Weight on cross slide

[Macca]

What is the maximum weight I can safely place on my cross slide?
Everything will be locked off when the weight is on there, so it doesn't have to move the weight, just support it.
This is my lathe, http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Products?stockCode=L1542, its the AL-54B from hafco.

 

[macona]

On the cross slide itself or just on the carriage. You can put a decent load on the carriage. After all Emco and other sell machine with small milling columns on the carriages.

As for the cross slide if its all down load you can put quite a but of load on it. But make sure you are using a good way lube or you will start wearing on the slide surfaces. I like Vacuoline 1409. Its old formula Vactra #2 from before when they took out the tactifers. About $35 for 5 gal at a Mobil distributor. Enough to last many a lifetime.

 

[greenie]

What is the maximum weight I can safely place on my cross slide?
Everything will be locked off when the weight is on there, so it doesn't have to move the weight, just support it.
This is my lathe, http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Products?stockCode=L1542, its the AL-54B from hafco.

If you could fit it onto the cross slide, have it balanced properly, then maybe a hundred kilos.

Why ask the question, what you thinkin' of putting on it ?

 

[tel]

'e probably wants to put a chair there and ride it backward & forward

 

[Brian Rupnow]

'e probably wants to put a chair there and ride it backward & forward

Tel--Strange as it may sound, I seen a fellow who did exactly that. I was involved in high production sawmill engineering for a few years. One of the large sawmills in northern Ontario had a carriage mill where the carriage was moved back and forth by a large 20 foot stroke telescoping steam cylinder, called a "Gardner Gunshot" carriage. The sawyer who operated the controls actually rode in a seat on the carriage and travelled back and forth with it!!!

 

[te_gui]

I have seen large (30+) shaft lathes that had a seat and chip shield and the operator rode the carriage. An old boss I had worked for Marion Power Shovel and brought in pictures of some of that equipment one day too. Some of that strip mining machinery is so immense and the equipment to make it on is too.

 

[macona]

There is a huge plasma cutting machine at a barge building company in portland where the operator rides on the gantry. Fun!

 

[BobWarfield]

LOL, if you want a CNC ride-on-chair, try this one:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoA-m5iHG9s[/ame]

Looks scary as heck to me!

Best,

BW

 

[wareagle]

Bob, I think the term "scary" doesn't cover this.... Something along the lines of "suicidal" I believe is a better description. The funny thing is, people would pay good money for a ride on that thing!

Macca, these guys are willing to help out! They just need to know what you are trying to do or how much weight you are thinking of putting on the cross slide.

 

[Macca]

For some clarification;
I need to cross drill some things and I was thinking of putting a little drill press on the slide. It only weighs about 20 kilos but its a moot point any way, the spindle doesn't reach far enough down. I have a bench on wheels that I can bring over to beside the lathe, hopefully I can get close enough for the drill press to reach the lathe centerline.

Bob,
That looks like a wild ride, but can you imagine if someone a few inches taller took a ride?

 

[itowbig]

Bob, I think the term "scary" doesn't cover this.... Something along the lines of "suicidal" I believe is a better description. The funny thing is, people would pay good money for a ride on that thing!

YA I WANT A RIDE that looks like fun( but it need to be a few more inchs from the ground)

 

[Kludge]

LOL, if you want a CNC ride-on-chair, try this one:

That's almost like the one NASA uses to train astronauts how to stabilize a space craft - or at least the shuttle. Three rotational axes plus some lateral movement for the fun of it. I've seen videos of it and a few astronauts admitted it was the only part of their training to cause them to toss their cookies.

I'd ride NASA's toy just to do it but that one? I don't think so!

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[Kludge]

I need to cross drill some things and I was thinking of putting a little drill press on the slide.

How large do you have to drill? If the holes are small enough (1/8" or less), a Dremel or a flex shaft from, say, a Fordham attached to the cross slide by a shop-made fitting should work marvelously. (Note: "Dremel" and "Fordham" are used generically, not specifically. )

Just a thought.

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[jack404]

G'day Macca

to get back on thread i spoke with Adolph ( his real name) from hare and forbes

he suggested 50 kilos depending on how you mount it 75 is pushing it as the bed will get dinged with the slightest knock at that weight he said.

he has grinders that mount and they weigh a bit over that and are a bit wobbly if not mounted well so he went under to be safe

if in doubt ask for the kraut at H&F what he dont know is hard to get info

I had to call him about some bits ( indexable ) for a weird arse cutter i have , negative rake.

they did not have them but he knew where to get em... not there either, hes a straight up bloke

pity the rest of the place are pretty slimy ( nth parramatta store i dunno about the rest)

talk to Adolph but he is retiring soon and i also invited him here, apparently he makes his own glow plug engines for his R/C planes!! scratch builds!!

hth

cheers
jack


sorry started writing this a hour or so ago and missed the other posts ( got distracted by a car fire here, bloody wogs)

heres what i did with mine,

i do not use the drill press much now ( have the grizzly mill )

so if you would like to borrow it and the small mount i made for it let me know i have used the slide section for another job since but the small foot is only 10 cm in dia. so should mount well to the cross slide.

cheers again

 

[Macca]

i spoke with Adolph ( his real name) from hare and forbes

I bet he copped hell growing up with a name like that!
Thanks for chasing that up Jack, it's good to know there's someone at H&F that knows their stuff.

a Dremel or a flex shaft...attached to the cross slide by a shop-made fitting should work marvelously.

I hadn't thought about that Kludge, the holes I'm looking to drill are a bit larger than 1/8" but that still might provide me with a way out, thanks.

 

[Kludge]

I hadn't thought about that Kludge, the holes I'm looking to drill are a bit larger than 1/8" but that still might provide me with a way out, thanks.

Any of several adapters could be made plus carbide drills are available up to around 1/4" that have 1/8" shafts. Also, heavier flex shafts (well, heavier that I'm used to; I work in itty bitty ) can take up to a 1/4" shaft so there's that possibility as well.

Hmmm ... this is giving me an idea which is dangerous on a good day.

Best regards,

Kludge

 

[tel]

I made a do-hickey that lets you fit an ordinary electric hand drill to the toolpost - pic tomorrow if I can recomember it.

 

[BobWarfield]

For cross drilling, I assuming you just need to be perpendicular to the lathe's axis.

How about an air drill? They're cheap, compact, and work great. I reach for mine before an electric drill most times. You could make a QCTP holder for one and do all sorts of cross drilling for set (grub) screw holes and that sort of thing. Some means of indexing your spindle would be helpful, but that's easily rigged.

If you need a bolt circle on a flange, this still works. Just turn the QCTP so the drill is on axis, index the spindle to each bolt hole, set the cross slide to the right offset from center, and go for it.

I'll be making up such a QCTP sooner or later. Probably later, after I finish CNC'ing the lathe.

Such a rig would be handy. You can use all your normal stops and other techniques to set things up, yet it is simple, easy, and very lightweight.

Cheers,

BW

 

[tel]

'ere it is - simple, and probably a bit light, but it's got me out of trouble a few times.

 

[Macca]

Thanks for the pics Tel, I wasn't quite sure how it would attach to the lathe, but i see your's just clamps on the tool post, very quick and easy.
For those curious to see how I got on, this is the setup I ended using:

To get to the centerline of the lathe the base of the drill press had to be above the ways, which of course made the drill press to high to drill anything but air. I was about 2 minutes away from cutting down the column of the drill press when I looked in the bore and what did I see:

a steel pin! A few whacks with a hammer and the drill press was about three inches shorter, the perfect height.