Don’t try this at home – a t-slotted slide for mini-lathes

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

This links to a full length illustrated article. It has been edited to remove some photos showing setups that are just too dodgy to repeat. My only excuse is that I still had a lot to learn…

T-slotted table

Neil

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Neil

"My only excuse is that I still had a lot to learn…" does that include working links

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Ha! I had set the publish date of the article to 6 February…. problem is that as a moderator I can see published articles!

Should be viewable now

Neil

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Thanks for posting this Neil. I do have a little X2 mill which should help a bit with the flycutting and T-slots.

Your drawings saved me a bit of measuring though I shall make smaller T-slots as you alluded to.

* Danny M *

[VicParticipant @vic]

Hat well and truly off to you Neil. Very ambitious project considering the tools available but a good result nonetheless.

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Impressive work Neil, especially when considering you made it on a Mini-Lathe. I have made a new top slide for my Compact 8, but I did use a Mini-Mill, made things a lot easier.

Thor

[Jesse Hancock 1Participant @jessehancock1]

I like the warts and all approach to this article. To admit your mistakes is to admit you're human. Well done Neil.

Jesse.

[jason udallParticipant @jasonudall57142]

Brilliant. .the hoops jumped through ..but good demonstration of how we can make parts to an “adequate” accuracy.

One thing..couldn’t you have made it in two parts (each say at the limit of machining throw)..and then join the two halves…dowels and loctite?.

[jason udallParticipant @jasonudall57142]

Just read ” adequate.”…
No slight implied..
But I guess it might be seen..apologies. .
If at the limit of measurements, then thats as good as possible.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Excellent article Neil. I would be too embarrassed to publish some of my earliest projects. Fortunately I didn't photograph them

Russell.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I would be too embarrassed to publish some of my earliest projects. Fortunately I didn't photograph them

I put my guffy stuff up in here so that fellow hackers on the long road to ME nirvana can see that they're not alone in this world

As far as huge lumps of outsize iron like Neils are concerned I got a shaper to deal with that stuff, much easier and safer

This bit of rear lorry leaf spring was 9 x 1 x 4 and banana shaped before the shaper dealt with it

Edited By Ady1 on 06/02/2015 10:48:27

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

Might I make a comment about warts and all articles.

Although we all like to think we are able to produce first class jobs first time every time, the reality is that a lot of us cannot because a) we may not have the experience to do it; b) we may not know how to do it; and c) it may be more than our equipment (and ourselves) can do. Furthermore, we must realise that even the experts started at rock bottom and will have made mistakes.

I actually think that articles which include notes on cockups, the realization that a different way would be better, poor finish etc probably do more to encourage beginners and those struggling to achieve better results, than some of the "perfect" articles that do tend to appear.

To give an example, some time ago, I had an article published. Ok it looked reasonable, but only because the paint masked the poor finish! Now it seems to me, that really I should have shown both the unfinished ugly article as well as the finished, painted article.

So please, let's have more articles showing cockups, mistakes, and how to recover from them. After all, is there any real shame in filling an unfortunate gouge with something like Milliput and then paint? Because, lets face it, that's what we do when decorating the house, isn't it.

Regards,

Peter G. Shaw

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Even the big time manufacturers have to fill in dings, as well as the blow holes in castings, some one on here did say how much solder filler was allowed for on RR car bodies.

Ian S C

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

Thick red-oxide primer has improved my welding no end.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Peter G. Shaw on 06/02/2015 11:19:

After all, is there any real shame in filling an unfortunate gouge with something like Milliput and then paint? Because, lets face it, that's what we do when decorating the house, isn't it.

.

Quite right, Peter

… and it's worth remembering what some machine-tool castings look like, underneath the 'Primer'.

MichaelG.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

After doing some electric welding, I am always grateful for the Angle Grinder to smooth it done, and remove the ugly lumps!

Howard

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

It's always rewarding to know people appreciate what you have done badly

In truth, when the first dovetail came out with no detectable join, I thought 'well that was easy, I wonder why other people don't do it that way. After three or four failed attempts to duplicate the feat, I had to accept it as beginner's luck and accept what I had before the dovetails became too wide.

I am surprised that no-one markets such a cross slide for mini-lathes.

Neil

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Neil,

Well done using that small lathe! Swinging that lump of CI made my eyes pop.

However, I think you should publish the photos you decided to remove, stating quite clearly why the set-ups are iffy.

Newcomers to the hobby need to be shown just what constitutes a dodgy/dangerous set-up to forewarn them NOT to do so, and that no doubt applies to some of us hobby oldies as well.

It may well prevent someone from doing a nasty to themselves and/or whoever is with them, apart from ruining a part.

It behoves us 'learned hobbiests' to pass on our experience/s, good and bad, for the benefit of others especially those new to the hobby.

I remember my first "Oh sh1t" moment using my V10P, when the long bar sticking out the end of the spindle decided to flail everything it could reach. That was a lesson never forgotten, as was leaving the chuck key in place and it went whizzing past my ear. Another lesson learned.

Geoff – been back in the Workshop this week at last.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I can't find the worst. It showed the 1x3x6 block screwed to the faceplate by the 1×6 face with two M6 screws…

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 06/02/2015 19:10:31:

I can't find the worst. It showed the 1x3x6 block screwed to the faceplate by the 1×6 face with two M6 screws…

.

Should probably have used 0BA.

MichaelG.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Neil,

Third photo shows that block mounted on the faceplate, or do you referring to a different one?

Geoff – Workshop here I come.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Posted by OuBallie on 06/02/2015 18:00:05:

I remember my first "Oh sh1t" moment using my V10P, when the long bar sticking out the end of the spindle decided to flail everything it could reach. That was a lesson never forgotten

Been there, done that

Russell.

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

And me

John

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 06/02/2015 19:37:39:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 06/02/2015 19:10:31:

I can't find the worst. It showed the 1x3x6 block screwed to the faceplate by the 1×6 face with two M6 screws…

.

Should probably have used 0BA.

MichaelG.

 

Which is the same size, but you knew that didn't you ?

 

Glad this post has come up on the same page as the MEX judges post as it's interesting to compare the two and another mark for the warts and all over the polish it until it dazzles end result.

 

In a contemporary magazine there has just been published an article where the engineering is superb, possible too superb in that many of the parts were being shown cylindrically ground.

Why I have no idea other than the author could and ego, because the fit didn't warrant sub micron accuracy and the parts were just soft mild steel anyway. Not many have the facility to cylindrical grind parts. It would have been a better article if the drawings had as much effort put into them as the polish on the finished parts.

 

However this backfired and the article went unnoticed and uncommented on possibly because it made it far more complex than it needed to be and it just put people off.

 

Neil's article breathes a breath of fresh air into the subject as it's always easier to improve on something than to try to equal or better perfection. More like a working man's version of George Thomas.

In fact if we take it a step further a modern day version of Jack Radford.

Now for anyone not familiar with Radford's work he was a brilliant engineer and an innovator. Thomas could and did add the bling but Radford was a designer and engineer first and a showman second.

 

Now I will stand back for incoming flames, bricks and the odd five pound note.

 

[Edit] English is not my fore fingers first language.

Edited By John Stevenson on 07/02/2015 16:22:51

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