Rexvalter VF-118 lathe (was: old Myford Ml7)

[Pete.]

Also had this mystery object he was selling for 20€

Found out it's apparently a bench center and can cost quite a lot
http://www.insizeus.com/products/INDICATOR/BENCH CENTER.aspx

Bench centres. Very handy for checking how bent your shaft is. I have a Jones & Shipman one and though I don't use it often when I do it's very useful.

 

[DennisCA]

By the way, this lathe comes with a working coolant pump and nozzle, is this a useful feature on a lathe or more effort than it's worth with all the mess it probably makes. What do you use as cooling fluid? I have heard of ballistol mixed with water in a 20:1 ratio for cutting fluid for drilling.

 

[Hood]

Coolant is not a necessity but it is very handy and can extend tool life and make parts more accurate due to less thermal expansion in the metal. I use mine all the time and yes it can get messy.
I have recently switched from normal soluble cutting oil, the milky white stuff to fully synthetic, it is nicer as it is transparent so you can actually see what is going on although that aspect is probable better for milling than turning.
I get mine here.
Normal

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LUBESOL-N...398266?hash=item3f70dbe2ba:g:RrYAAOSwnHZYRuAJ

fully synthetic

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FULLY-SYN...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

[DennisCA]

By the way, do you use grease or oil on the gears and bearings, does it differ from lathe to lathe? I have read more than once about people saying previous owners have in error used grease where they should use oil, such as on bearings. And what kind of oil or grease in that case?

 

[Hood]

I use a spray oil similar to what they use on motorbike chains but it will I suppose depend on what the manufacturer recommends.

 

[DennisCA]

Haven't been able to find a manual yet sadly, might have to buy one from lathes.co.uk. Would be nice to find out, but some kinda oil anyway for the gears, from what I've gathered, plain yellow grease should be fine for the bearings. The grease in then might be old and in need of replacement.

There's a NZ based guy on youtube who had a very nice restoration of a myford lathe, he used something called 3M spot putty, green goo of some kind, I can't seem to find it locally. Anyone know of any alternatives?

I'm also considering cutting steels and leaning towards HSS and grinding my own, seems more flexible and cheaper than inserts. And I have a belt grinder just for this kind of thing. Making my own boring bar seems like a good project:

 

[Hood]

By all means if you are wanting a project then make a boring bar but they are not expensive and already have a square hole broached so saves a lot of messing.

 

[brightspark]

quite often u just want to bore small holes out and boring bars wont fit in I mainly use half inch hss boring tools and u can get them down under a half inch drilled hole

 

[Pete.]

If I want to bore a small diameter hole, so long as it's not too deep I often put an end-mill in the tool holder. Usually works just fine.

 

[DennisCA]

By all means if you are wanting a project then make a boring bar but they are not expensive and already have a square hole broached so saves a lot of messing.

It seemed like a simple first project and a lot of the stuff I do is making my own tools, preferably from scrap.

 

[DennisCA]

Bought a dial indicator, 2nd hand Käfer, maybe it's a bit of a risk buying a 2nd hand precision tool, but 25€ shipped from germany isn't bad when a new Mitutoyo 2406SB is 45+shipping. I have a stand from before, cheap thing meant to be used with a dial indicator that has a lug on the backside, need to figure out a stem adapter I guess. A dial test indicator might also come in handy someday... Anyone know what the picture of the man in the center means?

 

[slim_boy_fat]

.......Anyone know what the picture of the man in the center means?

That you spin the outer dial to zero prior to taking a reading?

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Shockproof?

 

[MattF]

By all means if you are wanting a project then make a boring bar but they are not expensive and already have a square hole broached so saves a lot of messing.

Doesn't need to be a square hole. I have several small boring bars, of the style shown, with round holes.

 

[Hood]

I too would say it is the company logo or trademark.

 

[Hood]

Doesn't need to be a square hole. I have several small boring bars, of the style shown, with round holes.

Yes have a few myself but square hole is easier to get the toolsteel set.

 

[MattF]

Yes have a few myself but square hole is easier to get the toolsteel set.

True. Where's the fun in that though.

 

[Hood]

True. Where's the fun in that though.

The fun for Me is keeping them in the drawer and using carbide

 

[DennisCA]

Turns out there's no need to make a boring bar, comes with two bars already, one that takes an insert and one round one shaped from a solid piece of HSS. Also has at least one carbide tool holder that takes a triangular insert.

I went last night and picked up the tool cabinet and all the loose parts from the lathe so they wold not be lost in transport. I found some stuff I don't know what it is, will take photos when I have time.

Maybe the thread title should change, no longer is about a Myford. Maybe: Rexvalter VF-118 lathe (was: old Myford Ml7)

 

[DennisCA]

Took some pictures last night of the tools, this is the boring bar with insert:

It's a bit hard to see but I believe it uses this insert:

Here's another insert, not sure what type, haven't had time to look at it closely, home alone with kids last night, one is vomiting... Seems there's a support above and below the cutting insert.

This holder is of a different design to the rest with a HSS cutter

And another cutter, not quite sure what this might be meant for

And one with some HSS pieces, this is the one I used to do some test cuts, looking at the geometry there is no back rake so perhaps this one was meant to turn brass.