daedalusminos
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What length is it?
- Thread starter Pete.
- Start date
Pete.
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It's small, 390mm x 128mm at the bottom, 270mmx 58mm at the top and 970mm tall.
daedalusminos
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Pretty easy to fab that yourself with no special tools. Use angle iron full length to clamp sheet either side of the radius (you might have to bolt them through the sheet and post patch). Apply heat and form radius.
You can make a louvre press using using a simple press tool (you'd have to cut the slit first)
You can make a louvre press using using a simple press tool (you'd have to cut the slit first)
Pete.
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I've ordered a 3-axis DRO kit thanks to a recommendation from @pressbrake1. Two of the scales turned up today, hopefully the rest will follow soon.
Pete.
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I've been working on stripping the paint off the top slide this weekend and come across a problem that bears mentioning. There are two cap screws that clamp the attachments onto the top slide. One of the threads was torn up probably from the end of the bolt getting burred or perhaps over-tightening. Anyway, after much effort I managed to get the knackered cap screw out but look what it has done to the top bearing surface.
Where the thread was torn up it has raised the flat surface. I sanded it a little to show it up properly but this hump of about 5 thou would cause any of the top-attachments to rock on that hump and not sit down firmly.
I drilled and helicoiled the thread and I've since scraped the top surface flat which apart from that hump and the obvious scratches etc it was pretty good. Now it has a good 50% bearing spread evenly across the whole face.
I've seen this before from stripped-out gib adjuster screws. They tend to be very close to the flat ways on cross slides and compound slides especially on the smaller lathes. Definitely something to watch out for.
Where the thread was torn up it has raised the flat surface. I sanded it a little to show it up properly but this hump of about 5 thou would cause any of the top-attachments to rock on that hump and not sit down firmly.
I drilled and helicoiled the thread and I've since scraped the top surface flat which apart from that hump and the obvious scratches etc it was pretty good. Now it has a good 50% bearing spread evenly across the whole face.
I've seen this before from stripped-out gib adjuster screws. They tend to be very close to the flat ways on cross slides and compound slides especially on the smaller lathes. Definitely something to watch out for.
Windy Miller
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I have EXACTLY the same damage on the 3 gib adjuster screws of the compound slide on my mini-lathe. I'm not 100% sure, but I suspect it happened during a tool crash. I think it tried to lever itself out of the dovetail, and the pins that the adjusters bear down on have forced the thin walls of the holes downwards and thus caused the humps. Longer pins required, and possibly new (or additional?) holes too.
Pete.
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You gotta fix that because it will be holding the slide off the way. Probably move about all over the place under load. If you're not too sure bring it up to me and I'll fix it for you mate.
Windy Miller
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Cheers Pete - I’ll pop it over one day soon so you can take a look
Pete.
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Bit of scraping on the top of the machine. This is the flat y-axis way that carries the top slide, spindle and attachments. It's the second most used slide on the machine so needs scraping well to add longevity. I already knew that the middle of the way was scraped low - it's good practice - but I wasn't prepared for just how low they had made it.
Here's the first bluing which is very unimpressive. These ways are wider than the part that slides on them and that creates a ridge of un-worn iron along the closest edge to the camera.
A surface plate must always touch on at least 3 points and these are ringed in red. The green ring there is no contact. This is because the ways will always wear at the front edge nearest the work (because that's where dust and swarf get slung into the gap and because the attachments overhang at the front). So the plate is sitting on the two high ridges on one side and the least worn place the other.
I scraped the ridges down carefully trying not to gouge the working way. Once I got some proper contact you could then see where the middles are deliberately relieved and where the fronts are both worn. A few rounds of rough scraping and I had this:
Now you can see the deliberate low spots in the middle of the ways and the wear at the front end. Time to scrape the whole face down but going heavier on the right hand side in the pic than on the left because the left side is already a little more worn. We're talking no more than a thou or so, not a million miles out. I'll scrape the face down until the scraping reaches the front edge and if that takes out the centre relief I'll add that back in. BTW the relief in the middle is normal, it's done to ensure that when the ends wear (which they always will first) the slide does not rock on the hump left in the middle. I just never saw it done this deep before. It must work because after 62 years this machine is still fighting fit as far as the ways are concerned.
A good bit more roughing and now we have this:
As you can see there is still a little patch at the end where there's little or no contact so I think that another half a thou will see the job done. That's about 3 heavy scraping passes. I doubt that I will completely get rid of the little score line in the top left but it will be all but gone and cause no problems.
Here's the first bluing which is very unimpressive. These ways are wider than the part that slides on them and that creates a ridge of un-worn iron along the closest edge to the camera.
A surface plate must always touch on at least 3 points and these are ringed in red. The green ring there is no contact. This is because the ways will always wear at the front edge nearest the work (because that's where dust and swarf get slung into the gap and because the attachments overhang at the front). So the plate is sitting on the two high ridges on one side and the least worn place the other.
I scraped the ridges down carefully trying not to gouge the working way. Once I got some proper contact you could then see where the middles are deliberately relieved and where the fronts are both worn. A few rounds of rough scraping and I had this:
Now you can see the deliberate low spots in the middle of the ways and the wear at the front end. Time to scrape the whole face down but going heavier on the right hand side in the pic than on the left because the left side is already a little more worn. We're talking no more than a thou or so, not a million miles out. I'll scrape the face down until the scraping reaches the front edge and if that takes out the centre relief I'll add that back in. BTW the relief in the middle is normal, it's done to ensure that when the ends wear (which they always will first) the slide does not rock on the hump left in the middle. I just never saw it done this deep before. It must work because after 62 years this machine is still fighting fit as far as the ways are concerned.
A good bit more roughing and now we have this:
As you can see there is still a little patch at the end where there's little or no contact so I think that another half a thou will see the job done. That's about 3 heavy scraping passes. I doubt that I will completely get rid of the little score line in the top left but it will be all but gone and cause no problems.
Pete.
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Yep, gonna scape everything whether it needs it or not.
Pete.
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That pretty much sums it up exactly.
Pete.
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Received some bits today. I've not been able to remove the ball oilers without ruining them so I have bought a packet of new ones from eBay. Pretty reasonable quality for about 75p each delivered.
I also replaced my favourite water stone. I got one out on loan and the other I dropped the other day and broke it in two. Bought a pair of 220-grit stones which will need grinding flat before I use them. These are very agressive and to be used with care. They make a big difference to the time it takes to scrape badly worn surfaces.
I also replaced my favourite water stone. I got one out on loan and the other I dropped the other day and broke it in two. Bought a pair of 220-grit stones which will need grinding flat before I use them. These are very agressive and to be used with care. They make a big difference to the time it takes to scrape badly worn surfaces.
Seadog
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I wish you'd mentioned oilers. I still have some genuine, UK made, brass bodied, nickel plated ones.
Pete.
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8mm? All the british ones I have seen have been 1/4".
Pete.
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Got loads done today although not much to show for it. Did a bit more on the top ways. It's nearly there now just a little bit of work to finish.
Needed a break from that because working at that height makes my shoulders sore so I decided to strip off the vertical 'console' table and carriage. Getting the table off was a simple matter of un-bolting the end plates, swinging them out of the way and sliding the table off the end. Then I has to remove the feed screw and nut. The nut is a large bronze 2-piece anti-backlash job. It screws into the end of the housing and is held by a grub screw.
Here is the oil reservoir. It feeds the pump you can see in the pic above which oils the ways, and the wick oiler feeds the leadscrew.
I pulled off the cover to get at the power feed control linkage. The cover doubles as a mount for stackig gauge blocks for doing very precise work. I will be fitting a DRO so I probably will never use it.
Here it is un-covered. Note the old scraping marks visible on the ways. Always a good sign.
Not knowing how to dismantle the console for removal I figured I could possibly undo enough bits to slide it all off leaving the z-axis screw and power feed rod behind. Turns out tha I couldnt so all I could do is wind it off the end of the screw and lift the whole assembly off the ways. That thing is bloody heavy must be better than 50 kilos. Once it was off I could take stock of the ways.
No ridges in any of them desipte the stupid straight-cut oiling grooves. No ridges means very little wear. I'll be scraping these too. Only the bottom casting that houses the leadscrew nut and feed rod driver bearing to remove now.
And there it is ready for final sanding, filling and priming for paint. I'll scrape the ways on it first so that I don't wreck the paint. Might un-bolt the housing from the base so I can really clean out the crud, although TBH I don't know exactly how much advantage it will give me as it's bound to get oil and grease in it soon enough again.
Needed a break from that because working at that height makes my shoulders sore so I decided to strip off the vertical 'console' table and carriage. Getting the table off was a simple matter of un-bolting the end plates, swinging them out of the way and sliding the table off the end. Then I has to remove the feed screw and nut. The nut is a large bronze 2-piece anti-backlash job. It screws into the end of the housing and is held by a grub screw.
Here is the oil reservoir. It feeds the pump you can see in the pic above which oils the ways, and the wick oiler feeds the leadscrew.
I pulled off the cover to get at the power feed control linkage. The cover doubles as a mount for stackig gauge blocks for doing very precise work. I will be fitting a DRO so I probably will never use it.
Here it is un-covered. Note the old scraping marks visible on the ways. Always a good sign.
Not knowing how to dismantle the console for removal I figured I could possibly undo enough bits to slide it all off leaving the z-axis screw and power feed rod behind. Turns out tha I couldnt so all I could do is wind it off the end of the screw and lift the whole assembly off the ways. That thing is bloody heavy must be better than 50 kilos. Once it was off I could take stock of the ways.
No ridges in any of them desipte the stupid straight-cut oiling grooves. No ridges means very little wear. I'll be scraping these too. Only the bottom casting that houses the leadscrew nut and feed rod driver bearing to remove now.
And there it is ready for final sanding, filling and priming for paint. I'll scrape the ways on it first so that I don't wreck the paint. Might un-bolt the housing from the base so I can really clean out the crud, although TBH I don't know exactly how much advantage it will give me as it's bound to get oil and grease in it soon enough again.
