lathe modifications .....

[Paul Engle]

Just the other day TLOML was talking about new chairs for the dining area... well certainly the lite came on....so I set about turning some/ a spindle to spec... ugh with 16 major legs, 12 stretchers, 16 + back spindles and 16 arm spindles I was daunted to say the least and wondered if I could add a lead screw to the OT and turn 36 inch spindle to spec and add the refinements by hand. ah sure I thought....
1 month later, 45$ ( plus some machine screws ) and a lot of fussing and such I added a lead screw powered by large hand wheel or vari speed reversing corded hand drill with leather sewing machine belt .
The screw is not timed to the spindle, the home made gibs have less than .001" play using laminate brass shim stock on the center guide between the ways, I turned the all thread rod using my steady rest and the ends are fited to oil lite bushings set in aluminum and milled the hard points, hubs, and later a new pin system for the OT index plate, from some salvage T6 aluminum (at a buck a lb) using the Jet and the cross slide for my ornamental attachment.Now that it all works the only thing different i would do is use a 3/4-10 all thread rod instead of the 5/8-16 ( flexs a bit) keep in mind none of this is hardened . I used a 5/8" x 3 in ATR connector to connect the coumpound apron to the screw and is releaseable so i can use the compound up close to turn/mill metal parts for shop stuff. Now TLOML wants me to build her a sewing table...yea . The run out on the coumpound is 1/32" from end to end over 36" and I almost feel confident ( or will ) to try some/ a pool cues....
Also I have a logger friend who finally knocked down a Yew tree by his shop and he had it cut into 4" thick slabs x 12 x12 turning blanks .. it is severly spalted and rotted thru the lower half , the upper is solid and will have some pics soon of that piece and I am in the process of turning one 12x12 x 4 from the lower part of the tree , if any one is intrested in obtaining some of the Yew , pm me and I'll let ya know whats up with it.The bearing on the reeves guide control went out so It will be a week or two before I am back to turning as SWMBO has some ( ugh ) f..t work for me to do.......and she took my credit card till it is done .... da nerve...:eek::D
the shot is my poor attempt to make alumin jaws for the SN2, the process is milling the splits but I should have use a solid piece instead of 4 segments as alignment is a bear . I'll know better on the next set.

[willie sobat]

Paul,

Will this enable you to use your wood lathe like a metal lathe? It is dificult to ascertain from the pictures just how it works. If you can post any more pictures I would love it. Thanks.

[Mark Hubl]

Very cool work.

[Paul Engle]

I can turn most metals like a regular metal lathe, I have a tool post I made on another mill from down the street that holds up to 3/8" sq tooling, and drilled a 1/2" hole to take a 1/2 drill chuck straight shank and 1/2" boring bar, along with an indexing milling head #2mt that lets me bore using 3/4" bar ( like a horizontal mill ) ( I am saving up to get a milling attachment from littlemachineshop, no $ intrest here ) so I do not have to use my OT attachment as there is no " up and down " and I hve to rotate the OT ( hence the shot of the index plate ) or clamp on a cheap drilling vise and use spacers to move the piece up and down and pretty much looses it's index and so nothing comes out reallllllyyy square :( with out a lotttt of measuring and checking ,milling attachmenet is made to convert small metal lathes to small horizontal mills using the lathe to power the bit) compound for the x and y axis movement. I can use the compound to drill with instead of the tail stock( too loose) also I do not use the lead screw on metal as it ( lead screw) is too light but it will take a .125" to.150" cut on most hard woods using carbide or HSS bits and up to .200" on softer pine/etc , takes about 2.5 minutes to traverse one direction taking a .050" cut ,I'll get a shot of it set up to turning when my camera gets back here and I get it the new bearing installed proably end of Jan first part of Feb...I use my sn2 like a metal working chuck as the run out is less than .002" , I reworked my 50mm jaws from my smaller Nova chuck and use it for aluminum round stock. I have turned mild steel, stainless, brass , aluminum but nothing tougher than 2010 ( stress proof ) and take less than a .005" bite on the ms and .010" on stainless. the aluminum can go up to .040" a pass. The Hardinge tool makers compound allows me to cut tapers also.The VS 3/4hp DC motor/reeves combination is a big part of it as it will slow down to rough and speed up to do finish cuts.
It is slow going, but when I retire .... I'll have all day :cool::D

[Ron McKinley]

I read what he wrote but I don't have a clue what it means!! You're way too far ahead of most of us Paul! .....Ron

[willie sobat]

Paul,

Did you find an inspiration for this project in a book or on a website? If so please share it. I would be interested in doing the same thing. Thanks.

[Jeff Nicol]

Paul, What rests on the top of the ways? It is hard to tell from the pics. It is a great Idea, I thought of the same thing, but it will mostly just do straight spindles , how will you set it up to do the tapers? To me would'nt the lead screw have to be able to follow at a set angle for 36"? With your cross feed attachment you could mount the tool and set that axis at an angle and turn the handle to cut but that screw is not very long. I am just confused I guess. I think a copy attachment would work better for many repetative cuts. That way you can cut beads, tapers, coves or whatever. Just have to make a template for each leg, stringer, etc.

I am building a CNC router table so all the machine stuff is interesting to me!

Thanks,

Jeff

[Paul Engle]

The compound only allows me to set up tapers up to 5 inches in length ( y axis ) but some what longer by using a longgggg tool bit holder( I have one up to 7 " giving me a total of 12 inches of taper ability , you are right as the whole thing would have to be movable on the y axis and this is not.I have to make another apron for the milling attachment but this will be different as it will not be coupled to the lead screw. One way to get a taper is offset tail stock. I plan to make one to replace the funky factory one soon as I can afford the mill attachment. As my head stock can rotate I just need to make an idex for it and the ts and should beable to taper the whole 36 " length.

[Randy Klein]

I read what he wrote but I don't have a clue what it means!! You're way too far ahead of most of us Paul! .....Ron

Yeah, what he said. No clue.

[Paul Atkins]

I know what you are saying because I'm doing the same thing. Not the chair thing - and I have a 10" Logan to make parts too. I guess I'll have to post a new thread with pics as well. This will be fun sorting out the Pauls. My right ring finger had a fight with a 3 jaw chuck last night, so I will not be making chips for a few days - but I'll get some picts together.

[Paul Engle]

Paul,
My guess is the chuck won ...... usually do .I'm looking for a 4 or 5 inch 3 jaw scroll plain back i will adapt to the 1-8 spindle ... any ideas ? LMS so far the only place I found a decent price but some of that stuff has unacceptable runout , they say their chucks go .003" ro , add that to .002 ro for Jet spindle and 5.95 $ bearings .. not like the Shearer 16x 80 (at my friends shop )with .00015 at 2 feet.. I know $ buys quality.... looking fwd to the picS!!

[Paul Atkins]

That was the chuck that got me ---Got this from Del Stubbs many moons ago -fits right on and is made pretty well with two sets of 'teeth'. Someone out there must have one. I trued up my 6" chuck on my metal lathe so now it's pretty close. I'm not using either of these on the machine I'm modifying. That one has 6' travel with linear bearings. I set the tailstock over to do tapers sometimes. I made 120 locust pegs for timberframe construction with .050" taper/ft.