My first lathe - don't laugh

[Bob Korves]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the tool bit has an engraving on it, "Rex AA" which I'm guessing stands for Ann Arbor, where the lathe was made, right? Or am I letting my imagination get away with me?

View attachment 240474

Rex AA is made of T-1 steel, a tungsten based high speed tool steel, similar in qualities to our common today M2 high speed steel, which uses molybdenum instead to create the carbides. These days, molybdenum is cheaper for that use than tungsten. Rex AA bits are very good high speed steel tools for general work.
http://www.diehlsteel.com/products/high-speed-steel/t-1

 

[Bob Korves]

First chips! And, my first time operating a lathe

View attachment 240472

Check out my questionable lathe dog. Apparently I don't know how to center a hole in round stock on my drill press. Well, it worked, and I'm taking 0.020" cuts. I'm getting a real lathe dog and some new HSS blanks in the mail tomorrow. Then I need to find a chuck .. with the oddball 1/2"-24 spindle, that might be tricky.

Your lathe dog is just fine. It looks like it will do the job well and that is all that matters.

 

[dlane]

Looks as if you have a wood drive center in the spindle, you may want to get a dead center of the rite taper, also the dog looks backwards are you cutting with the spindle turning cw and tool upside down when looking from tailstock ?. Normally the spindle would turn ccw with cutting pressure pushing down on tool.

 

[jaredbeck]

Probably a reach at your stage of machining, but this is an option:
http://www.deansphotographica.com/machining/projects/109/spindle/adapter.html
Here are some adapters (and ideas):
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=1/2-24+chuck+adapter&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=1/2-24+chuck&_sacat=0

Awesome, thanks Bob! I'm going to get one of those 1/2"-24 adapter backplates.

Rex AA is made of T-1 steel, a tungsten based high speed tool steel, similar in qualities to our common today M2 high speed steel, which uses molybdenum instead to create the carbides. These days, molybdenum is cheaper for that use than tungsten. Rex AA bits are very good high speed steel tools for general work.
http://www.diehlsteel.com/products/high-speed-steel/t-1

Oh, haha I thought there was a guy named Rex and in my imagination he lived in Ann Arbor and worked at the factory that made the lathe

Looks as if you have a wood drive center in the spindle, you may want to get a dead center of the rite taper ..

Quite right, will do!

.. also the dog looks backwards ..

I think it's just a badly posed picture. Either that or the motor's backwards

 

[Bob Korves]

Oh, haha I thought there was a guy named Rex and in my imagination he lived in Ann Arbor and worked at the factory that made the lathe

Rex tools were made by Crucible Industries, and are still in business, big time:
http://www.crucible.com/products.aspx
Rex AA has not been made for decades AFAIK.
Edit: You might enjoy the "history" link at the Crucible site. Even covers AA steel...

 

[owl]

That lathe should teach you well the various intricacies of turning, just scaled up and somewhat automated on larger equipment. Assuming good alignment, bearings, etc, you should be able to make parts within its capacity to just about any accuracy you would care to do, just takes practice. I'm afraid that free is out of the question, see the threads on accessories, and desired metrology. Also, lathe bits, etc. can add up. Mystery metal is reasonably cheap, but you may want to buy material that turns more reliably too. OTOH, it may well be a cheaper hobby than golf.

 

[Silverbullet]

Ok hi and welcome , your on your way now. You may need to look at wood lathe chucks for that spindle size. Or get one close say a 1" -10 and make an adapter right on your lathe to the 1"-10 threads then you can loctite it in the chuck.

 

[dlane]

Sorry but if you were cutting as the pic shows the rotation is cw, the face plate bolt would be on top of the dog bolt if turning ccw , "but the wood drive center may be engaged into stock enough to grip it"
Ccw is the normal direction for cutting, forces pushing down on tool and carriage.

 

[dulltool17]

Like Dlane wrote above, it looks like a wood lathe center in your headstock- I'd take a good look at that and maybe get a new center.

Also, be sure to grease the tailstock dead center.

Go make some stuff!

 

[Tozguy]

Sorry but if you were cutting as the pic shows the rotation is cw, the face plate bolt would be on top of the dog bolt if turning ccw , "but the wood drive center may be engaged into stock enough to grip it"
Ccw is the normal direction for cutting, forces pushing down on tool and carriage.

It looks to me like the shaft got cut CCW based on the position of the tool. But the dog is free to move into the position shown in the picture when the lathe is stopped. To prevent the dog from swinging away from the stop normally one would tie them together somehow.
Here is an example using rubber bands.