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Hi Ben,
I am in the same situation as you where I am not using my machines constantly and I often only use them for small jobs. I would be constantly worried about rust if I used a water...

Hello Peter Befuddled,
If your lathe is the same as the one in the photo there does not appear to be very much clearance between the forward/reverse shaft and the...

I was in the big green shed today and in the garden hose section I saw "Pope clear vinyl joiners" ranging from 3mm to 38mm ID. They are all 70mm long You would just need to turn up some end plugs ....

Just buy a handle from bigBs, use a wooden wedge and epoxy and don't tell anyone.
"What the eye don't see, the heart don't grieve"

Russell :D

Hello Phil,
Yes, I think you may be (almost certainly are) correct. I just remember a fitter at work saying one thou. to the inch but I don't remember if he was talking about press fit or shrink...

Hello Michael,
I think the old timers used to say one thou. to the inch. Easy to remember. I have had success with the oven in the kitchen for shrink fitting but in more recent times I have used...

My lathe bed has some dark staining towards the tailstock end where the saddle does not usually travel. I just tried some Autosol metal polish and it removed most of the staining. I would not...

I have made three drawbars for my mill . One of them is made from two long HT bolts welded together. Another is a piece of bright shaft with the threaded section of a HT bolt welded on to it. On my...

I have a mill with a MT4 spindle and I use a ring spanner from a Honda motorcycle tool kit to tighten the drawbar . The handle is only 100mm long.
I just give the handle a slight bump with the palm...

If there enough of the pin protruding to put a thread on it perhaps if a nut was then screwed on you may be able to lever it out with a screwdriver or fit washers (one at a time) under the nut to...

Hello Hutcho,
Apart from the HSS tool holders that came with my lathe,I bought the others on ebay. I also have a couple of carbide tool holders which I only use when I am...

My shifters always go the wrong way. If I want to open the jaws,I think "close". If I want to close the jaws,I think "open". It works for me.
...

Although I have never had the need to do it,I have always understood that the container should be filled with water before cutting open or repairing via brazing or welding.
As for ...

Could the problem have been that there was a thin film of oil in the bore or on the adapter ? Russell

I didn't realise you were asking about the slowest speed available on your lathe.
I think the slowest speed available on most lathes (except for electronically controlled ones) would be about 30-50...

I made a cross slide nut for my lathe a few years ago. I made it from mild steel and cut the thread in a piece of P.B. rod and loctited it into the steel body. Could you bore the worn thread out of...

Hello GSRocket,
Just between you and me, I have never learned formulae for cutting speeds. :- I would probably set the speed at 250 -300 rpm for that diameter. I use HSS...

Hello Eskimo,
I am sure that others will have much more knowledge of these machines than me but in my case, I have what H&F call a Super Indexing Head (although it is not a...

Hello Eskimo,
I made a couple using a 22mm. dia. Macpherson Strut shaft.
I don't know what grade of steel it is but it machined ok once I got under the chrome....

Blackwoods sell Norton dressing sticks . About $15.00 or less .

Russell

Simon,
Are you sure that's sand? It looks like gold dust to me. Probably worth more than the lathe.:roflmao2:
Russell

Hello Rodm,
You say that the driveway is quite steep.
Would it be worth considering laying the mill in its "back" on the trolley to prevent the whole assembly from...

Twist is not the only aspect to consider. the centre line of the spindle has to be parallel to the bed ways. Think of a railway line starting on level ground and then going up or down hill. If the...

Hello Tongleh,
I have a similar knurling tool made by Denford. The thumb wheel is 32mm dia. and much closer to the knurls than yours and I find that I still have to use...

Blackwoods appear to be selling a 3MT pedestal drill for $699.00
The brand is JBS which I think is made in Taiwan.
It may be worth a look for comparison.
...

Hello Simon,
I cut the tang off the socket which I use with my drill chuck in the lathe and I have not had any trouble with it turning. It is nice to be able to start drilling...

The first item is a KBC dowelling jig which came with a KBC 2 speed drill in a kit with other items including a saw attachment. About 1970s vintage. I have the identical jig and also the drill-...

Hello Welder,
I recently raised my lathe up from the tray by 50mm by fitting a spacer block under the headstock end,which is held down by four bolts, and using jacking screws at...

I'd be looking for a piece of mesh Check with sheet metal fabricators. I they don't have anything they may be able to suggest another source. Better still, drink milk.
...

You could also look into the 5C collet system with hollow drawbar which allows long lengths of stock up to 11/8" (or the metric equivalent) to be held.
...

Hello Jarh73,
I have explained my solution to this problem before but at the risk of boring everyone here I go again.
On my mill (Zay7045FG/2) the play is between the...

Hello MM,
I don't think I can add to what others have advised,but when I need to remove anything which is rusted or stuck I put some type of penetrating liquid on the thread or where...

I have used R8 and MT4 machines and I can't see where the R8 is better.
All of my MT4 tools (except the drill chuck) are held in place with a drawbar as with R8. To remove the drill chuck, I drop a...

My mill, ZAY7045FG/2 has a MT4 spindle and I have had no problems whatsoever.
I have been able to buy any tooling I have needed, although I believe that R8 tooling is more readily...

Swan Lake.

Me again,
I made a test bar by turning up two 60mm dia. aluminiun rings from 10mm plate and locktiting them onto a piece of 25mm dia.solid steel spaced about 200mm apart with the...

Hello tbonesmith,
My understanding is that you need to first remove any twist from the bed. Then you need to get the spindle axis parallel to the ways ("Rolle's Dad's...

Try Offcuts Galore on Ebay.
Russell

Hello Simon,
In another life when I was an electrical fitter,I used to make tapered washers for bolting tapered flange channels together. I used to make those high voltage air...

Wow, a grub screw for free! That makes your mill purchase even better value. I'm jealous.

Russell

Hello Simon,
Are you sure it is another capscrew, or could it just be the remains from the process of punching the hex into the head of the capscrew?

...

Hello rfurzer,
I still use the 4 way toolholder which came with my lathe(AL330A) and I have put a Phosphor bronze washer between the toolpost and the tightening lever (which is...

Hello Simon,
Just to confuse the issue even further, another option is to get a "Super Indexing Head". It is slightly thicker than a rotary table.
I imported a...

Hello Simon,
I have a 60mm.dia facemill which takes square inserts (SCGT-32.51-FH), although I think slightly thinner ones are the correct size. They are set at an angle (15deg....

Hello Simon,
I made a couple of brass reservoirs and screwed them to the side of the table where the ball oilers are. I did a beautiful job too,they even had little hinged lids....

Simon,
Bugger the mill, I'm impressed by the whiteboard behind it! Poser :D

Russell

Hello Seanz,
I made a pair of vice jaws from a piece of crowbar. The material is quite hard (maybe spring steel?), but it can be machined and drilled readily. It is a good...

Hi Dean,
Check your P.Msgs.
Russell

Hello Dean,
I converted my lathe cross slide and compound slide from Imperial to Metric a few years ago.I was able to buy the cross slide screw and dial from Hare and Forbes in...

Hello wsal,
It should not be too difficult to chase up some bronze brazing rod to practice on. It comes in several diameters and it bends without fracturing.
...