Member postings for Thor

Hi Gray,

Congratulation, excellent job as usual. I'm impressed how you have managed to fit it inside the rear cover.

Thor

Hi Dave,

On the few holders I have come across I was able to mill the holder down using a carbide tipped cutter, would probably be possible with a HSS cutter but the edge might need grinding afterwards.

Thor

Hi Robert,

A very nice solution, and as Bazyle says, that is a clean and tidy workshop.

Thor

I have got two screwless vices and are very satisfied with mine. They are not to large for my milling machine.

Tnor

Hi Arckivio,

When I installed a smaller 4-jaw independent chuck on my small lathe I already had a backplate with the correct register diameter, but with 3 mounting holes. So I simply put a mounting bolt in one in one of the holes in the backplate and used one of the 4 holes in the 4-jaw, then I could use the backplate as a drilling jig to mark the position of two new holes at the back of the chuck and drill and tap those two holes. Saved me some work and time, I agree 4 bolts would have been better but a couple of the holes would have interfered with the bolts that mount the backplate to the lathe mandrel. It has worked well for several years.

Thor

Hi Dave,

Some of the inserts I have has a small hole in the centre, they are intended for holders with a short pin on the underside of the bridge clamp (see Ian's post), the pin prevents the insert from moving when taking heavy cuts (well, so I was told when I bought the inserts). May be yours can be used in a similar holder.

Thor

Hi Nigel,

I too usually turn and mill without using coolant. When using HSS tools without coolant I run at a somewhat slower speed than the tool manufacturer recommends as their speeds are for industrial machines with flood coolant.

Thor

I too use ISO 68 way oil since a friend gave me a 4L can, before that I used mineral based chainsaw oil mixed with a plain ISO 68 oil. The carriage seems to move slightly more smoothly using proper way oil.

Thor

I do pretty much the same as Hopper do, lubricate the ways at the start of the session, afterwards I clean the ways and add a few drops of oil.

Thor

I have to admit that I don't wear a dust mask if I'm only touching up a tool, as Neil said. For grinding a HSS toolbit to shape I wear a dust mask. Inhaling a lot of fine dust particles isn't healthy.

Thor

Nice work David, did you back off the cutting edges of the tap?

Thor

I too have ordered metals from M-Machine several times and have always been satisfied with their service.

Thor

Edited By Thor on 26/05/2019 06:39:21

Hi Danny,

You can get measles outbreaks in areas with low vaccination coverage, for instance from non-vaccinated visitors, and vaccination causes less trouble than getting measles. If you are vaccinated or had measles as a child you should be well protected. A high vaccination coverage against childhood diseases is an effective way of preventing outbreaks.

Thor

Edited By Thor on 23/05/2019 12:57:33

Hi James,

Welcome to the forum.

1. Many model engineers use a Mini-Lathe for their work, so I guess it might be sensible for you to buy one.

2. I have bought several items from ArcEuroTrade and have always received excellent service, I don't think
you need to worry.

3.Brushless motors should be Ok.

4. The older Mini-Lathes with a brushed motor sometimes had controller problems. I have an old Mini-Mill
(same brushed motor and controller as older Mini-Lathes as far as I know) that is over a decade old and
have had no problems.

4. I live in a country that adopted the metre convention in 1875 so I would say a metric lathe, others may
have a different opinion.

5. For cutting aluminium and plastic HSS tools should do Ok, I myself use both Carbide and HSS tools
depending on the job at hand.

I am old and have back troubles so I wouldn't carry it up a flight of stairs alone, I would ask a friend to assist me. Good luck.

Thor

Hi John,

I can't remember having seen a materials list (someone else will probably point you in the right direction), but there is a Parts List on this drawing set.

Thor

Hi Adrian,

I have bought several CS taps from Tracy Tools and they have worked well for many years. They have mainly been used for tapping in gunmetal and brass as I have a set of serial taps I use for steel.

Thor

The Boxford Know Your Lathe book recommends these oils:

Esso Esstic 55
Mobil Vactra Heavy
Shell Carnea 41

or any light machine oil SAE 20 (around ISO 46)

Thor

Edited By Thor on 19/05/2019 11:32:43

Hi William,

Congratulations with your "new" lathe. I have got an old Emco Compact 8 lathe (a bit bigger than the Compact 5) and it has served me well for decades, if the Compact 5 is not worn/damaged you should be able to achieve good results. I don't know if you have the manual, if not it seems it can be downloaded here.

Thor

Hi Neil,

This was discussed here recently and it seems your best bet is to print to PDF and save the PDF version, read Paul Lousick's post in the link, he seems to have found a solution.

Thor

Edited By Thor on 11/05/2019 06:33:02

Forgot to mention that the dust end up in the water at the bottom of my old vacuum cleaner, so I have never had any short-circuit problems.

Thor