Recent content by jtrout13

Thanks guys, I didn't think of the metric stock. I'll try that next.

First, I don't know how to scrape things :D Also, I'm not shimming it in the up/down direction. Using a test bar, the tailstock end of the bar is a bit closer to the front of the lathe than the headstock end is. On the mini lathe, the headstock mounts to the bed with a v-shaped groove, and...

I'm in the process of aligning the headstock on my 7x16 lathe with the bed and am having a bit of a problem. Using cut up feeler gauges, the smallest increment i'm able to shim is 0.0005 in. Using the feeler gages cut up, I got the misalignment of my headstock to under a thou over 3", but I'd...

Does anyone here who might own the 7x1x mini lathe or mini mill have some pictures of the oil fittings which come on the lathe / mill? I know some brands (real bull and a few others) of these machines come from the factory with oil fittings in various locations. My lathe and mill (Micro-Mark)...

How deep is the hole? You might want to use a "sensitive drill attachment" which makes it a lot easier. Check out Little Machine Shop # 3790. There are much cheaper alternatives out there but that's the idea behind it.

Like others have said, I recommend the spindle-column alignment procedure, as well as some sort of stiffening plate on the back of the column and a method to adjust X and Y tram. A dial indicator on a magnetic mount makes an easy Z-axis depth measurement. I use Little Machine Shop #2531 dial...

I cut a lot of brass and bronze on my lathe with carbide (higher speed) tooling, leads to a good bit of powder flying around. I'd prefer to just cover the whole leadscrew. Besides, I have this obsession about making my machine have all the features of a big industrial machine :rolleyes: I...

Thanks a lot Mike. I see some 'bellows' type covers at McMaster that will work better than the spiral type. I just didn't know the proper terminology to search for!

I want to fit a pair of these 'spring type' leadscrew covers to my mini lathe, but I can't figure out how they're made, or where I could purchase them. Or alternatively, the ideal solution seems if I could find something similar to dryer venting hose, which was a small diameter ~1"OD, I'd use...

That hole doesn't need to be completely flat, but you can't just drill it, because there isn't enough 'meat' on the top of the cylinder for the tapered tip of the drill bit. I'd probably drill that hole with a 3/8" drill bit (drill the TIP of the bit 1.625" into the material). Then, I'd run a...

First, 0.002" is a fairly large tolerance on a hole of that size. Honestly if you drill it it should be fine. Since the 0.142 OD that will be on the crank pin is not a standard ground stock size, you'll be turning that OD down on lathe. I'd suggest drilling the hole in the piston however you...

You're right, those are the permissible limits of size. This is just a clearance hole for the 6-32 thread on the crank pin. You'd just run a #27 drill through there. Or, if it were me, I'd do away with the thread on the crank pin, and just modify the design to use a pressed-in 1/8 dowel...

This is the standard size for gage block sets. The idea is you can 'wring together' any combination of the blocks to get the desired size. The underlying idea which prevents the need for a larger set is twofold: 1. For calibration work, why require a 500mm gage block, when you could just...

Guys, you're right. I tried today using some brazed carbide bits (unhardened steel shank) in the same setup, and got the same issues. When I looked at the end of the tool, the drill rod (harder even in annealed state than the shank of the brazed carbide tool) had worn away some of the shank...

For reamers, I'd start with a 7 piece set (usually 1/8 to 1/2 by 1/16's) and then get a 14 piece over/under set, which basically allows you to use the above 7 sizes in press and clearance fits. From the vendor I mentioned or HF, etc, you can get set up like this for $100 or so. I use the...