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Post by cb250g5 on Aug 8, 2020 22:49:01 GMT 1
I had the Amadeal version of the same lathe. It's a slippery slope, I now have a Myford Super 7 and a milling machine. Passes the time...
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Post by JonW on Aug 9, 2020 0:14:58 GMT 1
I keep toying with buying a lathe. I could really do with one :/
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2020 6:02:09 GMT 1
I'd love a small lathe but I don't have the Skill to safely handle it. I'm clumsy.
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Post by mak595 on Aug 9, 2020 8:06:06 GMT 1
When I built my katana, I needed some rear wheel spacers making, a local spot did them for me and charged me 50 quid ! I bought a Chinese lathe secondhand and its been brilliant, I've done loads of spacers, made lock stops, repaired scuffed engine sliders etc etc. Only thing is, its not man enough for S/Steel, just aluminium really. When we move sometime next year and I get a bigger workshop, I'll probably buy a old British lathe, myford etc as a upgrade but this cheapy has let me do loads of stuff that would not be possible otherwise... Also last year I bought a Parkside piller drill for 20 of fb, the return spring was broke, i contacted grizzly who make the drill, they asked for the serial number, then said it was under 2 year old so covered under warranty, they sent me me brand new drill, i sold the old one back on fb so got a brand new drill for free 😆😆😆 Again its OK for light work....
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Post by dusty350 on Aug 9, 2020 8:29:47 GMT 1
That lathe looks virtually identical to the Clarke I have - I know they are probably all made in the same place ! Building hybrids means I'm always having to either buy spacers or get them made, so I figured I could make all my ally spacers myself from now on. I can see it could get very addictive - I've already made some basic spacers with a scalloped middle section, just to give them a nicer profile and make them a little more "bespoke". I'm a big believer in refurbing every last nut and bolt when I build my bikes, and having this will mean I can do a little bit more detailing. I normally grind the lettering off the heads of stainless bolts, which then means a fair amount of polishing to get them nice, but the lathe leaves a much nicer finish, with just a quick polish to finish off. Hours of fun ahead !! Dusty
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Post by cb250g5 on Aug 9, 2020 9:08:24 GMT 1
I can't recommend it enough. Any one can learn, just take it steady & watch lots of U Tube videos. Small steps and all that. All the Chinese lathes are about the same, apart from the paint colour. Clarke Yellow, Amadeal White, Chester green etc etc. Perfectly good enough for small things. I did lots of stainless on mine, but you have to go steady.
The Super 7 is a step up in size and power, and just about justifies the space it takes up. It lives where my Voskhod 175 used to. My mill is a bit on the hobby side, but I have a new motor to fit over the winter, see if I can pep it up a bit.
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Post by earthman on Aug 9, 2020 9:34:19 GMT 1
I have an Amadeal one, like others have said, they are all very similar, at the time I bought it, this one had a bit more capacity on chuck to tail length and a larger motor compared to the rest,......using carbide tools, I don't have a problem cutting steel stock at all, that's mostly the material I use, sure you have to take little bites at a time, I'm not in a hurry though. Steve Jordan on youtube shows you how to do modifications to these machines to improve them, making the cross slide rock solid for example, I've done that to mine, turns them into a real little capable machine.
Sure, I would love to move up to something larger but I just don't have the space for one, then there's the aspect of needing 3 phase or a converter to be able to run it.
I've made and repaired so much stuff with this little lathe I sure wouldn't want to be without it now, same can be said for my milling machine,....if you like tinkering/fixing things in general, I can't see how/why you wouldn't want one.
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Post by earthman on Aug 9, 2020 9:51:25 GMT 1
On the other end of the scale there's lathes like this one.
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Dave B
Drag-strip hero
Posts: 240
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Post by Dave B on Aug 9, 2020 10:09:38 GMT 1
I have a Boxford Lathe, which came with a three phase motor. I could have changed the motor, but then found that I could get a three phase speed controller /Inverter for half the price. I've never used the change wheels to set the speed range since.
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Post by jon on Aug 9, 2020 10:21:39 GMT 1
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Aug 9, 2020 10:34:06 GMT 1
I was looking at the Clarke cl500m yesterday
Small lathe with a drill/mill on it
About £1300
Steve
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Post by steven on Aug 9, 2020 11:17:31 GMT 1
Hi, I have a Myford ML7 of 1950 Vintage. (do other Myford owners know you can date them from their serial numbers ?) You can make your own turning tools for various materials, plenty youtube videos about it. High Speed Steel, Silver Steel etc stock is available on ebay etc for making turning tools. Once you get your lathe set up, face off and centre a piece of bar a good few inches long, hold it between your chuck and tail stock, take a few cuts and mic the bar over its length. You may well find the bar is tappered ? It depends what your making or doing with your lathe as to wheather that will matter or not. You can also put a clock gauge ( but now you have a lathe, youll be calling it a DTI :-) ) on the chuck and on a piece of round bar in the chuck, to see how true things are running there too. You can turn your lathe into a milling machine with a vertical slide, idealy you should hold an end mill in a collet, but for home/hobby use its acceptable to hold it in the chuck. Steven. www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Machines-Accessories/Lathe-Accessories/Vertical-Slides/Vertical-Slide-5x4-Fixed
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Post by cb250g5 on Aug 9, 2020 12:02:43 GMT 1
I was milling in my S7. Can't say I was happy with the results, hence the dedicated mill. Just not rigid enough bolting a vice to the cross-slide. Always use collets, they are cheap enough and a much better solution than chucking a milling cutter.
My S7 is on the dedicated industrial stand, on riser blocks, so I shimmed one corner to make it machine true. Surprising how such a heavy casting can twist.
Steven, I have found a carb needle in a box of bits that I don't recognise. Did you get one with that ancient carb I sent you? If it's not from that carb I have no idea where it's from.
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Post by steven on Aug 9, 2020 12:25:40 GMT 1
I was milling in my S7. Can't say I was happy with the results, hence the dedicated mill. Just not rigid enough bolting a vice to the cross-slide. Always use collets, they are cheap enough and a much better solution than chucking a milling cutter. My S7 is on the dedicated industrial stand, on riser blocks, so I shimmed one corner to make it machine true. Surprising how such a heavy casting can twist. Steven, I have found a carb needle in a box of bits that I don't recognise. Did you get one with that ancient carb I sent you? If it's not from that carb I have no idea where it's from. ..Yes, it deffo shows up any wear you have anywhere, when you mill like that. I was getting on ok milling ali/brass with it, squaring off the ends of bits of flat bar and things like that. I have just checked that Mills Carb, it has the brass slide, but not the needle. cheers, Steven.
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Post by cb250g5 on Aug 9, 2020 12:59:20 GMT 1
I was milling in my S7. Can't say I was happy with the results, hence the dedicated mill. Just not rigid enough bolting a vice to the cross-slide. Always use collets, they are cheap enough and a much better solution than chucking a milling cutter. My S7 is on the dedicated industrial stand, on riser blocks, so I shimmed one corner to make it machine true. Surprising how such a heavy casting can twist. Steven, I have found a carb needle in a box of bits that I don't recognise. Did you get one with that ancient carb I sent you? If it's not from that carb I have no idea where it's from. ..Yes, it deffo shows up any wear you have anywhere, when you mill like that. I was getting on ok milling ali/brass with it, squaring off the ends of bits of flat bar and things like that. I have just checked that Mills Carb, it has the brass slide, but not the needle. cheers, Steven. PM me your address & I'll post you the needle. Hope it's the right one.
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Post by stusco on Aug 9, 2020 13:14:27 GMT 1
On the other end of the scale there's lathes like this one. That’s just a heavy lathe, when i was an apprentice we used to machine the bushes and keyways in tailshafts from navy and RFA ships the lathe had a seven foot diameter chuck !
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Post by steven on Aug 9, 2020 13:15:40 GMT 1
Hi Jason, PM sent. Thanks very much, That carb fits the manifold stub on my engines, but I had trouble sourcing parts for it, even going as far as speaking to people in New Zealand about it ! I have one knackered barrel, I might just build that up on cases and use it as an ornament, fitted with the Mills Carb. Im sure if we were in the desert, we could get that Mills Carb working again, as these old Villiers engines run on any old carb, or new ! I made a small brass stand for it in the mean time, and it was sitting below my telly there when i went to check the needle. Thanks again, Steven.
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Post by jon on Aug 9, 2020 13:31:15 GMT 1
On the other end of the scale there's lathes like this one. That’s just a heavy lathe, when i was an apprentice we used to machine the bushes and keyways in tailshafts from navy and RFA ships the lathe had a seven foot diameter chuck ! Hi stusco, did you follow my link in the thread above? Max turning diameter 3.4m and 20m long! Jon
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Post by stusco on Aug 9, 2020 13:33:02 GMT 1
I only watched the first couple of mins ,i must pay more attention
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Post by jon on Aug 9, 2020 13:33:19 GMT 1
+1 on the myford super 7. I love mine, best tool I ever bought.
Jon
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Post by steven on Aug 9, 2020 13:35:51 GMT 1
On the other end of the scale there's lathes like this one. That’s just a heavy lathe, when i was an apprentice we used to machine the bushes and keyways in tailshafts from navy and RFA ships the lathe had a seven foot diameter chuck ! Did you fit the rudder to the Gold ? ...a copy and paste..... On 1 December 1990, Gold Rover lost her rudder in severe weather in the South Atlantic and sent out a distress call. Some of her crew were airlifted off by a RAF Sea King of No. 78 Sqn and she managed to get to anchor seventeen miles east of Lively island to ride out the storm before she was towed by the tug Oil Mariner to Montevideo for repairs. The crew of the Sea King rescue helicopter, Captained by Flt Lt David Kerr-Sheppard, received various awards for outstanding flying skill in such difficult weather conditions. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFA_Gold_Rover_(A271)
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Post by stusco on Aug 9, 2020 13:48:52 GMT 1
Not guilty i did refit a couple of diesel genny’s though
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Post by JonW on Aug 9, 2020 13:57:31 GMT 1
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Post by stusco on Aug 9, 2020 14:24:24 GMT 1
That’s what im talking about the bed was half the length of the factory and you stood on the tool post ,the chuck must have been bigger! it was a while ago (1985)
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Post by JonW on Aug 9, 2020 14:26:22 GMT 1
Yep, there is a huge one in Sydney that's abandoned, no one could remove it from the factory so its still there just gathering dust. its on c**katoo Island if anyone fancies a visit.
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Post by earthman on Aug 9, 2020 16:40:59 GMT 1
Oh yeah, I have no doubt that they do, I just picked that video because that sort of size maybe doable for owners with a large garage shall we say. The kind that live in ship yards etc, forget it, no chance. Lol
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Post by stusco on Aug 9, 2020 16:46:08 GMT 1
That’s just a heavy lathe, when i was an apprentice we used to machine the bushes and keyways in tailshafts from navy and RFA ships the lathe had a seven foot diameter chuck ! Hi stusco, did you follow my link in the thread above? Max turning diameter 3.4m and 20m long! Jon Now that is a big chuck
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Post by earthman on Aug 9, 2020 22:22:33 GMT 1
Hi stusco, did you follow my link in the thread above? Max turning diameter 3.4m and 20m long! Jon Now that is a big chuck How big is the chuck key and how many men does it take to turn it I wonder.
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Post by earthman on Aug 15, 2020 21:42:20 GMT 1
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2taol
Thrash Merchant
Posts: 378
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Post by 2taol on Aug 16, 2020 9:14:48 GMT 1
ive had mixed results with cheap V's branded tools.
I have an unbranded socket set for 25 years I bought from argos, the ratchet is still going, plating is not flaking. This has been used contantly.
I bought a set of screwdrivers from Lidl a few years ago and the handles were made of very britle plastic, like cheese i suppose, i only have the stubbies and the electrical ones from the set left.
I have power tools like palm sander and planer from Lidl and Aldi and the sander is alsolutely crap, its only good for numbing your hand.
I have a cheap Aldi bench for the last 10 years which seems indestructable even under my gunther workshops hammering and cutting.
I have a set of cheap no name spanners, the smaller ones have been replaced with branded ones.
I dont buy any cheap tools anymore especially ones I know ill use often.
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