# Newbie question about "Millport" lathe.



## Mauser lover (Apr 21, 2018)

Hello all! I'm totally new! And I need help...

I love my wife... She has been giving me a hard time about drooling over machine tools on the web, and today I told her that there was a decent size lathe available and close to us. Her reply astonished me. "You should go look at it"! Score!!!! 

It is a 12x36 "Millport" lathe. I haven't got a clue what kind of quality they are, and the only thing I found online was that they are similar to the Jet 12x36. I also didn't find any information on the Jet model. So...

Weight?
Spindle bore? Seller said it was two inches. I'm guessing this isn't correct... But I'll probably go check it out anyway, hoping it is close. 
Collet size? Probably not too terribly important... 
Horsepower? 
Voltage? 
When were these produced? 

What should I look for? Is it a total junker? (I know about wear on the ways, and teeth to the gears, but other than that... I'm pretty much at a loss. 

ANY help is appreciated! If you have a link with all the information I'm looking for, shoot it over, I'd appreciate it, and the thread can die a quick death!

And finally, if this is the wrong place to put this request, please forgive me and feel free to move it (or notify a moderator to move it, etc.). Thanks for the help!


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## Chuck K (Apr 21, 2018)

My very first lathe was a Millport.  I couldn't find any info on it either.  It was a 10" or 12" swing belt drive machine.  1 3/8 spindle bore.  It came with a Royal 5C collet closer.  Seems like it was made in Taiwan.  It was a good starter lathe.  The fit and finish was kind of rough.  I remember that I had to rework something on it to allow it to fully engage the backgear.  I sold it to a friend who used it for probably 10 yrs.  He liked it a lot.  I think it was a mid 70s model.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 21, 2018)

Do you remember voltage/phase?


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## markba633csi (Apr 21, 2018)

Odds are heavily in your favor that it can be wired either 110 or 220,  50 or 60 Hz but it could be 3 phase also
Mark


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## Chuck K (Apr 21, 2018)

markba633csi said:


> Odds are heavily in your favor that it can be wired either 110 or 220,  50 or 60 Hz but it could be 3 phase also
> Mark





markba633csi said:


> Odds are heavily in your favor that it can be wired either 110 or 220,  50 or 60 Hz but it could be 3 phase also
> Mark


It was single phase.  I've been sitting here wracking my brain.  I think the model was 1236P.


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## Lordbeezer (Apr 21, 2018)

Is the lathe you're looking at in lost creek Ky..? There's a Sheldon lathe in same area .little cheaper


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## Mauser lover (Apr 21, 2018)

Um... yes. Where is the Sheldon? Is it on Craigslist?

If it is the one in Clinton, that one is quite a bit further, and three phase.


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## Lordbeezer (Apr 21, 2018)

Yes on Clinton..the mill port looks good as long as in checks out..looks like the tailstock is on shelf under lathe.good luck


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## Mauser lover (Apr 21, 2018)

Yeah, I hope it turns out! There was a picture of it installed too. 
Not a screaming deal, but good enough to go look at!


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## Lordbeezer (Apr 21, 2018)

There's 3 phase guru's here that can walk you thru any questions about it..they have helped me several times


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## Bob Korves (Apr 21, 2018)

Don't walk away from three phase machines.  VFDs are pretty cheap and will get you going.  Static and rotary phase converters are also options.  Three phase motors also run smoother, are more robust, and with a VFD allow variable speed and lots of other options.  I was once shy of three phase, but now I don't want anything else.  Three phase machines are also often cheaper, because people think they cannot run them without three phase power at the panel.  Not so!  There is also plenty of help here on H-M to get you up to speed with three phase.


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## Lordbeezer (Apr 21, 2018)

What Bob said....


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## Mauser lover (Apr 22, 2018)

Okay, back to the Millport though...

Do I need to make sure he's got a pile of gears for thread pitches, or is that all internal in this machine?

The Millport really is closer! But I'll look into the three phase stuff soon...


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## Chuck K (Apr 22, 2018)

If it's the same as the one I had, it has a qc gearbox.  You shouldn't need any extra gears.  I assumed that the spindle thread on mine was 2 1/4 - 8.  My friend that bought it from me told me it was a metric threaded spindle.  I never measured it to confirm that.  It seemed strange to me.  That machine wasn't capable of cutting metric threads without adding transposing gears.  I'd be curious about the thread if you can check it.


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## Chuck K (Apr 22, 2018)

I just pulled that up on CL.  I don't know about machine prices in your area, but I wouldn't pay anywhere near 2k for that lathe.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 22, 2018)

Okay, good to know... why? 

It is the right size for me, and there really aren't that many machine tools in my area. I want something with that size hole through the spindle, or bigger. A new Grizzly of comparable size (no idea about quality, so let me know) is going to run $3500 by the time I get it delivered, with not much tooling. 
And, I'm hoping it comes with a pile of tooling. We'll see. 

Curious... what would you think would be a fair price if $2000 is too much? I might offer him that, and see what he says...


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## Chuck K (Apr 22, 2018)

It looks like an 800.00 lathe to me,  but I'm not a huge fan of asian machines and I'm not in KY.  It might be a great lathe and do everything you need it to do.  Kind of hard to judge from a picture.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 24, 2018)

Well... I got it. I told him what you said about $800, but I wasn't able to talk him down that far! 

He did have a good bit of tooling; in addition to the normal lathe tooling. This was his last machine tool, so he had a couple boxes of center drills, I think even a couple of end mills, a dial indicator (that says Made in China on it, so maybe from Hazard Fraught, but better than what I was expecting anyway). 

It really does look like it has been used all of a dozen times. Auto shops really don't use machine tools that much, apparently! He said he was the second owner, and he only used it to make a couple of things. We'll see how it suffices for my uses! 

So... how does one change the oil in a lathe? Maybe I'll start a new thread about... 

"Got a lathe, now what?" Or maybe you all can link me to one that is already there...

Now... To run a 220 circuit...


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## Mauser lover (Apr 24, 2018)

Okay, for anyone looking for information on a "Millport" lathe in the future...

Model 1236b is what mine is.
12" swing, about 36" center to center. Maybe could squeeze in 37".
Bore is massive! About 1 11/16! Something close to that. I don't know if someone bored it out aftermarket, but the collets fit fine as far as my novice eyes can tell. (I was happy about the bore size, expecting more like 1 3/8.) I might remember to tell ya'll when I measure it exactly. It is probably a metric measurement anyway. 

It has a gearbox for threading/feed, and has powered crossfeed as well. It seems to my novice eyes that it is a kinda belt drive, kinda geared lathe. It has two positions for a belt, but a transmission for more variety. Is this normal? Maybe the best way to describe it is a high and low range via belt change, but gears for finer adjustment?

Motor can be wired for 110 or 220, it has a 1.5 horse on it, which seems to be original.

I'll say more stuff as I come up with it!


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## Chuck K (Apr 24, 2018)

Must be a totally different machine than I had.  Mine was belt drive.  Can you post some pics?  Congrats on your new lathe.  Sometimes they're a lot better than they look in the pic.


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## Lordbeezer (Apr 24, 2018)

What tooling came with lathe..as they say here ..no pictures it didn't happen..congratulations on your new lathe


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## Mauser lover (Apr 25, 2018)

I'll try to figure out pictures soon... 

I'm not quite sure about everything that came with it yet... But I'll post some pictures of what I don't know when I get a round tuit...


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## Mauser lover (Apr 26, 2018)

Here it is...

That little steel thing in my hand... What is it? Covered in cosmoline, it fits into the headstock when the chuck is removed, and it fits a drill chuck that came with it. So... some sort of collet thingy? I don't see any way to fasten it into the headstock though...

And... it is a belt drive lathe. There are six belt positions, and a geared reducer thing that can be engaged (shown engaged, if anyone cares) to slow the headstock down in any given belt position... so 12 speeds, six belt positions.

What kind of oil do I put in this thing?

Now... to find the time to use it!


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## Dave Paine (Apr 26, 2018)

Looks very similar to my Grizzly G9249 but my lathe does not have a lever in the top left of the headstock.  I am interested what this lever does.




The "little steel thing" is likely an MT5 - MT3 adapter.   The spindle has MT5 taper but often we have MT3 tooling for the tailstock, so the adapter allows you to use the MT3 tooling in the headstock.

The only nuance is needing to remove the chuck and then for my 3 jaw chuck, dialing in the chuck when you mount it back on the lathe.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 26, 2018)

Oh boy, do I have an easy answer for that! 

The lever on the headstock is... I don't know yet...


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## Dave Paine (Apr 26, 2018)

I wonder if it is a mechanical forward or reverse for the spindle.   Just be careful if the spindle mount for the chuck is threaded like my lathe.   Putting in reverse can make the chuck come loose, or off.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 26, 2018)

Okay, I figured it out. I still don't have power to it, so keep in mind that I can't run it (and haven't run it since we unplugged it at the seller's shop). 

It is forward/reverse for the powered feed. I assume you have a lever to do that somewhere on your machine too, just a different spot. I'm reading through your manual (slowly) to try to get the hang of stuff. The forward/reverse is on my on/off switch on the apron. 

Do I put the adapter for the MT5/3 in the chuck to hold it immobile? Or does stuff like that just spin and we don't put a load on it?


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## Dave Paine (Apr 26, 2018)

Interesting.   My power feed forward/neutral/reverse is on the left side of my lathe.  In my neutral position the power feed screw does not rotate.

Yes, the adapter should be held in place by the taper.   Clean the inside of the spindle and the adapter before use then a light tap in place with a rubber/plastic mallet should hold as long as you do not get too much chatter.

Many drill chucks are held in drill press quills by the Morse Tape and normally do not come loose.


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## Charles Spencer (Apr 26, 2018)

It spins just like the bore on the headstock does.


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## Chuck K (Apr 26, 2018)

Kinda what I thought...it's belt drive with backgear.  Should be a good lathe.  It already looks better than it did in the 
CL pic.  Did you get chucks with it?  Looks like you have an adapter plate mounted on the spindle.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 26, 2018)

Chucks... well... kinda!

A three jaw lathe chuck. What I assume are a MT5 drill chuck, and a MT3 drill chuck. I do know they are drill chucks, but unsure about the taper 

I read somewhere that the manufacturers ship machine tools with drill chucks because they have a surplus of them, and they are basically useless. So... I have a three jaw chuck. It did come with a second set of chuck teeth (jaws? What do you call them?). I asked him about a four jaw chuck, and he said he never had one. Oh well. I did take the chuck off to transport it because we moved it into the truck and the shop with a special lubricating compound I like to call... elbow grease! Four people can lift half of this lathe at a time! I took everything I could off... How do I choose a four jaw chuck if I end up needing one?

Yes, my initial assumption of some sort of hybrid drive was based on what you referred to as a backgear. Which I'm totally okay with, especially with this basically unknown maker, because I can get belts... gears... probably not so much. I know it isn't as convenient, but I'm okay with it for now. Then I'll have to talk my wife into letting me get a bigger one 

I did have a question about the power feed thing. Is it okay to run it with the power feed in neutral, or is it dangerously close to breaking off teeth like that? I think I'd rather run it in neutral unless I'm using the power feed for something, right?


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## Chuck K (Apr 26, 2018)

Yes.  You can and should run it in neutral when you're not feeding.  The spindle should be stopped when you move the lever.  You don't have to remove the chuck from the plate to take it off.  Its threaded on the spindle.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 26, 2018)

Okay then, I didn't know that! Any more tips and tricks?


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## Dave Paine (Apr 26, 2018)

My lathe has the original 6in 3 jaw chuck and 8in 4 jaw chuck and a 10in faceplate.   The adapter plate you mention may be the backing plate for the Shars Adjustable 3 jaw chuck which is presently mounted on the lathe.   This is Shars version of other chucks which have a backing plate with 4 screws to adjust the chuck to get it centred.   Works well, just needs to be adjusted every time it is mounted on the lathe.


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## Chuck K (Apr 26, 2018)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a belt drive lathe.  I had a monarch that could be ran belt drive or gear drive.  The only time I used gear drive was during threading.  Belt drive gives a better finish.


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## Dave Paine (Apr 26, 2018)

Mauser lover said:


> So... I have a three jaw chuck. It did come with a second set of chuck teeth (jaws? What do you call them?).



It sounds like you have a chuck with two sets of jaws, one intended for gripping the stock internal and one intended for gripping the stock external as in gripping inside a hole in the work.

Post some pictures of the jaws so folks can confirm.

My original 3 jaw chuck was like this.   The chuck presently on the lathe has what is called two piece jaws.   The lower section engages with the scroll.   The upper section can be used internal or flipped to be used external.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 27, 2018)

Dave Paine said:


> My lathe has the original 6in 3 jaw chuck and 8in 4 jaw chuck and a 10in faceplate.   The adapter plate you mention may be the backing plate for the Shars Adjustable 3 jaw chuck which is presently mounted on the lathe.   This is Shars version of other chucks which have a backing plate with 4 screws to adjust the chuck to get it centred.   Works well, just needs to be adjusted every time it is mounted on the lathe.



Okay, I'm not sure if you are referring to "Shars" as a type or a brand (total newbie here remember  ), but I googled it and from what I can tell, yes, the back plate is what is still on the machine. I guess I probably should have left the chuck on, because it really isn't all that heavy anyway... Although, if I had that attitude for everything on it... 

So... how does one adjust it?


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## Dave Paine (Apr 27, 2018)

Shars is a company which sells tools and tooling for metal work.   They also have some tools and tooling which they sell under the Shars name, such as my chuck.

Shars adjustable 3 jaw chuck

This chuck has a backplate which has screws to move the chuck body to get it centred.    May only allow something like 30 thou of movement but this is sufficient to get the chuck running true.   Shars copied this design from other manufacturers like Bison.

This picture shows  measuring runout as I tweak the adjustment.   6 bolts on the outside of the front face are loosened then partially tightened.




This picture shows one of the 4 screws on the back of the chuck.   The screws engage a boss on the back of the chuck.   Adjust opposite screws at the same time to move the chuck in or out.  Once the chuck is a close to true as you can get, then the 6 face bolts are tightened.




If your chuck does not have this feature, you may be able to get some adjustment from the diameter of the mounting holes being slightly larger than the diameter of the bolts.   Not as much adjustment as my chuck, but you should be able to minimize runout when you re-install the chuck.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 27, 2018)

Okay, mine just bolts on with three bolts.


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## Chuck K (Apr 27, 2018)

I think I would remount it and check it with an indicator before before enlarging the holes.  Unless you scribed it before removing it from the plate, you may have to try it in all positions to find the best orientation.


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## Mauser lover (Apr 28, 2018)

Yeah... oops.


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## bollie7 (May 8, 2018)

Mauser Lover.
Your lathe looks very similar to a lot of small Taiwanese lathes sold under various names during the 1970's/80 etc. I think the original brand (though not 100% sure on that) was Lontaine. I have  “McMillan” branded one.

One of the issues with these machines is it's easy to break a tooth off the back gear. As there is no way to hold the spindle when lossening the chuck, most users (myself included) engage the backgear without pulling the drive pin out. This locks the spindle. However when loosening the chuck, all the load is taken on one tooth of the small gear on the backgear. Very easy to break the tooth.

One of my “to do” jobs is come up with a way to effectively lock the spindle without using the back gear.

My little lathe is quite good for what it is, however it does not run carbide tips very well as it just doesn't have the power or speed.

It sounds like you are a “turning” newbie (welcome to this world by the way). I would like to suggest that you try and get a few good books on basic machining and do a bit of study. You will learn heaps and hopefully reduce the amount of errors you make through inexperience. (and you will – we all do/have done) Even a small machine like yours and mine has the potential to do a lot of expensive and/or painfull damage in a very short time.

Old trade school text books would be a good place to start. Not sure what you would have available over there in the USA but here in Australia back in the 1960's and 70's the standard text was “Fitting and Machining Stage 1, 2 and 3. (3 seperate books for the first 3 years of an apprenticeship). Before around 1972 they were in imperial and after 1972 they were updated to metric.

Eg

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1960s-S...=item2aa3d18597:g:oDQAAOSwQVpasHA3&rmvSB=true



this one is from the 1990's and is also a good one but it is in metric



https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/tur...ks/fitting-machining-hardback-book/1182502383



I hope this is of some help on your new adventure.



Regards



Peter


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## Mauser lover (May 8, 2018)

bollie7 said:


> One of the issues with these machines is it's easy to break a tooth off the back gear. As there is no way to hold the spindle when lossening the chuck, most users (myself included) engage the backgear without pulling the drive pin out. This locks the spindle. However when loosening the chuck, all the load is taken on one tooth of the small gear on the backgear. Very easy to break the tooth.



Okay. I'll try not to do this unnecessarily! Which shouldn't be hard at this point, because I don't have a faceplate or four-jaw chuck yet.

I've been reading a bunch online already (well, as much as the schedule allows!) but thanks for the specific links. Several people have told me to get some books, but generally they haven't told me specific titles! So, thanks for the titles and links. I'm sure I'll pick up a couple of volumes to add to the library relatively soon. Probably will look for a set that is in the USA already though... 

The Lantaine looks similar (using this as my reference http://machine.archives.verhey.org/items/show/42 ), but there are a few differences between what the manual on that site shows as the bigger one and mine. Very similar though.


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## Chuck K (May 8, 2018)

"How to run a lathe" by south bend is the beginners bible.  Google HTRAL and I'm sure you'll get plenty of hits.


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## Mauser lover (May 8, 2018)

Okay, I looked that one up. Which one am I looking for? 

https://www.amazon.com/How-Lathe-Jo...1525827428&sr=8-4&keywords=how+to+run+a+lathe

This one is 1993 publishing date. Should I go for it or is there a better edition? I thought six dollars is pretty reasonable...


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## Chuck K (May 8, 2018)

Any edition is fine.  I have one from back in the 20s I believe.  The info is as useful today as it was back then.


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## Mauser lover (May 8, 2018)

I looked at a .pdf of one from back in the 20s. The front page had the layout for a small shop with one electric motor or gasoline engine powering all the tools... I thought maybe a newer one would have some updated information.

Are there different topics addressed in each, or are they all basically the same?


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## Chuck K (May 8, 2018)

I cant answer that, but if you have a pdf I'd go with that.  Now that I think about it, it's easy to find a free download.  The info is applicable to any lathe.


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## Rick Leslie (Dec 31, 2018)

Congrats on your new toy (tool). Lots of good info here and good suggestions. I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but once you get started, you're going to wonder how you got by without it.
Just a tip on the 3 jaw chuck, especially if you have an extra set of jaws. Make sure the jaws and the chuck are marked, usually numbers 1 thru 3. Makes it much easier to put them back in the right order. And punch a witness mark on the chuck and mounting plate once you get it remounted and zeroed closest to true.
Also, while reading is good, I'm a visual guy. Videos have opened up a whole new world for me (like rebuilding a Cummins injector pump). Great vids on Youtube. Lastly, the best teacher is experience. Be safe and get in there and make chips.


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## Mauser lover (Dec 31, 2018)

Nope. Definitely a toy 

And yes, I've subscribed to about a dozen youtube channels of machinists since I've gotten this. Abomb79, Build Something Cool, Thatlazymachinist, etc. Learning quite a bit!

Still working on getting everything set up, busy Christmas season. Haven't been able to make that many chips. Made some wooden alphabet blocks on my milling machine (What can I say? I don't have a wood shop!) for my niece for Christmas, other than that I haven't been in the shop much.


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## Rick Leslie (Jan 1, 2019)

Don't sweat the wood working on the mill. I can't tell you how many rifle stocks I've roughed in on my mill. (Call be lazy...) 

At the risk of sidetracking, I've seen the alphabet blocks on other build sites and they look really cool. Great gift item.


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## Mauser lover (Jan 1, 2019)

Out of curiosity, are you from over at the WG forum? If you are, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, I linked this thread from over there, so I was just curious. 

Yes, the blocks turned out pretty well. I don't imagine that many block sets turn out with less than .010 inch tolerance, but these ones did! It isn't any harder to make them this precisely on a mill! 

https://images.search.yahoo.com/ima...dege_001&hsimp=yhs-prodege_001&hspart=prodege

I think this is going to be my next woodworking project, but on the lathe. My dad used to make these on his shaper, I can't help but think it would be pretty simple on a lathe. 

I'm still working on setting everything up. Working on getting it leveled still. I did get a 220v circuit wired in my shed/shop, and I do have my bench built, so it is usable, but I don't have it perfectly leveled just quite yet.


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## barnett (Jan 1, 2019)

My Millport is exactly like a Jet. Heres a Manual I found for a jet. My spindle is an mt5
Hope this might be helpful for you.


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## Mauser lover (Jan 1, 2019)

What's the diameter of the hole through the spindle?


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## barnett (Jan 1, 2019)

The spindle bore of mine is 1-3/8".


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## Rick Leslie (Jan 2, 2019)

Mauser lover said:


> Out of curiosity, are you from over at the WG forum? If you are, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, I linked this thread from over there, so I was just curious.
> 
> I'm still working on setting everything up. Working on getting it leveled still. I did get a 220v circuit wired in my shed/shop, and I do have my bench built, so it is usable, but I don't have it perfectly leveled just quite yet.



Yep, it's me. My Southbend hasn't been leveled in 35 years and my 12 inch Atlas has been mounted on a plywood table top for longer than that. I've used both to turn down 2 inch 50 BMG blanks. (That was fun!) I do plan to level both one day, just haven't gotten around to it yet. (Do I win Procrastinator of the Year?)


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## Mauser lover (Jan 2, 2019)

No, for not leveling your lathe in 35 years, you definitely win "Penultimate Procrastinator of the Century" with a strong chance to win "Procrastinator of the Century". 

My bench is wood, and in KY it's going to be moving around quite a bit, so I'm trying to get a way to easily adjust it fairly frequently. I do realize that most of the time it won't be a big deal, but I find satisfaction in knowing that I did absolutely EVERYTHING I could do to get stuff precise. 

Of course, if I buy a piece of dirt big enough to pour a slab and put a shop on it, I might put off leveling the lathe until I get it on the slab.


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