(268,’2007-02-04 22:49:59′,’david’,’2007-02-07 09:50:43′,’david’,’8×12/8×14 Lathe Hybrid Follow Rest / Moving “Steady” Rest – Day 1′,”,’One of the issues with the smaller lathes is the spindle bore diameter not being able to accomodate larger diameter workpieces of longer lengths for more secure chucking using the chuck.

This issue becomes more apparent when working with longer pieces that need to be bored, for example. In this scenario, using a face plate with lathe dog and a live center on the tailstock wouldn’t be appropriate. So what can we use?

A standard “steady rest” could very well work provided that it can be set in between the carriage and chuck and still provide adequate support. Another alternative is to use a “follow rest” which is somewhat similar to the steady rest with the primary difference that it is mounted to the carriage and therefore travels with it along the carriage’s travel.

The other issue when assessing these rests is there capacity. Since we’re working with larger diameter (relatively speaking) of 1.5″ diameter and larger, it is important that we make one ourselves that could handle these larger diameters.

About a year and half ago, we mentioned on one of the Yahoo! groups for mini-lathes that we wanted to make a rest using ball bearings instead of the standard brass finger style that’s commonly found.

The first day consisted of figuring out the requirements of the rest and the machining of the initial “T” assembly – the base and vertical post.

Firstly, we grabbed a piece of 1″x1″ aluminum scrap and laid it across the two set screws on the left side of the carriage. These are the mounting holes for the follow rest.

We had to mark the locations of the two oil holes and account for this by milling recesses so that the oil hole ball bearings aren’t pushed down by the base of the rest. BTW, our ultimate design resembles a steady rest but acts more like a follow rest by nature of it being attached to the carriage.

After marking out the hole locations, we tested the fit on the carriage. Perfect fit!

Now we need to mill out a recess for the vertical post and drill and tap a series of holes so that the vertical post can be adjusted:

Note in the above picture the use of the Keo brand deburring / countersink tools. These are very nice indeed.

Sorry, we didn’t take pictures of the vertical post being machined, but you’ll get a closer look at this in part 2 of this series.

Here’s a snapshot of the vertical post mounted to the base making the “T”.

Note the recess for the vertical post and the series of holes for adjustment of the vertical post in the cross-slide direction (X).

Now comes the important part of the design. In common follow rests, the entire unit remains in a single plane. This does not allow for support of the workpiece in boring operations (not boring, boring :). Therefore, before making the fingers of the rest, we need to see how spacing would work for boring and general turning:

Note that with a boring bar in place, the follow rest would not even make contact with the workpiece, thereby rendering it useless.

With a standard left-cutting tool, the spacing should be fine.\r\nNow we have a general idea this rest actually needs to be offset towards the chuck in able to engage the workpiece prior to the cutter making contact.

And the final shot for the day of the “T” assembly from the tailstock point of view.

Read on for Part 2 of this project.\r\n’,’

One of the issues with the smaller lathes is the spindle bore diameter not being able to accomodate larger diameter workpieces of longer lengths for more secure chucking using the chuck.

This issue becomes more apparent when working with longer pieces that need to be bored, for example. In this scenario, using a face plate with lathe dog and a live center on the tailstock wouldn’t be appropriate. So what can we use?

A standard “steady rest” could very well work provided that it can be set in between the carriage and chuck and still provide adequate support. Another alternative is to use a “follow rest” which is somewhat similar to the steady rest with the primary difference that it is mounted to the carriage and therefore travels with it along the carriage’s travel.

The other issue when assessing these rests is there capacity. Since we’re working with larger diameter (relatively speaking) of 1.5” diameter and larger, it is important that we make one ourselves that could handle these larger diameters.

About a year and half ago, we mentioned on one of the Yahoo! groups for mini-lathes that we wanted to make a rest using ball bearings instead of the standard brass finger style that’s commonly found.

The first day consisted of figuring out the requirements of the rest and the machining of the initial “T” assembly – the base and vertical post.

Firstly, we grabbed a piece of 1“x1” aluminum scrap and laid it across the two set screws on the left side of the carriage. These are the mounting holes for the follow rest.

We had to mark the locations of the two oil holes and account for this by milling recesses so that the oil hole ball bearings aren’t pushed down by the base of the rest. BTW, our ultimate design resembles a steady rest but acts more like a follow rest by nature of it being attached to the carriage.

After marking out the hole locations, we tested the fit on the carriage. Perfect fit!

Now we need to mill out a recess for the vertical post and drill and tap a series of holes so that the vertical post can be adjusted:

Note in the above picture the use of the Keo brand deburring / countersink tools. These are very nice indeed.

Sorry, we didn’t take pictures of the vertical post being machined, but you’ll get a closer look at this in part 2 of this series.

Here’s a snapshot of the vertical post mounted to the base making the “T”.

Note the recess for the vertical post and the series of holes for adjustment of the vertical post in the cross-slide direction (X).

Now comes the important part of the design. In common follow rests, the entire unit remains in a single plane. This does not allow for support of the workpiece in boring operations (not boring, boring :). Therefore, before making the fingers of the rest, we need to see how spacing would work for boring and general turning:

Note that with a boring bar in place, the follow rest would not even make contact with the workpiece, thereby rendering it useless.

With a standard left-cutting tool, the spacing should be fine.
\nNow we have a general idea this rest actually needs to be offset towards the chuck in able to engage the workpiece prior to the cutter making contact.

And the final shot for the day of the “T” assembly from the tailstock point of view.

Read on for Part 2 of this project.

‘,’One of the issues with the smaller lathes is the spindle bore diameter not being able to accomodate larger diameter workpieces of longer lengths for more secure chucking using the chuck.

This issue becomes more apparent when working with longer pieces that need to be bored, for example. In this scenario, using a face plate with lathe dog and a live center on the tailstock wouldn’t be appropriate. So what can we use?

‘,’

One of the issues with the smaller lathes is the spindle bore diameter not being able to accomodate larger diameter workpieces of longer lengths for more secure chucking using the chuck.

This issue becomes more apparent when working with longer pieces that need to be bored, for example. In this scenario, using a face plate with lathe dog and a live center on the tailstock wouldn’t be appropriate. So what can we use?

‘,”,’8x128x14-Small-Lathe’,”,1,’Comment’,0,4,1,1,’article’,”,”,’8x128x14-lathe-hybrid-follow-rest-moving-steady-rest-day-1′,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,’7f6fae947afd6427bef0cfea3f0a881c’,’2007-02-04′);

(267,’2007-01-29 00:23:28′,’david’,’2007-01-29 01:03:56′,’david’,’8×12/14 Lathe X-Axis (Cross Slide) DRO Mounted!’,”,’Finally! We mocked up and made a working prototype of the 8×12/14 cross slide (X-Axis) DRO scale mounting brackets.

We knew going into this project that making this work would take some very finite positioning or extending the scale far back from the lathe to make things work. Since space is limited on these mini and small sized lathes, positioning and usability is everything. In doing so, we sacrificed an inch or so of distance between the carriage and tailstock. Our design goal was to make the scale readable without an external readout box just in case people didn’t want to spend $200 for one. Also, using a vertically-oriented scale took up more space than a horizontal version of the same length. Using a horizontal one would save more space yet, but would require that you rotate your head to read the scale for cross-slide movement.

So, it was decided that in order to make things somwhat user-friendly, the scale should not interfere with gib set screw adjustment, carriage lock set screw (it’s the larger sized screw to the right of the cross slide), and should not extend far beyond the foot print of the lathe itself. Again, the sacrifice would be the distance that the tailstock would usually have as it reaches the carriage (rather the tailstock would no longer be able to come right up against the carriage)…

Making the pieces for this came from a single piece of 6061-T6 aluminum bar stock 3/8″ thick and 2″ wide. The total materials cost was less than $5.

From this, we first milled the front end bracket:

This piece holds one end of the scale to the carriage.

Next, we milled the scale readout bracket and spacer block. We used the ER-32 collet chuck in the Dayton/Grainger mill-drill (RF-31 clone) and ran into a clearance problem with the collet and drawbar. Luckily, the drawbar is of a soft steel that ended up being threaded into the ER collet to fit. We had to revert back to using a 7/16″-20 die to rethread the drawbar to work again with the R8 collets without resistance.

We recessed the slots so that the screws that mount the scale reading unit are flush with the bracket.

Next, we had to locate the mounting holes for the carriage and cross slide. First, we located the carriage mounting hole:

Then, once the scale was mocked up to location, we identified the holes on the cross slide, removed it, and prepped it for center drilling, drilling, and tapping:

Here’s where having a larger sized mill makes all the difference. With a 9.5″x32″ table, we just removed the entire cross slide and held it in the Palmgren vise (no Kurt yet..).

Once the two holes were prepped, we put it back on the 8×12 and began mounting the scale. It was an iterative procedure. We first mounted the end bracket to the carriage:

Then we mounted the bracket to the underside of the scale readout unit and placed that next to the cross slide for general positioning.

We then had to tap things around until they were level and not-binding. Once we had a generally decent idea of positioning, we loosened the brackets, retightened, then secured the bracket to the underside of the scale housing by reaching under the lathe with a screwdriver and tightening the screws. After all of this work, we end up with a nicely working X-axis DRO scale (note also the temporary Z-axis):

Here’s a close-up of the clearance issue of the tailstock and carriage caused by the placement of the DRO scale:

In the end, having DROs in both axes for lathe turning makes all the difference in speed. Now you can quickly get close to dimension and edge up into spec. Having DRO in general is such a time-saver. As an example, it took under a few minutes to bore out a bearing recess. Before the DRO it would take at least twice as long (perhaps longer).

Stay tuned for updates…’,’

Finally! We mocked up and made a working prototype of the 8×12/14 cross slide (X-Axis) DRO scale mounting brackets.

We knew going into this project that making this work would take some very finite positioning or extending the scale far back from the lathe to make things work. Since space is limited on these mini and small sized lathes, positioning and usability is everything. In doing so, we sacrificed an inch or so of distance between the carriage and tailstock. Our design goal was to make the scale readable without an external readout box just in case people didn’t want to spend $200 for one. Also, using a vertically-oriented scale took up more space than a horizontal version of the same length. Using a horizontal one would save more space yet, but would require that you rotate your head to read the scale for cross-slide movement.

So, it was decided that in order to make things somwhat user-friendly, the scale should not interfere with gib set screw adjustment, carriage lock set screw (it’s the larger sized screw to the right of the cross slide), and should not extend far beyond the foot print of the lathe itself. Again, the sacrifice would be the distance that the tailstock would usually have as it reaches the carriage (rather the tailstock would no longer be able to come right up against the carriage)…

Making the pieces for this came from a single piece of 6061-T6 aluminum bar stock 3/8” thick and 2” wide. The total materials cost was less than $5.

From this, we first milled the front end bracket:

This piece holds one end of the scale to the carriage.

Next, we milled the scale readout bracket and spacer block. We used the ER-32 collet chuck in the Dayton/Grainger mill-drill (RF-31 clone) and ran into a clearance problem with the collet and drawbar. Luckily, the drawbar is of a soft steel that ended up being threaded into the ER collet to fit. We had to revert back to using a 7/16”-20 die to rethread the drawbar to work again with the R8 collets without resistance.

We recessed the slots so that the screws that mount the scale reading unit are flush with the bracket.

Next, we had to locate the mounting holes for the carriage and cross slide. First, we located the carriage mounting hole:

Then, once the scale was mocked up to location, we identified the holes on the cross slide, removed it, and prepped it for center drilling, drilling, and tapping:

Here’s where having a larger sized mill makes all the difference. With a 9.5“x32” table, we just removed the entire cross slide and held it in the Palmgren vise (no Kurt yet..).

Once the two holes were prepped, we put it back on the 8×12 and began mounting the scale. It was an iterative procedure. We first mounted the end bracket to the carriage:

Then we mounted the bracket to the underside of the scale readout unit and placed that next to the cross slide for general positioning.

We then had to tap things around until they were level and not-binding. Once we had a generally decent idea of positioning, we loosened the brackets, retightened, then secured the bracket to the underside of the scale housing by reaching under the lathe with a screwdriver and tightening the screws. After all of this work, we end up with a nicely working X-axis DRO scale (note also the temporary Z-axis):

Here’s a close-up of the clearance issue of the tailstock and carriage caused by the placement of the DRO scale:

In the end, having DROs in both axes for lathe turning makes all the difference in speed. Now you can quickly get close to dimension and edge up into spec. Having DRO in general is such a time-saver. As an example, it took under a few minutes to bore out a bearing recess. Before the DRO it would take at least twice as long (perhaps longer).

Stay tuned for updates…

‘,’Finally! We mocked up and made a working prototype of the 8×12/14 cross slide (X-Axis) DRO scale mounting brackets.

‘,’

Finally! We mocked up and made a working prototype of the 8×12/14 cross slide (X-Axis) DRO scale mounting brackets.

‘,”,’8x128x14-Small-Lathe’,”,1,’Comment’,0,4,1,1,’article’,”,”,’8×1214-lathe-x-axis-cross-slide-dro-mounted’,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,’0edebc24c181799ebd1e657dd0416144′,’2007-01-29′);

(266,’2007-01-24 11:52:52′,’david’,’2007-02-05 16:45:17′,’david’,’Grainger Dayton 2AC40A Round Column Mill Drill (AKA Rong-Fu 31 w/Large Table – 9.5″x32″)’,”,’We recently purchased a used round-column mill! Model Dayton 2AC40 sold by Grainger Industrial.

Other models:\r\nGrizzly 1006 / Grizzly 1007\r\nGrizzly 1005Z (not quite, since it’s a smaller column and machine)\r\nGrizzly G1126 Gear-Head\r\nENCO NQ105-1132 (import motor) / ENCO NQ308-0474 (USA motor)\r\nRong-Fu 31 16 3/8″ swing NQ105-1110\r\nRong-Fu 31 21″ swing with geared head NQ307-3379 / 3383\r\nENCO Geared Head RF-31 clone 21″ swing (like above) NQ307-3387\r\nHarbor Freight Geared Head 20″ swing 42827\r\nHarbor Freight Pulley Round Column 33686′,’

We recently purchased a used round-column mill! Model Dayton 2AC40 sold by Grainger Industrial.

Other models:
\nGrizzly 1006 / Grizzly 1007
\nGrizzly 1005Z (not quite, since it’s a smaller column and machine)
\nGrizzly G1126 Gear-Head
\nENCO NQ105-1132 (import motor) / ENCO NQ308-0474 (USA motor)
\nRong-Fu 31 16 3/8” swing NQ105-1110
\nRong-Fu 31 21” swing with geared head NQ307-3379 / 3383
\nENCO Geared Head RF-31 clone 21” swing (like above) NQ307-3387
\nHarbor Freight Geared Head 20” swing 42827
\nHarbor Freight Pulley Round Column 33686

‘,’We recently purchased a used round-column mill! Model Dayton 2AC40 sold by Grainger Industrial.

Other models:\r\nGrizzly 1006 / Grizzly 1007\r\nGrizzly 1005Z (not quite, since it’s a smaller column and machine)\r\nGrizzly G1126 Gear-Head\r\nENCO NQ105-1132 (import motor) / ENCO NQ308-0474 (USA motor)\r\nRong-Fu 31 16 3/8″ swing NQ105-1110\r\nRong-Fu 31 21″ swing with geared head NQ307-3379 / 3383\r\nENCO Geared Head RF-31 clone 21″ swing (like above) NQ307-3387\r\nHarbor Freight Geared Head 20″ swing 42827\r\nHarbor Freight Pulley Round Column 33686′,’

We recently purchased a used round-column mill! Model Dayton 2AC40 sold by Grainger Industrial.

Other models:
\nGrizzly 1006 / Grizzly 1007
\nGrizzly 1005Z (not quite, since it’s a smaller column and machine)
\nGrizzly G1126 Gear-Head
\nENCO NQ105-1132 (import motor) / ENCO NQ308-0474 (USA motor)
\nRong-Fu 31 16 3/8” swing NQ105-1110
\nRong-Fu 31 21” swing with geared head NQ307-3379 / 3383
\nENCO Geared Head RF-31 clone 21” swing (like above) NQ307-3387
\nHarbor Freight Geared Head 20” swing 42827
\nHarbor Freight Pulley Round Column 33686

‘,”,”,”,1,’Comment’,0,4,1,1,’article’,”,”,’grainger-dayton-2ac40a-round-column-mill-drill-aka-rong-fu-31-wlarge-table-95×32′,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,”,’689dac4f15e170934384cdad97a5bc6e’,’2007-01-24′);