Setting up my new shop

[steamer]

Hi Bog,

Had me thinking about this during my drive in to work.

If I had to cut a double thread, in the chuck, without releasing the half nut, I would turn the compound over to parallel with the lathe bed, zero the dial on the compound and make sure all the lash was taken up in the compound feedscrew by turning it to advance toward the lathe chuck. Now lock the compound slide gibs so it won't move. I would chuck up a piece of stock, prep it for threading, and then make my first thread. Back the tool out using the cross slide. I would be threading by the plunge method or cutting on both sides of the tool . I wouldn't want to do this with a coarse thread, but with the threads found on the average ME project, this should not be a problem

Now release the lock on the compound and advance the compound a distance equal to the pitch of the thread toward the headstock ( not the lead of the thread mind you, the pitch of the thread which is for a two start equal to one half the lead).

Now back up the carriage, advance the cross slide and cut the second thread by the plunge method. You should be 180 degrees out of phase from the first thread.

Example:
A 1/4-20 pitch 2 start screw will have a lead of .100

You would cut the first thread, move the compound 1/20th of an inch or .050" or .100/2 ( lead / 2) and then cut the second thread.

It would be useful to have a 3 phase motor on the lathe to make stopping the spindle easy. However, with a spindle crank, as has been detailed ad neausium in ME and MEWS, you can hand turn the spindle to cut the thread just as easy and those with single phase machines will have less anxiety coming up to a shoulder or the chuck.

If the thread has a oddball pitch with a fractional thousandth or so, you may want to use a dial indicator to track the movement of the compound instead of the compound feed screw in case the screw has some wear or is sloppy.
It is important to move the compound the EXACT amount. This is important!

Cut the screw long and make half of it into a tap to make the nut. Or make two if double length is too woobly.

This should work a treat with fine threads ( 20 or less per inch).

Hope that is clear, If I can explain something better let me know.

Best wishes,

Dave

 

[Bogstandard]

Dave, thanks for that.

I will eventually go thru this post, and cut and paste all these bits of offered wisdom out and turn it into a post in its own right.

John

 

[Bogstandard]

Due to some thoughts that this is an elitist type of post, no further posts will be added to this.

John

 

[pelallito]

John,
I hope that we can help change your mind. I have enjoyed reading about your new shop.
Regards,
Fred

 

[CrewCab]

I've enjoyed it too, as I am sure have many others, plus I've found it informative; I'd be disappointed not to follow it through to it's conclusion.

CC

 

[Brass_Machine]

Due to some thoughts that this is an elitist type of post, no further posts will be added to this.

John

You know as well as anyone else the whole board enjoys reading your posts. I know for a fact that people have joined the forum because of your posts.

There is no reason to stop posting in your thread, so cut the cr@p and keep up the great work. ;D

Eric

 

[malcolmt]

Hi John
I do hope we can change your mind on this one, as a new returner to home engineering i find that your explanations are so easily understood and the fact that you also explain your reasons for what you are doing so clearly, Make it possible for me in particular and I'm sure many others to share your vast knowledge in a way that i could not imagine being more easy to understand. (i.e. for a dope like me) although not all of us have the wonderful tools that you have I'm sure we all appreciate that you have earned them, we may all do the tool envy thing from time to time but i promise it is entirely in fun.
Please re consider your stance on this John it really does mean so much to all of us.

Kind regards

Malcolm

 

[georgeseal]

........

 

[steamer]

Yes John, I too would like to see your shop. We all struggle with shop set up, it's nice to see how others do it.

 

[applescotty]

Ditto. I've really enjoyed watching how you're putting together your 'new' shop. Even the troubles you've had with the lathe have been interesting, although I wish for your sake that everything had been smooth sailing. Most of us probably won't get a chance to completely re-quip our shops like you're getting to do, so we get to do it vicariously through your experience.

Scott

 

[Metal Mickey]

John, you have helped me personally on several items. I have a website which acts as a little therapy and fills my horizontal day. On that I recommend this forum as a great place for beginners as a friendly site. I am sure that the way the CNC debate and the reasons for your ceasing posting here can be overcome, can't they? It is a resource that I value extremely highly whatever the subject and I really hope you will resume this post John. If both parties could turn the other cheek as it were, posts could resume.....

There have been important lessons in how to set up new equipment and perhaps more importantly, safety issues highlighted for all to benefit from (chuck guard).

So it would be nice for you to reconsider. After all we all have to, so my wife says!

 

[Peter Neill]

Nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned tool gloat at all (I know it's not supposed to be one..).
If anyone has just shelled out loads of dosh on some nice brand new facilities and tooling, then why shouldn't they have a little gloat about it?

It's not willy-waving and it's not elitism, it's just human nature to want to shout "come and have a look at what I've just got!", in just the same way that people want to shout about the latest model or piece of tooling they've made, (or what CAD system they've got.. ;D)
Apart from that, posts of this nature are ALWAYS interesting to anyone who has an interest in model engineering or HSM pursuits.
Face it - even the professionals amongst us like a bit of new tool porn.

On the subject of lathes from Chester, you have my sympathy as I cant say the two words in the same phrase without spitting feathers.
I had the misfortune to buy a new lathe from them several years ago. Unpacked it, set it up, started it up, re-packed it and asked them for another one. A new one came out fairly promptly, and went through exactly the same procedure. I then had to argue with them for a week about getting it picked up and money refunded. If you're really interested in all that was wrong with it I'll dig out my old e-mails and put the list together, but I don't think I'll ever buy from them again.
Good luck with getting things sorted out on yours.

When everything comes together in the new workshop I'm sure you'll be a happier man.

Peter

 

[Mcgyver]

Due to some thoughts that this is an elitist type of post, no further posts will be added to this.

John

I don't even know what that means??? ???

there must be a lot of back room conversations stressing everyone out cuz I don't why there's always this concern about being to little or too much elitism or safety or whatever. don' like something? say it in the thread, no one's going have a conniption...its just an opinion after all. I liked seeing veterans shops when i was newbie

its the internet, not everyone is going to agree on everything or see it the same way...and when they don't, who cares? you can still be pals and clink glasses without agreeing on everything, right?

as to this elitism charge, the very notion is BS imo. We work, we make decisions, we allocate resources, we save, we end up with stuff. Is there anyone here who could honestly say that over the next 20 years they couldn't have the best shop of all of us if that was singularly what was most important to them? sheesh it doesn't even have to mean one has money, in the long run its how each individual prioritizes - the most elaborate shop on these pages isn't out of any one's reach if that was the most important thing to them.

keep going John

 

[dparker]

John: I for one very much enjoy and have learned a lot from your posts on your update on your shop. The things you write to think about and look for are a great help to anyone that is contemplating a addition to, or even building a new shop in the future.
I hope to be building a new shop in a couple of years (God willing) and was reading each post. I will be keeping the same tools that my Dad had and adding my collection to it. The setup and forward thinking about placement and tuning up of the machines was, and is, a great help.
These tools will be new tools to me but I don't know much about many of his tools as I had to move 600 miles from home to make a living. I don't even know how the chuck is mounted on Dad's floor mount lathe among many other things, I need to know several things that you have mentioned or hope you will mention in the future that would be of great help to myself and I'm sure many others on this forum.
Your experience and abilities are a great asset to this forum and as far as I know, we all look up to you as a mentor that knows what you are talking about.
Please do not leave us with a story unfinished that is so interesting, we as a group would like to have the chance to do what you are doing.
don

 

[rake60]

Please allow me to assure all of you that there has been NO backroom
talk here.

If John feels it is best to not continue his posts on the progress of his
new shop, it is by his own choice.

Personally, I've looked forward to each new progress update.

No one here will ever be pressured or begged to contribute a post.

That is a choice to be made by the individual member.

It is John's call.
If his decision is to terminate it, I accept his opinion.

Rick

 

[Cedge]

John
Get your knickers untwisted from between your cheeks and get back to posting to the thread. Your sad saga has been about as elite as the bar room in the local bowling alley. Pedestrian and pale though it might be, there are a lot of guys waiting on your next installment. You can't help it that you got skinned by a fancy talkin' second hand machinery maven. He was just talkin' faster than you was listenin'...(grin)

Rick... well said, but this torch lit mob is gathering and we're headed to Bog's place for a beer.... HIS warm English beer. When we leave we're takin' Bandit with us and we're leaving Bogo with only a second hand Harbor Freight mini mill. That should skeer the old sod.

Steve
Official Throwing Rock Supplier to this Mob

 

[dsquire]

John

Do I have to use the rest of my investments that hasn't disappeared in the last few months to hop a flight to get over and join the rest of the lads when they all show up in your new shop. I may not have enough funds to get back so you might be stuck with me.

I have enjoyed reading your posts and have learned a lot. I do want to continue reading and learning so please John, pull out the keyboard and lets get on with it.

I know you really want to do this John.

Cheers

Don :bow:

 

[steamer]

OK Bog,


Cut the *#^$^.

Would you PLEASE tell us about your new shop?.....with sugar on it.....

;D

 

[Bogstandard]

Gentlemen,

I have been accused of all things in my life, but never of being a hypocrite.

This isn't to do as some suggest, spite, malice, pouting because I didn't get my own way, or any other thing you can come up with.

Wareagle contacted me over this issue, and I gave him the full issue.

To give you an abridged version.

I have very deep personal morals.

I accused someone, rightly or wrongly in your eyes, of being elitist. From that thread I also was accused of the same thing. I realised my post was actually partially elitist, so MY PERSONAL MORALS meant that I could not continue with this post, without being both a hypocrite in not only your eyes, but in my own moral eyes as well (and my personal beliefs are a lot more powerful than yours).

My personal morality issue caused great friction last year, when certain things were happening on this site, and I don't want to go thru all that again.

If I am wrong in my own eyes I will apologise publicly, as I have done in the past. If I am right in my own little world of morals, I stick to my guns tooth and nail to support my beliefs.

Would you have someone go against their own personal beliefs and way of life, that they have stood by for many many years?

Please leave it at that.

John

 

[Cedge]

Okay... I give up. John, go ahead and sit in your little shop and sulk on your superior morals all you like. Truth being told.... both parties to that argument took boneheaded stances and need to get a grip. However, you no longer are authorized to use the word "elitist" in any context, whatsoever.

keep moving folks... nothing happening here to see

Steve
Going to water his scruples, since morals are out of season.