# My PM1236



## darkzero

I'm here to stay so I figured I would document a few of the mods & accessories I have for my PM1236. I got it in Nov 09 & it's been great to, no problems at all, & Matt has always taken care of me, even today. I originally purchased a PM1127-VF (no LB model at the time) but changed my mind & i'm glad I did.

(Most of these pics are copied from a thread on another forum when I got the lathe.)

Here it is when it got delivered.



















The day I got it standing next to my mini lathe.






No mill at the time so great machinist friend Barry from Precision Works milled the T-slot for me. I went with a Dorian SQCTP Wedge Lock BXA.















Bison chucks on both ends. The 5/8 drill chuck I scored on ebay new for $56 shipped.
The 5" 6-jaw is from my mini-lathe.









I got a Square D 2510KG2 manual motor starter on ebay for $20.


----------



## darkzero

I got a bit tired of using a hex key for the carriage lock so like some of the larger lathes I wanted to make a lever for it.


The old method







After a bit of looking around I found a bolt on solution. I chose a Kipp adjustable (multi position) lever. These would probably be great for mills, after they are locked/tightened you can pull the handle up to disengage it from the splines & move it into any position to keep it out of the way. As I find more applications for these I will definitely be getting more. They come in different shapes, sizes, & materials. The stainless ones are nice but are very expensive, I choose one to match my lathe the best.

All I used aside from the Kipp lever is a small spacer so the lever doesn't come in contact with the carriage. I'll probably add a spring to it to give it some resistance when not locked down.







Removed the old bolt, simply screwed in the new lever.







Here's the lever lifted up which can be moved into 20 different positions after it has been tightened down.






Positioned out of the way, probably will rarely ever get in the way on the lathe.







Overall view








Probably not a common solution but like my 8x14 I decided to change the compound bolts. On the 12x36 the original studs & bolts did not strip like the 8x14 but I got used to using hex head bolts & find it much more convenient.


M10 bolts with some heavy duty washers from Mcmasters






Used some Grade 8 bolts that I threaded the heads then cut them off & ground down to use as the nuts.






So now with the carriage lock lever the old hex key still gets use for the compound. Much more easier than using a wrench.







For a while I have not been happy with the Mason mounts. Not the mounts' fault, my lathe is just not heavy enough. If I rocked the lathe pushing on the headstock, I can easily get the lathe starting to rock back & forth. That's not good! So I decided to make some solid mounts.


Here's how it sat before, overkill with 8 Mason mounts.






The materials. 5/8" threaded rod. My Mason mounts are 1/2"






Made four mounts with threads.






To make things easier & keep costs down, I threaded all the way through. To prevent the studs from threading past the bottom, I deformed the edge of the thread to create a "stop".






The finished mounts.






Installed. I'm still using four of the Mason mounts on the outside to help keep the lathe in place. With just the solid mounts, I can move the lathe if I give it a good push.






After I got it all leveled, I adjusted each Mason mount 1-2 thou.







The solid mounts made a huge difference, well worth it, & the lathe has a whole different feel to it now. Still need to make some bigger lock nuts for the base & will replace the cheap all thread.


----------



## darkzero

After coming to my senses that I will never be able to afford the Fagor 40i that I fell in love with, I pieced together a kit & I'm pretty happy with it. It's a true lathe display so there's no useless mill functions to worry about.

Here's my install....














Made a back plate for support since the display is mounted to the sheet metal control box.







Installed a cable grip/strain relief.












Wired the display directly to the lathe's 220v power so it turns on when I power up the lathe.







Scale installed on the cross slide (X axis).







Was a bit tricky at first drilling & tapping for these two holes. Had to use a very long extension for the drill bit & the tap since they were so close to the ways. Luckily I didn't fubar it.







Chip guard for the scale.







Mounting bracket for the bed scale (Z axis). The cross slide scale also uses one of these, forgot to take pics drilling the cross slide to install it. It was done on a drill press.







Bed scale mounted.







Mounting bracket for the bed scale.







Put the lathe partially back together to make two little spacers.







Chip guard.












The mounting arm for the display.


----------



## darkzero

Wasn't too happy with the quality of the 4-jaw that came with the lathe so I replaced it with a Fuerda direct mount 8" 4-jaw. The stock 6" 3 jaw I am keeping though.













The chuck key is a safetly type key just like the Bison key but I can't stand those springs so off it came. This key fits the stock 3-jaw too but not the Bison.






My dog plate after I cleaned it up.




















Too bad this lathe dog is so offset heavy. Makes my lathe shake at higher speeds so I got some conventional ones that work much better.












My Exair Cold Air Gun.












Back then there were no separate packages, it was pretty much the Preferred package with chuck guard. Eventually I couldn't stand that damn guard so off it came. Man what a big difference it makes!







Haven't used the flood coolant system yet so I just made a bottle holder where the nozzle used to mount.







All that damn flex conduit that was put up really bothered me so I took it all down & replaced it with EMT.

Before:

















After..... I installed a drop for the air compressor & later added an extension for the mill.


----------



## GaryK

Great looking job so far. It's never really done it is?

I still can't see what anyone would want with a chuck guard?

That's a big compressor, but I imagine you need it using your cold gun at full presure. I have the loudest compressor I have ever heard. I keep
it in another room with the door closed and it's still loud as hell! Thankfully I have a new one coming on Monday.
Only 60db. That's going to be a very nice change!

Gary


----------



## darkzero

GaryK said:


> Great looking job so far. It's never really done it is?
> 
> I still can't see what anyone would want with a chuck guard?
> 
> That's a big compressor, but I imagine you need it using your cold gun at full presure. I have the loudest compressor I have ever heard. I keep
> it in another room with the door closed and it's still loud as hell! Thankfully I have a new one coming on Monday.
> Only 60db. That's going to be a very nice change!
> 
> Gary



Thanks Gary. Yeah, tell me about it! People have told me but I had no idea my addiction would lead me this far & I know it only gets worse! But I look at it as a life long investment so & it keeps me happy.

I kind of liked the chuck guard at first as it was insurance to never leave the chuck key in. But I learned that lesson before I got the PM & finally one day it really started to get annoying! IMO it really serves no purpose as it really doesn't guard anything.

If you look at that last pic just above your post you can see that I also have a 17 gal tank sitting behind the lathe plumbed into the system. With 77 gallons I still want more air! But I don't think I can fit an 80 gal where the 60 sits. Maybe one day I'll upgrade to a 2-stage. 

The cold air gun is air hungry! I don't run it at full recommended 90 psi. I run it at 50-60 psi & it still works well. That's my current alternative to flood coolant as I don't want that kind of mess in my garage yet. I mostly using it when drilling Ti which is often. Not nearly as great at a flood system but better than nothing. I have one for the mill too but haven't hooked it up yet.

Congrats on the new compressor! It's definitely a necessity & I can't live without one. I had a Craftsman/DevillBiss 20 gal which was pretty quiet but it couldn't keep up with my 1/2" impact & die grinders. Always had to wait for it to fill back up! Bought the 60 for $255 & sold the Craftsman for $200 so it was a nice upgrade. The 60 gal HF US General compressors are actually US made.


----------



## GaryK

darkzero said:


> Congrats on the new compressor! It's definitely a necessity & I can't live without one. I had a Craftsman/DevillBiss 20 gal which was pretty quiet but it couldn't keep up with my 1/2" impact & die grinders. Always had to wait for it to fill back up! Bought the 60 for $255 & sold the Craftsman for $200 so it was a nice upgrade. The 60 gal HF US General compressors are actually US made.



Yea, the new compressor is only a 6.5 gal. but I don't use much air at all. It's a step down from the 14 gal. I now have. I do have a 10 gal. portable tank that I use to take out to the driveway to fill the tires
on the cars, so I can always use it for extra air storage. From the reviews I've read on the new compressor, it fills real fast. Just about a minute with the 2 cylinder compressor. I may look on craigslist for a
big tank for real cheap to give me a big surplus of air.

I just got a real inexpensive Spra-Kool Midget Mist system that I plan on using on the lathe and mill. It will work at 30psi. I don't even want to mess with the flood coolant system. I saw on another site that someone made his mister intermittent, .5 sec on 1.5 sec off. I plan on doing the same thing but make the on/off time adjustable with 2 dials. It will cut down on air and coolant use. I figure this will keep things cool and lubed.

BTW I think the only real reason for the chuck guard is to keep coolant  from flying all over the place when using the flood coolant.

Gary


----------



## Ray C

Will...  What...  You got Elves keeping that thing clean for you?


----------



## darkzero

Ray C said:


> Will...  What...  You got Elves keeping that thing clean for you?



Nope, actually they're Smurfs! Hence the white & blue. )

Most of this pics are from another thread when the lathe was new. But I do probably keep the lathe cleaner than most. I mostly turn Ti these days & dry, after the first lathe fire I get paranoid sometimes. Turning ferro rod can get interesting too.


EDIT:

Guess I forgot to include my radius turning attachment so I'll just insert it here (copied from another forum as well). Made this before I had a mill so I cheated by using parts from another unit.



Here's what I started off with. The Myford attachment & a 5" dia 30lb piece of CR1018.






Mounted in the 4 jaw, making the base plate with this piece.






Cut off the base plate & save the rest for another project (feet for the lathe).






Cleaned it up, drilled a couple of holes, & test fit.











Bored out the recesses on the top of the base plate for the tool post.






Bored out the bottom of the base plate for the mounting/pivot screw.






Base plate is done, on to make the post assy. 3" dia 1018.











Machined the steps for the bottom of the tool post.






Bored out the recesses on the top off  the tool post for the cutter assy. Drilled a hole all the way through  for a M6 bolt, then tapped threads the bottom for a M10 bolt.






Tool post is done, time for a test fit.






Tested it out on a piece of alum.  Ditched the insert & screw that it came with for a TNMG 331 Cermet  insert & Ti flathead/countersunk type screw for better seating.  Chatter free & right on center line! 






Here's how I measured the cutter height.






Here is the top mating surface for the cutter assy. 






Turned down a M6 bolt to fit through the M10 thread at the bottom of the tool post to bolt on the cutter assy.






The mating surfaces of the post & base plate. Since this is where I made the tool post pivot I added some lube.






The bottom of the base plate. This  part is critical since the washer should only mate against the small  step of the post that fits through the base plate. But if that step is  too high you'll get unwanted play leading to chatter. 











All assembled.






Time to give it a try, first up was a ball knob to replace the cheapo plastic one.


Threaded a rod & a piece of steel.






The rod I was using to hold the stock was too thin & chattered a lot  so I had to switch to a thicker one. After a little bit of sanding I  ended up with this.






Here's the new knob on the tool post.






Thanks for looking.


----------



## Ray C

Lathe fire?   Story!


Ray




darkzero said:


> Nope, actually they're Smurfs! Hence the white & blue. )
> 
> Most of this pics are from another thread when the lathe was new. But I do probably keep the lathe cleaner than most. I mostly turn Ti these days & dry, after the first lathe fire I get paranoid sometimes. Turning ferro rod can get interesting too.


----------



## darkzero

Ray C said:


> Lathe fire? Story!
> 
> 
> Ray



I suppose lathe fire does sound extreme. It's happened to me only twice now but that's enough to remember. Not actually a fury of fire & no real damage to the lathe other than minor discoloring to the paint. Ti chips are flamable, thinner the swarf, the easier it combusts just as steel wool burns. But Ti burns very white & bright, too bright to look at!

I forget exactly how it happened the first time & I don't plan on trying to find out how to duplicate it. But I remember turning some Ti at probably too high of SFM, saw some very minor sparks but did not think anything of it. Well one of those sparks fell onto the swarf below & a pile ignited. Definitely got my attention real fast!

Second time when I was making the Ti ferro rod holders below. I've made a number of them before without an issue but one time I was facing the ferro rod which sparks very easy if the SFM is too high. Again the sparks fell on a bundle of Ti swarf on the chip pan & boom, bright white light! Ferro sparks like hell so now I flood it with lube when cutting to prevent ignition. 

I wish I had a pull out chip pan, I hate when there is long stringy swarf that gets caught & creates a bird nest & is why I take the time to get rid of it when needed. But with the Ti, it's the fine stuff that scares me of igniting, not because of bird nesting.

Hasn't happened to me in a while as I learned what not to do but I always have those memories. Pros may know what they're doing to avoid stuff like this but I learn the hard way. )


*EDIT:* This past weekend I had some more Ti chips ignite. If the spindle speeds are on the slow side & I feed to fast/hard I can get a familiar distrinctive sound followed by sparks flying. This time I was boring 4" in depth had had sparks fly out the bore. It was a sight to see but nothing that alarmed me. First time I had sparks shooting out of a bore thow.


----------



## darkzero

These are the spindle speeds I measured using a Monarch Pocket-Tach 100, last NIST calibration in 4-2000 but it should be ok. YMMV.

I'll probably never use the high range but if I do I take the readings & post here.








My thread & feed chart is different from all the other PM1236s I've seen so far. Even though the values are different on my chart I can't imagine the gears ratios to really be different so YMMV. This may not be useful & possibly the chart values can be verified by doing some math but math is not one of my good areas. The lowest measurement below would be my slowest feed rate that's not documented on my chart. My brother estimated 0.001 IPR for my slowest reading but he said there was not enough info based on my chart to get a more accurate estimation.

These readings were taken on the power feed rod at 500 RPM spindle speed & the geabox set to M1.


----------



## darkzero

This was lost in the crash so I'm just reposting....


Thanks to a member of another forum & Gary for the reminder, I got me a 1μm scale for my cross slide too. 

Easson doesn't make the size I need so I got a Sino from the guy I get my DRO stuff from in China. Better for me anyway so I won't need any additional work mounting it, simply unbolted the old scale & bolted the new one onto the mounting plate.

Not much to see since the scale doesn't look any different than my original but I'll post some pics anyway.


1μm on top.






Pic of the X scale mount that I missed in my DRO installation post.






Scale mounted. 







With the 5μm scales I can occasionally hit .0001" but now with the 1μm I can hit that all the time now.


























With .0001" resolution I'm not crazy to think I can actually try to achieve that level of tolerance, especially with this lathe, but it will help make things just ever so slightly easier.


----------



## MikeWi

Since you've already done all the hard work, would you like to share the sizes of the slides you used and a source?  I know I'll be doing this eventually. )


----------



## darkzero

MikeWi said:


> Since you've already done all the hard work, would you like to share the sizes of the slides you used and a source?  I know I'll be doing this eventually. )



I used 220mm KA500 & 920mm KA300 scales. My source is xiao1207 on ebay. JJ doesn't have a website up yet so you'd have to communicate with him through ebay but he has excellent communication & ships fast.


----------



## MikeWi

darkzero said:


> I used 220mm KA500 & 920mm KA300 scales. My source is xiao1207 on ebay. JJ doesn't have a website up yet so you'd have to communicate with him through ebay but he has excellent communication & ships fast.


Thanks, I already have him saved as an ebay vendor, so that works out.


----------



## Rbeckett

That is some good lookin Iron!!!!!  Too clean, but the scunge will come in time.  I also like the cool air gun too.  Have fun and enjoy you new machine...

Bob


----------



## darkzero

Thanks Bob! )


----------



## darkzero

I have a request for a 30" long Ti javalin/spear that I've been working on. To complete it I'll need an outboard spider so here's my take on making one.


Started out with some 2"Ø CRS.






Used the 4-jaw to face & center drill both ends.






Turning between centers.






Crept up on targeted DOC.






Test fit, still not enough depth & also needed to tweak the major Ø.






So back on the centers a few more times until I was happy with the fit. Now it screws in all the way & I'm happy with the fit.






Drilled up to my largest bit on hand, 1".






A Fowler electronic edge finder showed up today as I've been curious about them. At $30, cheap enough to give it a try. Have to be real careful with this solid type as the tip does not "break away". It works by contacting the metal & continuity through the mill. I may try the more expensive break away ball type tip later but they have their limitations & advantages because of the ball. Just testing it here, I still just used the good ol conventional edge finders.






Drilled, tapped, & chamfered four holes.





















Back to the bandsaw to cut off the excess






Final boring to allow 1.25" stock to fit through comfortably. My spindle bore is just over 1.53"






The finished spider.











Now I can continue on with the Ti javalin....






Thanks for looking!


----------



## woodrowm

Good morning - Hey great stuff, this is one of the many things that I need to make (by chance can you post the plans) between you a GaryK you both are keeping me pretty busy.

Thanks,
Sonny


----------



## rdfoster

Looks like I have another project. Great photography! My PM1235 is supposed to arrive this afternoon. Hope I can keep it as nice and clean as yours.

Thanks for sharing:

Bob


----------



## darkzero

Thanks fellas.




woodrowm said:


> Good morning - Hey great stuff, this is one of the many things that I need to make (by chance can you post the plans) between you a GaryK you both are keeping me pretty busy.
> 
> Thanks,
> Sonny




Unfortunately I did not make any plans for it. It's pretty straightforward but if you need help I'll be more than happy to. As Gary mentioned in his thread, the spindle thread is 1 5/8-16 which is what I came up with too when measuring. On my spider the outside diameter matches the spindle, thread depth is .75", OAL is 2.25", & the bore is 1.30". I used M8x20 set screws cause I had extras laying around, plus I prefer to keep all fastners for the lathe & mill metric so I don't need to keep an extra set of tools nearby.





rdfoster said:


> Looks like I have another project. Great photography! My PM1235 is supposed to arrive this afternoon. Hope I can keep it as nice and clean as yours.
> 
> Thanks for sharing:
> 
> Bob




Congrats! Sounds like you will be busy today!

Keeping it clean is not hard if you spend the time to clean it. But trying to prevent scratches, chips, & dents would probably drive someone crazy. The feeling sucks when you encounter that first major one because of all the money you spent & how pretty it looks but it's inevitable. Luckily the lathe is white so it doesn't look as noticeable from a distance if you're worried about it. Chips will expose the colored primer & the thick body filler chips easily in some areas.


----------



## rdfoster

Will, I noticed in your first picture the end of your work was painted red. I get leftovers from local manufacturers and some of them are painted on the end. I think it might mean how hard it is. I get some with red, blue,green, yellow and orange. Do you know what it means if anything?

Bob


----------



## darkzero

rdfoster said:


> Will, I noticed in your first picture the end of your work was painted red. I get leftovers from local manufacturers and some of them are painted on the end. I think it might mean how hard it is. I get some with red, blue,green, yellow and orange. Do you know what it means if anything?
> 
> Bob



Yes, in my case, the color denotes the type of metal. I get all my metal (with the exception of Ti & Zr) from the local IMS. For round bar (& flat bar too I think), red is CR 1018, orange is CU 110, blue is AL 6061, pink is SS 303, & IIRC yellow is SS 304. BR C360 is also red but of course the diffference can easily be seen in the color of the metal as only the ends are painted.


----------



## darkzero

I've been wanting to make some sort of spindle work stop & I was going to make a second threaded spindle adapter for this purpose while I was making the spider. The Aloris spindle stop for the size I need is over $400. Rovi Products who are near my work offers a similar version for less than $200. Dorian also makes them but I couldn't find a price on them or anyone that sold them. If anyone is interested & has a spindle bore of 1-5/8" to just over 2", there's a seller on ebay who has a few of the Dorian sets for $160. Damn, I wish they had my size, they look nice!

Well happy birthday to me, bought myself my own birthday present. ) MSC carries the Yuasa spindle stop for just over $200. Went to the local MSC outlet yesterday & ordered one, model SWT-105. My sales guy gave me 15% off of it. Picked it up today, way better than anything I could have made & it's simple to use. The wrench is overkill long (my guess it's the same wrench used for all their sizes). I think I may make a shorter one someday.


































EDIT: Might as well add when I decided to do something about that long ass handle & to fit in my tool box.


----------



## Ray C

I think it might depend on the supplier.  I just picked-up a few hundred pounds of various diameter 1045 and some is painted red and some is green.  It's all hot-rolled 1045 -just different diameters.

Ray



rdfoster said:


> Will, I noticed in your first picture the end of your work was painted red. I get leftovers from local manufacturers and some of them are painted on the end. I think it might mean how hard it is. I get some with red, blue,green, yellow and orange. Do you know what it means if anything?
> 
> Bob


----------



## Maglin

Thank you for the DRO info and xiao1207 as an Ebay seller.  I just ordered the SINPO kit for my 1236.  I see pics of how clean yours is and it just makes me jealous.  I need to spend some time with some Kerosene and some rags to really get mine all cleaned up.  I don't know if the SINO is any better or worse than the SINPO.  There wasn't any information on the scales so I asked the seller.  Looking for something decent at around $400.


----------



## Maglin

DarkZero what are those lights you have on your lathe?  I really like the way they look and appear to function.  I want to get me a set of those.  My DRO came in yesterday and I started the install last night.  I had to get a 950mm Z scale as they where out of the 920mm scales.  I hope to have it completely setup by tomorrow night.  Heck I might even get the flood coolant working as I've never gotten around to hooking it up.


----------



## darkzero

Maglin said:


> DarkZero what are those lights you have on your lathe? I really like the way they look and appear to function. I want to get me a set of those.



Don't know the brand name if they even have one. The one on the carriage I got from Grizzly which they don't carry anymore, 24V but 50W as opposed to the stock 25W. China stuff. They used to be on ebay but not anymore (I wanted to get a couple more for something else). There's different ones on ebay though. Some of the larger Grizzly lathes come with them & you might be able to get one as a replacement part, last I looked they were much more expensive than what I paid for it. 

The one mounted on the control panel was from 800Watt on ebay but occasionally they do still pop up on ebay from different sellers. That one is 110v & 50W also, same lamp head. The magnetic base that comes with it is small & doesn't hold it's weight so I replaced the base with the largest one Mcmaster carries. I also bought a bunch of replacement bulbs from 800watt for cheap so I'm set for a long time (haven't had to change a bulb yet though).

Thanks for bumping this thread, I had forgotten how nice my lathe looked when it was brand new & scratch free. Probably still better looking than any of all your guys' though.


----------



## Maglin

darkzero said:


> Thanks for bumping this thread, I had forgotten how nice my lathe looked when it was brand new & scratch free. Probably still better looking than any of all your guys' though.


LoL.  That is correct for me at least.  I have oil that is stained on the back splash and bed that I just can't get to come clean.  I've given up on making it look as clean as yours does in those pics but it definitely looks better today than it did a few days ago.  I'm going in search of those lights now thank you.


----------



## woodrowm

Good evening - Hey on the spindle threads on the PM-1236 metric or standard?

Thanks,
Woodrow


----------



## Ray C

The machine turns native US threads -meaning, the leadscrew is US.  The machine is capable of cutting metric threads by using the supplied gears but, the procedure is slightly different.  All machines which natively cut US threads follow the same procedure to cut metric.

Ray


EDIT:  Please see post 13 of this thread.  The documents therein describe the threading and other aspects of the machine.
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...-Asked-Questions)?highlight=PM1236+Frequently


Another EDIT:  It's possible that by Spindle Threads, you mean rear spindle spider area.  Those are 16 TPI -not M1.25.  Off hand, I don't know the diameter.







woodrowm said:


> Good evening - Hey on the spindle threads on the PM-1236 metric or standard?
> 
> Thanks,
> Woodrow


----------



## darkzero

woodrowm said:


> Good evening - Hey on the spindle threads on the PM-1236 metric or standard?
> 
> Thanks,
> Woodrow



If you did mean the threads on the rear of the spindle.... I could of sworn I listed it in the spider post. Maybe that was in another forum. 

Gary (MHRIP) came up with 1 5/8"-16, I measured myself & also came up with the same. That's what I cut & it fit great.


EDIT: Oh I guess I did here but it was a couple of posts after in post #22.


----------



## Maglin

1 5/8"-16 is what I used.  I didn't have wire's to check the size of my threads so I had to go by pure depth of the thread.  Worked perfect.  Was for a stop for my 5C collet closer and not a spider.  The threads on my spindle are a little rough.  I ran a stone of the tops to clean up the crests but there isn't much to fix the threads without purchasing a $100 tap to chase them.  I'm now thinking I need to make a spider as well for when I don't want to cut up long pieces of stock so I can just get busy making parts.

As for threading I almost refuse to cut metric threads.  Such a PITA if you are threading to a shoulder.  I need to make a spindle hand wheel to be able to turn the spindle manually.


----------



## rwb1024

Darkzero
Beautiful job!    may i ask what taiwain company actually made the lathe?   I have been searching for answers and presently engaging matt at machinetool


----------



## darkzero

rwb1024 said:


> Darkzero
> Beautiful job! may i ask what taiwain company actually made the lathe? I have been searching for answers and presently engaging matt at machinetool



Thank you. I don't know which CM Matt currently uses to manufacture this model but it is made in China. The PM1340GT is made in Taiwan.

I would not be surprised if Matt does not wish to disclose that information but regardless the lathe is built for Matt's specifications/options.


----------



## darkzero

I bought a couple of ER40 plates last year, finally got around to  mounting one to the lathe. Pretty happy with the way it came out.  Measuring the run out on the inside taper where the collet sits the  needle barely even moves at all.








































Made a handle for holding it while tightening/loosening. Also showing a 1" Lyndex ER16 extension that I scored for cheap.


----------



## darkzero

Finally made me a test bar too. Before using this test bar I had .0008" taper  over 18" which is not bad considering the error from both the chuck  & drill chuck using a different method.


----------



## Stonebriar

DarkZero
Your speed charts didn't convert on the new forum software.
I use your threads for reference you do such a good job of documenting.
Rick


----------



## darkzero

Stonebriar said:


> DarkZero
> Your speed charts didn't convert on the new forum software.
> I use your threads for reference you do such a good job of documenting.
> Rick



Thanks for pointing that out to me Rick. Looks like XF doesn't support chart formats with their editor. I had to convert them to photos. All fixed now and the ones in my other threads too.


----------



## rbertalotto

Great post! Thanks for sharing...Now, How in God's name do you keep that shop so clean! Especially that horizontal band saw! If you saw mine you'd vomit! You do excellent work with tremendous attention to detail.

Can I ask, what are you making with all that Ti?


----------



## darkzero

Thanks. I probably do keep my machines cleaner than most but those pics were copied over from another forum when the lathe was brand spankin' new. And that 4x6, I don't have it anymore. I sold it & got a 7x12 last year.

With the Ti, I make various little gadgets & "toys" like this.


----------



## rbertalotto

Very interesting and beautiful work! Thanks


----------



## darkzero

Thank you Roy!


----------



## coolidge

DZ what is your ceiling height in your shop? Also, your cleanliness disgusts me!


----------



## darkzero

coolidge said:


> DZ what is your ceiling height in your shop? Also, your cleanliness disgusts me!



I wish I had a shop. I work in a 2 car garage in just one half of it. When I finally break out & get a CNC mill I'll have to move my stuff out to a shop. My garage ceiling height is 9' 3".

Haha, there you go again. You're the one to talk! I've seen your threads, your machines & shop space look 10x cleaner than mine! I wish I had all that empty & roomy space! Clean is not a bad thing though.


----------



## coolidge

darkzero said:


> I wish I had a shop. I work in a 2 car garage in just one half of it. When I finally break out & get a CNC mill I'll have to move my stuff out to a shop. My garage ceiling height is 9' 3".
> 
> Haha, there you go again. You're the one to talk! I've seen your threads, your machines & shop space look 10x cleaner than mine! I wish I had all that empty & roomy space! Clean is not a bad thing though.



LOL yeah my garage is pretty clean, not sure how long the empty space will last I have been measuring to see if I can stuff a Haas Mini Mill 2 in there.


----------



## epanzella

Great work, Dark Zero!!!


----------



## darkzero

I finally decided to replace the 6.0" 3-jaw chuck that came with my lathe. It's my least used chuck so I didn't want to spend a whole lot for one. I really just wanted the option of being able to make my own soft jaws if ever needed. I ended up with a Gator 6.0" semi steel adjustable 3-jaw with reversible top jaws. I really wanted a 6.3" with 3 pinions (this Gator only has 1) but this will do considering what I received before this. Before this I got a TMX chuck in the same flavor but I sent that crap right back. I should have just went with the Gator to begin with.

I sold my stock 4-jaw when I got a Gator 8" direct mount to replace it. But I think I'll just keep my stock 6.0" 3-jaw anyway when ever I need to sand, polish, heat, etc.









Overall the chuck is decently ground, nothing like the quality of the higher quality high dollar brands but a lot nicer than any othe China chuck I've seen. Gator p/n 1-901-0600






The back is blanchard ground but again not nearly as nice as the higher quality name brands.






The adapter is cast iron. FLE-160/D4 (although the p/n indicates 160mm it's not 6.3" like their forged model). Front looks pretty good aside from the burn marks but the back does not look as nice. It indicated pretty good so I decided not to skim it.











Well within their guaranteed TIR.


----------



## wrmiller

Very nice!


----------



## DrAsus

Awesome thread!!

DrAsus


----------



## darkzero

DrAsus said:


> Awesome thread!!
> 
> DrAsus



Thank you, I haven't updated the thread in a while but I hope it still helps someone out there.


----------



## chargerman111

The most hot rodded lathe award goes to this guy lol. Nice job!

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


----------



## jeff_g1137

Hi Will
Have you a link to xiao1207 on eBay, cannot find him on the UK eBay, thanks jeff


----------



## Doubleeboy

jeff_g1137 said:


> Hi Will
> Have you a link to xiao1207 on eBay, cannot find him on the UK eBay, thanks jeff


Not Will, but here is some info on xia0

https://www.marketplacepulse.com/ebay/usa/xiao1207


----------



## darkzero

jeff_g1137 said:


> Hi Will
> Have you a link to xiao1207 on eBay, cannot find him on the UK eBay, thanks jeff



Looks like DB covered it. Just to add, he goes by the name of JJ (when I was purchasing from him). He responds pretty quick & can also provide individual parts & can get other items not listed on ebay. He ships DHL so every one of my shipments arrived in only a few days.

http://www.ebay.com/usr/xiao1207?_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2754


----------



## jeff_g1137

Hi
Thanks i have him now, will send a email to him to see if he ships to to UK.
thanks jeff


----------



## tlmartin84

The tap holder that you are mounting in your mill chuck, what is it called and where can I find one?


----------



## darkzero

One of the work lights for my lathe died. It wasn't the bulb, it was the 110v to 24v transformer in the light. This thing was trouble free for 12 yrs, never even blew a bulb before.

I've always wanted to have the light powered.off the lathe instead of plugging into an outlet. That way both lamps will turn off when I cut power to the lathe. I had left over parts so I did a bit of legos to put one together. Mounted it directly to the lathe. Old one was mounted on a magnet base & had a flex arm. Looks better now.

Unfortunately two 24v 50w lamps draws too much current for the lathe's transformer to handle. Stock lamp was 24v 25w. But that's ok, gives me an excuse to convert them to LED.

EDIT: *Converted to LED 8/4/20*




















My old lamp.












I needed a M10x1.5 bolt with a through hole for wires and a 14mm head (M10 is 17mm) to attach the head to the new arm. I don't have a full set of ER-40 collets yet, my micro 3-jaw chuck came to the rescue to use in the collet block to reduce the head size on the bolt.


----------



## darkzero

Silent updates.

Sold the Gator 3-jaw, my local MSC sales guy gave me a great deal on a Bison 3-jaw Set-Tru that I couldn't pass up.






*Yuasa mag chuck*






*Tailstock DRO*









*Delrin felt wiper covers*









*Halogen to LED work lamps conversion*


----------



## Stonebriar

Nice project.  Light is important as we age. Not that you are old yet.


----------



## darkzero

Thanks Rick! Actually this couldn't have happened at the worse time. I'm not old yet but the past couple of months I have been having problems focusing on details. Eye get strained after a while. Changed all the bulbs in the garage, bought reading glasses, & a couple of Optivisors.


----------



## Old96er

Hey Darkzero, got a question for you (or anyone that has an answer .  Did you come up with another way to lock the cross slide with the DRO covering the allen key access hole?  I am about to have the same problem and I do use it quite often to add some rigidity when boring, especially on the final passes.


----------



## darkzero

Old96er said:


> Hey Darkzero, got a question for you (or anyone that has an answer .  Did you come up with another way to lock the cross slide with the DRO covering the allen key access hole?  I am about to have the same problem and I do use it quite often to add some rigidity when boring, especially on the final passes.


I have not but I have seen others here & on the net come up with solutions for other lathes. Like spacing out the cross slide DRO scale for use with an open end wrench or making one for the other side (headstock side). But spacing out the DRO scale on the PM1236 may lead to interference with the carriage lock & carriage oilers if using glass scales. Maybe a magnetic scale might provide more room.

I never really used the cross slide lock before I installed the DRO anyway. I only use the carriage lock & compound slide lock often.


----------



## Old96er

Thanks for the super fast reply!  I am thinking I will move it to the head stock side and use a brass tipped set screw.  By coincidence I am going to use a magnetic scale but I don't want to reduce any tail stock to carriage clearance.

I noticed you switched to link belts, did you notice any difference?  If yes, do you have a source or recommendation on brand?

BTW, extra thanks for all the pictures at the start of the thread, I stole several of your ideas already.


----------



## darkzero

No problem & good to hear.   

In my case, switching to link belts, yes. I used to get weird harmonics at certain RPMs that would show up in the finish when facing aluminum. If I ran the stock belts a bit loose it got better but still showed up. The link belts completely cured that. My stock belts also developed a memory (lump) which caused a slight vibration, link belts won't develop memory. Not sure if my stock belts were the cause of the harmonics issue I had but I used to have that issue before the belts got the lumps. I hear single phase motors could also be the cause for the weird harmonics. I'm sure good quality V-belts would have fixed my issues too.

I'm happy with the links belts, still on the same ones for over 10 yrs now & they're still good. Only downside is they are expensive & a tad bit noisier. The ones I'm running are directional aren't recommended to be ran in reverse but I do it all the time & have had no issues. I'm running Fenner Power Twist link belts. I've never tried any of the other brands. I ran Fenner belts on some of my other stuff too before this lathe. I forget where I purchased them though, I know some them I got through ebay.


----------



## Aukai

I got this idea from Mark Jones/David P Best, and it uses the follow rest bolt holes. With my configuration you have to watch the wing nut to chuck interference, but you get the idea.


----------



## Old96er

I like it, simple, easy, and no need to drill and tap the cross slide. Thanks for the reply kind sir!


----------



## tjb

Here's mine.  Pretty similar to Aukai's and based on one by Mark Jacobs.  The machinist square is set to illustrate that the mounting bracket sits below the carriage.

I use it constantly without issue.  However, like Aukai said, you do need to be careful that you are not operating the lathe with the handle pointed 'up'.  In my first two photos, the carriage is locked - strategically designed so that the handle is parallel with and below the height of the table.  The bigger problem is when loosening it, making sure the handle is clear of the carriage by turning at least 180 degrees.  For large turnings - especially if the jaws are reversed - it's possible for the handle to come in contact with the moving chuck or an extended jaw.  Could be a train wreck ready to happen.

Regards,
Terry


----------



## Larry$

I did one similar to what Aukai & tjb have. Bolted into the follow rest holes. I usually remove it when I don't need it. With an 8" chuck and the jaws opened very wide, they could hit the lock. 
Some day, when I've got more ambition, I may take the carriage off and drill for a lock back of the DRO scale. There are a few inches free there.


----------



## Old96er

Thanks all for the great ideas.


----------



## tjb

Larry$ said:


> Some day, when I've got more ambition, I may take the carriage off and drill for a lock back of the DRO scale. There are a few inches free there.


Post a link when you do.  I'd like to see that.

Regards,
Terry


----------

