Buying a lathe?

Norman_E said:
Not my kind of work but your rose engine looks a very clever design and probably one of the best ever uses for a cheap cross vice.
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Hang on - I'm not claiming that is my work! It was the only place I could find any pictures to illustrate the technique I was trying to describe. I never used the technique for anything more complicated than cutting gear wheels and, as soon as I had earned enough money, I bought machines to do the job.

The point I was intending to make was that lack of money need not always prevent you making what you need.
 
Nicholas123 said:
penfold said:
Dividing heads have many components which are concentric, therefore it's straightforward to make them on a lathe; what's hard to understand?
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Make dividing heads on a lathe? This place is getting nuttier :D
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A lathe's primary function is producing concentric things. Therefore the concentric bits of a dividing head are readily produced on a lathe.

As noted previously it is possible, if not straightforward, to use a lathe for indexing; therefore most of the rest of the dividing head can be produced.
 
penfold said:
A lathe's primary function is producing concentric things. Therefore the concentric bits of a dividing head are readily produced on a lathe.

As noted previously it is possible, if not straightforward, to use a lathe for indexing; therefore most of the rest of the dividing head can be produced.
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+1
Indeed :D

To answer one of the earlier comments of Nicholas123 the very act of having to machine the castings and raw stock is a really good refresher to someone that has not used a lathe for 30 ish years:p I could indeed if I wished use either my companies milling machines in the toolroom / fitting shop or one of several friends milling machines however as in most things in life I am doing it the way I want and because I can and don't have a specific deadline to meet, perhaps when it's made I will post some piccies but in the meantime I do it my way:D. Oh and it's the Hemmingway VDH kit that I am machining and assembling and very good it is too.:p
 
parsifal said:
Model engineering is a hobby and, like most hobbies, those who don't indulge in it think those who do are bonkers! I think golfing and card playing is bonkers. Given the state of the weather I'm beginning to think sailing might be! :D
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I don't think it is bonkers,far from it.I went into professional Engineering because I liked making steam engines & stuff (great mistake).Still,you learn a lot (& replying to the original issue about dividing heads).The idea of a bloody great chunk of metal wizing around off center in a four jaw chuck dos'nt bare thinking about because of the vibration it would engender.Translate that down to the size of lathes that this thread was originally set up to talk about & I can't see that it is at all practical.
As far as I can see (getting back to what mystified me about talking about dividing heads in this context) for many of the operations mentioned it would mean practically turning the lathe into a shaper & that is clearly ludicrous.
 
parsifal said:
A detent is a device to hold something temporarily in a fixed position.

The only picture I can find offhand that shows the principle is here:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~pwguild/o-rosego.htm

Scroll down to the section entitled: AN INDEXING METHOD FOR EQUAL DIVISION OF AN ELLIPSE.

In my post I said 'plywood', MDF would be better but it hadn't been invented when I did this!
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That is all about cutting wood which is a whole different kettle of fish......& hardly applicable.
Still a wonderful hobby that I have never come across before :eek: Amazing stuff.
 
Norman_E said:
At 66 there is not much boy left, but I can still get a bit mucky in the workshop!
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I was thinking that a wife would have a fit clearing up in a place like that & that you would only get away with it in your own domain Norman.Still think a drip tray type thing would save you a lot of grief in that respect.
Am curious to know what you make with the various mechanical devices you have got Norman?
 
Nicholas123 said:
That is all about cutting wood which is a whole different kettle of fish......& hardly applicable.
Still a wonderful hobby that I have never come across before :eek: Amazing stuff.
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The principle is the same whether you are cutting wood or metal.

I really do feel you are not being fair to model engineers or other people with only basic workshop facilities.

A visit to one of the Model Engineering Exhibitions, say 30 years ago, would have shown many examples of superb work produced by people with very limited facilities. I remember seeing a man machining castings for a 3-1/2" gauge on a treadle operated lathe. Slow work but not deficient in accuracy.

Have a look at some of the clocks and instruments in museums and see what was achieved by men using hand tools and simple machines.
 
petehb said:
+1
Indeed :D

To answer one of the earlier comments of Nicholas123 the very act of having to machine the castings and raw stock is a really good refresher to someone that has not used a lathe for 30 ish years:p I could indeed if I wished use either my companies milling machines in the toolroom / fitting shop or one of several friends milling machines however as in most things in life I am doing it the way I want and because I can and don't have a specific deadline to meet, perhaps when it's made I will post some piccies but in the meantime I do it my way:D. Oh and it's the Hemmingway VDH kit that I am machining and assembling and very good it is too.:p
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I would be very interested to see you cutting teeth for the clock I think you mentioned previously on the lathe you have bought pete.
 
parsifal said:
The principle is the same whether you are cutting wood or metal.

I really do feel you are not being fair to model engineers or other people with only basic workshop facilities.

A visit to one of the Model Engineering Exhibitions, say 30 years ago, would have shown many examples of superb work produced by people with very limited facilities. I remember seeing a man machining castings for a 3-1/2" gauge on a treadle operated lathe. Slow work but not deficient in accuracy.

Have a look at some of the clocks and instruments in museums and see what was achieved by men using hand tools and simple machines.
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I am aware of what can be produced by people with modest means.I made this at the age of 15/16 with what was available at the local Secondary Modern.Machining metal requires much more rigidity if you are to produce precision components with any degree of accuracy.
This is all a very long way away from using a dividing head on a lathe to cut teeth for a clock or carry out any other sort of associated practical function.......particularly for a beginner.
 
This thread is a reminder that some people just enjoy Star Trek movies as entertainment and some argue about the correct fittings for plasma conduits. I'm in the first group :p
 
Nicholas123 said:
I am aware of what can be produced by people with modest means.I made this at the age of 15/16 with what was available at the local Secondary Modern.Machining metal requires much more rigidity if you are to produce precision components with any degree of accuracy.
This is all a very long way away from using a dividing head on a lathe to cut teeth for a clock or carry out any other sort of associated practical function.......particularly for a beginner.
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Have a look at some of the things lower down this page http://www.hemingwaykits.com/acatalog/gallery.html:D I think it says a lot for the precision and accuracy of machining that model makers are capable of.
 
petehb said:
Have a look at some of the things lower down this page http://www.hemingwaykits.com/acatalog/gallery.html:D I think it says a lot for the precision and accuracy of machining that model makers are capable of.
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With respect I have seen a lot better.Those are kits.

Around here we have a club of model Engineers.I think they are a Titchfield club & they sometimes have displays in the precinct.....Stunning American wood burning loco's & others.
I wish I could publish photo's & I probably could if I was bothered to google them.The point is that there is a wealth of talent out there & I am very much aware of it.Always fancied making a multi cylinder radial engine myself.
Have got some time on my hands,might start whittling ;)
 
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