Thread: 260 atlmhn 20805

Phil,

I have a 260 extended top slide on my 9. It raises the compound height by about 4mm. I made up an new 4 way toolholder spacer washer roughly 4mm thinner to compensate. I don't use the 4 way now prefering the convenience of a QCTP.

I don't know if Hercus maintained the 9's compound to bed dimension on the 260 to provide more clearance with the larger swing lathe. If they did, the higher extended cross slide is the source of your clearance deficit.

BT

Brand is mainly Castrol Safetycool 407, although I have used neat oil (Mobil Vacmul) in the past. Neat oils are just a pain in the butt to clean afterwards. Whereas with soluable oil it only takes about 10 minutes to clean up, so I just make sure I do it! Plenty of absorbent paper towel, and a foam sponge. Means taking off the felt wipers and getting as much out of the slides as possible. I usually take apart the top slide about once every second month, as the feedscrew has to come out of course. If it's a tiny job I just do it dry, or with a bit of neat oil brushed or dripped on. I'm spoiled for choice with my oils

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

Phil,

I have a 260 extended top slide on my 9. It raises the compound height by about 4mm. I made up an new 4 way toolholder spacer washer roughly 4mm thinner to compensate. I don't use the 4 way now prefering the convenience of a QCTP.

I don't know if Hercus maintained the 9's compound to bed dimension on the 260 to provide more clearance with the larger swing lathe. If they did, the higher extended cross slide is the source of your clearance deficit.

BT

So 5/16" base toolpost height + 1/4" for the disc + 5/32" for the extended slide = 23/32" (approx. 18mm).

What QCTP did you go with?

Used to use a pretend version of a simple Hardinge post. I would constantly be changing the holder's height to suit each lathe. I only made one holder.

Then I bought a Swiss BONI type 80 post and 8 holders. The pretender hides in the cupboard.

BT

Originally Posted by philmc

Brand is mainly Castrol Safetycool 407, although I have used neat oil (Mobil Vacmul) in the past. Neat oils are just a pain in the butt to clean afterwards. Whereas with soluable oil it only takes about 10 minutes to clean up, so I just make sure I do it! Plenty of absorbent paper towel, and a foam sponge. Means taking off the felt wipers and getting as much out of the slides as possible. I usually take apart the top slide about once every second month, as the feedscrew has to come out of course. If it's a tiny job I just do it dry, or with a bit of neat oil brushed or dripped on. I'm spoiled for choice with my oils

Phil,

Pete and I have discussed the use of cutting oil as coolant before maybe because both of us have a fear of corrosion. Why do you reckon neat oil is a pain to clean up? I was keen to use the stuff in my mill which has an integral coolant tank cast into the base. Given my infrequent use of the mill, the idea of water based coolant quietly corroding the base holds no appeal.

The stiff price of 140 bucks or so for 20 litres of oil has served as a deterent so far and caused me to adhere to milling mainly cast iron. There is also the issue of buying the right oil.

BT

Bob you beat me to it with the very same questions. It's a shame we're all so far apart as it would be a good opportunity to split the costs. Phil, yes you sure have some good oils there, no point in asking where you bought them as you're too far from me. Once I get a chance to get back into the workshop, stop fabricating, and start machining again I will buy some oils and see if anyone in Sydney is interested in buying any. 20 litres of most would last me several lifetimes, though it it surprising how fast I go through some.

Pete

Both toolposts are great!

Regarding Neat oil. My biggest problems were that it took so long to drain off, and you also end up wasting vast quantities by cleaning it down to soon. At least with soluable oil, mixed to 3-5%, a 20litre drum will make 400 litres of coolant; if you spill a bit on the floor whoop-dee-do. With neat oil a drop here and there lost soon adds up. You will also need to store and then filter your swarf or make up an oil centrifuge to extract it properly, then of course filter it. You can really only clean it down with kerosene.

My Hercus 260 coolant pump has a 8 litre tank, and my mill has a 60 litre in built tank. Filling these at $120-$210 per 20 litres gets expensive fast. I also found due to the viscosity of the neat oil my mill struggled to pump it up past about 40" head height, soluable will go to 86" (yes I was bored and measured it ). My mill (ex TAFE) was stored full of soluable coolant for 20 years, and doesn't show any rust or weakening inside the coolant tank; infact when I cleaned it the red oxide paint was still present for the most part, unless that was rust

There is nothing more disheartening to know the next day that before you start work you will have to clean it all down again.

Cheers Phil.

Thanks Phil, one of the things that attracted me to neat oil is that I felt the machine may not have to be "cleaned down" as much if you like. ie just clean out the swarf and if any oil was left anywhere that would be no big deal as it would simply serve to prevent rust. I know what I'm like, and I'm sure I couldn't resist in wiping a few things down, but again all I'd be going would be smearing the oil around and hence preventing rust on the handles etc. Both Bob and I have Hercus lathes like you, a 9" and a 260, and a Hercus mill, though Bob has a second mill too. The coolant tanks on them as you know aren't big, so 20 l would probably be just about right actually.

Apart form the staining, I've heard all manner of horror stories about soluble coolants that were only used sporadically. Great scientific experiments growing from them within no time at all. However it's much cheaper!

I notice a big difference between cutting with oil versus not (I normally just dribble Tapmatic from the can), and with the facilities to use it permanently and rather keen to give it a go to see how it works out.

Pete

Hi Pete,
Unless you plan on running at incredibly slow speeds, or just dripping it on every now and then, you will need some form of guarding as it gets sprayed everywhere, the same as soluble oil. Of course you and your floor will get covered as well.

Most neat oils blacken brass, even those that say they don't.

Please don't use me as the basis to not try it. I guess it all depends on how you work. It may work perfectly well for you.

I have the standard splash back, probably the same as yours Phil. My chuck guard looks smaller too.

No it's all good info, thanks. I will run the coolant pump through a VFD so will be able to throttle that back in addition to the usual hose valve. Hopefully I can keep the carnage under control.

Cheers,

Pete