How you don't have many more subscribers is a mystery to me? Very interesting videos with clear and precise narration. Which cannot be said for some other "superstar machinist" channels. Keep up the good work.
That's a very nice comment thank you. It takes a long time to build up views and subscribers on a specialist channel I think and to begin with it was just a 'self development' experiment for me. I've learnt a great deal about video production in 7 months, and hopefully improved a bit along the way. I've just enabled auto-generated subtitles on my videos so people can get text captions in many languages. I dread to think how they will be mistranslated by the TH-cam robots but a clear voice helps them I think. The English auto-generated subtitles were pretty accurate. It takes TH-cam a bit of time to generate the subtitles so I'm still waiting for subtitles on HS52. Cheers.
Thanks for the very clear, well thought out presentation. I'm new to machining, and just starting to investigate the taper being turned on my (new-to-me) well used flat-bed lathe. Assessing the ways seems to be an important first step.
Hi Jim, I think it's important to get a baseline. There are so many causes of taper turning. You can spend ages chasing your tail - makes your head spin. If you know your machine then there are often ways to work around wear. Cheers
Hi, glad you liked it. It's only a diy home-shop method to get some idea of the wear but I learnt a lot from it. My next video on this theme will bring it all together with some tests with a bar between centres (centers).
@@murik1356 Hi Igor, someday I will have to machine a long bar and I want to know the accuracy of my machine for that. It takes a long time to fully understand and know a machine. I want to be ready. Cheers Привет, Игорь, когда-нибудь мне придется обрабатывать длинный стержень, и я хочу знать, насколько точен мой станок для этого. Чтобы полностью понять и изучить машину, требуется много времени. Я хочу быть готовым. Ваше здоровье
Really nice approach, I dont think I have seen it done like this before. I have a couple of lathes I would like to check in the future, and this gives me an idea. I might try mounting an indicator to the side of my tail stock and see how it looks
Thanks for the comment. I was just trying to figure out what I could do with limited equipment to get an idea of the wear. I was a bit surprised myself how it developed into a useful method in the end. Cheers
Nice video, especialy the use of the tailstock, I have a flatbed lathe and I find thst if I adjust the saddle gib at the headstock end and I can then wind to the tailstock end with no great increace in effort I'm happy, enjoyed. Cheers.
Thanks. Yes I understand. If I clamp up the nearside keep strip on my saddle too much the saddle gets tight on that last bit of the bed gap block, as it runs off line by a couple of thou closest to my spindle. Cheers
If I remember correctly, prism beds (as we call them in The Netherlands) were introduced as a solution to the problem of wear caused by the fact that the support is front heavy and while turning receives a greater load on the front bedway. Maybe that remains something to keep in mind, also when checking a more modern lathe than yours for wear.
Hi Haxby I just subscribed & have been watching your video on lathe drive belt improvements, I was impress how you improvised with balancing the pulley, when I was an apprentice 55 yrs ago I watched how they balanced a large grinding wheel between the ways on a lathe, they just moved tailstock out the way & lifted the wheel with arbor fitted on to the inverted vee's , My lathe is about size of yours with same shape top of ways, with obvious limitations, hope you found this interesting, from Coventry 🇬🇧UK.
Hi Grahame, thanks for the comment and subscription. It was just a rough and ready check but close enough for what I was doing. I have another video where I balance a 4 jaw chuck on an arbor between headstock and tailstock centres (video HS17). I found it needed about half an ounce (14g) drilled out to balance it. I'd not thought of using the ways and that could be a very good platform, if the lathe is dead levelled. Cheers.
I was wondering if the gap had been correctly reinstalled - but perhaps you had already tested that. On the rigidity of the stand: When I took some measurements of my Colchester Student Mk1.5 I was surprised at how influential jacking was on bed twist and that was working on 6 points of contact with the floor. Perhaps your stand is indeed significantly more rigid. Thanks for the great video and your analytical approach.
Hi Workshopfriend, I think my story is incomplete because I have found an inconsistency with my precision machinists level that I cannot explain as yet, so maybe I will come back to do some more measurements and analysis in due course. Cheers
Thanks very much for sharing this information. It would be interesting to get some confirmation that the top of the v-ways are indeed ground or scraped prior to leaving the factory. As they aren't sliding surface, it's not apparent what the motivation for this would be. Regards.
Hi, thanks for the comment. The top of the v-ways are machined but they might not be ground and definitely not scraped. But I was willing to believe they could be a reliable reference. If there had been a big deviation between the top of the v-ways and the tailstock running ways then I would not have known which was in error but as it was they seemed to maintain the same relationship so I took that as some confidence that the tailstock ways did not have much wear and so these in turn could be used as a reference for measuring the saddle ways. None of this is precise or absolute, it was just about building a level of confidence based on a few tests and probability. Cheers
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Not being a machinist, I have limited knowledge in this area, so it’s always good to watch and listen to those who are. Hypothetically, if the lathe had excessive wear, could it be remachined? Or is such a thing not viable?
Hi K&B, you certainly can get them planed or ground and here is a video on a Harrison bed similar to mine th-cam.com/video/Ac-FiojtlUU/w-d-xo.html , but it's unlikely I could get that done locally and also I'm unsure what the cost would be. So far I've not properly investigated because my lathe is not too bad and I've not needed to do any high precision work so far. The saddle would also have to be (re)matched to the newly reground bed. Not a trivial amount of work or cost. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed thanks for replying, I gained a lot of awareness out of your video, as well as the video you linked. I wasn’t even aware of the existence of metal planers. I know of shapers, and thought the only other options were surface grinders or mills. There’s no end of things to learn. Cheers.
I agree your stand is probably rigid enough to handle twisting forces pretty well... but for that very reason I'd want to check the top surface of the stand where the lathe bed is bolted down. If that's not flat, then could its rigidity impart some twist in the lathe bed as bolts are tightened?
Hi Allen, as I understand it the stands were mated to the bed with shims in the factory. However the lathe is supposed to be freestanding and if somebody has ever bolted and clamped it down to an uneven surface then it definitely could take on a twist. I do not know the history. So from the checks I've done I can only say "I don't think it's twisted" because I do not have a precision level (and they look very expensive). Cheers
Hi Sky173, since then I have discovered about 2thou of wear on the near v-way close to the chuck. I've thought about what to do about it, but it will probably never become more than a thinking project. Cheers
How fast does the rail wear and how often should I be using a lathe before it becomes a problem as I am getting a lathe and want it to be in good condition as long as possible Last quastion what oil should i use as there really ant a awnser but heard many use car engine oil
Hi Marco, keep the bed clean and oiled. If you are a hobbyist and infrequent user it will possibly be accurate for decades. My lathe came from a training college I think and is 50 years old. If you are using it several hours a day on dirty jobs and mistreatment then expect wear. There are many opinions about oil for the bed ways. I use the same oil as the headstock gearbox - ISO 68 medium hydraulic oil recommended by the lathe manufacturer. Cheers
Bought a South Bend lathe new. My one cardinal rule:. NEVER do any sanding or grinding with it! Wipe off the bed at the start of the job. I have an Oil Cloth ? table cover that stays on the Lathe whenever it is not being used. Keep it clean and it will Outlast you, may you live long!
Hi Skysurfer thanks. Recently I have bought a wireless microphone to clip in my pocket which improves the audio quite a bit. Some people were ok with it but others struggled with the stereo echo in the old workshop. Cheers
The top of that v means nothing. the top surface of the v never touches anything so it should never wear. In fact the top of the v is not ground like the sides are.
Hi, I just used the top of the v to get some confidence that the tailstock ways were not overly worn. From then everything was measured using the tailstock ways as a reference. It was just a way to get an idea of the relative level of wear on the saddle ways.
Hello Markus, thanks for your comment. My test was just a confidence check really, with limited equipment. Please share you advice on the best way. Thanks.
How you don't have many more subscribers is a mystery to me? Very interesting videos with clear and precise narration. Which cannot be said for some other "superstar machinist" channels. Keep up the good work.
That's a very nice comment thank you. It takes a long time to build up views and subscribers on a specialist channel I think and to begin with it was just a 'self development' experiment for me. I've learnt a great deal about video production in 7 months, and hopefully improved a bit along the way. I've just enabled auto-generated subtitles on my videos so people can get text captions in many languages. I dread to think how they will be mistranslated by the TH-cam robots but a clear voice helps them I think. The English auto-generated subtitles were pretty accurate. It takes TH-cam a bit of time to generate the subtitles so I'm still waiting for subtitles on HS52. Cheers.
Thanks for the very clear, well thought out presentation. I'm new to machining, and just starting to investigate the taper being turned on my (new-to-me) well used flat-bed lathe. Assessing the ways seems to be an important first step.
Hi Jim, I think it's important to get a baseline. There are so many causes of taper turning. You can spend ages chasing your tail - makes your head spin. If you know your machine then there are often ways to work around wear. Cheers
A great approach to that never ending question for those that have older lathes, like myself, thank you!
Hi, glad you liked it. It's only a diy home-shop method to get some idea of the wear but I learnt a lot from it. My next video on this theme will bring it all together with some tests with a bar between centres (centers).
@@murik1356 Hi Igor, someday I will have to machine a long bar and I want to know the accuracy of my machine for that. It takes a long time to fully understand and know a machine. I want to be ready. Cheers
Привет, Игорь, когда-нибудь мне придется обрабатывать длинный стержень, и я хочу знать, насколько точен мой станок для этого. Чтобы полностью понять и изучить машину, требуется много времени. Я хочу быть готовым. Ваше здоровье
@@murik1356
Тоді українською дякую за коментар і підписку. На здоров'я (I hope Google got it right).
Wow, I'm subscriber after few minutes. Well done, lot of knowledge. Thanks.
Thank you Artur.
Really nice approach, I dont think I have seen it done like this before. I have a couple of lathes I would like to check in the future, and this gives me an idea. I might try mounting an indicator to the side of my tail stock and see how it looks
Thanks for the comment. I was just trying to figure out what I could do with limited equipment to get an idea of the wear. I was a bit surprised myself how it developed into a useful method in the end. Cheers
Hello,
An interesting video... thanks for making and sharing...
Take care
Paul,,
Thinking outside of the box. Excellent.
Thank you Charlie.
Nice video, especialy the use of the tailstock, I have a flatbed lathe and I find thst if I adjust the saddle gib at the headstock end and I can then wind to the tailstock end with no great increace in effort I'm happy, enjoyed. Cheers.
Thanks. Yes I understand. If I clamp up the nearside keep strip on my saddle too much the saddle gets tight on that last bit of the bed gap block, as it runs off line by a couple of thou closest to my spindle. Cheers
If I remember correctly, prism beds (as we call them in The Netherlands) were introduced as a solution to the problem of wear caused by the fact that the support is front heavy and while turning receives a greater load on the front bedway. Maybe that remains something to keep in mind, also when checking a more modern lathe than yours for wear.
Hi Haxby
I just subscribed & have been watching your video on lathe drive belt improvements, I was impress how you improvised with balancing the pulley, when I was an apprentice 55 yrs ago I watched how they balanced a large grinding wheel between the ways on a lathe, they just moved tailstock out the way & lifted the wheel with arbor fitted on to the inverted vee's , My lathe is about size of yours with same shape top of ways, with obvious limitations, hope you found this interesting, from Coventry 🇬🇧UK.
Hi Grahame, thanks for the comment and subscription. It was just a rough and ready check but close enough for what I was doing. I have another video where I balance a 4 jaw chuck on an arbor between headstock and tailstock centres (video HS17). I found it needed about half an ounce (14g) drilled out to balance it. I'd not thought of using the ways and that could be a very good platform, if the lathe is dead levelled. Cheers.
@@HaxbyShed Thanks for reply, looking forward to seeing the next video.
Another good video Haxby Shed - thank you 🙂
I was wondering if the gap had been correctly reinstalled - but perhaps you had already tested that. On the rigidity of the stand: When I took some measurements of my Colchester Student Mk1.5 I was surprised at how influential jacking was on bed twist and that was working on 6 points of contact with the floor. Perhaps your stand is indeed significantly more rigid. Thanks for the great video and your analytical approach.
Hi Workshopfriend, I think my story is incomplete because I have found an inconsistency with my precision machinists level that I cannot explain as yet, so maybe I will come back to do some more measurements and analysis in due course. Cheers
Thanks very much for sharing this information. It would be interesting to get some confirmation that the top of the v-ways are indeed ground or scraped prior to leaving the factory. As they aren't sliding surface, it's not apparent what the motivation for this would be. Regards.
Hi, thanks for the comment. The top of the v-ways are machined but they might not be ground and definitely not scraped. But I was willing to believe they could be a reliable reference. If there had been a big deviation between the top of the v-ways and the tailstock running ways then I would not have known which was in error but as it was they seemed to maintain the same relationship so I took that as some confidence that the tailstock ways did not have much wear and so these in turn could be used as a reference for measuring the saddle ways. None of this is precise or absolute, it was just about building a level of confidence based on a few tests and probability. Cheers
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Not being a machinist, I have limited knowledge in this area, so it’s always good to watch and listen to those who are. Hypothetically, if the lathe had excessive wear, could it be remachined? Or is such a thing not viable?
Hi K&B, you certainly can get them planed or ground and here is a video on a Harrison bed similar to mine th-cam.com/video/Ac-FiojtlUU/w-d-xo.html , but it's unlikely I could get that done locally and also I'm unsure what the cost would be. So far I've not properly investigated because my lathe is not too bad and I've not needed to do any high precision work so far. The saddle would also have to be (re)matched to the newly reground bed. Not a trivial amount of work or cost. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed thanks for replying, I gained a lot of awareness out of your video, as well as the video you linked. I wasn’t even aware of the existence of metal planers. I know of shapers, and thought the only other options were surface grinders or mills. There’s no end of things to learn. Cheers.
@@kathrynandbrad7737 You're welcome, thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers
very nice video ! cheers from Portugal!
Subscribed!
Hi David, thanks for subscribing. I noticed that I get a some views from Portugal. Thank you.
I agree your stand is probably rigid enough to handle twisting forces pretty well... but for that very reason I'd want to check the top surface of the stand where the lathe bed is bolted down. If that's not flat, then could its rigidity impart some twist in the lathe bed as bolts are tightened?
Hi Allen, as I understand it the stands were mated to the bed with shims in the factory. However the lathe is supposed to be freestanding and if somebody has ever bolted and clamped it down to an uneven surface then it definitely could take on a twist. I do not know the history. So from the checks I've done I can only say "I don't think it's twisted" because I do not have a precision level (and they look very expensive). Cheers
Great test. The last I check, mine was a rollar coaster compared to yours. :)
Hi Sky173, since then I have discovered about 2thou of wear on the near v-way close to the chuck. I've thought about what to do about it, but it will probably never become more than a thinking project. Cheers
Very nicely done. Thanks
Thanks for subscribing. I watched a couple of your vids today. Easy listening.
How fast does the rail wear and how often should I be using a lathe before it becomes a problem as I am getting a lathe and want it to be in good condition as long as possible
Last quastion what oil should i use as there really ant a awnser but heard many use car engine oil
Hi Marco, keep the bed clean and oiled. If you are a hobbyist and infrequent user it will possibly be accurate for decades. My lathe came from a training college I think and is 50 years old. If you are using it several hours a day on dirty jobs and mistreatment then expect wear. There are many opinions about oil for the bed ways. I use the same oil as the headstock gearbox - ISO 68 medium hydraulic oil recommended by the lathe manufacturer. Cheers
Bought a South Bend lathe new. My one cardinal rule:. NEVER do any sanding or grinding with it! Wipe off the bed at the start of the job. I have an Oil Cloth ? table cover that stays on the Lathe whenever it is not being used. Keep it clean and it will Outlast you, may you live long!
ha ,my own harrison 140 also exhibits the same characteristics re the bed gap! no solution yet!
Ah that's really interesting to know. It almost implies the gap blocks were not machined with the rest of the bed. Strange though.
🍎
ขอขอบคุณ Thank you. Thailand? Cheers
Great content, but your audio sucks, at times. Thanks for posting, keep 'em coming.
Hi Skysurfer thanks. Recently I have bought a wireless microphone to clip in my pocket which improves the audio quite a bit. Some people were ok with it but others struggled with the stereo echo in the old workshop. Cheers
The top of that v means nothing. the top surface of the v never touches anything so it should never wear. In fact the top of the v is not ground like the sides are.
Hi, I just used the top of the v to get some confidence that the tailstock ways were not overly worn. From then everything was measured using the tailstock ways as a reference. It was just a way to get an idea of the relative level of wear on the saddle ways.
@@HaxbyShed never mind
Sorry but meassure the v ways ist not possible with you'r atachement. I build lathes since 45 Years
Hello Markus, thanks for your comment. My test was just a confidence check really, with limited equipment. Please share you advice on the best way. Thanks.