Help choosing my lathe

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

Im a metric man (33). Im not great at imperial measurements but I get by. My lathe (boxford) is imperial but its never bothered me. When I turn a part I tend to creep up on the dimension and keep checking with a caliper anyway. I also have the 127 tooth gear for cutting metric threads.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Hollowpoint on 23/01/2020 09:28:37:

Im a metric man (33).

.

So, I guess you will be more comfortable when you are 50

[ sorry, I couldn’t resist that ]

MichaelG.

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Go for whichever you like. I bought metric with my WM250V and many ME drawings, as well as parts for the heritage railway where I sometimes do volunteer machining, are mostly Imperial. It keeps the brain turning over to convert when necessary, and I've found for a long time that I can work reasonably fluently in either or both.

One of the gotchas in the WM250V is engaging feed at the end of travel or with the slide locked – it'll bend the saddle drive pinion shank before the shearpin snaps. You can straighten it with a crowbar, but it took me a year of tight spots to discover that.

[Anonymous]

It would be worth checking what imperial and metric threads can actually be cut; the range isn't always comprehensive. It would also be useful to know if the leadscrews and screwcutting gearbox are different. It's not unknown for leadscrews to be the same between imperial and metric, just the dials are changed. It also depends upon which threads are most like to be screwcut. As I'm sure you know, on an industrial lathe it is easiest to cut imperial threads on an imperial machine, and metric threads on a metric machine, but not vice versa. I don't know what the situation would be on the Warco.

Andrew

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Mick B1 on 23/01/2020 10:21:46:

[…]

I've found for a long time that I can work reasonably fluently in either or both.

.

I often work/think in mixed units … it seems quite intuitive to express something as “ten millimetres, plus or minus a couple of thou” [where thou is a thousandth of an inch]

This may be because they are both comfortable ‘human’ numbers

… the micron is rather small for general engineering use, and we don’t have linguistically convenient names for tenths and hundredths of a millimetre.

MichaelG.

[egaParticipant @ega]

I understand that metric people just say "hundredths". Perhaps there is less possibility for confusion here: how many imperial types refer to hundredths of an inch?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by ega on 23/01/2020 10:52:59:

I understand that metric people just say "hundredths". Perhaps there is less possibility for confusion here: how many imperial types refer to hundredths of an inch?

.

I accept your point … although I don’t personally find the word “hundredths” linguistically convenient.

MichaelG.

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by Philip Powell on 22/01/2020 20:58:58:

Mick. Have you considered if the leadscrew is different in metric or imperial machines? You might find one has a more useful range of thread pitches or tpi than the other.

…

Phil.

Just to point out: I had to do a 19 TPI thread a year or so ago, and apart from my Metric WM250V, I didn't find any other lathe in the shop that could do it.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 23/01/2020 11:12:04:

Posted by ega on 23/01/2020 10:52:59:

I understand that metric people just say "hundredths". Perhaps there is less possibility for confusion here: how many imperial types refer to hundredths of an inch?

.

I accept your point … although I don’t personally find the word “hundredths” linguistically convenient.

MichaelG.

I'm with you on the language point. The source of my observation was an article by one of our imperial luminaries in which he told how initially upset he was to be told that his work was "a few hundredths out".

Incidentally, although I am averse to political correctness I prefer "English" to "Imperial" even though it is inaccurate today.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

If you buy an old enough machine, you won't have this problem. There won't be any graduated dials, just handles!

My Mill/Drill is Imperial.

My lathe is Metric, but dual dialled. Mostly I work in Imperial, and most of my measuring equipment is Imperial.

A digital calliper, or a DRO, allows working in either.

At CAV we worked almost exclusively in Metric, although the product, being American design, was physically Imperial!

The current project involves a mixture of Imperial and a few Metric dimensions, because i choose to work in Imperial, most of the time.

But I keep a calculator on the shelf. No great problem, working in either.

If you choose to work Metric, use the calculator for any old drawings in Imperial.

You are measuring a distance, only the units differ.

Water boils at 100'Centigrade, at 212'Fahrenheit or 80' Reamur; just depends what units you use to measure it

In photography, speeds ratings were the same for films, there were three speed ratings, depending whether you were European, (Scheiner ), American (ASA ) or Russian (Gost ), and that ignored the pre WW2 Hurter and Driffield ratings and original Weston!

Remember the Amateur radio motto. KISS, and don't make needless complications!

Howard

[SwarfyParticipant @swarfy]

Is that lucas cav ? We manufactured parts for you where i used to work many years ago

[SwarfyParticipant @swarfy]

Thanks everybody all I need to do now is decide which (metric I’m sure )and order my 250V anyone got any discount codes for warco ?

[jimmy bParticipant @jimmyb]

Funnily enough I have had a discount code from Warco this mornin,via email, its SAVEJAN

Good luck, I think it's this weekend only.

Jim

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[This posting has been removed]

[jimmy bParticipant @jimmyb]

Bad luck Bill!

I usually get a discount code AFTER a big spend……..

Jim

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Hi Swarfy

Yes, Lucas C A V , working at Acton, in the Diesel Lab. Left in 1969, to go into buses. FAR less hassle than trying to satisfy the Staff manager as well as your immediate technical superiors.

Howard.

[SwarfyParticipant @swarfy]

Posted by jimmy b on 25/01/2020 08:59:17:

Funnily enough I have had a discount code from Warco this mornin,via email, its SAVEJAN

Good luck, I think it's this weekend only.

I just went on the warco site and the code is on there but won’t let me order as its out of stock .i had an email from them last week and the Lady stated I could order by email or phone so I’ve contacted again asking for the 10% off ,thanks for that anyway will let you know

mick

Jim

[SwarfyParticipant @swarfy]

Well despite telling me i could order on line in turns out i cant so the 10% off code cannot be used .i must say I'm very unimpressed by there attitude to a potential new customer im beggining to think i might look elsewhere ? You would think that they would be pushing to sell a machine but obviously they dont need the sales ive never bought a new machine without some kind of discount or freebies seriously got to go away and think about this .very un impressed with warco customer service

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