Just wetting my feet

[Dominick]

Dr. TANKenstien I presume?

Sal, I can envision bolts of lightning, Tesla coil bolts of electricity, your avatar/picture with a shop coat/apron on, a cigar in one hand and a 113H tank in the other and the mad scientist smile  on your face in your shop/labratory.  Dont forget to check in with your family and us here on the forum from time to time. When I first learned how to weld, I welded everything down in the body shop of the bus maintenance division where I worked at the time. Oh yeah, dont forget to shave from time to time  . Im happy for you Sal; time to let your imagination out to play and explore!

Happy New Year Sal, I mean Dr. Tankenstein!

Leo

Dominick

[Keta]

Nice.

[Alto Mare]

Thanks guys!
Leo, you're nuts, but I still like you very much .
Rothmar, that's some fancy work you're doing there, that's one of the reason I got me one. Aaron(Reel Speed) came up with one of the best design  for the bearing puller, I have one for the 113H and it works like magic. I tried numerous times to get Aaron to make us some tips for the 114H's, but that never happened. I will try it myself, but mine won't be as nice as yours.
I'm realizing that the cost of the lathe isn't much, the problem is on what comes afterwards. Doc and Bob (Cone) hit the nail on the head when they mentioned to me that the accessories aren't cheap....we'll see .
By the way, these lathes in new condition go anywhere from $500 to $1,300, I got mine for $500 and I believe I did good.
I'm noticing that on stronger material the stainless steel cutters don't do as good of a job as on brass. Do you think carbide tips would help?
This is all new to me, I'm slowly getting into it.
Thanks again.
Sal

[Cone]

Sal, You would probably do better to learn to grind your own. Make sure that the tips of your tools are on the center line  of your work. Rake on your cutting tools makes a big difference. Brass doesn't need any rake. Grinding your own bits will save money and help you get a better finish. Carbide is brittle and on interrupted cuts can break.  JMO  Bob

[Robert Janssen]

gotta get me one of those!  

Didn't you have a line on one a while back... a neighbor who had one for sale?

...I got mine for $500 and I believe I did good.
I'm noticing that on stronger material the stainless steel cutters don't do as good of a job as on brass. Do you think carbide tips would help?
This is all new to me, I'm slowly getting into it.
Thanks again.
Sal

For that price, you did great.  Take your time; there is a lot to learn, and not surprisingly, the learning curve is almost neverending. Regarding carbide, weeell... they are good and consistent and handy and all, but you would do well to learn just a few basic tool grinding rules. After that you can live well with HSS tooling for a long time.

.

[Rothmar2]

You have done exceptionally well with your purchase!

As for turning stainless, cutting speed, temperature, and tool sharpness are the keys with using HSS to machine stainless. It can be done.

But remember these points....

Stainless has a hardness approaching that of HSS. Therefore there is a tendency for the two metals to "rub" against each other, causing rapid build ups in heat, which is the death knell for a HSS tool.

Keep this under control by getting a good machining oil that emulsifies with water and use plenty on the cutting surface as you machine. A spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle is ideal, and keep it on hand as you machine, and spray regularly onto the job.

Slow your cutting speed down. You may have seen charts for turning speeds per diameter of work piece, for use with mild steel? When attempting to turn stainless I look to slow down by about 30-40%

Eg- a 2" mild-steel workpiece may require a chuck speed approx 600 rpm on your spindle (don't have charts in front of me at the minute) when using a HSS tool. For stainless look to get that down to around 350 rpm. Same goes with drilling, slow your spindle speed down and use plenty of coolant. Except for very fine finishing cuts, you can speed up again, but look to taking less than 0.1mm off, and slow your tool travel speed right down. Keep using coolant.

Keep HSS tools sharp and make sure your tool "relief", or clearance is sufficient without being excessive. Invest in a quality drill sharpener (accessory #1) or learn to become VERY proficient doing it off hand. Set a bench grinder up for STRICTLY the grinding of your HSS tools. (accessory #2). The stainless will take a toll on your drills and tools. HSS will cut through brass and ally for a solid week without too much trouble. I would keep practicing on these for the time being, until you have the basics weighed off.

It's a long and rewarding road ahead. There really is a lot of good online turning content (videos) these days. But I strongly suggest you either get someone to show you the finer points of tool sharpening, or enrol in a course at a Tech College, if you have the time. It will be time well spent in the long run.

I mostly taught myself, but have had to learn the hard way on a few occasions....don't let it happen to you.

Good Luck!

[AndrewC]

HSS tools will suit most of the materials you'll be working with, unless you intend to start working with Hi moly steels, and when you learn to grind your own tools its a lot cheaper, although they wont last as long a tungsten carbide tips.

Cost blowout on tools and accessories is easily achieved. I just forked out $6500 for a 150mm incremental boring head on an M4 taper that will fit both the lathe and mill.    

[Alto Mare]

Lots of knowledgeable people here, thanks guys. Yes there is a ton of information on line and I'm slowly taking it all in. Keep in mind, this lathe that I have is tiny, I already know how expensive it would get if I ever decided to upgrade. As much as I love working with steel, I think I'll stick with this little machine. All I want to do is make some small parts anyway.

Mr Grumpy, looks like you have some serious equipment, time to get cranking and make us some custom parts

Bob, I wasn't centering the cutter, It is cutting much better now .

Thank you!... All comments are appreciated.
Sal

[Cone]

I'm not familiar with the Unimats. I've never used one. One of the best purchases I made for mine was a quick change tool post. I don't have to shim the tool bits to get them on the center line. And changing out tools is much easier. Bob

[Dominick]

I just forked out $6500 for a 150mm incremental boring head on an M4 taper that will fit both the lathe and mill.  

Now we know why they call you Mr. Grumpy.  Dominick

[LTM]

Sal aka Dr Tank,

Thanx for enjoying my vision, better put: my vision of myself  .  BTW, I was rerpremanded for welding down everything (including this massive 200+ lb anvil) in the body shop of the municipal bus company where I worked.  Anywho, back to my thoughts. When I first started studying electronics (30+ yrs ago) the first items I made were tools. All were developed on my custom (state of the art at the time) multi-level bread boards before being packaged in cabinets/containers for daily use. What Im attempting to say is that I created tools like lab quality power supplies, digital pulse meters, voltage meters etc to allow me to develope/create more complex devises/tools. This was based on the fact that I was TOO BROKE to afford most off the shelf quality instruments/products. The knowledge gained from making my own instruments/tools has never stopped growing. When I got into my digital electronic classes; my projects started leaving the galaxy.

Well Dr. Tank you've finally got yourself a "replicator" (Treck-ee talk).  So, what major fishing reel disease(s) do you plan to irridicate/cure in the upcoming new year of 2014?  You've already cured "Polio" in the 113H by double-dogging it. Huuuuuum, me thinks your attentiion will be on your beloved Penn's; maybe the spinning reels. You have lots of Penn parts to swap around and play with and now a replicator to create parts with as well. IM NOT GOING TO ASK WHAT YOUR TOP SECRET PROJECTS ARE, JUST THAT YOU SHOW US A PEEK/NAKED SHOULDER OF WHAT YOUR DOING FROM TIME TO TIME!! 

Alan Tani, what if the lathe virus takes off like the "Tank virus"?  Wow, starts out with a few, then hundred's, then who knows how many custom parts for all brands of reels. See what you started Alan an underground world of Egors and Mini-me's armed with LATHES,  and more questions and a new section for lathes now!!!

Take care guys,

Leo

[Dominick]

The cognitive fluidity expressed on this site is astounding.  Dominick

[Ron Jones]

Cognitive fluidity? Someones been sipping the Zin again...
Ron

[Shark Hunter]

Easy with those big words Dominick! You are scaring us!

[AndrewC]

Mr Grumpy, looks like you have some serious equipment, time to get cranking and make us some custom parts

Sal

Sal

Unfortunately all the gear I have access to is a little large for making parts for fishing reels, but if you need 6 inch holes bored through a 4 inch slab steal (thats why I needed the incremental boring head as my biggest drill bit is 4 inch), a 30' V16 Crank machined, a 24" cylinder machined back true and re sleeved......not a problem. You know what they say about boys and the size of their toys 

What I need is access to a CNC machining centre and I'll knock out anything you want by the thousands.

I suppose a small milling machine with a rotary table and a dividing head is the next thing on your shopping list and you'll be able to make just about anything you need