Which Lathe Would You Suggest?

I'm thinking sometime down the road you'll wish you got the longer bed . It's always that way with me . Sure as geese make pellets a job will come up longer then you can handle. I can't be the only one this happens too.
 
I could have fitted in the longer bed - 1250mm between centres - BUT - yes BUT everything else would have been jammed up and less usable - just so on the odd occasion I would be able to turn something longer than 625mm. The bed looks shorter than it really is because the head is massive and the tail stock is a substantial MT5 unit.

Won't it be great when I have projects coming out of my ears and then one sneaks in that would require 900mm between centres - "no can do" - Oh well back to the 1001 that are shorter than 625mm.

All that said yes the time will come - BUT a bigger lathe would have cramped the workshop immediately and every day I worked there - so it is a "small" compromise to make.

Cheers


Mal

They gave me the instruction manual to check out prior to delivery - interesting -

So for example - here is the diagram which shows four different change gear configurations - now because of the gearbox arrangement - each set gives a wide range of thread cutting / feed rates but I missed this when I made the purchase - I just didn't get down deep enough to see it. True without manually removing gears and replacing with alternative gears the machine will cut metric threads in a range from .036 through to 3.5mm - and of course a fairly good selection of imperial threads.
Now it may well be the case that many or even most engine lathes follow this line of attack -

But just one of the surprises I have come across by reading the manual which I asked for but was unable to acquire prior to the machine delivery.

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Well the lathe arrived all safe and sound and we hired a truck to poke it into the shed.

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While I can run the machine and it has been levelled by the technician from 600 Machinery - still work to do getting the workspace set up. One task is getting the 4 jaw chuck and the 3 jaw chucks in a position where I can move them on and off the spindle in a controlled way. I am no Hercules so I need to make this as easy as possible.

Also have not as yet charged the coolant tank - certainly have not even looked at the DRO to get my head around it's functions.

The electrician still has to arrive to permanently wire the machine into the main power supply - at present it is just running on a 20 amp 3 phase lead.

Mal
 
Well here we are into 2017 already. The new lathe is really no longer the new lathe. Being small jobs and trying to get my accuracy and repeatability sorted. Not there yet.

Loving the power feed and the DRO - have cut several threads - a breeze now. So very happy.

Mal
 
That looks like a very stout machine. Did the fork bearing head issue ever get resolved? I know sometimes, jobs get sidelined. Cheers, Mike
 
The steering head bearing mounting is still waiting for my attention. I have purchased suitable stock to machine up some pieces to use in my press to try and address the issue.
But first I needed a small overhead crane to lift the four jaw chuck on and off the machine because I cant lift it.
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Then my grandson needs a billycart - so before the crane is even installed I have to finish this billy cart.
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And then my Dividing head arrived and I got distracted into having a quick look at how that might work.
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So I am the master of distractions and side tracks.

But thank you for asking anyway - I will get back to it - along with many other small jobs which a patiently waiting their turn.

Mal
 
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