Bridgeport for Beginners!

the little machine shop has almost every permutation of collets and chucks you can think of. Unfortunately, they are closed until California lifts its day at home order.
https://littlemachineshop.com/products/products.php?category=-421559299

 

ER collets are more suited to tool holding than work holding though the smaller sizes probably less critical for either. The C series collets on the other hand are perfect for work holding. If you have a D1-4 chuck mount you likely have a MT5 spindle taper like mine. I found a 5C collet closer locally and modified the draw tube to fit the length of my lathe spindle. After which I found an open ended MT4 to MT5 adapter and bored it out in situ to take 5C collets. Hardened steel machines beautifully and the only critical dimension is the taper that the collet draws against to close.

To get back to your dividing head - I modified mine to being stepper motor driven using an Arduino board to control it and it was the best thing I ever did. Looking to make an adapter for the rotary table as well. Let me know if you are interested in more info.

 

Thanks Guster... Automation would be cool, but not at this time for me. I may be in touch later. I'm doing good just trying to figure out this chuck thing. I'll take some photos today of what I've got and maybe someone will know what I should order. C, T,220,230... whatever it takes. lol

I have actually been very busy this week. I now have NICE COLD AIR CONDITIONING in the garage and I also replaced my homes outdoor unit, my furnace and the AC coil. (swapped to 410)
I am slowly clearing off my shelf (workbench) and trying to get things in order. Add to it, the wife's dryer took a dump on me, I fixed that today along with cleaning out the dryer vent to the roof.
That is the good thing about being confined to the house. I'm finishing stuff and not running out the door part way through it.

 

I'm trying to solve this tooling thing.... I know, I'm about 6pages behind in my own thread.

My holders are AXA 1 and 2's. I measured them and that apparently is the small one. Looks like they only hold 1/2" thick tooling. SO I'm guessing stuff that's 16mm wont fit?

 

Jason,
You've got a chuck ... start turning and getting used to the lathe. You don't have enough $$ to be able to get every gadget ever invented ... even if you do, your married (so we know the answer).

Once you get some learning behind you (videos too) ... then decide which purchases you may want to pursue based on your learnings and what you plan on turning.

 

lol... Before you get married, no one ever tells you how expensive a wife can be that's for sure!
For now, I want some basic carbide tools that use the same insert because I'm lazy like that. Here is a snazzy little set, but the inserts are stupid. https://www.amazon.com/OSCARBIDE-Indexable-Heavy-Duty-Grooving-Threading/dp/B07PLYG1Y4/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=1/2+lathe+cutting+tools&qid=1585185369&sr=8-5 Who the hell wants to have to buy 5 different inserts. UGH.

Will the BXB holders fit on my toolpost? That would solve the problem and allow me to hold man sized tooling instead of this little girl stuff.

 

I thought you said you had an AXA tool post? If so, the larger size will not fit.

I grind my own HSS bits. But have recently purchased a couple insert holders, just to try out. Personally, I think I have a better finish with HSS. However, my lathe is only 12", 1hp, and top speed around 1400 ... so not the best for carbide. I have an AXA tool post on my lathe ... and it does fine, but I am generally not not in a big hurry so not hogging material.

Prolly the cheapest tool holders (can never have too many) are from CDCO ... but you have to change out the cheap arse Chinese set screws.

Mr Pete has a good video on grinding HSS.

 

That's right.. (I think) all my holders say AXA on them. I take it the BXB won't fit huh?

I got an idea. I'll buy 16mm tools and shave their asses on the mill. Problem solved. I bet the cheap ones aren't that hard anyways. Then they will fit my AXA stuff.
I've got an okay bench grinder and some delta 2 wheel wet honing contraption so I suppose I could go the HSS route. Unscrewing an insert and flipping it around just
sounds like less work. And they are dirt cheap these days too!

 

Best tip of the week! Make sure the screw on the insert is cleaned out before putting the wrench in too.
I have a good grinder with a good wheel, a good oilstone and one of those blue and red diamond sticks. Once in awhile I get a good grind on HSS. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once on awhile. I just need more practice. There's a certain satisfaction when you get it right.

Pete

 

I said screw it and went semi ape shit at banggood. I bought a bunch of 12mm junk and inserts. I also pick up some 16mm stuff and grabbed a cheap axa holder. My thinking, it's probably made of recycled cat poop and I can mill it out to take the 16mm stuff. I kinda thought milling an aloris brand holder might be a mortal sin.

 

Don't worry to much about the collets. The chuck is fine for 90% of the work. By the time you want to expand beyond the chuck it will be clear to you what you want of collets.

 

Thanks... I'll wait on them and finger her out later.

 

SO I found a cover on the side of the lathe that was plastic and busted. I whipped out some acrylic and turned a new one! I would have turned it out of aluminum, but I am still hunting stock.
After turning it, which FIT first time I might add, I stuck it in the positioner on the mill and drilled 3 holes exactly 120degrees apart. How bad ass is this machining stuff? Loving it! What I am not loving is DIALS! Still haven't wrapped my head around them if I'm pulling 1x or 2x off and I hate counting anyways...







Solution:

This sitting around on my ass is starting to get expensive! Good thing the govt is bailing us out right? Pulled the trigger on a DRO for the supermax. 250mm X 1000mm Hope it's the right size. The way I see it, a properly installed DRO has got to have a positive effect on the machines value. I have to admit, using the dials SUCK! Backlash is very minimal compared to my mill.

The one I picked out is the 2axis version of what I installed on the mill. Doubleboost has a great video series on installing these.

 

Most lathes do not need a DRO. I do not have one on mine. And I really should as I do not have linear feed counter on my saddle. My crossfeed and compound do you have increments 1:1. The crossfeed 1:1 means...... If I advance cross feed 0.001" it takes 0.002" off the diameter. I know this, and I work with it.

One of my classrooms have DRO's and one of my classrooms do not. I personally do not like DRO's on lathes that have I reader for Y. A simple plunge indicator can tweak this in with a magnetic base.... I do this for depth with a plunge indicator on my personal lathe. But I am a bit old school.

 

Here is what I've got on the saddle. No clue how to read this... and wtf is the .006" nonsense?
See what I mean? I have no idea why it's not 1-100 or something like that. I'm guessing the screws are METRIC and they play this game on the dials to call it SAE. Goofy shit.


And here is my cross slide.



Last is the scale for the compound.


I stripped the paint between the ways and I've got the first coat on. Watching paint dry tonight leads to shopping and pissing away money.

 

So you're crossfeed it is specified as diameter. Each line represents diameter shrinkage of cut. This is normal for most modern machines. Take a cut and you will reduce the diameter by that amount.

Linear feed of the saddle or apron. Your accuracy is 0.006" this is pretty good.

You're a compound is 0.001 feed. This means if you are at a 45° angle you will feed in .7071 in both the Y & X axis. This is why it is considered a compound angle.

The compound is always measured off of what it moves. 345 or....SOH, CAH, TOA. It is called a compound because it produces compound angles.

Most threads are finished at 30° using the compound. I get my students to set the compound up at 29 1/2°. This creates a dual cut when thread cutting. A Spring cut is always desirable for finish.

 

So looking at my apron.. You are saying 10 divisions move it .06 ?????? What kind of mental gymnastics is that BS? I'd never make peace with that one in my tiny pilot brain.

On the cross slide, IF I crank in 10 divisions, I am cutting 10thou of the diameter? at least that one is based on 10 or 100 or whatever... I can jive with that. I think,

The compound I'm just screwed for now and won't even attempt to rationalize that one.

 

Now give me one of these and I can read it in the dark during a thunderstorm while getting bounced around and eating a ham and cheese sandwich.

 

no... You are confusing 0.060" with 0.006". Linearly do you need to take a look at it. This is where doing a little bit of projects will show you how good of a lathe you have.

 

Will do Matt. I'll stick my dial indicator on it and see what's what.
And the DRO will help my dumbass out I bet!