Machining and Machine Tools…

OMG… scraping… what A tedious, time-consuming job that was … well, still is lol

Holy crap… I haven’t thought about that in so many years….

Very Cool!   

Interesting historical info! Thanks for sharing.

I worked for a company that bought out and scrapped a  nearby company. Inside was a 6" lathe and a small tool-room mill, both fully tooled. I bought both even though I'd never worked on either. After changing the 220v 3-phase electric motors for single phase 110V ones for my garage, the first thing I made from scratch was a handle for one of my wife's cook pots that had cracked. Life is a learning experience- that was 50 yrs ago, I still have them & I'm still learning!

Hey, I've  got a set of those scrapers, haven't thought about them at least for a fortnite !

Here’s my Craftsman (a.k.a. Clausing or Atlas) lathe…. 6” chuck, 36” bed.

It’s been taken apart for a tuneup, generally in good condition.

Its a hobby lathe, not really enough precision for bigger jobs, but I use it fairly regularly….

Rocky, my lathe is a 6" (radius/12" OD) Clausing. With a h....uvalot of fiddling, I made a 1" aluminum spacer for under the headstock, the tailstock and a 1" riser under the tool post. My old lathe now swings 14" OD- just enough to face a Ford flywheel. Small shops routinely add a 4" thick  spacer to milling machines to increase their vertical reach. I saw no reason the mod wouldn't work on a lathe, just more trouble, especially in the geartrain. But mine has been working for 25 years now. New bearings help a lot with the precision.

Nice mod!  I’ll think about that one!

In the meantime, I have access to this one!

...If I may add this,

I see in Rockys' Photo, a Magnet Mounted 'Dial Indicator'. I have said in the past, the 'Micrometer Dials', on the Carriage, Cross-Slide and Top-Slide, are Useless!

They do not 'Compensate' for 'Worn' Play and Back-Lash. The Dial Does not 'Lie'! One can work to the 0.0005" using a Dial Indicator. This does Not Account for Tool 'Push' and Tool Wear.

The technique is to Keep the Screws 'Loaded' In the Direction of the Cut, 'Under Pressure'.

(2) Dials can perform a Taper by taking the Taper per foot, dividing by 12 to get taper per inch. One dial covers X for one Inch while the Second Dial covers Y. The adjustment is made at the Top Slide, and then cranked by Hand. This is More Accurate than the 'Protractor' at the Top-Slide, that would get you Close. If you should Not have a 'Taper Attachment'.

I have worked on a worn-out Lathe, when I first started working at LFW, They closed their doors a few Years Ago. That Lathe had a Backlash, on the Carriage of 0.019". With the Dial, I could work to Less Than 0.0010"...all Day Long. Earning the Praise of My Mentors. "Any Machinist can work to a 'Tenth' (0.0001") (a 'Ten') on a Newer Machine...It Takes a 'Master', to work 'It' on a Worn-Out, Broken Machine". Broken, as the Headstock/Spindle Bearings always Rattled around, in Use, from day One. We had Many Other Lathes, they were Testing Me to Prove My Skills. Even though there was 'Sometimes' a Tolerance...I always put the 'Needle' at the Zero! 'Cut' to less that 0.001" and 'Polish' to Exactness. This was Demanded of the Job!

I Never worked any Machine, without using a Dial Indicator, in that Shop or Mine!

"The Dial does Not Lie!"

As in any Instrument or Measuring Tool...if You 'Drop It', consider It No-Good!!   

This 1939 Atlas Standard Gear Change lathe has been with me since the ‘80’s and has served me well 5” rad 10” diameter and a 42 inch bed. The Rockwell milling machine has only been with us for 12 years. I’ve had access to machinery throughout my working years first as a tool and die maker and later working in Advanced Engineering and manufacturing roles. Still have a few connections if I need larger scale equipment.

Cool stuff, guys!  Keep the pictures & info coming!

I think it’s cool to see a lot of these older pieces still in use!

Ken - That carriage and tailstock on your lathe is a nearly identical design to mine, probably only scaled up in size.  Very cool!

As a woking engineer that by Union rules was not supposed to perform actual physical work, I find it relaxing and also liberating to be able to go out in my shop after dinner and make something from a lump of raw metal. As time went on and I learned, some of the things were actually useful!

My SB9A

My buddy Wade (MarkIV4280, or something like that) has a lathe a lot like jjones’s.

We made the bushings for my lower uprights on it…

Rocky

Here is my Chinese-made lathe that I have had for about 30 years. I got it for free when the company I worked for closed its small mechanical maintenance department. 17'' maximum diameter and 5 feet length between points.

It was quite an adventure when I had to move it between Alsace where I previously lived and my current home in Corrèze, 850 km away:

And here is the milling machine that I bought 4 years ago, before that I didn't have enough space:

With the lathe I was also able to recover a whole collection of measuring instruments:

That’s a lot of good stuff!

I have actually been fairly successful in finding good measurement equipment on eBay.

I have a fairly complete set (at reasonable prices) for the type of work I have done so far.

Rocky

I just read this, and thought it was interesting enough to add to the discussion….