# WARNING: I now have a lathe :)



## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

It's older than I am (possibly even my parents) and isn't especially fancy, BUT I HAVE A LATHE!!!!!! It's a mini-lathe(ish), belt driven and I have to turn it on and off by pulling the plug out of the wall, BUT I HAVE A LATHE!!!!!! A friend who's just moved out to Oregon gave it to me as he couldn't fit it in his car.

I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours last night working on a heatsink to convert a Coleman 4D camping lattern from incandescent + 4D to LED + 18650. It's so cool to have a lathe at last, I can't stop thinking about things to do with it, tools to buy/ grind, books to read etc. <eek> I feel a bit embarrassed just writing that, hopefully my wife won't see this!

Anyway, pictures of the angry rust monster and works in progress to follow!


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## Toaster79 (Apr 5, 2010)

Congrats mate!

It was about time  Now ditch that leftover square tubing and go find some round ali stock, HSS bits and a grinder to sharpen/shape some tools. Some WD40 or petroleum for lubrication and you're good to go and make some serious lights 

Can't wait to see your first products.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

ha, I still have 5ft left, it's not going anywhere just yet  My friend gave me a couple of bits of stock, one of which I've been busy turning down to fit the lantern. I'll have to scrounge around some workshops, see what they have around.
HSS blanks will be on order soon and a friend has a bench grinder he lets me use. What would be a good starter set? Parting tool, something to cut fins, facing tool, left and right cutting bits?
Good call on the WD40 - I was using engine oil last night which makes a fair amount of mess, WD40 would be a lot easier!


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Nice one Matt 
Now you can unleash that imagination and get creative .

But for now we want to see the beast :thumbsup:


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

mattthemuppet said:


> Good call on the WD40 - I was using engine oil last night which makes a fair amount of mess, WD40 would be a lot easier!


Kerosene is really good on cutting aluminum. I apply with a small brush. Cheaper than WD40 and less messy than the spray.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

troutie-mtb said:


> Nice one Matt
> Now you can unleash that imagination and get creative .
> 
> But for now we want to see the beast :thumbsup:


pictures coming this weekend hopefully. Hopefully as tomorrow I'll be completely stripping the A/C system on our car, which might take a while


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

Vancbiker said:


> Kerosene is really good on cutting aluminum. I apply with a small brush. Cheaper than WD40 and less messy than the spray.


thanks for the tip, I'll pick up a bottle and some cheap brushes this weekend, ideally while I'm refridgerating myself and basking in the frigid gusts of functioning car A/C.


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Fantastic Matt. Welcome to real man's tools

When I got my first lathe I started with a parting tool, boring bar, and a right hand cutting tool. The best part these days is you can pick up cutting tools with coated inserts (off fleabay) for nearly less that the price of HSS and a bench grinder to sharpen then. The only time i use HSS now is for making form tools of a specific shape of cutting softer plastics. 

I'll have a look through my stuff, I might even have something I can send you


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Good luck Matt. Read lots as there is quite a bit to learn. If you didn't get one with the lathe then think about investing in a four jaw chuck, plus a DTI so that you can use it and you can do almost anything. Much better than being limited to round stock.

Looking forward to the flowing creations that will shortly be appearing from your shed.

Don't worry about the age of the lathe as the old ones are the best, it doesn't have to be big either for what we do. I only have a watchmakers size lathe.

Go forth and create.


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## odtexas (Oct 2, 2008)

Can't wait to see the new lights you are going to be turning.:thumbsup:


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## nov0798 (Nov 27, 2005)

Kerosene as cutting fluid?? Be careful, the flash point of kerosene is about 100-150F. Be careful that a hot chip doesnt start a fire. You should really be using cutting fluid. Some use kerosene, and kerosene does a nice job when cutting aluminum, but for safety reasons, I dont recommend it. A fire is not worth it to me. If your turning aluminum, or steel and take small cuts, you wont even need cutting fluid.


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## TigWorld (Feb 8, 2010)

Like nov0798 said, you really shouldn't need "coolant" for machining alu. For a final pass I sometimes use methylated spirits (denatured alcohol) as a cutting lubricant. It gives a great finish on the final cut.


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## klynk (Apr 18, 2010)

mattthemuppet said:


> BUT I HAVE A LATHE!!!!!!


Congratulations


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## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

well done matt, gotta love mates that move and only have small cars.

I hope it sees more love than my mill


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## wquiles (Aug 22, 2010)

Matt,

Congrats on the new-to-you lathe :thumbsup:

I now have a 12x36 lathe, but I started with a 7x lathe 4-5 years ago, so I know how you feel. It is great to be able to work/make your own small parts 

One of the best resources for a 7x lathe is the Little Machine Shop:
tooling, parts, and accessories for bench top machinists - LittleMachineShop.com

They have starter kits, and pretty much anything you could ever need for your small lathe.

Of course the best resource is advice from other machinists - the sub-forum on machining at the Candlepowerforums is very good (you need to join the forum to see the sub-forum):
CandlePowerForums

Almost all of us at the CPF machining sub-forum got started with a 7x lathe, so LOTS of good threads there on how to get started, etc..

Good luck,
Will


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

thanks for the tips'n'wishes everyone. Brad, if you have any spares they'd be much appreciated but only if AusPost doesn't want one of your kidneys for the privilige! it's going to be a steep learning curve, that's for sure! A set of indexable bits is on the shopping list, with a 4 jaw chuck and a better tail stock on the wish list. In the mean time, here's a pick of the angry rust monster:










petrol and compressed air are for dousing and blowing out kerosene fires, respectively  WD40 seems to work rather well in making the cuts smoother and quieter, plus I have a case of the stuff so I might as well use it. Also need a brush for cleaning up lathe spooge.

Here are some photos of my first "piece", a pedestal/heatsink for a camping lantern

























polishing the LED mounting face is _so_ much easier when the metal moves and your hand stays still!


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Looking good Matt. Nice to see some chips flying already. 

I have a 12mm turning tool with a couple of inserts surplus to my needs. The inserts are triangular but have 6 faces available so makes the inserts very economical. Will this fit in your tool post?


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## find_bruce (May 8, 2011)

mattthemuppet said:


> Here are some photos of my first "piece", a pedestal/heatsink for a camping lantern


And most importantly pics showing you still have all five fingers on your left hand. Well except for the last one anyway :thumbsup:


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## crux (Jan 10, 2004)

mattthemuppet said:


> thanks for the tips'n'wishes everyone. it's going to be a steep learning curve, that's for sure! A set of indexable bits is on the shopping list, with a 4 jaw chuck and a better tail stock on the wish list. In the mean time, here's a pick of the angry rust monster:


Honestly looks like you picked up a really nice lathe and your already cutting. I agree that a 4 jaw chuck is better for gripping pieces and can really add to a lathe. Keep posting pics of projects.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

brad72 said:


> Looking good Matt. Nice to see some chips flying already.
> 
> I have a 12mm turning tool with a couple of inserts surplus to my needs. The inserts are triangular but have 6 faces available so makes the inserts very economical. Will this fit in your tool post?


believe it or not, making that was the easy part of what has to be the most frustrating light I've ever made 

thanks for the offer Brad, that's very generous! I'll have to double check the width of the bit, although I have a sinking feeling it's a 1/4in (7mm?). I'll try and do it tonight, if not then when I get back from a camping trip. If is 1/4in, is it feasible to grind the holders down?


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

mattthemuppet said:


> believe it or not, making that was the easy part of what has to be the most frustrating light I've ever made
> 
> thanks for the offer Brad, that's very generous! I'll have to double check the width of the bit, although I have a sinking feeling it's a 1/4in (7mm?). I'll try and do it tonight, if not then when I get back from a camping trip. If is 1/4in, is it feasible to grind the holders down?


The indexable turning tool that I can send you is 12mm square which may be too big to fit in the hole of your tool post or may not match the centre height of your lathe. The centre height is calculated by measuring from the bottom of your tool post to the centre line of the lathe chuck. That will tell us what size tooling you need.

Let me know

Brad .


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

here's my first completed project, extensively tested over the last few days camping.

First off, when I have some time (ha!) I'm going to strip each bit of the lathe down, clean it and re-oil it so it's all working perfectly and I understand how each bit works. I also need to mod a QR to hold the motor down and the belt taut. Sitting with my arm over the chuck holding it down is neither fun nor safe.

Then, my shopping list is something like this, in order descending order:

set of indexable 1/4in or 3/8in bits
set of boring bars
quick change tool post (which would need the 3/8in bits, I think)
4 jaw chuck
live center, if I can figure out how it'd fit on my existing tail stock
drill chuck, ^^
new tail stock, if the above doesn't apply

that'll keep my b'day/ Xmas/ wedding anniversary pressie lists filled for years to come!


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

emu26 said:


> well done matt, gotta love mates that move and only have small cars.
> 
> I hope it sees more love than my mill


well, I did spend a month helping him change the suspension, brakes, steering rack and driveshaft (he nearly had a 3 wheel drive Subaru after we forgot to put the new driveshaft in) on said small car, which he was pretty happy about 

if your mill is feeling lonely and fancies making friends with an old lathe, I'm sure I could clear some crap off my work bench! Honestly though, it's not like I'll be using this every week, it's just the potential it creates that makes the biggest difference.


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

mattthemuppet said:


> here's my first completed project, extensively tested over the last few days camping.
> 
> First off, when I have some time (ha!) I'm going to strip each bit of the lathe down, clean it and re-oil it so it's all working perfectly and I understand how each bit works. I also need to mod a QR to hold the motor down and the belt taut. Sitting with my arm over the chuck holding it down is neither fun nor safe.
> 
> ...


Mate check out shars tools or Amazon for some 1/4" turning tool sets shars.com - 14quot Indexable Carbide Turning Tool Set

Just like computer parts you can sneak the purchases because to our wives all the bits look the same, a bit like their shoes look to us

The first turning project turned out really well. Good work Matt


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

brad72 said:


> Mate check out shars tools or Amazon for some 1/4" turning tool sets shars.com - 14quot Indexable Carbide Turning Tool Set
> 
> Just like computer parts you can sneak the purchases because to our wives all the bits look the same, a bit like their shoes look to us
> 
> The first turning project turned out really well. Good work Matt


It's a good job my wife doesn't read mtbr forums 

Thanks for the link - there are a few similar sets floating around (Harbor Freight, eBay), so they shouldn't be hard to get, although I'm leaning towards grinding my own given how much use they're likely to be getting and the gaping bench grinder shaped hole on my work bench 

TBH, making that little heatsink was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I actually found it quite therapeutic, especially after the noise and mess that is using a Dremel cutting disk! I now keep looking around thinking of things to make with it - a Maglite 4D is in perilous danger of being cut down to a single 18650, although I have a couple of other lights to make first. It's like a bloody addiction, this light making!


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

it's been a while, but I've been busy 

I've managed to make some "upgrades" to the lathe. It now has a belt that is the same width and height the whole way round, plus an on-off switch (which I'm incredibly pleased with) and a tie down for the motor so I don't have to stretch over the spinning chuck to hold it down myself.

switch

















tie down








it's an old front wheel QR, so I can release it to move the belt to a different pulley.

First tool I've ever ground - a parting/ cut-off tool
















cutting a test piece to see if it works (first grind didn't!). Doesn't work on steel though - I'd grind some back relief, but my machine is so flexible it would probably just dig in.

first piece of steel turned. Some mild steel rod that I turned to fit the tool post as part of a milling attachment. The 1/4in indexable cutters I got for Christmas didn't have a problem with it at all.









next up is to make the mounting plate and vise for the milling attachment. I need to grind a boring bar too, the cheap brazed carbide one I bought doesn't have any front relief on the cutting edge and just skims over the surface. Time to go pester my bench grinder owning friend 

I'm going to practice on a couple of heatsinks for some LED work lights I want to make for the lathe, then I'm going to start making a new helmet light. It'll take a while, but having an on-off switch will cut that while in half!


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## yamabike (Feb 21, 2012)

get some butter flavor Crisco for cutting lube, smells like buttered popcorn. then a cheap dial indicator with a mighty-mag base and cheap digital caliper and a 8in smooth cut file. you'll be set for awhile


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

hmm, I'm not sure I could deal with smelling popcorn while I'm working. There used to be a quirk in the AC at work which would pipe in microwave popcorn fumes from another lab at about 5pm, which used to drive me completely batty.

good tip on the dial indicator - I'm planning on making a cheap DRO or two from digital tire depth guages (MINI LATHE DRO « Start Model Engineering). I have one and it seems to react quickly enough


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Nice work, very satisfying inanimate objects come to life in the lathe....mmmmm popcorn....sorry got side tracked there. 

Even some good old kero works well with alloy, but doesn't smell as nice as popcorn. WD40, or rocol is great to, and ht erocol can be used when cutting treads with your tap also.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

thanks! Still gives me a thrill when I start cutting stuff 

so far I've been using WD40 and just playing around with cutting speeds (it's easy when you have only 2!), tool height and feed. Slowly getting used to it!


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Matt, that front wheel QR idea for belt tension is fantastic. I have been trying to come up with something like that for my lathe for for ages. I will copy that over the weekend.

Looks like you're having fun:thumbsup:


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

thanks and you're welcome  You'll probably need to make up a spacer to slot underneath the head of the QR when you go to a smaller pulley - on mine there isn't enough thread on the QR to take up the slack. I was figuring on getting a 1cm thick washer from my box of bits. Now that I've thought about it, you can just thread this onto the QR and slide it up above the clamp when needed (I was going to cut a slot in it, but this is easier and it won't get lost ).

I'm having lots of fun, still a little terrified about my plans for a helmet light, hence the other projects first!


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

Measure the threads of the QR, get a die to match and cut the threads longer maybe?


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Vancbiker said:


> Measure the threads of the QR, get a die to match and cut the threads longer maybe?


Smooth move.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

I thought about that (honest!) but the threads don't go butt up against the stem of the QR. Plus it's a pain in the proverbial to tighten, so I had a fiddle with my box of washers and found just the right no. so that it was set up for both pulleys - small pulley with spacers, large pulley without. Now I have a "quick change" gearbox


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

small update:

now, I'm not poor, but I am tight as a duck's behind. I also have no way of measuring carriage travel (or anything for that matter), so this:
micro DRO caught my attention.

$5 (digital tire depth gauge), 3 weeks or so of waiting, then a few hours of head scratching and tinkering got me this:


















the bodged together bracket is attached to the cross slide (right term?) with a hard drive magnet that I scrounged from work. I tried drilling through it, but apart from magnetising my drill bit (v. irritating) and giving a very bright flash of light when it broke into 2 pieces that didn't help much. Still, with the steel bracket (also from the hard drive) it clamps so hard it's actually rather tricky to get off.

Anyway, total travel is ~50mm before the strip pulls out from the sensor and the reading grows crazy, but it seems to be accurate according to my 2 dial calipers. I'm am pleased as punch, this worked out better than I expected  Now I need to figure out how to attach one to the compound (?)...

I also have some Jacobs drill chucks off eBay on the way so that I can machine an adapter and mount one in the tailstock (dead center is removeable, how about that?!). Slowly getting there...


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

You'll be well served by that little addition!


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

ooh yes! Not having to judge distances by eye or holding the caliper to spinning work (flinch) is going to be a big improvement 

edit: 
I managed to fit the cross slide "DRO" last night after some more head scratching:

















only downside to this was my wife exclaiming "so that's where my baking tray went! And it's the good one!". Crap. Good job she saw it before I started drilling holes in it I guess


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Nice work mate. It makes every job so much easier with DRO's.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

thanks! Next job - machine a tapered adapter to mount a drill chuck in the tail stock quill 

Oh, and see if I can get my frame repaired after I snapped a chainstay last night


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

well, it only took me a month and a half  - I finally finished making a drill chuck arbor

made from mystery metal, my guess being some kind of aluminium based on the weight and lack of attractiveness to magnets. Thread was done by a die, then the stock was screwed into the chuck and the chuck chucked to make sure it was all straight. Then the shank was turned down to the max diameter of the dead center and a push out nub done at the end. After that I used the dead center as a template to set up the angle on the compound and machined the taper. Amazingly it fit!









screwed into an old Jacobs 3/8in chuck I bought off eBay with 2 others (a 1/2in and 5/8in, both Jacobs) for $13. I've had both this and the 1/2in apart and this one is wonderfully smooth (I need to do the 1/2in again as something isn't quite right)









in the tailstock









pushed out as the quill is retracted. I think it's a bit longer than it needs to be, but it'll do for now









I also need to cut some spanner flats into the widest part so I can unscrew it if I need to

here's the first hole I drilled on the lathe 









next project is a tire gauge DRO for the quill, but that shouldn't take long


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## Toaster79 (Apr 5, 2010)

Well done mate! Keep it up!


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## wquiles (Aug 22, 2010)

Nice work. Nothing like making your own tools/parts


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

thanks guys! I've got a couple of other projects to finish off, then I'll get cracking with more stuff


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Well done.

Turning accurate tapers is one of the hardest things to do on a lathe. Everything else will seem easy from now on.

I love looking at the mess in your workshop as it's almost as messy as mine is


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

thanks! That's not mess, it's a collection of projects in progress  I might have a fit of cleaning this weekend as I was starting to lose the allen key for the 4 jaw last night. Really I just need a new garage with modern amenities like shelves and cupboards.

The taper wasn't too hard, it just took a while getting the top slide angle to match the taper on the dead center. Lots of set up time and fiddling, but the actual machining didn't take too long. Being able to take more than 0.2mm cuts at a time would be nice though


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## Walt Dizzy (Aug 18, 2003)

Hi Matt,

Congratulations on your lathe!

Saw your post on Hobby Machinist and remembered you from MTBR. I've gotten totally side-tracked on upgrading my machine tools and have not completed a new light in some time. Hope to get my lathe operational over the winter and get back to making lights.

Walt


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

Hey Walt,

thanks! I haven't seen you here for a while, great to see you back and hope to see you making chips soon. Don't forget to post pics of your new gear, nothing like a bit of tool porn to brighten the day


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

latest update:

Finally I can boast that I have a 3-axis DRO on my lathe! Very quietly and mostly just to my wife, but still..

Ran into a situation where I need to drill to a precise depth, so figured that it was time to add my other tire gauge to the tail stock. Usual combination of scrap metal, random screws and magnets, but it works well.

Base with shaped bits of steel to match the diameter of the tail stock housing:









Bracket to bolt to the quill, inspired by Daryl Bane's beautiful Monarch (?) tail stock DTI holder. This one isn't quite as pretty, but it's the best I could do with a band saw and a dremel. I meant to polish it but I was starting to loose feeling in my fingers by that point (-15C in the garage), so another day perhaps:









Quill retracted:









And extended:









The quill goes out a few more mm than that but the gauge starts having a fit. If I ever need to drill deeper than 38mm I can always figure out a work around. Now I can finish making a heatsink pill for my daughter's flashlight


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Nice work Matt on the 3 axis dro setup. It will make things so easy and hey you are now a step closer to cnc'ing the little beast . 

Have to laugh as I remember your shed being pretty cold last year, mine hit 47ºc on the weekend. I did no work that day.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

CNC  Well, at least I wouldn't have to worry about removing the lead screw!

Last night wasn't even the coldest, the night before that it was ~ -20C, with windchill down to -38C. That was a bloody cold ride home, that's for sure. Gone are the days when I thought Melbourne's winters were cold  Watched Pacific Rim under a blanket that night! Still, at least I can now boast almost symmetrical personal bests: +44C in Melbourne and -38C in State College. 

Oh, I also scored a rather nice old 15in floor standing drill press recently. I bought a cheap X-Y table (which I'll be going over), so now I can do some light duty milling too..


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## Fourtrax (Mar 17, 2013)

Nice work on the DROs! I picked up a HF 7x10 a couple weeks ago. Just waiting on the drill chuck so I can bore some holes! Can't wait to build some lights. It's a nice 20C here in AZ now but I can relate to Brad's 47C in the summer. Not much work in the garage then.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

thanks! There's a load of mods for those 7x10 lathes, so I'm sure you'll have a ton of fun with it. In fact, I think that the people who I got the idea from for these DROs had 7x or 8x size machines.

looking forward to the light builds


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## Ofroad'bent (Jul 10, 2010)

My brother's up in Yellowknife. He's been getting temps of -43C *before* windchill, and it's been windy. He said that if it warms up to -20 everybody runs out and plays hockey and gets on the skis.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

*sigh* I was just waiting for a Canadian to come in a spoil all my fun


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## wquiles (Aug 22, 2010)

mattthemuppet said:


> Now I can finish making a heatsink pill for my daughter's flashlight


THAT is what makes the whole project worth it


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

She likes turning the handles but I don't think she yet has the patience at 7 to do the whole thing! She reminded me about it last night, so we'll get back to it tomorrow (riding tonight). Only have to bore out the LED cavity and we'll be ready to start wiring it up.


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## wquiles (Aug 22, 2010)

mattthemuppet said:


> She likes turning the handles but I don't think she yet has the patience at 7 to do the whole thing! She reminded me about it last night, so we'll get back to it tomorrow (riding tonight). Only have to bore out the LED cavity and we'll be ready to start wiring it up.


I hear you loud and clear!. I have an 8yr old boy, and we are working together on his Pinewood Derby scout car, and it is the same, exact scenario. I have to space out the "working" sessions so that I can keep him interested/engaged


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

that's sweet, never heard of them before and they look a lot of fun. I've sent the link to my brother who has a 6yr old boy and is a lead aerodynamics engineer for Mercedes F1 team 

At the moment, I'm just trying to show her how it all works and goes together, so she gets the idea. Planting seeds so to speak. Next up after that is a squirrel or bird house out of wood.


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

My kids like to help also. Teaching my 11 year old daughter embedded controllers with the Arduino at the moment and about to make a robot. Should be fun.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

wow, that's really neat Brad. I can only teach stuff I know though, so I'd have to learn that for myself first 

Just finished machining one of the heatsinks (have another to do for my youngest):









and Sophie at work:

















plus a shout out to Vancbiker for his very generous gift of a DTI, now in use as I finally have a holder for it:








It's so much nicer to use than the tire depth gauge DI I was using before and I can now recenter the same part, which is a huge plus with a 4 jaw.

Forgot to say, Sophie actually did do a bunch of the cutting, especially the center drilling and then drilling of the LED cavity. I finished of the boring though as that's kind of, well, boring


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

mattthemuppet said:


> plus a shout out to Vancbiker for his very generous gift of a DTI, now in use as I finally have a holder for it:


:blush:Much better being used than sitting in a corner of my toolbox.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

I'm trying to get the digital caliper you gave me working too, but it seems to eat cheap LR44 batteries, possibly due to the cold as my 3V caliper can get a little flakey below -5 to -10C. Ordered a couple of SR44 batteries to see how they hold up. Hoping to use it as a read out either for my drill press quill or one axis on my 6in x-y vise (I was getting a mag base from HF, so I thought I might as well get the vise to save postage ).

After I get the torches done I think I'll make either a live center or a tailstock die holder as both would be seriously useful. Oh, also need to make a boring bar holder for my super sweet new boring bar... Projects, projects!


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

Finished the light:









It works!


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## wquiles (Aug 22, 2010)

Awesome


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

in the middle of fettling my new Harbor Freight 6in X-Y vise for the drill press that dreams of being a mill, part of which is making new lead screw end plates to replace the rough looking stamped steel originals


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## wquiles (Aug 22, 2010)

That is great!

Isn't it awesome to use your own tools to make new tooling for your shop? :thumbsup:


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

sure is  Wouldn't hurt to be able to do it a bit faster though. I told my machinist buddy at work how I could take at most 0.2mm off at a time without stalling the lathe and he said that he wished he could take that little  Doing the die holder and live center I'm planning will be interesting...


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## wquiles (Aug 22, 2010)

I can take extremely light cuts "if" I have very sharp tooling and a positive angle on the tool:
Negative and positive

In general, inserts designed for Aluminum tend to have both qualities:
SMALL LATHE TOOLING, AXA TOOLPOST, ccmt inserts, ccgt inserts


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

the indexable cutters (TCMT?) I have don't have any rake, whereas the ones I grind myself have a couple of degrees of top (back?) rake. I stone the HSS bits before use so they're very sharp. Slowly getting a feel for which cutter is the best for which job, which is all part of the fun!


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

Well done Matt, that's a nice bit of work. As you know I have the same vice and I always meant to do the same mod to mine but never got round to it. My vice cracked in half in the end from me over tightening it with a pipe on the handle for extra leverage:eekster:


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## wquiles (Aug 22, 2010)

You can get inserts with any rake you want, but grinding your own works well on softer materials, as long as you can keep the feed/speeds low enough. You can go higher if you have cooling, to remove the heat from the edge.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

yetibetty said:


> Well done Matt, that's a nice bit of work. As you know I have the same vice and I always meant to do the same mod to mine but never got round to it. My vice cracked in half in the end from me over tightening it with a pipe on the handle for extra leverage:eekster:


thanks Yeti! It's hard to find the time, especially now that I'm doing a workout program with the wife to lose a few extra pounds and keep my fitness over winter. I'll definitely avoid using a pipe on the handle now 



wquiles said:


> You can get inserts with any rake you want, but grinding your own works well on softer materials, as long as you can keep the feed/speeds low enough. You can go higher if you have cooling, to remove the heat from the edge.


thanks Will, though what I have will do fine for my limited needs right now. Having the freedom to grind whatever profile I want is a big boon too, certainly opens up the possibilities. Low speeds and feeds are definitely not a problem with this lathe!


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

Finished one axis of the vise, pending some proper cap screws. Works very nicely 










Now working on the other axis, hopefully get the bulk of it done tonight.


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## brad72 (Jun 12, 2009)

Very nice Matt.


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## Pro4tundra (Mar 21, 2009)

We're turning aluminum guys, wide open throttle on the speeds :thumbsup: leave about .015 for a finish cut feeding at .003/rev and spray a little WD while finishing, you'll have it looking like glass.


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