Making BlueWolf Happy

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George - actually my mods are more for convience than anything. QCTP is a must, putting a cam-lock on the tail stock, really have no effect on accuracy. The four bolt plate for the tool mount will have some effect, but that will be more for some brass product that I will be doing for the restoration hardware than for pens. As long as I have minimal run out from the head stock I will be a happy camper.
 
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I was wondering for a metal lathe are you able to do precise curves? And what would be involved...free hand turning two wheels at once or can the lathe be programmed to do a curve?

Thanks,
Gil
 
Gilrock said:
I was wondering for a metal lathe are you able to do precise curves? And what would be involved...free hand turning two wheels at once or can the lathe be programmed to do a curve?

Thanks,
Gil
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Gil How good are you at Etc-a-sketch? Precise curves are possible usually with a cnc controled lathe.
 
mredburn said:
Gilrock said:
I was wondering for a metal lathe are you able to do precise curves? And what would be involved...free hand turning two wheels at once or can the lathe be programmed to do a curve?

Thanks,
Gil
Click to expand...

Gil How good are you at Etc-a-sketch? Precise curves are possible usually with a cnc controled lathe.
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Etch-a-sketch is my favorite part of making a pen:biggrin:
 
BTW....grats on the new lathe Mike. Seeing all these new metal lathes got me looking at some videos of metal lathes and now it's on my wish list. If my old house sells it's a definite possibility I can get something.

Gil
 
Gil - I wish you luck. This has been a blast so far.

Mike, Mike & Chuck - Well I cut the Phase II post to 3-1/2" (actually it is just a hair over that :redface:). I drilled from the top side 1-3/4" at 5/16" diameter, flipped the post and drilled from the bottom to the first hole at 17/64th diameter. I then did a 1/2" deep bore at 7/16" to fit over the old post shoulder. Tomorrow is a trip to wholesale tool for a M8 x 1.25 tap made of HSS instead of carbon steel. I don't think I will risk the cheap tap. It really isn't worth it since I have not screwed up the post so far. I probably should have drilled the shoulder cut with an end mill but I didn't have one so I used a jobber instead. It shouldn't matter since it will thread onto the old post anyway. So tomorrow will be the tell all day with photos of successful.

Cutting fluid question. I plan on just a squirt bottle to apply the coolant/cutting fluid for a while then set up a pump down the road. Anything that I should look for specific or is a standard commercial spray bottle acceptable for now?

I have been looking for more tool holders. I know these are not the best quality but for what I am using them for I think they should be alright. Let me know what you all think.
Tool Holders
 
Mike R and I both have small bottles for applying it a drop or two at a time. I have used a small chip brush as well. Had a small can of cutting fluid and just brushed it on as needed. Brass doesnt need it.
 
For tool holders, I get mine at CDCO Machinery for 8 or 9 bucks each..I think I have about 16 now.

CDCO Machinery Corp. On their front page are sales on QCTP and also on tool holders. I have bought quite a bit of metal working stuff from him.

Shars is OK on some things also.

My quarter's worth.

Ray
 
You rock Ray!!! I can get more here for less money and I found some other things that look like a definite must have. My Mrs. may not like you too well right now but I sure do.
 
ironman123 said:
For tool holders, I get mine at CDCO Machinery for 8 or 9 bucks each..I think I have about 16 now.

CDCO Machinery Corp. On their front page are sales on QCTP and also on tool holders. I have bought quite a bit of metal working stuff from him.

Shars is OK on some things also.

My quarter's worth.

Ray
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I've bought a few from CDCO also. But you have to be careful with them. Their quality can vary from shipment to shipment. Sometimes they're not as good as some of the others. The adjusting screws are often very loose. I had to use teflon tape to keep them from wobbling in the holes. Also, one of them had a very poorly cut dovetail. I had to re-cut one side of it because it wouldn't fit on the toolpost. They were also smaller than the other holders. Not a big deal when making pens but if you're making heavier cuts they're not as rigid as the others. Having said that, they are a cheap way of stocking up on holders. And as Ray said, Shars can a good source for stuff sometimes.

rherrell said:
I use this Mike... Enco - Guaranteed Lowest Prices on Machinery, Tools and Shop Supplies

I put it in an old cottage cheese tub and apply it with a small artists paint brush. It "clings" to the part and works really well and it's the most non-toxic one that works.
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That's the same stuff I use. I get it from a local machine shop that also sells some tooling. But I think you can get it at Home Depot sometimes. Since you have a Wholesale Tool near you I think they may carry it too.

I think what Mike and Rick are saying, and I agree, is why do you want a coolant pump? That will make one hell of a mess and for hobby use is not necessary. If you really want to do it I'll sell you the complete unit that came with my 12x36. It's sitting in a corner collecting dust:biggrin:

Mike
 
Well I can see the point on a pump, I just used a lot of cutting/coolant when I did the mod on the tool post. I know I won't need it when I do less metal.

I went by Wholesale Tool and picked up a few more tool holders. Now I have more stuff to clean the grease off of. My FIL sent over a piece of blank drill rod to use as a tool post when I am doing fee-hand work. Slit it in and tightened it down and it work like a charm. I am just glad he had the intestinal fortitude to cut me off a section.

Well I finally got the QCTP mod complete and it is now mounted. It was kind of funny. I checked the thread size but did not check the sizes on the post, just went head first into the mod based on the instruction. Found out the hard way that my post is a little different than the one in the mod instructions. The threading on my original did not start right after the shoulder section but there was another smooth section above that which was .299 and .410 high. So I had to go back in with a N bit and drill it a little deeper. Once I did that it screwed down on the original post like a charm. And to keep Mike happy, here are the photos to prove it. :tongue:

002.JPG
003.JPG
 
And you already have the 4 bolt plate installed too, that's great! It looks terrific. Feels good, huh?

Mike
 
Mike: have you checked for centering of your tool? With a 1/2' high cutoff, it looks like I'm going to have to mill approx. .125 off bottom of the Phase II tool holder to allow it to go down far enough to center the cutting point. Also, have you checked yours for runout?
 
bluwolf said:
And you already have the 4 bolt plate installed too, that's great! It looks terrific. Feels good, huh?

Mike
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Feels great. Feels even better since I didn't screw up the tool post shaft and could have very easily done so. I kind of did the opposite of a guy thing. I actually read the directions and followed them, when I should have measure and compared what my lathe was and what the instructions said. I got real lucky there and it has taught me to measure what I am working on and compare it to the directions.

joefyffe said:
Mike: have you checked for centering of your tool? With a 1/2' high cutoff, it looks like I'm going to have to mill approx. .125 off bottom of the Phase II tool holder to allow it to go down far enough to center the cutting point. Also, have you checked yours for runout?
Click to expand...

I did not check it to a cut off tool but I had checked it with a carbide cutter on a 3/8" base and found that I needed to raise the tool holder a fraction to get to the center line.
 
That being the case, then .125 or .150 should be just about perfect!! Thnx.!

IPD_Mr said:
bluwolf said:
And you already have the 4 bolt plate installed too, that's great! It looks terrific. Feels good, huh?

Mike
Click to expand...

Feels great. Feels even better since I didn't screw up the tool post shaft and could have very easily done so. I kind of did the opposite of a guy thing. I actually read the directions and followed them, when I should have measure and compared what my lathe was and what the instructions said. I got real lucky there and it has taught me to measure what I am working on and compare it to the directions.

joefyffe said:
Mike: have you checked for centering of your tool? With a 1/2' high cutoff, it looks like I'm going to have to mill approx. .125 off bottom of the Phase II tool holder to allow it to go down far enough to center the cutting point. Also, have you checked yours for runout?
Click to expand...

I did not check it to a cut off tool but I had checked it with a carbide cutter on a 3/8" base and found that I needed to raise the tool holder a fraction to get to the center line.
Click to expand...
 
Congrats on the shop clean up. Oh yeah, and the new family member!

I have been slowly coming around to the idea of a metal lathe, but I have many hurdles to overcome before I see that becoming a reality - time and space seem to be the two largest, closely followed by the tremendous expense I know that would come after the initial investment! We all know how that works in this hobby....

Anyway, I'm looking forward to how your machine evolves and what you accomplish with it. It looks like a lot of fun.
 
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