My "new" shop - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2023, 01:12:12 pm
content: I had a nice shop in Minnesota, but moved from there for a new job and put the big machines in storage. That ended up for much longer than I had anticipated. So, I got some toys (attachment 1), which I still have and use in my basement. The little Prazi lathe is OK, but not great. It's still better than nothing.This Summer, I decided finally after >25 years to get my big machines out of storage and use them. First step was to mouse proof a room in my barn. That was done in July, and I spent the available time bringing my tools back to life. Gladly, very little rust, but a lot of old oil/grease/dust to clean and alignment was needed. The paint did not hold up well, but that only affects appearance (attachment 2). The lathe is a British Smart and Brown built in 1966. It was rebuilt somewhat later, and I acquired it in 1984 as rebuilt. The mill was bought new (made in Taiwan) shortly later. My first project will be fitting a nice Buck chuck to the lathe. As it was built in 1966, its threads are BSN Whitworth (55 degree). I am years out of practice, so my first step was to make a practice plug duplicate of the spindle for checking the thread in the new backplate (1-3/4 x 8 tpi Whitworth)(attachment 3). It is just 6061 aluminum. The real plug will be a machinable steel, probably 12L14.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2023, 09:03:28 pm
content: Did you clean off the rust from storage, or were they heavily oiled?

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2023, 09:28:06 pm
content: They were heavily oiled with LPS3, but nothing is perfect. I had only anticipated 5 years or less of storage. Fortunately, the only rust on a surface that mattered was the very end of the lathe bed and a small area inside the R8 spindle of the mill. The latter does not seem to have affected anything. I use 3M scouring pads. Both areas were removed with the grey pad, not maroon. White is basically for polishing. The rust was not on the seating area for the R8 collet.

author: Zeyneb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2023, 10:49:04 pm
content: Nice to see you bring your metalworking equipment back to life.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2023, 11:18:57 pm
content: Years ago (1980's), I bought an entire set of Dorian AXA tool holders for my small lathe. Aloris was much more expensive at the time.Dorian was a US based startup. Got an additional holder from Dorian last week, and the set screws couldn't be tightened or removed. Threads were botched. I now have two Accusize tool holders that work fine for 1/3 the price. Accusize doesn't seem to have much of a tech service, but so long as they work, I can live with that.Edit: The Dorian AXA standard holder will barely take a 5/8" tool, but not a 16 mm. The Accusize is cut closer to 1/2" and will not take a 5/8" tool. The oversized version, which is rated at 5/8", will barely take the 16mm tool (i.e., 1616 size). A carbide cutter can shave a little off the bottom a 1616 tool so it fits both. In my case, I chose the bottom, because the holder cannot be lowered below the mount because of the way my compound is made.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 16, 2023, 01:40:53 pm
content: Nice setup. Those old lathes are golden. Earlier this year I visited a school for fine mechanics and they had a bunch of old lathes in daily use for the students to train on. Modern, manual just aren't up to the task for daily use according to teachers.