My lathe purchase
Well, I finally broke my chinese lathe and decided that I needed a better lathe.
I needed something with a large spindle bore, heavy, rigid and more powerful.
I looked around on ebay and found one that was only 20 minutes drive from my house.
Well, after going and seeing the late, I won the bidding and I just need to arrange collection and transporting.
It is a Colchester Chipmaster that has been converted to single phase. Its got a 35mm spindle bore (Just over 1.25″) Which will let my chuck through shrouds, long piece of brass for multiple valves etc. It came with the following
3 jaw chuck
4 jaw chuck
Faceplate
Catch plate for turning between centres
Follow steady
So much more solid than anything for the price, good old english engineering. Solid and rigid as a rock
This lathe (Not the actual one but make and model)
And this is the ebay listing
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150437716400
Managed to get it under £400 (About $600)
What you guys think?
Dave
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Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
Thanks knife, definatley something to take into considderation. I will be sure to pick up some of those diamond wheels on my next shopping spree 🙂
Dave
Congrats. I see lots of work coming!
Hint. To have the best of both worlds, finish of HHS, and the long life of Carbide, pick up a few diamond disk mounted on a mandrel. They are used in the dental field when making false teeth. You will be able to sharpen the carbides very quickly and to a super Keen point using the diamond abrasive disk. Harbor freight has a lesser quality version for about 5 bucks for 5 in a plastic pack.
Mount them on a mandrel for a dremel or fordum tool. You can sharpen a micro grain carbide this way faster than a HSS on a bench grinder! With much better control and finish. 😀
A bonus is you will get much better or longer life out of the inserts with the diamond sharpening system. ( Works just as well for HHS without the danger of heat.) 😉 No dipping necessary.
Mike
Very nice Dave !
Cheers, I’ll just stay with HSS to be honest, tool blanks are easy to come accross pretty cheap. I’ll definatley need to get a grinder and angle table.
Live centre, drill chuck + Arbor, grinder, angle table, and quick change tool post.
Dave[/quote]
HSS is the way to go. The chipmaster is a very nice machine and you got it for a song, but tooling is always expensive and no real way to get around it. Even when you find old used tooling, they are usually found in a wide variety of condition depending on the prior owner(s). Some aren’t worth saving.
The brazed carbides are ok for roughing work but not finishing, save your HSS for that. For threading I would not use the carbide, they never cut very clean unless you go to the insert type.
Congrats on a great new machine.
walt
Thanks Walter, I might just buy some cheap brazed carbide tipped tools because they are already shaped right for threading etc. and then after I get the grinder and angle table set up, then but a shit load of HSS tool blanks and get to grinding my own.
I will leave the indexable carbide for the moment, seems to be used by the big boys and for anything with good quality, too much for my pocket at the moment.
All my prrjects on my small lathe including 3 hammers, 2 shrouds, 5 valves and a regulator pre-chamber, was done with 2 HSS tool blanks and about 3 brazed carbide tools.
Dave
Eventually you will use them all for different jobs.
You cannot beat the finish of a well sharpened HSS bit IMNSHO.
Carbide pushs material away vs the shearing from HSS.
You will want a grinder for sure. And at some point a torch to make tooling of silver steel (drillrod)
Toolposts? well I use a plunger style AXA size that would be what you want as well. A set is cheap over here not sure about over there 🙂
Cheers Walter, Now, tooling…………
I need a drill chuck and arbor for the tailstock
Im going to go with a live centre (This should be okay shouldnt it?) for turning barrels down at high speed.
And now the age old question…..
Do I go with HSS (I dont really have a grinder but could pick one up for next to nothing)
Brazed carbide
Indexable carbide
Im using a variety of materials, not really looking to spend loads on expensive carbide tools.
Dave
EDIT: Oh and I need a quick change tool post, but they are hella expensive. Whats best to go with?
You stole it!
Way to go! now get her all tooled up and enjoy making chips!
Thats awesome!
Haha cheers guys, expect many more parts from me 🙂
Dave
Hmmmmmm, shiny bits……. 😉 😎 😆
SCORE! 😀
Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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😉