Mankster

Well, I just ordered myself a Sieg C-1 (Axeminister version). Its the first time I been anywhere near a lathe since school, so I am very much a novice. I wanted a small lathe that I could tuck way, the C-O didn't have quite enough swing for what i needed. The other one I was looking at was the Taig/Peatol. I post some pics when it arrives and I clean it off.

Bunkerbarge

A very nice neat compact piece of kit but with some good features.

I am sure that you will like it.

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“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"

kevingambrell

Hi Mankster,
If your making the machine portable so it can be put away give a lot of thought to how you will mount the machine. The bed has to be seen to have no twist. Even a small machione can twist the bed if its not secured well and set up using an engineers level. Even on a ship that rolls the machine will be leveled in this way.

Dont forget to run a test cut on a bar to see if your headstock is true. Use the saddle to take the cut. once your happy with that set a lump of bar up in the chuck centre the tailstock in the bar and do another cut to check the tailstock alignment. You have no hope of true cuts with out doing this.

The test bars should be as long as you can get away with in the machine and no more than a few thou each time. I like my machines to be good to a thou or so in a foot. And yes you can do that before any one shouts lol ;-)

kevin

Mankster

Thanks Kevin for the tips on the setup, I've never done this before and am hoping the instructions are decipherable. I was planing on mounting it on a plinth which I could bolt to the bench when it was in use. I am mainly going to be working polycarbonate and pvc sheet.

kevingambrell

Hello mankster

The big problem you find with lathes that are not bolted down is the bed trys to twist. I had an ML7 for some time that was mounted on a wooden bench it was never realy that clever. In the end it was taken off and put on a frame made from 3 inch MS box that was all welded.

When I set up in the US i bought a number of the chinese import machines mostly 14x40's and a few larger. The problems we had mostly revolved around poor build quality. One of the first had a cracked headstock that only showed its self as a tapper in a bar of around 20 thou in a foot.
The others just wanted bolts replaced and jibs set.

If you can buy your self some lumps of stelite to grind tools from. Dont waste your money buying these cheap tipped tools a, there not ideal for what you want to do and b, learning to make tools allows you to think about form tools for repatition work.

Chronos UK sell some good books on lathe work well worth a look.

Kevin

alan2525

This site has some references to grinding lathe tools:

http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe...l_grinding.htm

I wouldn't recommend having the tool rest set 1/4" away from the wheel though as in the first image!

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Bunkerbarge

I know you are all going to shout at me but I use indexible inserts. It just saves so much mucking about not to mention the mess around the grinder although I totally agree grinding your own teaches you a lot about what is going on at the tip.

I have also just purchased a Quick Change Tool post from littlemachineshop.com which comes complete with four holders for various tools. Consequently I just had to get a new set of tools and a set of boring bars to go with it. I can't wait to get home for a play now.

After reading a lot of information though about my lathe, mainly on the links provided here, the first thing I will do is strip it down, check and and reassemble everything with lithium grease then adjust all the running surfaces to remove any play. I've also got the cam lock to fit on the tail stock so that should all be fun!

__________________

“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"

kevingambrell

Hi
Grease dosnt really do a machine any good in the long run. It has a nasty habbit of holding onto swarf and general crud from machining.
The ways should have a good quality slie way oil and if the machine has a gearbox that should use the rated oil that the makers list.
Slide way oil clings to the ways giving good lubrication and also reducing stiction.
One thing i will mention is lead screw use. most small machines use the lead screw for both thread cutting and power feed. what can happen in time is the screw wears at the head stock end and not the tail stock end. The result can be seen on long thread cuts as a thread that opens out. Keep the lead screws for thread cutting and use the saddle wheel to make your long cuts.
Most of the model maker lathes beds I have seen are worn at the headstock end. this is partly due to most of teh work being atthat end of the bed but also to the model maker cleaning off swarf after every cut and not re oiling the bed.
An old guy once said to me "Oil is cheap cast iron is not" and its true, keep the oil flowing and keep the machine working.

On clean up try to avoid using an air line to blow swarf off, it just forces the stuff under the slides. Use a sash brush and a clean cloth.

kevin

kevingambrell

I thought putting pictures up would be easy! i had to open a bucket account? Who thinks all this gibberish up?

Any way the pictures are of my Colchester Bantam its a 1950's model running three phase nice old machine. it gets more use than most of the others.

the second picture is the toy thats being built at the moment. I started years ago with a Fowler and should have built this one first. But thats the way of things. Its an inch to the foot and burns the good stuff not gas.

Hope the pictures give a clue as to what i spend my time doing, (dont tel the other half she still thinks I do somthing usefull)

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...l/tractor4.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...olchester2.jpg

Mankster

Well my C1 lathe as arrived; haven't used it yet but I am pretty pleased with it. In came bolted down to the bottom of a shipping crate so damage. It would appear that the Axminster version comes with shipping grease already removed and lubricated. Comes with a manual that describes seting up and lubrication and seems to have been writen in the UK, rather than a translation of Chinese instruction. I also got a horizontal slide and drilling tailstock to go with it. Just switched it on to make sure everything works fine but I'll need to get a beginers book on lathes before I get started.