Thread: Show us your lathe

Originally Posted by GDD

The brackets are to hold the belt clear of the pulleys when the clutch is released. Without brackets the belt will still drive even when it is slack as it hangs in the pulleys. The clutch was a bit of an add on extra to the initial job which was to mount the motor away from the lathe. This was to avoid the surface patterns that sometimes resulted from "harmonic" vibrations originating in the cogging effect of the single phase motor and transferred through the lathe bed. The motor is still in its original position but now sits on a post bolted to the floor and does not touch the lathe. It fixed the problem and the clutch is a giant bonus on jobs that are stop and start repeatedly. The action of the clutch is smooth, and after much use there is no evidence of pulley or belt wear.

The clutch design was based on a couple of articles in AME magazine a few years ago. I would still have the mags and could scan the articles if that is not going to be a copyright problem. Does anybody know whether it is or not? I could take more photos if required.

Graham

Hi Graham
PM sent, Is this clutch in combination with a foot brake to stop it?

Dave

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Here's mine. Its the same as a H&F AL-335 just a little longer between centers. The biggest mods so far are an hour meter(why? because I had one in my shed) and the foot "brake". Its just a switch at the minute but I may add a brake at a later date. My theory on emergency stops is, if you don't use it every time you wont remember to use it when you need it.
Next picture is the vertical slide bracket I made
The last is a rough spindle I set up to fix a cracked pulley on my compressor.

I have been looking at putting a foot brake on my lathe as also. And after seeing Graham's post above I might look at hooking up a clutch in with it as well.
They usually put brake pads inside the gear box pulley and have a back plate there to hold the pads. I have measured mine and it will take 100mm dia brake pads. A source for the brake pads are off the small cheap motor bikes from China called pocket bikes and thumpsters.

Here is how one guy did it
Home Metal Shop Club, April 1997

Dave

I have a Harrison lathe with a simple brake that is in the form of a fibre wedge on a lever, that engages a pulley groove. It is a system that has also been used on Vintage belt-drive motorcycles, before they went to chains. I made one for a friend's 1924 P&M, using hardwood as the brake shoe material, although hard rubber was the original stuff. Anyway, it seems to be an easy way to organise a brake, just needing a place to pivot the lever near the clear arc of the pulley. Drawing is from Harrison M300 parts list.

Jordan

HI,
This is a Picture of My Metal Lathe it's an Hafco AL-960B with a DRO. It replaced My 1958 Hercus Model 'A' Plain Bearing Lathe - A Dramatic change in Machines. I was just in the process of Cleaning the Swarf off and giving it an Oil Change. I haven't had it that long, but I wish had Bought one Years ago its a Nice Machine to use. I went for the DRO Option as it was on Sale and the Sale Price was to good of a Deal to Say No too.

mummy i want one.

Originally Posted by Ozceltic63

mummy i want one.

better put me in that basket as well, may start shopping around!

So many of us have bought AL960Bs of late that Hare & Forbes should have given us bulk discount....

I am actually wondering why so many people buy H&F lathes when there are a large number of other sellers out there...

Well I can't speak for others but in Adelaide it's a small market and there is really only one serious machine supply place and they sell the H&F range. There are a couple of other places that sell lathes & mills but they don't have the range, service backup and tooling range that General Tools do.

Originally Posted by Gavin Newman

Well I can't speak for others but in Adelaide it's a small market and there is really only one serious machine supply place and they sell the H&F range. There are a couple of other places that sell lathes & mills but they don't have the range, service backup and tooling range .

Ditto for Brisbane, unless someone can tell me about a dealer that I'm so far unaware of???

Graham

ShawHome

Originally Posted by Dave J

I have been looking at putting a foot brake on my lathe as also. And after seeing Graham's post above I might look at hooking up a clutch in with it as well.
They usually put brake pads inside the gear box pulley and have a back plate there to hold the pads. I have measured mine and it will take 100mm dia brake pads. A source for the brake pads are off the small cheap motor bikes from China called pocket bikes and thumpsters.

Here is how one guy did it
Home Metal Shop Club, April 1997

Dave

Regarding the foot brake, do you think a hydraulic setup from a car/bike would be a good idea?

Originally Posted by Com_VC

Regarding the foot brake, do you think a hydraulic setup from a car/bike would be a good idea?

Hi,
I wouldn't recommend using hydraulic brakes on a lathe, I think it would only cause problems latter with leaking. Space might be a problem also trying to fit it in the 100mm pulley, but I don't see why it wouldn't work if you wanted to go that way. Don't forget to incorporate a micro switch to cut the power just before the brake engages, otherwise you might burn out the motor.
I have some mechanical pocket bike calipers here, that I have been thinking of using instead of the drum brake idea. The disc could be mounted onto the back of the pulley easily enough and a cable run down to the foot brake.

Here is a link to a set up a fellow made for his lathe and below are some pictures of it.
Home Metal Shop Club, April 1997
The others are from a factory setup to give you some ideas, they came from here.
CandlePowerForums

Dave

Originally Posted by Com_VC

Regarding the foot brake, do you think a hydraulic setup from a car/bike would be a good idea?

Or alternatively a brake setup from a kart. As you can see from my avatar I race Superkarts, we stop 165kg of kart and driver from 100 mph using a single disk brake on the rear axle so it should be able to cope with anything a lathe could throw at it.