Mystery Tooling

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

A little puzzle for a rainy day.

I bought a circa 1930 Faircut lathe at the weekend. It came with a bunch of tooling, some of which I understand and some of which I dont.

This one is probaby the oddest.

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

[BizibilderParticipant @bizibilder]

Drill grinding jig.

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

Plus one for drill sharpening jig I have one made by eclipse and if you need them I also have instructions for it's use

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Is there a tool post grinder to go with it?

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

It's a Reliance Drill Grinding Jig – there's at least one thread on here, I think, and a discussion and possibly instructions here;

http://www.lathes.co.uk/reliance/

A 'net search should throw up quite a bit more information ..it's safe to say that drill grinding attachments are er, widely discussed.. A search incorporating something like "Reliance Drill Jig Harold Hall" might yield something useful.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Andy, here's one of the threads about sharpening initiated by me.
I quite like the Reliance; it certainly works better than the cheaper far eastern imports.

Bill

p.s. Andy, check your inbox.

Edited By peak4 on 14/08/2019 17:08:38

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

Thanks all – clearly not much of a mystery item at all then. I might even have figured it out if I could get past my assumption that the tooling that I bought with the lathe was tooling for the lathe.

Once cleaned up, the drill grinding jig should be handy now that I know what it is. I have been grinding drills by eye so far.

I dont think there is any evidence of grinding appliances having been used on the lathe but it's difficult to be certain.

The other three items that puzzled me are probably also not much of a mystery – I think I have a tentative explanation for each one but let's see what others think.

[BufferParticipant @buffer]

Hand turning rest

Potts milling attachment

And dont know

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

> Hand turning rest

That was my thought. It does seem an odd shape though compared with the graver rests that are used on watchmakers' lathes. Is it intended for hand gravers or some other tool?

> Potts milling attachment

Having looked at the lathes.co.uk page on these, I suspect mine is 'inspired by' rather than from Potts. Mine has a 1MT taper to take the tool and generally seems lower grade than the Potts products as well as lacking any sort of maker's identification. I need to figure out some sort of practical power source and drive arrangement for this.

> And dont know

I managed at least one mystery for one person then.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Andy Carlson on 14/08/2019 18:22:02:

… I need to figure out some sort of practical power source and drive arrangement for this.

.

I recommend that you get a copy of 'Milling in the Lathe'

MichaelG.

.

Edit: this is it …

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Milling-Lathe-Edgar-T-Westbury/dp/B00133ZQRU

 

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 14/08/2019 18:35:32

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I used to have a cheap copy of that sharpener, I gave up using it as I couldn't manage to get both flutes to match exactly.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

No. 3 looks as if it's to fit T-slots. Not a rather crude travelling-steady, perhaps? The paint seems to match that on the hand-turning rest.

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

I dont think the paint will tell us much. The lathe is over 80 years old and has been painted on more than one occasion. The same green is under the current darker green on the machine itself.

I went out to the shed to try out my theory of what the third thing is for. A couple of photos to see if you agree. On the other hand it is quite wide for that job and it does look pretty blunt.

[Kiwi BlokeParticipant @kiwibloke62605]

Close… I think you're implying a parting tool. Thanks to the set-up pic, you've provided the clue – it's a travelling steady. Clever design for its simplicity.

Edited By Kiwi Bloke on 14/08/2019 22:24:55

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

Hmm… so you're thinking that I need to slacken the bolts and pivot the thing upwards so that the work sits in the cutout.

I think that could work but it's puzzling why the pointy end is set at or near centre height just now because I dont think it would be much use as a steady like that. A contemporary illustration would clinch it so maybe one will turn up one day.

Based on the fact that it's cast iron I'm guessing it's a bought item rather than something improvised by the owner (or at the very least a bought casting). I'm not sure if any of these things were Faircut made accessories or picked up as after market add-ons.

Interesting stuff. You just dont get all of these talking points with a brand new lathe.

Edited By Andy Carlson on 14/08/2019 22:44:16

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Re the travelling steady, is the blade made of bronze under all the crud, rather than steel?

It's not dissimilar in design to that of the Smart and Brown one.

Try this Google Search, when I've just done it, the first two images are of ebay items, there's also the Colchester one further on

Bill

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

I think I'm conviced that it is intended to be a steady.

I cleaned off the pointy bit and it looks like a bright steel of some sort. Checked with a magnet too and it's definitely ferrous. That seems non-ideal for a steady. The corners seem to have been given a very slight chamfer which would also indicate against it being a cutting tool.

I am wondering if some or all of these things are 'projects' and were actually made on the lathe – maybe the original owner bought some castings and did some self help to get more tooling.

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

Posted by Kiwi Bloke on 14/08/2019 22:24:23:

Thanks to the set-up pic, you've provided the clue – it's a travelling steady. Clever design for its simplicity.

It is a bit of an unusual travelling steady as it is bolted to the crosslide. To make it work, one would need to put the cut on with the topslide.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by DC31k on 16/08/2019 06:50:52:

Posted by Kiwi Bloke on 14/08/2019 22:24:23:

Thanks to the set-up pic, you've provided the clue – it's a travelling steady. Clever design for its simplicity.

It is a bit of an unusual travelling steady as it is bolted to the crosslide. To make it work, one would need to put the cut on with the topslide.

.

Perhaps it is intended as a 'follower rest'

[similar function to the 'box tool' on a capstan lathe]

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Here's a baby version for the Sherline lathe:

https://www.sherline.com/product/1090-lathe-follower-rest/

… includes a useful description and instuctions 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 16/08/2019 07:56:58

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

Posted by DC31k on 16/08/2019 06:50:52:

Posted by Kiwi Bloke on 14/08/2019 22:24:23:

Thanks to the set-up pic, you've provided the clue – it's a travelling steady. Clever design for its simplicity.

It is a bit of an unusual travelling steady as it is bolted to the crosslide. To make it work, one would need to put the cut on with the topslide.

Yes I see what you mean. I had another look at the saddle assembly today and the headstock side of the saddle is almost flush with the edge of the cross slide so I don't think there is anywhere obvious to attach the kind of travelling steady that I'm familiar with.

Still, using the topslide should work OK – certainly better than not having a travelling steady at all.

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 16/08/2019 07:42:34:

Posted by DC31k on 16/08/2019 06:50:52:

Posted by Kiwi Bloke on 14/08/2019 22:24:23:

Thanks to the set-up pic, you've provided the clue – it's a travelling steady. Clever design for its simplicity.

It is a bit of an unusual travelling steady as it is bolted to the crosslide. To make it work, one would need to put the cut on with the topslide.

.

Perhaps it is intended as a 'follower rest'

[similar function to the 'box tool' on a capstan lathe]

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Here's a baby version for the Sherline lathe:

**LINK**

… includes a useful description and instuctions

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 16/08/2019 07:56:58

I had a look at the Sherline thing. I think it attaches to the saddle rather than the cross slide. I think the bit on the cross slide is free to move as the slide is traversed – it just adds some downward pressure to keep the steady from flexing. I guess its convoluted design means that the Sherline also lacks any part of the saddle sticking out from the edge of the cross slide.

I'll look up the box tool thing.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Andy Carlson on 16/08/2019 13:56:27:

.

 

I had a look at the Sherline thing. I think it attaches to the saddle rather than the cross slide.

.

Oops … so it would appear

Bad choice of example on my part

MichaelG.

.

Edit: some of the links are dead, but this might help:

https://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/threads/box-tool-aka-small-diameter-turning-tool.2773/

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 16/08/2019 17:50:20

[Andy CarlsonParticipant @andycarlson18141]

Thanks Micheal – most informative.

Having used a Cowells and for the past 12 months, cuts in a single pass are a bit of an alien concept to me. Still a lovely lathe though and it lives in the house so definitely preferable to getting drenched on the way to the shed tonight.

Regards, Andy

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Andy Carlson on 14/08/2019 18:22:02:

> Potts milling attachment

Having looked at the lathes.co.uk page on these, I suspect mine is 'inspired by' rather than from Potts. Mine has a 1MT taper to take the tool and generally seems lower grade than the Potts products as well as lacking any sort of maker's identification. I need to figure out some sort of practical power source and drive arrangement for this.

Potts used to sell castings so they can vary greatly in the detail, that looks like original castings.

I made this one about 16 years ago, must try using it some time…

[Author]

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