Threw out entire set of castings

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vigsgb

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I just started machining and have a Mini Lathe and Mini mill and just about everything I try to make ends up in the garbage or scrap pile.

Taps break off in holes, the mini mill table has no locks so when I mill x y moves and so forth. I guess the lathe has been pretty good and not tossing away much if anything on that but the mill is a different story for some reason.

Anyhow I ended up throwing out an entire set of castings for a generator as it was nothing but a huge pile of mistakes due to my experience level and knowledge.

I guess that is how it is when you have no idea what your doing ::wall:
 
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Sorry to hear that...castings are not the easiest thing to begin on though. Start with something simple made from bar stock to build your skills and confidence up. Mistakes are less expensivie too!! Welcome to the forum by the way and when you can maybe post an introduction in the welcome section. Hang in there, it gets better :)

Bill
 
i know how you feel this hobby can be cruel when you spend alot of time on a part and something goes wrong i have a few kits from pm research that i didnt even start yet because i relized im not ready for them. i bought a new lathe and mill and a kit from the little machine shop, the oscillating steam engine. it comes with dvd or just the material kit. it helpd me getting a little used to machining and milling and if you mess up a part you can work around it, your not making space shuttle parts i like the kit so much i bought another kit it is under 39 dollars .its ugly looking but after you finish it you will like it and then move on to something harder
 
i know how you feel this hobby can be cruel when you spend alot of time on a part and something goes wrong i have a few kits from pm research that i didnt even start yet because i relized im not ready for them. i bought a new lathe and mill and a kit from the little machine shop, the oscillating steam engine. it comes with dvd or just the material kit. it helpd me getting a little used to machining and milling and if you mess up a part you can work around it, your not making space shuttle parts i like the kit so much i bought another kit it is under 39 dollars .its ugly looking but after you finish it you will like it and then move on to something harder

I will look into that as I bought a lot of my equipment from them as well.

Thanks.
 
Sorry to hear that...castings are not the easiest thing to begin on though. Start with something simple made from bar stock to build your skills and confidence up. Mistakes are less expensivie too!! Welcome to the forum by the way and when you can maybe post an introduction in the welcome section. Hang in there, it gets better :)

Bill

Thanks Bill I will create an introduction in the welcome section.

My next project I plan to make is a mini bench top hacksaw so I can easily cut bar stock and other items. It does not look to hard to build and I have enough material to build several of them minus the electric motor so I can learn as I make each piece. The plans have no castings and each part individually seems pretty basic.

Now I need to figure out part to start with.... I think I will start with building the body which is a 2 x 4 x 9.5" piece of 1/8" thick rectangular steel tubing and drilling and boring the hole for the bearing housing and then work my way from there.
 
Hi VIG,

Why not take a step back, deep breath and make a couple of simple accesories that will cure your problems?

Simple cylinders or 'top hats' of metal drilled to just clear your taps will help make sure you insert them square on and reduce breakages.

Think about how you might make a table locks? a tapped hole for a screw that pushed the gib strip hard against teh bedways might be the easiest solution.

Simple exercises like that build confidence and skills while giving you the reward of accomplishment as you go along.

Neil
 
Hi

Totally agree with the below Start small and get your skills something say like a stepped bar draw a diagram and put some sizes on to it then try and make it.. and see how you get on and how close you can work to your drawings till you can get your work to be within tolerances of paper drawings dont start work on something expensive its just money thrown away..

Os
Hi VIG,

Why not take a step back, deep breath and make a couple of simple accesories that will cure your problems?

Simple cylinders or 'top hats' of metal drilled to just clear your taps will help make sure you insert them square on and reduce breakages.

Think about how you might make a table locks? a tapped hole for a screw that pushed the gib strip hard against teh bedways might be the easiest solution.

Simple exercises like that build confidence and skills while giving you the reward of accomplishment as you go along.

Neil
 
Good ideas.... I don't like throwing out money...

I am looking at the mill book and it looks like there is suppose to a lock on the x and y axis but when I look I only see a drilled and tapped hole and the screw and handles are missing... So I will see if I can make a simple handle for the locks...
 
sometime the hardest "skills" here are patience and perseverance.
that aside I wrote a thread on selecting a first build engine. castings were not on the list.
The MCabe runner and the LMS oscillator are probably the best starters.
start small but not tiny 3/8 to 1/2 bore is a good starter size IMHO.
do not feel bad my first attempt at a model engine was a PMR 2B. 2A is the current offering and I broke off a tap in the head. bought a new head and then ended up salvaging the original.

All of us here have messed up a casting, broke a tap or machined too much off a part.

get a set of simple plans you feel comfortable with. get some stock and Start Over. practice sneaking up on a dimension. measure cut measure cut.
Learn what the machine wants to do.
Tin
 
I didn't start out with a casting kit, but I also spent my first year working on a too difficult project - a Stirling engine. To make these work properly requires some pretty accurate machine work. Looking back I was totally out of my league, but at least I could make a number of models (I made a total of 5! None worked) from bar stock so it wasn't an expensive way to learn how my machines worked. All that experience helped when I made my first steam engine...that actually worked. Once you're successful, you'll be hooked.

Tin said it...patience and PERSERVERANCE

Keep at it

Phil
 
Asother have said, keep the castings for later-they are much harder to do than bar stock, and much more expensive. The major problem is that they have no flat reference surface to start with.

As to tap my rule is NEVER use a hand held tap. They must be guided. If I have drilled the hole in the mill I put the tap in the mill, and turning it by hand, tap the hole. There are a couple nice started projects to help with this- a spring loaded point to hold in the mill and push on the tap handle top/

As Stub Mandrel suggested a simple set of cylinders or blocks, each drilled carefully to have a close fitting guide for the tap can help when the work wont fit under the mill.

I found the frame of a very old drill press and replaced the chuck shaft with a rod with a crank on top and a tap holder on the bottom. A device called the Universal Pillar Tool was described in MODEL ENGINEER magazine many years go, and there are casting and plans for it. Skip the casting,just make it out of blocks of aluminum. It wont look as neat, but it will work well.
 
I started with a simple wobbler from bar stock. The HMEM EZ engine ( plans in download section) is another great first engine because there are instructions; not just drawings.
Also many build logs of the EZ (search in the Works in Progress section) with good photos.

Watch Tubalcain's videos on YouTube. Search for "Mrpete222". More than 200 of them.

I do the majority of my tapping on the mill as soon as I've drilled the holes.
With a tap holder in the chuck and (big secret here) GOOD taps, I don't remember the last time I broke a tap (actually I do, but we'll let that one go.)
My frustration with tapping ended when I stopped using taps from the Harbor Fright set and got some Hertel and OSG taps.
I bought taps as I needed them and now have a collection of good taps.

Check with your lathe vendor. They should replace the missing table lock handles.


Hope this helps
 
only see a drilled and tapped hole and the screw and handles are missing..
Littlemachineshop.com sells spare parts for these machines.
Tin
 
The others have given good advice for tapping threads. I'd add this. Skip hardware store quality taps and buy the best quality taps offered by Enco, MSC, Travers, etc. They are not cheap, but are much less apt to break, with proper technique. Taps are not one of the places to economize in this hobby. Good luck and welcome to the hobby.

Regards,

Chuck
 
I second the comment about not using taps hand-held, at least when getting the tap really square and straight is critical.

As for mistakes - we all make them, but they are not a waste if you learn from them. Ask yourself: What did I do wrong? How could I do it better. Read the experts on even the simple things (like tapping).

For beginning projects, I recommend looking for simple projects that will improve the tools you have. This will have multiple benefits - the simple projects will help you hone your skills, and the results will improve the tools you have. For example, you say your x-y table won't hold position; that's the time to tell yourself to stop and fix that problem. You'll want to fix it eventually anyway, so why not do it now and save yourself a lot of grief? Often, taking more time to solve a problem will save you time in the long run.

In the final analysis - it's a hobby. Slow down and enjoy what you are doing. IF you get frustrated (and you will!) stop and take some time out. Relax and think about what you will do next, and then go to back when you are ready to have fun again.
 

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