I finally found a lathe. Woo Hooo!!!!

skeetlee said:
thanks fellas. I checked on the oil levels this AM and all was fine. Dad says we are going to use top of the line insert tooling. i dont remember the brand name but he will get them through GE were he works. I brought home a bunch of carbide non insert tools yesterday and he wasnt all that impressed. c5 something or another?? I did get the quick change and 4 tool holders and 2 boring bar holders that he is ok with. they are china made but seem fairly solid. Lots to learn!! Lee
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On small lathes like this you will be better off using high speed tooling. These machines are not rigid enough for most carbides. You'll need to learn how to grind the tooling but you will get a better finish and accuracy with HSS or HSS-CO. That said, there are HSS inserts that fit most insert type holders. Carbides can not take vibration nor will they take slow speeds (SFM-Surface Feet per Minute).
 
Skeetlee, My lathe is a 12 x 36 belt drive. I did not buy the stand, as it was not very ridgid. I made one using 3'' angle steel
all welded with a 1/2 plate on top. The base has adjustable feet which allows it to agree with the floor. Using a rubber spacer
under each foot has made it nearly vibration free. Aligning this mache actually required shifting the headstock and took weeks
to get it where I wanted it.
In time, you will find that What Jerry Sharret says about HSS is true for a light lathe. In 30 plus years, I did have to replace
headstock bearings and the seals did leak requiring regular oiling. Having been trained as a tool and die maker My jet lathe
has done what I needed to do. Its hard to believe, but I regularly turn firing pin tips to .062 on my lathe with HHS. I doub't
that this can be done with regular carbide inserts.
 
Can anyone share a pic of there backer plate spiders for chambering barrels through the head stock? Actually i would like to see inboard and outboard spiders if you would. My dad is a great man but he is also very bull headed. He gets an idea in his mind and thats all there is. He hasnt nor has he been around what we do with these barrels, so he likes to question my ideas. He also thinks chambered through the head stock is a bad idea. He says how can you only indicate the first 3 inches of the chamber end and have it right. I said the holes are not drilled straight and that this is just how it is done. He wants to do these barrels between centers. I guess thats ok to, but i prefer to do them through the head stock. What i am getting at is that i need pics to show him what we do. I have a gordy gritters video but i loaned it out and i dont remember to whom i loaned it. I wish i could remember. Any links or pics?? thanks as always fellas!! lee
 
Skeetlee, Take the time to become intimately familiar with your machine. Make small parts. Put numbers on paper and learn
how to sneak up on them, like it is a $1000 dollar part that can't be tossed. Think forward about what is the best way
to proceed, before you do anything. Keeping your shirt sleeves and shirt tails safe is no laughing matter. AL is right
about swarf, remove it with pliers and never remove swarf from a machine while its running. Dead centers are really bad
on elbows. This all needs to become second nature.
 
Louis.J said:
Lee I noticed in one of the pictures of the lathe, not sure if it is the one you picked up and the spy glass on the outboard spindle bearings did not show any oil in it so be such to check the level before firing it up.

J.Louis
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This seems common with the jet lathes of that size. The seal at the chuck end runs on the spindle, but
on the other end the seal runs on a sleeve wich is part of the bearing adjustment with the bearing lock rings. The problem
is that that sleave is not alway concentric causing the seal to flex with every revolution. An equivalent part can be made
true which solves most of this. At any rate adding oil as needed will keep it going. Changing bearings is not fun.
 
Hi Lee,

Here are a few things that I've learned and bought over the years that have really improved my machining.

DIAMOND brand tool holder. This device uses simple HSS .25 X .25 cutters that are easily sharpened with an included jig on a simple grinding wheel. Carbide inserts are still used here and there when the Diamond holder won't work. But 99% of the time I'm using the Diamond. Best finish I've ever seen with my lathe

Rear Spider. I threaded a piece of aluminum to fit on the outboard spindle. I used three set screws. Some use four. Very easy to make and needed to work on barrels throuigh the headstock

True-Adjust 6-Jaw chuck. So simple to index a barrel without ever tightening too much. Absolutly worth the price. I've recently been working on octagon barrels where I was forced to use a four jaw as the 6-jaw won't work on an 8 sided object. Man, do I hate working with a 4-Jaw! I made a new backplate for it and converted my four jaw into a True-Adjust! Now I'm happy again!

DRO....years ago I added a Shooting Star DRO to my lathe and milling machine. I can't imagine machining with out a DRO.

DC Motor......This is a big $$ item, but I scored a brand new 90V DC motor off Ebay a number of years ago for $75! This really improved the surface finish as there is no 60 cycle hum induced into the cutting tool. And the ability to go from 10 rpm to whatever is great.

If you go to my web site and under "photography" you'll find an album labled 'Machining".....lots of pictures there of mods I made on my Jet.

www.rvbprecision.com
 
If i build a new stand for my Lathe out of heavy steel would it help the accuracy of the lathe compared to the flimsy sheet metal stand that i have now? I love to weld and a new steel table would be a piece of cake for me. Lee
 
it would depend on how square you built the frame...bolting to an out of square frame just pulls the lathe bed out of square.......would make leveling a challenge...the soft box cabinet does not provide much torque on the lathe bed..so easy to level...well sorta...
mike in co
 
skeetlee said:
If i build a new stand for my Lathe out of heavy steel would it help the accuracy of the lathe compared to the flimsy sheet metal stand that i have now? I love to weld and a new steel table would be a piece of cake for me. Lee
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The more mass you can tie to it will help dampen vibrations. That said, level the lathe. mainly getting the twist out of the bed, learn how to machine metal and it will work as it is. There are hundreds of "Little Jets" out there doing good work. You just can't hurry it too much.

Are these weldment/thin-wall casting machines as stable to vibration dampening and overall precision as say a South Bend Heavy 10? No, but then again they will do good gun work.
 
If i build a new stand for my Lathe out of heavy steel would it help the accuracy of the lathe compared to the flimsy sheet metal stand that i have now? I love to weld and a new steel table would be a piece of cake for me. Lee
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I'm sure it would! Nothing like "Mass" to settle things down.

There is a fellow on one of the other sites that made a mold and cast a solid concrete table for his lathe. And another fellow poured a huge block of concrete right in the middle of his shop. Both report massive (no pun intended!) improvement in their work.

At some point I'm going to weld up a very heavy steel frame and pour a concrete top for my lathe. Not that it needs it, but it would be a fun project................
 
Al and Jerry have VERY good points....... For your safty and the protection of the equipment.

NO... Long sleeve shirts.... Even rolling-up long sleeves past your elbo is still a no-no.... Even with a foot break or easy reach power cut-off...

Be safe and ASK questions... Lee, keep coming back to this thread... It'll grow for you and others.!

Good score on that lathe!
cale
 
Thanks fellas. I am always very careful when working. i have been working in the elements and around equipment since i was 10 years old. safety is always a priority. My great grandfather was killed in a corn crib because of a conveyor belt snatch up the collar on his jacket. Broke his neck!! I was 4 years old and spending the week with him during harvest when it happened. I remember some of it but not all of it. I remember how much i used to love riding on the combine with him. It never hurts to be reminded though. Good point!!! Lee
 
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skeet, just follow your dads advice in the real world of machining there is little use for h.s. tools.as for the safety aspect just think things through old saying figure twice and cut once.i don't know how many that answered are real machinist but i have worked 40 yrs in trade and i do wear long sleeves rolled up as do most i have worked with.all the accidents i've encountered were from not paying attention. george
 
Congratulations Skeet.
Just remember one thing and you will be fine. That being, "skin and bone will not even slow down something that is capable of cutting steel".
Like George, I have been a Machinist my entire adult life. I agree with what he said.........jackie
 
:)
jackie schmidt said:
Congratulations Skeet.
Just remember one thing and you will be fine. That being, "skin and bone will not even slow down something that is capable of cutting steel".
Like George, I have been a Machinist my entire adult life. I agree with what he said.........jackie
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My congratulations also.

Skeeter will find out on his own soon enough which works best on these little benchtop lathes, hss or cabide.

But advsing him to just roll his sleeves up, thats bad advise, imo:(:(:(

Some of what I feel is good advise for a newbie is to always wear sufficient eye protection.:cool::cool:

And while you are machining, turn off the frikkin phone.:):)
 
Kennametal is the brand of inserts and tools my dad is buying for the lathe. Anyone here use Kennametal? Lee
 
mike in co said:
it would depend on how square you built the frame...bolting to an out of square frame just pulls the lathe bed out of square.......would make leveling a challenge...the soft box cabinet does not provide much torque on the lathe bed..so easy to level...well sorta...
mike in co
Click to expand...
My welded up frame weighed over 300 lbs, it also has a shelf with 1/2 plate and turned
out to be ridgid enough that changing the feet had no effect on the bed. Final adjustments to the bed were made using shims
under the bolt down tabs. Adjustable feet serve to get all 4 mated equally to the floor. The shelf is home to another couple
hundred lbs of barrel stubs and other stock. Its all balast. Re machining the large pulley and balancing brought vibrations to a
very low level.
 
Similar Beginner Exerience

Hi Lee,

By now you've received somewhat differing advice from some very fine machinists----all good advice that reflects the preference of those individuals.

You also have a great advantage in that your Dad is very knowledgeable and willing to help you.

The posters here have taught me a lot and I have a good friend who is a retired machinist-----this has been a great combination.

There is a bit of advice from this board----Jackie----that isn't really technical but is so full of common sense that it should never be ignored or forgotten and I'll generally quote Jackie on this.

"Understand and visualize the entire job before you start-----plus-----check your work as you go."

This applies to so many things that we do-----should never be forgotten.

You'll eventually sort out the advice and learn to use what works best for you-----just remember Jackie's basic words of advice.

A. Weldy
 
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