Thanks.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>@Pete It’s MT4 horizontal (with overarm support), and the awkward, early 16mm (Lorch B?) collets for the high speed head. The vertical (SK40) and slotting heads are, I confess, from an FP2. Not ideal, but they were available, fit, and are PA20° unlike the FP1 drive gear. It’s only got a single pair of gears for the feeds, so I’ll have to make or get some new ones too</p>
@Wayne Great! Although you’ve identified the issue I have – no working lathe. I can make do with precision ground round bar, or dowels, and possibly do some simple turning with stock held in a collet in the horizontal spindle

@Hollowpoint Thank you. Yes it is – and should basic6ally mean that the limiting factor is only ever going to be me, not my tools. The only hurdle is that my fluency in Imperial units is low, so I want to add DROs to at least the mill, lathe, grinder, and jig borer so I minimise the likelihood of error (from that source at least).

As the HC is a turret lathe, it’s already well set up with stops and a turret rather than wobbly topslide. You have given me two lathe project ideas to add though:

1. Cut-off tool/holder – Hardinge made a toolholder+dovetail slide that mounted on a collar around the spindle nose. It held a cutoff tool vertically, and via the lever operated slide, cut off the part flush without sacrificing a turret station
2. Taper tool – Again, a replica of of a Hardinge original. Basically a short, fully supported, lever operated, dovetail slide to enable turning short tapers (e.g. collet seats)

Soft jaws, fixture plate, and split vice are all good ideas, thank you – I’ll add them to the list

Thanks again all.

Getting the lathe running is indeed a high priority objective, but I don’t want to be stalled in making stuff while I am working through the lathe.

I do have some (purchased) parallels and a clamping kit; I was going to use those and make my own only when I identify shortcomings or frustrations.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Fluency in Imperial – I agree, a number is a number. If I were working to imperial drawings, no issue in the slightest. I design and think in metric though – so my drawings are in metric. The dials are, as pointed out, (generally) in thousandths. It’s just an unnecessary PITA to have more mental hoops to jump through – measuring a slot, it’s 0.3mm undersize, ok, that’s 0.15mm off each side, so zero dial, move the cutter across 0.15*39.37 thousandths, =5.9 thou, take cut, then come back past zero (say, 30thou), and crank back to -5.9thou, take the cut. Vs. with DRO measure, halve it, zero dro, come across .15mm, cut, drive across to -.15, cut.</p>
T-slot scraper added to the list 🙂