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- Sep 22, 2010
- Messages
- 7,223
What does a person need to get a lathe ready to work?
Let's make a list-
Live Center
Aloris type tool post & tool holders in a size to suit your lathe/lathe swing (genuine Aloris or Dorian (BIG Bucks) or Phase 2) Phase 2 sets are usually on sale at ENCO. (incl. Turn, face, cutoff, threading, boring tool holders)
1/2" drill chuck w/ Morse taper arbor to suit tailstock taper.
Insert toolbit holders. Or HSS steel toolbit blanks.
Main Chucks, centers, drill chucks, Tool post, tools, drills
some HSS cutting tool blanks and a bench grinder to grind them on
If your lathe doesn't have a DRO, then I would look for a DI and a "mighty mag" to attach it to the lathe. This will allow you to measure the carriage travel during turning. A set of 123 blocks will be useful for extending the measurement range. Having two set of these is very useful in verifying a taper attachment setting if your lathe has a TA.
For threading you will need a "fishtail" gauge, both to grind your threading bit and to align it to your workpiece.
Aside from the headstock oil you will need way oil to lubricate the ways. Cutting/tapping oil may be needed depending on your material. WD40 is a good cutting oil for aluminum.
Vernier or digital calipers are pretty good for most measurements, but a 1" micrometer is necessary for more precision. If you are turning larger stock then larger mics may be needed.
Other things that can be very useful (things that I have used at one time or another at the lathe):
proper sized lathe dog(s)
set of drill bits including center drills
taps and dies
chamfering tool
various grits of emery cloth and Scotchbrite for polishing on the lathe
files
deburring tool
tapered mandrels
DI/DTI with magnetic base for truing workpieces in a 4-jaw
Collet chuck and collets. If a chuck is too expensive you can use a collet block clamped in the 3-jaw. Even if your 3-jaw chuck will clamp very small stock a set of collet chucks and collets is very useful for holding round stock at the mill.
Knurling tool
A thread gauge and tool height gauge is handy to
get the tool to the right height. The lathe has an MT3 chuck, but a second
one is handy with a center drill permanently mounted.
Center drills - I have never found a use for any smaller than #3, and use #4 almost
exclusively. Buy a half dozen of these, they break incredibly easily.
For starting larger holes MT3 drills in more or less random sizes say
3/4 7/8 1 and 1 1/8" or any 32d around these come in handy.
You will need a boring bar set: with an AXA or 100 sized QC tool post CDCO
has a boring bar holder for bars upto 3/4" OD These are about a foot
long but if you are boring out an inside cut they are handy. You don't need all the sizes listed of MT3 drills , they are just to get a hole started for the boring bar.
A dedicated wrench sized to fit the QC tool post nut
is handy, as is one sized to the compound nuts.
Drill bit sets: beware of any 115 drill sets costing under $90-100. Metallurgy of sets under $100
can be highly suspect. I find my HF set at $40 does a good job on pine
but soft iron is harder than the drills judging from the results on the tips of 3 of the bits. I got the set so I had an option for drilling on the drill press
to not use up my two good (US sourced) sets.
One final point, when you set the machine on the drip pan, put some gasket sealer around the bolt
holes in the pan-make a 1/8-3/16" tall mound of sealer in a complete circle around the holes. All lathes leak a bit, some more than others and the gasket sealer keeps the oil in the pan, not dripping down below.
Let's make a list-
Live Center
Aloris type tool post & tool holders in a size to suit your lathe/lathe swing (genuine Aloris or Dorian (BIG Bucks) or Phase 2) Phase 2 sets are usually on sale at ENCO. (incl. Turn, face, cutoff, threading, boring tool holders)
1/2" drill chuck w/ Morse taper arbor to suit tailstock taper.
Insert toolbit holders. Or HSS steel toolbit blanks.
Main Chucks, centers, drill chucks, Tool post, tools, drills
some HSS cutting tool blanks and a bench grinder to grind them on
If your lathe doesn't have a DRO, then I would look for a DI and a "mighty mag" to attach it to the lathe. This will allow you to measure the carriage travel during turning. A set of 123 blocks will be useful for extending the measurement range. Having two set of these is very useful in verifying a taper attachment setting if your lathe has a TA.
For threading you will need a "fishtail" gauge, both to grind your threading bit and to align it to your workpiece.
Aside from the headstock oil you will need way oil to lubricate the ways. Cutting/tapping oil may be needed depending on your material. WD40 is a good cutting oil for aluminum.
Vernier or digital calipers are pretty good for most measurements, but a 1" micrometer is necessary for more precision. If you are turning larger stock then larger mics may be needed.
Other things that can be very useful (things that I have used at one time or another at the lathe):
proper sized lathe dog(s)
set of drill bits including center drills
taps and dies
chamfering tool
various grits of emery cloth and Scotchbrite for polishing on the lathe
files
deburring tool
tapered mandrels
DI/DTI with magnetic base for truing workpieces in a 4-jaw
Collet chuck and collets. If a chuck is too expensive you can use a collet block clamped in the 3-jaw. Even if your 3-jaw chuck will clamp very small stock a set of collet chucks and collets is very useful for holding round stock at the mill.
Knurling tool
A thread gauge and tool height gauge is handy to
get the tool to the right height. The lathe has an MT3 chuck, but a second
one is handy with a center drill permanently mounted.
Center drills - I have never found a use for any smaller than #3, and use #4 almost
exclusively. Buy a half dozen of these, they break incredibly easily.
For starting larger holes MT3 drills in more or less random sizes say
3/4 7/8 1 and 1 1/8" or any 32d around these come in handy.
You will need a boring bar set: with an AXA or 100 sized QC tool post CDCO
has a boring bar holder for bars upto 3/4" OD These are about a foot
long but if you are boring out an inside cut they are handy. You don't need all the sizes listed of MT3 drills , they are just to get a hole started for the boring bar.
A dedicated wrench sized to fit the QC tool post nut
is handy, as is one sized to the compound nuts.
Drill bit sets: beware of any 115 drill sets costing under $90-100. Metallurgy of sets under $100
can be highly suspect. I find my HF set at $40 does a good job on pine
but soft iron is harder than the drills judging from the results on the tips of 3 of the bits. I got the set so I had an option for drilling on the drill press
to not use up my two good (US sourced) sets.
One final point, when you set the machine on the drip pan, put some gasket sealer around the bolt
holes in the pan-make a 1/8-3/16" tall mound of sealer in a complete circle around the holes. All lathes leak a bit, some more than others and the gasket sealer keeps the oil in the pan, not dripping down below.
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