Matts Precision Matthews 1236

[mksj]

Probably not the right forum for this question, but it is relative I believe; What would you gentlemen recommend a new guy with a new(to him) lathe to practice first? Is there any recommended order of things to do first?

I concur with 3dshooter80, you can either do a lot of damage to the lathe, or yourself, so getting familiar with the controls and getting some learned reflexes is a starting point. Each material and project uses different skills. It is also important to understand the accessories and tooling for these machines, how they are setup and how they are used. One can ask questions if one is unsure, review what others recommend, and then decide what works best for you.

As far as the sequence, start with the basics in easily machined materials such as aluminum an mild steel. Learn how to face and size material first, then center boring/drilling, and then threading/more technical turning. One nice source of YouTube information that starts with the basics and then advances into more technical turning was the MIT Essential Machining Skills: Working with a Lathe. I also found this and reading some of the South Bend Lathe training materials to be very helpful in explaining how the lathe works and the reasoning for machining a particular way. I always learn from others, so I watch how they do machining and then ask questions if I am unclear or I do something different. I am always learning new things, and I greatly appreciate the information exchange.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC79QdJW2rayvCzqNq-SAM-g

I am a bit disappointed that site moderators do not restore wholesale deletion of posts like this thread and a few others that were inappropriately and completely deleted. I think there is important information to be learned by others, and the information provided was reasonable and factual. This is one of the forum rules, and by posting in this forum, one agrees that the information is not deleted because one gets mad or frustrated. It is very reasonable to make corrections or clarify content after the matter of the fact, but I find that valuable learning information should be maintained when appropriate.

 

[koba49]

Koba, I think you are on the right track with your response to Mr Fixit's question. As a relative newbie myself, I can appreciate the sincerity of the question. For me, the one thing that I made absolutely sure about was that I knew what every knob and lever on the machine did BEFORE I tried to turn anything. I spent a few hours "machining air" to get used to the controls. Then when I did start, I started with basic operations followed by measuring as precisely as I could so that I could observe my results. I did all of my work initially with a 3-jaw chuck. Now pretty much all I use is the 4-jaw unless a special need arises for the 3-jaw. I did make a couple of minor mistakes, but I took my time to actually learn what I was doing. The main thing I understood from the beginning was that the machines could seriously hurt me. I have tried very hard to not just rush into things without thinking them through.

I have been going through my Navy "A" school material, there is a lot of useful information in there I just have to figure how to scan it, and then upload it to the learning part of this forum

 

[john.oliver35]

I have always observed that the members here are concerned about safety first and bravado last. I had a wake-up call this weekend when I caught a finger between a three-jaw chuck jaw and the bed on a tiny SHERLINE. Given the power and size all I got was a two-bandage wound. On zoom-zoom's 1236 I would have lost a hand.

 

[tmarks11]

What would you gentlemen recommend a new guy with a new(to him) lathe to practice first? Is there any recommended order of things to do first? For instance, step one practice turning an outside diameter to specific measurment +/- .005? After that is 'mastered' practice facing, etc?

In the courses I took, the first step (after identifying parts of the machine and what they did) was to turn a 2" chunk of iron down to a stepped series of sizes. Start from the middle, turn it completely down to 1.95" +/- 0.002. Then move back 0.5", turn it down to 1.75" +/- 0.002. And so on. Taught taken measurements, doing incremental cuts, dimensioning along the length of the piece.

Things to focus on: calculate the spindle speed, select the right feed rate, try different depths of cut (carbide cuts best if you try to avoid taking a cut of less then 0.020"... you can't "sneak up" on a dimension. We cut half the piece with HSS, the other half with carbide.

Then flip the piece around and cut the other end the same way.

So it looks like this:

The next step was doing something similar with aluminum.

Then we made a hammer out of aluminum: cut a tapered shaft, threaded the end, cut the head, tapped for the screws for the head, hurled the length.

 

[Firestopper]

Well fellas, I just found this and read through all posts. I was compelled to reach out to ZZ only to find it blocked. I was hoping to start a private conversation and offer any help I could provide. I'm still learning a ton, but believe everyone deserves help. Its clear from all your posts that his safety was paramount as well as home and machine. You guys are incredibly helpful, however he's not ready to listen,learn, and execute operating his lathe safely. No room for egos around dangerous machines. Like the old saying goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but can't make him drink".
The truth is, if he was to come back (and I hope he does) you folks would pick up where you left off trying to help him out.
Keep on keeping on!