The Boxford Files

[CrewCab]

Thank you all Gentlemen :bow:

I do believe some of it is starting to penetrate my cranium ??? .............. John S ........... I (at last) perceive why a threading dial indicator is not often fitted on a metric lathe after reading this (bottom of page, final sentence),

..... which leads me to another question, why is my "Metric" 9"x20" fitted with a TDI, with 8 Divisions .............. and at last the penny drops even further ......... in relation to John (BS)'s post :-[ ............ and earlier discussions

Anyway back to the Boxford, John (S) ........... I've eventually realised your last reply is in relation to a "TDI" for a metric Boxford, which also explains why an imperial one is about £30 and a metric one about 4x that price.

OK .......... it's late and I've done reading about metric and imperial threads for tonight as my head is hurting : ....., think I'll go watch some "Tat" on the TV for half an hour whilst my brain slows down. Anyway, ....... last thing for now guys ........ anyone have a link to a picture showing the gearing set up using the compound gear.

Cheers ................... and Maryak ............ your advice is most welcome anytime


CC

 

[Maryak]

Crewcab,

Gear trains an explanation - hope this helps :

 

[bentprop]

CC,from what I have been told,the problem with removing the lathe from it's stand is that it throws out the alignment settings.And unless you or someone you know can reset it for you,it's supposed to be not a fun thing to have to do.
As for actually moving it,I used the services of 4 burly chaps,and a set of 3 machinery skates,the front one being steerable.Some hire companies have those for rent.
Mind you,I see there are a couple of steps to negotiate,which means the skates are probably not that much use.To get across the steps,you'd probably need a thick sheet of ply,and preferably a sheet of steel or something to avoid gouging the ply.Also some stout rope to stop it sliding away when going down.
Anyway,it's a nice solid looking lathe,if it's in even reasonable condition,i'm sure you wouldn't regret it.Regards.Hans.

 

[John S]

Crewcab,
I have 3 lathes that are used all the time depending on jobs, size and whether they are metric or imperial. I know this sounds grand but I do have to earn a living at it.

All 3 have thread dials, the CVA which is the British equivalent of the Monarch 10EE has it built in the but the other two are 'normal' mounted ones and can be swung clear.

I use the dial on the CVA because screwcutting imperial threads is the easiest setup you can do and at one time this lathe wasn't easy to reverse the way it was wired up originally [ now changed ]

The other two lathes, big TOS that does imperial and metric although it's an imperial machine, and the all metric TOS have the thread dials swung clear as it's too much of a pain to use them and I reverse back with the 1/2 nuts always engaged.
This way there is never no chance of pickup error and the majority of threads are usually only short ones, enough for a nut and washer.

One interesting fact on the small TOS is that forward and revers are on oil bath clutches inside the headstock and reverse is 1.3333 times faster that forward which speed the job up when reversing.

I don't know if that was the designers idea ? but the main use I have for reverse if winding back out of a thread.

I have great regard for the East European designs, they tend to get neglected but they really put some effort into their designs and builds.

I have a Russian tool room lathe here with virtually no markings, just Made in USSR and HS1020 for a model.
This translates to 5" centre hight, 10" swing by 20" between centres. Same size as CC's Boxford, only main difference is it weights 1.9 metric tonnes
Three horsepower 3~ motor driving a 24 speed pre-selector gearbox, pressure oiling to the headstock and it won't start first thing in a morning until 20 seconds have elapsed so it can pump the oil round.
The base and the bed is all one casting, built like a brick shithouse you could air drop it on Bosnia and it would still hold 2 tenths.

I don't use this at the moment as it's earmarked for a CNC conversion but this lathe doesn't have any provision for a thread dial but it can instantly reverse.

.

 

[Stan]

CC,from what I have been told,the problem with removing the lathe from it's stand is that it throws out the alignment settings.And unless you or someone you know can reset it for you,it's supposed to be not a fun thing to have to do.

The stand has nothing to do with lathe alignment. This type of lathe can be bought on a cabinet base, chip pan on legs or the bare lathe to bolt down to a wooden bench.

Any time a lathe is moved (even inches) it will require a re-level or realignment (your term). Removing the headstock from the bed may cause a problem because it may have been shimmed and if you lose the shims or their location you have a major project to align the headstock. Everything else on the lathe involves gib adjusting belt tensions etc which are routine.

An added advantage of dismantelling to move gives you an opportunity to examine for wear and damage before you spend the time to level and adjust.

There are many bulletin board threads reporting on the good quality of import precision levels.

 

[CrewCab]

If you and your friend are capable of man handling 800 pounds, then just pick it up and carry it into the shop.

Funnily enough ..................... ;D ...... it wasn't anywhere near as hard as I thought

CC

 

[Twinsquirrel]

Looks like it was made for that spot CC......A big Borat "high-five" to you

 

[CrewCab]

The Boxford is only a few inches longer than the 9"x20" so a bit of joinery at the weekend should see it all in place ........... that is unless SWMBO has other plans

Inverter is on it's way, however the one thing I am lacking is a toolpost + mounting bolt & Tee Nut, that's something I do need before I can make a few chips and see if the change has been worthwhile ??? .......... plus it's a "bit full" in here with the "extra" lathe and the three swarf magnets :

CC

 

[CrewCab]

John (S) ............... I found an interesting thread on an (almost the same) lathe ............ the tdi (shown below) looks even more complicated with three available gears ............ think I'll just take threading one step at a time, I don't want to push my luck with my first foray into the "Dark Art's"

Maryak .............. thanks for the piccy's .............. it's a lot clearer now

OK Guys ............. another "Brain Teaser" ........... once I fit the inverter the speed range available will be 1 - 3000 rpm, ........... though I doubt 3k will ever be used, as is the norm (apparently) with these gizmo's it's soft start but it can act as an "instant" electronic brake and/or reverse direction almost instantly (so I'm told) ................ now the 9"x20" has a grub screw to lock the chuck in position, even though I cant stop or reverse it "instantly" ............ there is a distinct possibility of the Boxford chuck coming loose if I'm not on mi' toes here so ............... do I need to drill the chuck back plates and lathe spindle to accept a locking screw?

CC

 

[John S]

CC,
Be careful fitting the Invertor as regards stopping, They are programmable down to a fraction of a second and you can even fit braking resistors to stop them dead but as you have realised you have a threaded spindle.
If used carefully there should be no problems.
Another thing to bear in mind is that using a fast programmed stop on an invertor will often case a fault trip and require a reset, something that gets bloody tedious, setting the stop to about 1-1/2 to 2 seconds will usually keep you clear of this problem.

Fitting a grub screw to bear on the register isn't a good idea as it can throw the backplate off. What Myfords do on their new Conny Sewer lathe is to machine a vee groove on the register.
The backplate then has a hole thats drilled and tapped for a grub screw but it only just breaks thru into the inside bore.
A pointed grub screw fits into this and locks at the bottom of the hole, the pointy bit is deep enough to poke thru and fit into the register groove but not make contact.

The idea isn't to hold it but to stop it coming off if it does come loose.

Interesting thread dial, my TOS is similar but has three changeable gears and two double sided dials and you swap over as needed. One side for each gear and the last side just has one mark on it.

.

 

[CrewCab]

Thanks John,

Go easy mind ............ ;D ........... on a scale of 1 to 10 my mechanical engineering experience is around 0.35, while yours is about 11 ......... terms like "indexable" and "register" caused me sleepless nights 3 months ago ......... but I think I'm a little more "up to speed" now ........... I did say "little" .......... but I'm working on it ;D

Thanks for all your help

CC

 

[John S]

Just thought, That Russian toolroom lathe is the same size as a Boxford and it came with a 4 turret toolpost that I replaced with one of my own designs as I have three lathes all with the same design post and they can swap holders between all 3 machines making life easier.

If it's any use I can look it out if I still have it and take a pic,
I feel sure it must be in a cupboard or rack in the Jabba, I'll see if I can't find it and if so you are welcome to it and I can throw it in the Donald when I go to Warwick.

.

 

[CrewCab]

All contributions gratefully received John

CC

 

[CrewCab]

Anyway ............. for all you guys n' gal's following this absolutely riveting thread and contemplating moving a heavy lathe ............ don't worry ............ it's no big deal

The move went much easier than anticipated, Wareagle, you were right 3/4" plywood worked very well 8) .......... I cut a piece about the same size as the lathe and walked it through "the route" ........... Don :bow: spot on tip mate , then we "plonked" it on the ply and just hauled it into place .......... believe it or not the 2" step down was the most awkward bit .......... because it had a rubber draught excluder in the threshold : ......... but we won in the end .......

We had 3 people on hand but my son and I moved it ............. he did have the heavy end mind ......... but ........ he's 25, 6'-4" and 18 stone ............ he deserves the heavy end ;D


Thanks to all that have contributed, it has all been very helpful gang ......... :bow:

CC

 

[steamer]

Glad to hear the move went well.

When I got the Logan home with the help of my then 83 Year old dad and his 1 ton truck and equipment trailer, I was always amazed at what he could move with the simplest of tools....He muscled that 1100 pound lathe around just fine with a pinch bar and some rollers...quick as you please. Wasn't even breathing hard.

Dave

 

[ksouers]

CC,
Congrats on getting that piece of iron in it's rightful spot!
Well done.

 

[John S]

CC,
At great personal expense and risk to life and limb I dug this out tonight.

4" square, 2" high with the centre screw, will this fit or is it too big ?

.

 

[CrewCab]

Looking promising John 8)

From the top of the compound slide to the centreline of the lathe is 25mm (1")

CC

 

[wareagle]

CC, congrats on your successful move. It is always nice when things go your way! Glad it was easier than anticipated and hope you enjoy your new lathe!!

 

[John S]

Base is 7/16" thick but it would surface grind down to 3/8" without loss of strength giving you the chance to use 5/8" tooling.