RMweb Gold Huw Griffiths Posted January 4, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2020 5 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said: A maybe daft but simplistic question re the above tables. For the "average" modeller/bodger, is it worth spending up to ten times the price on a more accurate machine over the ebay specials? Mike. I don't pretend to be an expert - but, somehow, I suspect probably not. Ultimately, how much use are you likely to be putting this gear to - and are you likely to be doing anything for which absolute precision is really needed? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted January 4, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) On 04/01/2020 at 18:35, Huw Griffiths said: I don't pretend to be an expert - but, somehow, I suspect probably not. Ultimately, how much use are you likely to be putting this gear to - and are you likely to be doing anything for which absolute precision is really needed? Thanks for the reply Huw. That was my somewhat rhetorical/theoretical question, as i can manage to chuck stuff together that works by dead reckoning/eyeball/ruler, my thoughts were that a table would make things a tad more accurate and easier. Mike. Edited January 5, 2020 by Enterprisingwestern Get the bl**dy name right! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted January 4, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 4, 2020 2 hours ago, Huw Griffiths said: I suspect they might be accurate enough to be usable for home workshop use. Somehow, though, I'd be surprised if they were actually as accurate as a Mitutoyo micrometer. Mitutoyo - and other premium brands - often tend to be "premium" for a reason - accuracy of calibration (including the possibility of tracing calibration back to a recognised standard) and repeatability of readings are often typical of these reasons. I'm lucky enough to be able to attend a Model Engineering Evening Class at a nearby College (one of the few such establishments still running such courses - many Colleges having dumped their workshops years ago) and have been doing so for in excess of ten years now; they basically give us a free hand to do as we wish (in Engineering terms!) and provide assistance as required - so we have a range of Milling Machines, Lathes etc. etc. to use. Anyway, I have several (3?) Verniers all waiting to be hooked up to my Taig (X and Y axes, plus Tailstock). At times I've had cause (or just plain interested) to compare Micrometer and Vernier readings when machining some bit or other, and have got the same answer on each (to 0.01mm resolution) over a range of measurements. The only downside with the Aldi (and other) cheap digital verniers is that they eat batteries - apparently when they're "off" they're still "on" and only the display is off, so battery life is still being degraded. I have a box of slip gauges upstairs - if I get bored sometime I might do a scientific comparison between mic. and vernier over a range of sizes between 0 and 25mm... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Huw Griffiths Posted January 5, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2020 20 hours ago, polybear said: I have a box of slip gauges upstairs - if I get bored sometime I might do a scientific comparison between mic. and vernier over a range of sizes between 0 and 25mm... If you get chance, the results could be very interesting. In case you're wondering why I mentioned about "repeatability", I can remember trying out a cheap digital caliper I saw at a show. Upon separating and closing the jaws a few times, I encountered noticeable "zero drift". Unsurprisingly, the vendor didn't get a sale. Incidentally, I'd also come across the issue with only the displays on some cheap calipers switching off. Huw. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfwit Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) On 03/01/2020 at 20:19, Isambarduk said: <snip> Just so, which is the thread used by Emco on their Unimat 3 - all very sensible and convenient. Both the Unimat 3 and the SL use M8 x 1 threads for the lead and cross slide screws rather than M6, as you say very sensible and convenient. Leadscrews are left hand thread, which makes it a bit of a sod when trying to source a decent tap to clear out a bunged up cross slide thread... Edited January 10, 2020 by halfwit Just because. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted January 11, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 11, 2020 10 hours ago, halfwit said: Leadscrews are left hand thread, which makes it a bit of a sod when trying to source a decent tap to clear out a bunged up cross slide thread... No problem - but not cheap: https://www.tracytools.com/taps-and-dies/left-hand-thread-taps-dies?product_id=1319 HTH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pebbles Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Unimat use Left hand M8 Fine that has a 1mm pitch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfwit Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 10 hours ago, polybear said: No problem - but not cheap: https://www.tracytools.com/taps-and-dies/left-hand-thread-taps-dies?product_id=1319 HTH I did source one in the end, but cannot remember from where. Job done now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitzl Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) A couple of months ago I searched online forums for a variable speed motor for my small Pultra lathe as the Parvalux motor and home made countershaft were getting a little noisy and bothered my wife as she watched TV in the room below. I discovered that some people were using what is described as a silent sewing machine motor. Searched the bay internationally for a 'Silent Sewing Machine Motor' and made my purchase. Silent Sewing Machine Motor A pulley that came with the motor was a little large for my taste, so I modified the original pulley to fit. Also, the unit is designed to work with a foot pedal, which I didn't fancy, so I actually shove a pancil between the alloy lever and plastic housing . Parameters such as maximum speed, motor direction and speed lock, can be set by pressing a couple of push buttons on the control box. I'm so impressed with the unit that I bought another and modified my home made milling machine and no more complaints from my wife. Here are a few pics... The Lathe is a watchmakers WW type Pultra ( bench mounted ). Here's the new sewing machine motor and bracket. The light grey control box is mounted behind the motor. Note the alloy lever on the underside for variable speed control. Details of the unit on the printed carton. The home made milling machine also has one of these motor unit's fitted. Hope this is of use to anyone thinking about a motor upgrade and I appologise if this motor has already been covered on RMWEB. Thanks for Looking. Edited April 7, 2022 by snitzl Re-Upload Lost Images. 7 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted May 12, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 12, 2020 8 hours ago, snitzl said: A couple of months ago I searched online forums for a variable speed motor for my small Pultra lathe as the Parvalux motor and home made countershaft were getting a little noisy and bothered my wife as she watched TV in the room below. I discovered that some people were using what is described as a silent sewing machine motor. Searched the bay internationally for a 'Silent Sewing Machine Motor' and made my purchase. Silent Sewing Machine Motor A pulley that came with the motor was a little large for my taste, so I modified the original pulley to fit. Also, the unit is designed to work with a foot pedal, which I didn't fancy, so I actually shove a pancil between the alloy lever and plastic housing . Parameters such as maximum speed, motor direction and speed lock, can be set by pressing a couple of push buttons on the control box. I'm so impressed with the unit that I bought another and modified my home made milling machine and no more complaints from my wife. Here are a few pics... The Lathe is a watchmakers WW type Pultra ( bench mounted ). Here's the new sewing machine motor and bracket. The light grey control box is mounted behind the motor. Note the alloy lever on the underside for variable speed control. Details of the unit on the printed carton. The home made milling machine also has one of these motor unit's fitted. Hope this is of use to anyone thinking about a motor upgrade and I appologise if this motor has already been covered on RMWEB. Thanks for Looking. Excellent - many thanks for posting this Do you have a link to the actual motor you used please? I'm also aware that some use scooter motors with a lot of success, however your solution looks much neater, with added speed control. Brian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brack Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 On my unimat SL I used a 12V speed controller from china with the scooter motor. Just be careful to find one rated for the required power. They only cost about a fiver. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitzl Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Hi Polybear, Here's a link to the actual item purchased. 550w Sewing Machine Motor Listing I have noticed that the price for this motor has increased rapidly since my first purchase. Motor for the lathe was purchased 20th March 2020 for £68.71. Motor for the miller was purchased 19th April 2020 for £79.15 Latest price in the listing on the 12th May 2020 is £135.35. The actual motor is used by different manufacturers, with a slightly different control box. Hope this helps. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 11 minutes ago, snitzl said: Hi Polybear, Here's a link to the actual item purchased. 550w Sewing Machine Motor Listing I have noticed that the price for this motor has increased rapidly since my first purchase. Motor for the lathe was purchased 20th March 2020 for £68.71. Motor for the miller was purchased 19th April 2020 for £79.15 Latest price in the listing on the 12th May 2020 is £135.35. The actual motor is used by different manufacturers, with a slightly different control box. Hope this helps. What size is your lathe? It looks larger than my WW, which takes 8mm collets and a bit of a mongrel, although the bed, and headstock are stamped Boley iirc. I've had a sewing machine motor for years but the foot pedal is a rubbish way of controlling the speed for my mind. I wonder if I should use a smaller motor? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitzl Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 1 minute ago, richbrummitt said: What size is your lathe? It looks larger than my WW, which takes 8mm collets and a bit of a mongrel, although the bed, and headstock are stamped Boley iirc. I've had a sewing machine motor for years but the foot pedal is a rubbish way of controlling the speed for my mind. I wonder if I should use a smaller motor? The lathe pictured is an early, quite rare long bed Pultra WW lathe, I also have a Boley and also an original Webster Whitcombe. All these lathes are very similar in size, the bed profiles are all the same and head stocks, tailstocks and cross slide / compound slides are interchangeable. Collet shank size is 8mm. For many years, I used a small Parvalux motor with a pulley system for the slower speeds, the new motor is like a dream in comparison. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 2 hours ago, snitzl said: The lathe pictured is an early, quite rare long bed Pultra WW lathe, I also have a Boley and also an original Webster Whitcombe. All these lathes are very similar in size, the bed profiles are all the same and head stocks, tailstocks and cross slide / compound slides are interchangeable. Collet shank size is 8mm. For many years, I used a small Parvalux motor with a pulley system for the slower speeds, the new motor is like a dream in comparison. That's so interesting since your compound slide and tool post set up seems to have a lot of height compared to what I have - the handles certainly appear much larger. Even though interchangeable it seems quite difficult to find parts for these things even if you have deep pockets. I've had some luck on ebay and also RDG tools. Maybe I am looking in the wrong places? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitzl Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 6 hours ago, richbrummitt said: That's so interesting since your compound slide and tool post set up seems to have a lot of height compared to what I have - the handles certainly appear much larger. Even though interchangeable it seems quite difficult to find parts for these things even if you have deep pockets. I've had some luck on ebay and also RDG tools. Maybe I am looking in the wrong places? The compound slide pictured above comes from a WW lathe designed by Pultra, which was the Pultra 'P' Series Lathe. Although this lathe has a different look to the earlier traditional WW lathe, the bed profile and centre heights are the same and parts are interchangeable. There's also an option to use the compound slide from the Pultra 1750 lathe, These lathe were plentiful during the war and still turn up on ebay from time to time. I recently purchased a Pultra 1750 on ebay for £250 complete with the compound slide. Both these slides come in 3 variants with regards to a full turn of the dial, standard 100 thou per turn, 25 thou per turn and 2mm per turn. To find an alternative slide, I usually search xbay daily for Watchmakers Lathe and Pultra lathe. If like me you find a cheap Pultra 1750, the collets for this lathe are 10mm shank, and not the more usual 8mm. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitzl Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 10 hours ago, brack said: On my unimat SL I used a 12V speed controller from china with the scooter motor. Just be careful to find one rated for the required power. They only cost about a fiver. I've also read on some forum that the motor and electrics from an exercise treadmill ( walking machine ) can be an alternative option, bulky heavy item though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitzl Posted May 27, 2020 Share Posted May 27, 2020 (edited) Hi All, At long last, I have a new collet rack for my lathe collets, been thinking of making one for years, nothing special, just a quick milling job. Made this old thing back in the early 80's, it's looking a little neglected. That's not lens distortion you see, it's had a hard life in one or two damp workshops. Decided on 6mm thick polycarbonate for the rack, which was machined on a milling machine. The new rack mounted to the lathe bench with a few additional collets. Thanks for Looking. Pete. Edited April 7, 2022 by snitzl Re-Uploaded Lost Images. 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Vecchio Posted May 27, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 27, 2020 Very nice not to say posh. I think the essentials as 3 or 4 jaw chuck, cutting tools and lathe tools have to be in reach. All my collets are rather in a drawer as there they are not getting dirty. But my version is in wood.... 20200527_193012 20200527_193021 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Isambarduk Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Well, I cannot compete with that lot but I do manage to keep my milling cutters under control: David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Vecchio Posted May 29, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 29, 2020 Nice selection! Well I have also a Sieg sx2 but my milling tools and milling collets are not in such a perfect storage location as shown by the gentlemen above... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitzl Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 11 hours ago, Isambarduk said: Well, I cannot compete with that lot but I do manage to keep my milling cutters under control: David What a great way to store milling cutter's, here's my very out of control stash, this is most definitely not the ideal way to store milling cutters with all those sharp edges clashing with each other. Regards Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Vecchio Posted May 30, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 30, 2020 (edited) This will kill the edges... There was a time Glenfiddich was sold in very useful metal boxes - I kept several and one is my milling cutters storage.... So I bought the single malt just for the boxes 20200530_110357 Edited May 30, 2020 by Vecchio 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted May 30, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 30, 2020 1 hour ago, snitzl said: What a great way to store milling cutter's, here's my very out of control stash, this is most definitely not the ideal way to store milling cutters with all those sharp edges clashing with each other. Regards Pete 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snitzl Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 (edited) Bought this 67mm dia four jaw chuck some months ago from the bay and thought there's no way that I can use it without making a backplate, so here's a few images taken during construction. The backplate has been made to fit a watchmakers lathe that accepts 8mm collets, initial heavier machining was done in the wokshop on a much larger Boley & Leinen lathe. Used mild steel for the backplate, the thread on the collet section of the backplate is 6.85mm x 40TPI, shank is 7.99mm dia. The mating face and location ring on the backplate is machined on a watchmakers lathe. Lathe machining now complete. Standard 6mm screws have the head machined to fit the chuck. Job Done, time for some real modelling. Thanks for Looking. Edited April 1, 2022 by snitzl Re-Uploaded Images. 8 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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