Show Us Your Lathe

[Tin Falcon]

Titex :
First of all welcome to the board. Please read the posts and get to know us, and post an intro in the welcome section when you get a chance.
This board is a bunch of hobbyists helping one another build model engines and tooling . We foster an environment of mutual respect and encouragement.
I have never heard of a Dean Smith & Grace lathe and would love to see photos. I hope you did not mean to have a "My Lathe is better than yours" tone in your post. We try not to have a 'bragging' tone towards one another here.

Tin Falcon

 

[titex]

Hello Tin Falcon,
First off thanks for your welcome to the forum, secondly, I am not dismissing anyone else's machinery,
But when I read some opinions, then I had to express mine. Looking through some of the post's here,
You all appear to be a friendly, helpful bunch. and I look forward to my time here.
Best wishes,
Titex.

 

[NickG]

DSG are a well known toolroom lathe of the highest quality. You couldn't really call it a hobby machine, not sure how big the smallest ones are but I think 13" x 30" by the looks of this:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/dsg/index.html

Probably weighs over 1 tonne!

If you are lucky enough to find one and have the space for one though ... good on you!

Would like to see pics!

Nick

 

[Stan]

Lathes and Computers. You only need a newer faster computer when your computational skills exceed the capacity of your present one.

You only need a better lather when your machining abilities exceed the capacity of your present one.

Have a look at the work produced by some of the true masters of our hobby and look at the lathes they use (60 year old hardware store quality or modern often criticized Chinese).

As to computers, I never exceeded the capacity of my Commodore 64 to solve math problems!

 

[titex]

Stan:
How right you are about computers and lathes, computers I will NEVER understand, and as for the lathe part, I also use
for smaller stuff a chinese lathe [center height 150mm, weight 530kgs] and since I bought it from new in 2001 it has never
needed as much as a new bulb for the halogen lamp. But, if I need to remove a lot of metal fast and with guaranteed accuracy
then I will use the DSG [center height 280mm, weight 3260kgs, 35kw] although the electric bill goes through the roof :
So yes if my chinese lathe is anything to go by then they are good machines [for the price].
Regards,
Titex.

 

[NickG]

In my opinion, I would have to disagree with this comment

You only need a better lather when your machining abilities exceed the capacity of your present one.

I don't really see what capacity has to do with machining abilities. It can often take more skill to produce smaller items. Also, it takes higher machining ability to get better results from a poor machine.

I know from personal experience that the quality and accuracy of my work improved a great deal when I got my harrison lathe. I really struggled on my previous 2 lathes which were pretty worn out. I know some of the chinese machines are poor quality and people struggle equally on those.

Like everything though, some chinese machines are good and some are poor. I agree though, some fantastic work is made on 60 year old machines and modern Chinese ones, but if they are, as you said, the masters of our hobby, give them a really good quality lathe then imagine what they would churn out.

I've had some old worn out machinery, some new chinese crap, and some good quality machinery in good condition and it's definitely the latter that gives the best results in my opinion. I don't think I've made a step change in my machining abilities so I'd have to put it down to the machine.

Even at school, I remember using my, unbeknown to me, worn out Myford ML7 at the time and being frustrated at the results I was getting. I then used a boxford at school one day that had had little use and the results from that were astonishing - in a different league. If people just starting out in this hobby end up getting a poor quality first machine it could end up putting them right off by becoming too frustrated when the machine doesn't do what they ask of it.

Just a couple of my opinions.

Nick

 

[doc1955]

I don't really see what capacity has to do with machining abilities. It can often take more skill to produce smaller items. Also, it takes higher machining ability to get better results from a poor machine.

4

I agree with this as things get smaller tolerances follow suit so when I see small engines I get impressed.
And as far as machinery there too I agree when you are use to tool room quality machines and go to a sub-standard machine it gets a lot tougher and you defiantly need to have more talent plus patience.
Just my opinion.

 

[steamer]

Yea DSG is a great machine....The bigger ones are much like a Pacemaker....which if you ever seen one in action is pretty impressive.

3000 kg+.....is not exactly home shop.....for most :

Dave

 

[Stan]

Capacity was probably a poor choice or word. I wasn't referring to size but the quality of the machine not being able to do work that you are capable of. If you are able to do better work on a high quality lathe then you have exceeded the capacity of the one you are working on. In other words, there is no point in buying a precision lathe if you measure with a ruler.

 

[steamer]

I have a friend of mine who made a very small eyeglass screw for a professor of the college he worked at as the machine shop instructor.

All the lathes where QC, and the screw thread was VERY fine....like over 100, and something like #0 or #1 in diameter.

The most expedient way to do it was on his "big" lathe as the QC had the right thread handy......of course....he did it with the 24" 3 jaw still in the lathe....as it was too heavy to be bothered to remove ;D

Even a bull can be taught to do ballet if you "ask nice" and know what your doing...which he does...but the quality of the lathe is a factor.

Dave

PS and I do think bragging rights had as much to do with lathe choice as anything.. :big:

 

[1hand]

Here is my 9x19 with the new 6" three jaw and DRO installed. " got sick of using the ruler"....lol

Matt

 

[NickG]

Stan,

True, I see what you mean now. Think I was looking at what you said from the wrong perspective.

Matt, that looks like a particularly nice version of a '9x20' I know somebody at my local club that made some really impressive stuff on his. He sold it and bought a myford quite a few years back and has just changed the myford for a nearly new one but he's not overly impressed with it. Strange with Myfords, people either swear by them or don't like them. I've only used a very worn one, but I can't imagine a new one being that amazing - certainly not for the price!

Nick

 

[titex]

steamer,
In reply to your post about the DSG not being a hobby machine well you are correct. I do a lot of sub contract work for oil tool companies
and the DSG is used for that [mainly Inconel 600 and 718 and, now and then PH Stainless] I will use it for my "hobby" if I have a need to but,
my hobby machine 99% of the time is the chinaman that I mentioned. I am not familiar with the machine that you mentioned [Pacemaker]
Do you have anymore info on them?
Regards,
Titex.

 

[Deanofid]

Look up American Pacemaker. Hardened tool steel V ways, bearings everywhere, hardened drive gears, hammer forged spindle in three Timkin bearings. Precision from beginning to end. Super long life. Stuff like that.

 

[steamer]

Check it out....

http://www.lathes.co.uk/pacemaker/index.html

A beast of a machine and by all accounts the best "super" lathe out there......at least for it's time....

They were known to take terrifying cuts at full power and just keep going.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg6tDnFGeK8[/ame]

http://pounceatron.dreamhosters.com/docs/atw/atw-pacemaker-bulletin-19-1946.pdf

http://pounceatron.dreamhosters.com/docs/atw/atw-americans-on-display-bulletin-464-1950.pdf


Dave

 

[New_Guy]

Titex :
First of all welcome to the board. Please read the posts and get to know us, and post an intro in the welcome section when you get a chance.
This board is a bunch of hobbyists helping one another build model engines and tooling . We foster an environment of mutual respect and encouragement.
I have never heard of a Dean Smith & Grace lathe and would love to see photos. I hope you did not mean to have a "My Lathe is better than yours" tone in your post. We try not to have a 'bragging' tone towards one another here.

Tin Falcon

my god you never heard of a Dean Smith and Grace lathe you have no idea we always see them on Ebay here in Aus not many 1 or 2 are always up because they are in god awful places out west great machines i have only heard great things about them and i would love to use one one day. i think you could almost say a DS&G lathe is the British American Peacemaker because they never made small thats like Colchester and Harrison did from the start they were made for hard work ;D

Titex when you get your camera i for one would love to see your lathe ........please

 

[titex]

G'Day,G'Day,G'Day, New_Guy,
First of all, Greetings to Oz from Scotland.
Yes as soon as I buy, or preferably borrow a camera I will post some photo's.
I am not suprised that DSG's turn up in the outback, they have been known to turn up in some very remote locations indeed.
There is 1 in the machine shop of the US carrier "Ronald Reagan" You are correct in your post that DSG never made small
lathes [although my one would be classed as small compared to the large DSG's] Now if only I could learn to use it properly :big:
Best wishes,
Titex.
PS, Have a great New year [Blow the froth off a few ;D]

 

[doc1955]

Here are some pics of my lathe.

Not very good with the camera.

I put up some peg board behind and a shelve to hold my collets and other tools.
Plus a light unit above I got for 25$ it seems to work pretty good.

The walls are just shy of 10 feet. I hung a tarp behind to kind of separate my machines from the rest of the garage.
May build a real wall eventually don't know yet. Our garage is 40' x 28' I claimed about 1 stall for my machines.

 

[doc1955]

I added the after picture, now all I have left is to install the DRO.

I installed the DRO today & now I'm ready to get it dirty!

Man am I envious :bow: I've done a lot of tooling work on a lathe that would be a twin to that.
They are a super lathe and I love their threading and taper capabilities. Now go get it dirty and make some chips. :big:

 

[Twmaster]

Doc, Nice looking hunk of Grizz Green! Which model is it?

Is that tool post the stock unit or aftermarket?

Thanks!