Lathe use

[john brown 17Participant @johnbrown17]

Hi all,hope this wont bore you all,l was given an old 10" atlas lathe that was well rough,any way l have been in need of a bigger dividing head as the small myford one l have is to small on the milling machine,so plan A is to mount the lathe head stock on to the milling machine and as the bull wheel has 60 holes for dividing ,so make up a handle etc and l think it could well work?.Plan B what to make out of the bed an saddle,,last year l had use of a small surface grinder an just loved the finish on some small parts l was making,so intend to cut the bed down a bit ,mount the saddle add a column at the rear,then maybe use a myford miiling slide and mount a bench grinder with a cup wheel on end to grind small parts ,think l can have a loan of a mag chuck to se if it works out,but being new to this model making would appreciate your thinking on my plans.The one big reason for the grinder set up is l have to work sitting or on my knees filing is dam hard at times,wont bore you with any more.

PS thanks mal you have been a great help

[john brown 17Participant @johnbrown17]

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

A 10 in lathe head is quite large but presume you have a large enough mill. Perhaps you should make a worm for the bull wheel too before terminating the lathe unless you have another one of course.

Myford vertical slide will be too small for supporting a bench grinder. You want that section to be well and truly rigid to give a good finish without vibration.

[john brown 17Participant @johnbrown17]

Many thanks for that reply,yes the head will fit ok on the mill also it wont be used very often ,need to have a go at cutting 4 gears,plus high command will not be happy about helping fitting that many times.Your views on the grinder are spot on l think,the myford slide will not be up to it,so will rethink that one,twin columns comes to mind with grinder frame on pinch clamps with say 20mm studding an hand wheel to go up an down,but will keep thinking on that one for now,but its all good fun,again thanks for the reply and will try and get a picture of it all posted when l get there.

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

Hi John…

I too had an old Atlas lathe which was in a poor condition and I thought it would be a shame to scrap it, I used some of the parts to re-furbish my own Atlas lathe and decided to make a grinder out of what was left, somewhat along the lines of the Quorn…. I also had a load of bits I collected over the years the main item of interest was part of a height measuring gauge with a nice spiral groove very similar to the Quorn pillar….It had to done!

I cut the lathe bed in half.. which is a considerably sized lump and does need all the safety gear for cutting with an angle grinder as the wheel can easily get stuck and give a nasty kick back, I can't say it is aesthetically pleasing to look at as a Quorn and I am in the process of finding a better motor and drive belt, this I must add is still in an 'experimental' stage and I also need to make a wheel guard as yet … however trial runs with a much underpowered motor have given good results with mills and drill sharpening, some of the jigs I use are shown on the baseboard…nb… the handle for the cross slide is what you think it is but I had a job explaining why there was a pair of mole grips on the bog handle..!

Anyway a picture explains more than words..

rgds..Bob.

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Excellent. Love it.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

re 20mm studding. bear in mind that if you are making a surface grinder rather than a tool grinder you will want depth control to 10ths.

[john brown 17Participant @johnbrown17]

Hi bob,what can l say l just love that,very good work,l take it the rear hand wheel is singer ? ,looks very like the one l have on the tapping /light slotting tool l made from an old burnt out small bench drill,your build now makes me want another scrap lathe,but will be happy with what l have and finish the beading machine off thats under way and then get on with the grinder project,wish l had joined you all ages ago,many thanks

[john brown 17Participant @johnbrown17]

Re 20mm studding,hmmm that did not go through my mind ,but you are right,any pointers to what l could use then please,think l have a bit of cross slide screw from an old holbrook laying about?

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

Hi John …

thanks for your appreciation.., yes you are correct, the handle is a Singer balance wheel .. I make use of these as they give good control and feel just right… I used them on my Atlas lathe and Dore Westbury miller… see pics

rgds..Bob…

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The sewing machine wheel works ok as a flywheel for a Stirling Engine.

Ian S C

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

Hi Bob Mc,

the grinder and lathe look sweet but u need to get more stuff hanging on the wall's……..hahaha,,,,,,

Clogs…….

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

Thanks Clogs../ Ian..

Yes I do worry if there ever was an earthquake all my potted meat jars full of screws/drills/taps etc would be a miasma of glass and metal on the deck… honestly I am running out of room!! they never told me that the metal bashing hobby combines several others at the same time all requiring in-depth knowledge whilst you have to have pockets with a good depth as well..!

rgds..Bob..

[john brown 17Participant @johnbrown17]

Have got hold of a length of 12mm dia acme studding an a nut ,do you all think that will be alright for the up an down for the grinder please,also need to fir a few circlips on another project has anyone used a slitting saw blade fixxed in the tool post to cut for the clips,the shaft being cut is 3/4" dia,another new job for me to have ago at,still if you dont try then l wont learn.

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