I added a new motor mount using c channel and hinges to allow constant tension on the belt. This should also help with belt slipped if something gets super bound up in the lathe. I am thinking of adding a lock mechanism so that the belt doesn't get super stretched out over time.

I had to 3d print a spacer for the motor so the belt didn't rub on the casting of the headstock. I also 3d printed clips to hold my vfd cables so they don't get caught up in the belt and pulleys. Dont mind the ugly color. I accidentally selected the wrong color in my AMS unit, lol.

The vfd powers a 2 hp 1750rpm 3 phase motor, so I have variable speed and can also reverse it. I welded up an arm so I can position it how I need to, depending on what I have going on around the lathe. I plan tobed print a housing for the vfd that will also hold the display for my tachometer.

I added a new vevor self centering chuck and faceplate. So far, I'm very happy with the new chuck. I also added AXA QCTP and toolholders. I was a little skeptical that it would be too small for the lathe, but it seems to scale with the lathe.

I am thinking about adding a foot pedal brake for the lathe that utilizes the largest pulley on the headstock. I'm not sure if I will follow through with this idea yet. I'm open to suggestions.

I ordered some leather stripping for a new belt. The current blue one is just for testing purposes and in case I need to turn something right away. I've also been kicking around the idea of an automotive serpentine belt, but I would have to disassemble the headstock spindle for that. I've heard it's a pain to do, and I'm not really looking to get myself into bigger issues on this project.

So far, I've got some chatter from the circular indexable carbide. I'm not sure if I have it positioned wrong or am going too slow. Any input?

This is the upper A arm on the suspension of a car I’m building. I want some advice on if this part is machinable on a 5-axis cnc machine. I am concerned about the cutouts on the inside, but I was hoping that since it’s a 5-axis the machine would be able to come in at an angle and still make the cut.

This hammer is to serve as an impact tool for.... Corrections... in physical space of things that need to NEVER spark. It may be heavy and unwieldy to use for extended use. It should feel wrong to use in any normal sense, and it cannot be magnetic field inducing anymore than the handle being steel may entail. I may nickel strike and electroplate copper over the steel handle actually, as copper is diamagnetic, and this may be used in areas where high DC voltage may be around (machine and structural welding for heavy equipment) . As much as it would be a laugh, I don't want this hammer getting magnetized. The user will be using insulated welding gloves in the least, and the hammer is to be electrically grounded when used. If the user does not wear gloves I don't give a fuck how bad it rings his hand and I don't give a fuck if he somehow becomes part of a circuit he didn't know he was gonna be part of.

It must be secure and single piece (it cannot have an eyed handle, where the handle can be replaced. If they knock the head off they can send it back to be recast or TIGged back on after massive beveling and then massive filling). It can be expected to be stored in a case that seals it from weather and general humidity though not much more protection than that.

So I am going to build an open face sand mold frame, and bury a steel bar (3/4 inch diameter round) in it, packing it in such that the end 4 inches of it would come out to a hollow rectangular pour area, 6 inches by 3 inches by 3 inches, centered. The protruding steel bar will also have broad threading such as to form a ribbed shape that can be grabbed onto. As the pour area is meant for a right angle squared mallet that will be machined later, the pour area will be open space essentially. Brass will be poured into securing the brass mallet onto the steel handle. After cooling the steel handle will be wrapped in electrically insulating tape, then wrapped tight with leather which is then corded tight with a cross cording wrapped over the head a couple times. Out the bottom of the handle, a small 3/8 bar will be welded, center aligned, which will come to a loop will be 5/8 inch outer diameter. The small bar will be also electrically insulated up until the loop, to which, a grounding wire can be tied in. The goal is that the only steel exposed is that end loop, and the head will otherwise be the only metal exposed, to be a non sparking leaded brass specifically. I may wrap the head also in replaceable thick lather

I have a 800w 250O rpm steel geared mini lathe capable of turning the handle round bar. I have welders and will be using 7018 stick for welding in the tail ground connector. I will hand shape the head after it is cast with files and power tools. I do not wish to have to drill or mill any part of this. The ground connector can serve as the hangar for hanging it in the electroplate bath as needed. If it cannot support the hammer hanging it is not rugged enough.

I will be making two of these because it is a process I don't wanna do again but I know after I do it once, I will insist on doing it better and "correct"; adjusting things as needed from first craft experience. In the end both hammers must be usable, but one will be for me and our crew (excavation with some natural gas line exposure and environment; hence the need for adjusting things with a thump but really really wanting no sparks against steel, and to be connected to the property ground) and the other one might be sold.

So question one: given the use case, what adjustments to process or this loose order of crafts and tasks should I consider? Sorry for the text wall, trying to be clear about what my bumfuck redneck ass has done ( a bit of everything ) and willing to do (anything that won't kill me most likely) and my relative skill (small to middling). I have time and raw materials a hundred fold over though

If I contracted this hammer to be made, what would be a reasonable price range? I don't make tools much outside my own use or for work crew specific needs, machining and casting are hobbies, welding is a necessary skill I had to pick up that I don't do professionally, so I'm in a weird place of "I make my own everything" (I live far away from civilization in the Rockies) and a lot of what I make being sold and manufactured in slightly different form, probably called something else than I am calling it, but costing way more than I would have and a fair bit more than I'm willing to spend.

I have all the scrap brass, copper, steel, aluminum, lead, etc. I can find a neighbor and get deer or goat or pig leather. I have fields of scrap steel equipment graveyard and an oxy acetylene torch and a metal melting recycling furnace of some advanced nature. I have plenty of sand and can make petrobond. I have a metal shop that is esoteric in inventory but well stocked. I have time. So much time. And I have no money. Nooooo money whatsoever.

Question two: how much could I sell a well made and finished hammer of this very specific nature? I don't need more than one obviously but I am going to make two; and I am broke in the boonies and would love to sell a thing for once in my life instead of buying things to make the next thing always.

Edit: alloys I'm considering are C93700 or alternatively a silicone bronze like C65500 with some antimony added (1 to 2 percent). Willing to consider anything though. Handle alloy could be anything from stainless to mild to perhaps tool steel (although I doubt I can turn good tool steel in my lathe well. Dunno never tried yet)

Second edit: where I live is 30 miles away from a tiny town which is 30 minutes away from a small city; technically my road doesn't have a name, and ups/FedEx deliveries might deliver to the mailbox up the road and then up the road; if at all. Meanwhile PO box delivery has strict size limits. I would order a hammer but literally I cannot. I could go into town and see if someone would let me ship to their house but that seems a bother. I could drive to the city but I've called around and nobody has a hammer that fits the bill well enough to serve. Meanwhile, I have all the scrap and propane I need to cast anything I need. Got some spare antimony chunks and some silicone crystals so I figure why not? I know one of the ranchers up here has some leather somewhere.

Edit three: one consideration is the volumetric thermal shrinking. While I definitely want a bit of this to allow the bronze/brass to grip the handle core as it cools, I worry too much may cause a fracture. I know to cool slow, preheat, and pour hot, but it is still a concern.

I got an old metal lathe from a family member a few years ago. It is a Power Kraft back gear driven lathe. I used it for projects especially in the manufacturing of some of the machines that my company makes.

But the quality of cuts was iffy and it had an outdated underpowered motor. This is only listing a few of the issues it has. In addition, the headstock was slightly out of alignment. It got covered in dust from the shop, the cut was sloppy because of various issues, the belt slipped all the time and the tool post sucked.

My goal is to eliminate these issues. I want to make this machine looking and working beautifully.

I also recently purchesed a benchtop mill for some small projects. I will likely post an update on that restoration as well. Follow along to see the restoration! Feel free to leave helpful ideas if you have them. Thanks for reading!

Any tips for putting a new flat belt on?

eBay has several imperial Hoke gage block sets made by Pratt and Whitney. I am hoping to find a metric set for a new young machinist as a gift. Are there metric block sets available from other quality companies? Of course there are. I want Pratt & Whitney for the nostalgia and pride of being a Connecticution (sic.) anyone have one or know of one lying around?

Looking at the prices on eBay, I assume I’ll be paying several hundred dollars.

I am working on a robot for a competition. I have a gearbox with a hex shaft that I want to thread so I can screw on a wire wheel brush. The hex shaft is 4140 hardened steel, and I need about 1" threaded to fit the brush and a nylon locknut.

I'm in Los Angeles and found a local machinist. They quoted me $150, when I told him I needed 4 he dropped it to $100 each, $400 total.

First, is this a fair price?

Second, could I do this myself? I am very comfortable with tools and DIY work, but have no metalworking experience. I found some lathes on craigslist that are comparable in cost, especially since I will likely need multiple sets of 4 made.

If this is something I could do myself, what tools would you recommend? With the quick research I've done, it looks like this would require some higher end cutters for hardened metal. Is a hand crank tool okay, or motor driven? Is a tabletop machine good enough? Should I just not go there and have a professional do it?

I need to make s pushers for some watches and they are small. I'm thinking of buying a mini lathe but my question is what cutting tool do I need to cut this slot. it's 1mm.

We run an older packaging machine and one of our gearbox covers cracked. The OEM is long gone. We don’t have drawings, no CAD, nothing.

All we have is the cracked one, and it's worn. I noticed that the bearing bore looks a few thousandths oversize and the mating face has some wear too.

I can measure it or get it scanned, but that just copies a worn part. I need what it was supposed to be.

For anyone who has had this done, how did the companies handle the guessing part? Did they mark which dimensions were measured and which were assumed?

And what checks should happen before we cut metal for a new ones.

Husbands lathe at work needs a new gear. Is there a way to broach (?) the gear splines for the machine, or does anyone have a recommendation for a shop to do so? Apparently ordering a gear won’t get here until March, and the lathe absolutely cannot be down that long.

Good day dear Machinists!

I am hoping you could help me identify what type of metal these parts are made of. I am assuming it might be the same on both parts, but can't confirm 100%.

The pictures are the only thing I have, I am hoping someone would be able to tell by the way it oxidizes (but maybe that's impossible)

I had originally thought it's carbon steel because of the oxidation but now someone suggested it might be 7075 aluminium.

This is part of a lightsaber used in the Prequel Star Wars movies in case anyone is wondering (so they are ~20 years old).

Thanks!

Hello all, above in the first picture is the drill press I have right now. It's 1/2hp, I forget the top speed but it's somewhere in the range of 3000-3500 RPM, nothing extraordinary. It seems fairly rigid, that doesn't mean anything obviously but at least there is no super evident jigglage when everything is locked down. Spindle is MT2, obviously no drawbar which may be a problem.

Current chuck is mounted with a JT3 arbor, obviously that can't be trusted for lateral milling forces. But I was thinking of getting an MT2 ER collet chuck to bypass the JT problem. That obviously still leaves a self-holding Morse taper keeping the whole thing together. How much of a concern is this for my purposes?

I am thinking I'll mostly be doing soft materials/plastics with smaller end mills (probably mostly 1/4" HSS) and taking very light cuts. Is there anything I can do to keep that Morse taper from falling out? I don't really want to Loctite it, but if such a thing is necessary I will.

Obviously that x-y vise in the second picture is gonna need some adjustment to make it actually suitable even for light work, it's straight from China. Yes I know this is a stupid idea, but having a crappy mill that can barely do anything is better then having no mill at all. What do you think?

Thanks!

The spec states a diameter of 1 1/4 inches and these appear to be 1 1/8, is this discrepancy normal?

Been thrown onto this old lathe, been a while and can’t for the life of me remember how to engage the auto feed. Any able to point me in the right direction? Cheers

As a dentist looking to evaluate dental materials, my primary expertise is clinical rather than in materials science engineering. I am exploring a budget-friendly testing setup and would appreciate insight on its validity : Can I measure micro hardness using a force gauge mounted on a sturdy rail along with a Vickers indenter, later to be evaluated using a microscope and Imagej software??

Why am I having trouble finding a shop (in the US) that will heat treat 954 aluminum bronze? The spec doesn't look complicated. What am I missing?

From ASTM B505:

Anneal not less than 2 h followed by air cool, 620 to 660 °C.

Solution treat not less than 1 h followed by water quench, 870 to 910 °C.

The one on top was in the empty spot but it’s 1/8? Is this correct?