my limited knowledge, I expect that independent
jaws is what I want. Should I get the biggest that my lathe & pocket
book can handle? Price IS a consideration to me. Any recommendations
for a 5" (specific part #'s please)? Thanks. :)

Rance

_________________________________________________________________
Exclusive Ed Byrne daily comedy clips on MSN Video

Chris,

Yea, about 1" is right. I had the same problem, I had to bite the
bullet and make a steadyrest. I will post a picture in the photos
section under steadrest. It is a fairly easy project if you can
access a mill. Works much better than the original one. I use mine
for making underwater dive light canisters.

Arnie

Hi,

Based on an article in Model Engineers Workshop I created this spread
sheet which figures out the correct OD of what you want to knurl so that
the knurl works out.

www.pacificsun.ca/~john/ELS/photos/Knurling.xls

Just enter in the Knurl dimensions and tooth count. Then the diameter
of what you want to knurl. It then calculates what the closest diameter
is that will result in a nice finish. Turn your work to that diameter
and knurl away.

John Dammeyer


Automation Artisans Inc.

Ph. 1 250 544 4950

I machine UHMW with no issues, a bit stringy though

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

Check out the chucks on sale at LMS. I bought this $9.00 one and am
very happy with the quality.

Trevor

Trevor,

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, the Get-It-To-My-Door price
of that chuck works out to be a little over $30, plus at least a week
in transit. (I have to commend LMS for their outstanding work here:
they get my packages here faster and cheaper than any other US
business I've dealt with.)

You have helped me with the idea that good chucks don't necessarily
have to come from LFA or Jacobs. I had half expected to hear that
there were only two classes, cheapys and $100 ones.

- Paul Moir

About PVC: Yes, I used to make oodles of parts from it and it wore
tools worse than anything. Even to the point that when making a high
quantity of parts I could easily learn how much extra to turn the
handwheel with each part so I got the same finished size to make up
for the tool wear part to part. Of course, until the tool got so dull
it needed overall resharpening. This is also the time I became very
fond of using a diamond hone to touch up tool bits.

I also machined a lot of molybdenum-disulfide impregnated nylon.
(Sort of a plastic moral equivalent to "Leadloy".)

Chuck K.

Quoting John <John@...>:

I'm not clear on what exactly you're comparing with HSS and Carbide
tools. A say 3/8" HSS blank costs about $2.00 and can be finished on
both sides, effectively making it two tools. A cheapy brazed carbide
tool set costs say $17 for 5 tools, or about $3 per tool. But then
there are both HSS and carbide indexable inserts, pre-ground HSS bits,
and there is a great range of qualities of brazed carbide tools.

For most of the metals you're working, you won't get much advantage
from carbide. In fact, it can be substantially worse as material like
aluminum tend to stick to "normal" carbide, while HSS will provide a
superior finish. Carbide works better on steel and other hard metals
though.

The difficulty with working with HSS blanks is the need to learn how
to grind them yourself. This can be alleviated somewhat by purchasing
pre-ground HSS tools so you can see what they're supposed to look
like. There are also some good tutorials online. Fortunately, it is
possible to grind HSS on a bench grinder equipped with common
aluminium-oxide stones.

Sharpening or shaping your carbide tools will require the use of a
silicon-dioxide "Green" stone.

With HSS blanks you can grind a tool to whatever shape would best suit
a job. This is perhaps their greatest advantage: you can make
exactly what you need on the spot. Their great disadvantage though is
that you have to turn half as fast as you can with carbide to keep the
tool from wearing out too fast.

So the choice really depends on how you wish to use the lathe. If you
want to get turning straight away or at high speeds, pick up some
half-decent brazed carbide bits and a green stone for the grinder. If
you need flexibility, don't mind first learning how to grind tool
bits, and can cut at a more leisurely speed pick up some HSS blanks.
If you want to get cutting straight away and want but want HSS (and an
education), pick up some pre-ground HSS tools. If you want to go
immediately into heavy production, use throw-away indexable carbide
inserts and forget about grinding or sharpening anything.

Personally I think there's room for both tools in the home shop. I
hope this helps you with your decision!