Just wondering how many locosters have a lathe ?

I have a boxford in the workshop plus a small milling machine and pillar drill . Also have access to various large machine tools at work (gear cutting , horizontal and vertical boring , milling and lathes up to 52" swing )

all comes in handy imo

I use a lathe all the time for turning up adaptors spacers etc. Invaluable if you've access to a decent one...

Cheers
JC

I'd love a lathe - except i can't afford one and don't have the space if i could

Yup...got one...:-)

Before I set up my design business here I had a small machine shop....I stopped doing machining work, but kept all the kit...

You can live without a lathe...until you have one....then you are hooked......there are a lot of 5 miute jobs that would end up being 1 or 2 hours without it....

[Edited on 27/6/04 by Alan B]

I've got a Colchester Bantam.

I couldn't afford a 'proper' (i.e. not some bloomin' awful Chinese thing), so I rang around a load of schools. Sure enough, my old metalwork teacher (who was still there) sorted it out for me. We hoiked it onto a car trailer using an engine hoist and it's VERY useful.

Total cost £0. (Well, I had to buy a plug). The Local Education Authority had them all converted to single-phase a while ago.

Came with it's original manual (unused) with 1963 stamped on it, 2x3 jaw, a 4 jaw, Jacobs chuck for the tailstock, knurler etc etc.

There's a local school to me who may be getting rid of a Harrison (that's all I know so far), and I'm trying to find out more info. My school may get rid of one soon, but my names on it. Really p*ssed of that we don't have a miller any more though

I'm making a plunger for a pinball game at the moment!

Cheers,

Neil.

p.s. I like my lathe. Can you tell

building one of these atm

What can we say?


VERY IMPRESSIVE



A very humbled Paul G

I don't have one but have acess to lots at work of various sizes, superb machines.

Very nerve racking when you us a massive lathe seeing something that could weight tons spinning around - worse still setting something up in a massive lathe with the aid of a crane.

I have a couple of elderly lathes - a 1940-something Zyto 3.75" (around £60) and a 1950-something Colchester Student 6" (£200).

Both get used quite regularly!

David

I have a Raglan lathe and a small milling machine. I have had a lathe ever since leaving school and couldnt imagine not having access to one, there is always something i am doing that needs one.
I am also interested in model engineering and have considered building the Bently aero engine a number of times, maybe something like that will be the next project as my car is nearly finished.
Paul.

I got a boxford '80s thing last year from loot for £300. It's gorgeous! It's got a calibration certificate !!!!!!
Let me down this week - a 20tpi thread cut came out at 19tpi (ish), I think it must have an imperial leadscrew or the labels on the cover are wrong...
It's right though, you never realise how much you need a lathe 'til you get one
Bob C

I have a small boxford and a desktop lathe from machine mart via China or somewhere.
Also a free standing pilar drill and a vertical mill drill thats from China and I am very impressed with the one I have, although I know it can be a bit hit and miss.
The original intention was to build a 5" gauge Britannia steam train, I even have some castings that are three years old and not even started.

what do you do with a small aero engine once its finished? what does it power?

(better answer than a small plane please)



atb
steve

That Bentley BR1 aero engine model is awesome - I believe it works out to around a few hundred cc's. We're talking about an 18" diameter 9-cylinder rotary, where the whole engine rotates! Swings a 2 or 3 foot prop.

I bought the construction book - then chickened out when I saw what was involved.

rgds,

David

quote:

---

Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
what do you do with a small aero engine once its finished? what does it power?

atb
steve

---

How about using it to power a lift mototr for a small hovercraft ? can't be that difficult to make and looks like an excellent 'locost' project ?

If anyone is inspired by this topic, here is a very usefull bit of kit.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3823257183&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Unfortunately I just don't have any room.

John

no connection by the way, just thought it looks good.

[Edited on 29/6/04 by spunky]

"Whole engine rotates" - David

Surely not, engine is fixed, crank rotates, prop connected to same.

I have a Machine Mart lathe which came my way after an insurance settlement. Trouble is it came after my build finished and it's been used once to turn down a clutch alignment tool spigot end, by Dean C. He declared it as "not bad, much better than he thought"

I can't really use a lathe, as my time on one was just the basics but that was "cough cough" years ago!

Fortunately should I need anything then my son is a wizz with one.

I recently came across the Model Engineer magazine and it all looked so tempting, boys toys and all that!

Rob Lane
www.robs7.com

[Edited on 29/6/04 by Rob Lane]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rob Lane
"Whole engine rotates" - David

Surely not, engine is fixed, crank rotates, prop connected to same.

---

I never knew they worked like that....

John

quote:

---

Originally posted by spunky
I never knew they worked like that....

John

---

You must have the patience of a saint screwy. I have a 1939 Sheldon 11" swing lathe. Traced it's history when trying to get spares from USA (which I did, still going) - made it over to UK duringt he war on a merchant ship to a company making small engines. Ended up in a shed in Birkenhead where I bought it and restored it. Invaluable now!
Rescued attachment lathe1.jpg

Its not meant to spin like that! Youve just put it together wrong!!

omg terrapin, your lathe is better finished than my car!, nice piece of kit though

I'm staggered by that David !

I've seen the same looking engines fixed and prop turning on crank. However, after a search I now realise that the BR1 was the engine in the Sopwith Camel and did indeed turn as shown.

It turns out the ones I've seen are 'Radial' engines. These are fixed cylinders and prop attached to crank. A later design.

I read some of the info on the Camel fitted with this engine and nearly as many pilots died due crashes related to the engine as did in combat!

I wouldn't trust that small safety area shown in photo if that thing was running near me !!

Rob

Utterly amazing. Poor old WO though got posted to the Sunbeam factory in Wolves during WWI.

Wouldn't wish that on anyone. :

http://www.bdcl.co.uk/HistoryWORN.htm

Cheers,

Neil.

Veeeeeery nice , And yes i am a bit of a geek when it comes to old machine tools I have a 1937 roundbed drummond sat on a shelf in the workshop that i picked up at a house clearance, i even managed to find all the original correspondence the old guy had with drummonds before he bought it plus the receipt and a near complete three and a half inch gauge royal scot loco he built on the machine .

Mentioning Model Engineer magazine reminds me that they may have serialised the original locost build ,as in build your own car quite sure i saw an article in an issue from around 1910 I will trawl through my old copy,s and see if i can find it and post here if theres any interest .

[Edited on 30/6/04 by Screwy]

Do any of you lathe guys have contacts in the machine tool world? Reason i ask is i've the chance of a Boxford AUD (cheap) but somebody has had the gearbox and some other bits away. Some internet sellers seem to want more for the gearbox than you can pick a whole lathe up for on E bay,any help appreciated.

Have you tried Tony? @

Tony@lathes.co.uk

http://www.lathes.co.uk/page8.html

Thanks terrapin, I haven't contacted him , but did look at hi site and to tell the truth was put of as he was asking almost £400 for a power cross feed apron, last weekend a complete boxford went on E bay for £255.

I was kind of hoping to find someone who dabbles in lathes and breaks them for spares. Are there any lathe forums or message boards I can try?

Many thanks

nice lathe terrepin
mine is going the same way as yours,

it is reeally interesting to find out about the history, i tried to trace mine but didn't get very far i have found some info though, it is a 1 off special for truing large diam casting we think. it will turn up to about 20" in gap and is geared to 600 rpm max, just need to replace bronze cross slide nuts and the leadscrew half nuts and i'll be away

[Edited on 7/8/04 by liam.mccaffrey]

sorry to dredge this one up but does anyone have any recommendations for a lathe ?

I've worked with machine tools during my apprenticeship for about 9 months but am now a design engineer working for a large company so I would't call myself a novice but neither am I an expert

I am looking for somthing thats "garage" sized, single phase and somewhat fool proof and easy to find parts for. I don't have a massive budget but neither am I looking for somthing for nothing.

a bit vague I know but any advice is very welcome

The small Boxford Lathe is great if you can get your hands on one. However, most if not all are for 3 phase power. You'll need it converting or have 3 phase wired in. If you convert - the power is seriously deminished. Should be enough for hobbyist's though.

There is a co. near me closing down looking to get shut of his cnc lathe for very little pennies. If you want me to ask... let me know!

Cheers for the suggestions guys, i've been doing a lot of reading and think I'll keep an eye out locally for somthing about the size of a Myford 7 or super 7

I have asked for a quote from excel machine tools though as some of there german built hobby lathes look pretty good, no idea how much they charge (could be way too expensive) but I've asked anyway

I think I've established a budget of around £400 so that limits my options really

I've got a Harrison L6 (same as the L5A), and you see them on eBay and in the papers for reasonable money. Parts are still available for them. They weigh just over half a ton, so you have to be serious about moving them around. The L5 is best avoided as it is the same size but is only a 9" swing (the L6 is 11" over the bed)

Cheers
John

My Colchester Student cost me £200 from a local school - they had to get rid of it as they couldn't meet safety regs (no-volts power-off).

Then it cost me £100 to get a local machinery moving company to shift it the 15 miles or so to my garage - it weighs only slightly less than my Locost! I'm glad I did get the professionals in; they made it look so easy (and safer for all concerned). Mind you, if you know someone with a small lorry and a 1-ton hydraulic hoist then you could do it yourself!

The whole cost including the 3-phase converter was still less than that of any machine a quarter of the size.

rgds,

David

my mates engine builder is a keen model engineer (building a 1/4 scale traction engine from scratch!) so we are going to ask him for some ideas.

A colchester student would be ideal as I used them at college and they are nice to work with and an ideal size. Might try round some local schools and colleges.

[Edited on 24/8/04 by 12a RX-7]