New Lathe

Posted on July 25, 2020 by K5FR

Background:

I decided it was time to upgrade to a larger lathe. After much browsing, consideration and deliberation I settled on a Grizzly G0750G 12×36 Gunsmithing Lathe. Even though I don’t plan to use it for gunsmithing I wanted the extra sturdiness, larger spindle bore and other features this lathe afforded.

Setup:

Uncrating, assembly and setup was more-or-less straight forward using a pallet jack and a two (2) ton shop crane both from Harbor Freight. Next decision was whether to use isolation mounts or bolting the stand to the floor. Isolation mounts were chosen because of not having to pick a permanent location and leveling the machine is easier to accomplish. The leveling pads were obtained from Precision Matthews and they worked out satisfactorily.

Accessories:

A word of caution;
Grizzly has good prices on their machines, but accessories can be highly inflated in price. So, shop around before buying as I learned this lesson a little late. 🙁

DRO: (Carriage/Cross Slide)
I purchased the DRO (2 axis) from Grizzly (H6095) . Didn’t realize it at the time, but the scales are glass and they are big. In fact I couldn’t use the cross-slide scale and wound up getting a magnetic scale and reader from DRO PROS which made a much nicer installation.

Tail Stock DRO:

5C Collet Chuck (Bison) and set of collets (Grizzly)

Hard Stop (Precision Matthews)

Buck 8″ 6 Jaw Chuck


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Precision Matthews P-935TV (9″ x 35″) Knee Mill

Posted on July 25, 2020 by K5FR

Time for a new mill for the shop. My table top mill just wasn’t up to the job in many cases, so after much consternation and investigation I decided I would go for a 2/3 size Bridgeport clone. Needless to say there are a lot of clones out there, but I decided on the Precision Matthews PM-935TV. The major determining factor was the reputation of Precision Matthews and this mill is 100% manufactured in Taiwan. Also since my shop is in my home garage this is the largest model that can be shipped and delivered using lift gate service and will fit under an eight (8) foot ceiling. I also ordered the following accessories of which the first first (3) had to be installed.

  • Power drives for the X|Y|Z axis
  • Four axis magnetic DRO (DRO Pros EL700)
  • Power Draw-Bar
  • R8 Keyless High-Precision drill chuck
  • Kurt DX6 Crossover mill vice
Mill with accessories installed.
Mill Top Front showing power Draw-Bar
Power Draw-Bar air regulator & lubricator
Mill X, Y, Z Power Drives
DRO Display
“X” axis DRO scale installation (cover removed)
“Y” axis DRO scale Installed (upper), “Y” axis Power Feed limit switches (lower)
“Z” axis DRO Scale Installation
Quill DRO Installation (DRO Pros Magna-Slim reader head and scale). Note: see pix above for size comparison, The Magna-Slim scale is less than half the width of the standard scale. A standard scale would have been VERY difficult on the quill.
Quill DRO left side
R8 Collet Holder on left side of mill
110 VAC power strip for accessories
R8 Tool Rack
First mill project was a R8 Tool Rack attached to a roll-around tool cart.

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Sieg SC4 Compound Removal

Posted on May 14, 2020 by K5FR

Discription

This mod removes the compound from the lathe in its entirety. The compound on this lathe is the weakest part of this lathe and severally limits its capability.

Before the compound was removed only very light cuts could be attempted and using carbide insert tools was essentially impossible. After this mod I can make heavy (.150) cuts in steel using carbide inserts with ease. This setup is very solid and makes a WORLD of difference in the performance of the lathe.

This is actually a very simple mod in that no modification to the cross slide is required at all. You just remove the compound and replace it with the new solid tool post mount.

Parts List

1. Tool post mounting block: 4″ x 4 “x 1.375” 1018 steel.
If you machine the block carefully with reference to the compound height you can use
all the tool holders between the rigid block and the compound without having to adjust them.

2. Tool Post bolt: 14mm x 5″ O1 tool steel, threaded 14-2 mm both ends (this can be any thread you like just as long as it fits the tool post) Note: you may use the tool post bolt from the compound but I elected to make a new one because the Chinese one didn’t fit the tool post very well.

3. Thread Plates: (2) 6mm thick 1018 steel, threaded 8mm thru.
These thread plates slip into the T-Nut slots on the cross slide to hold the tool post mounting block down to the cross slide. Care should be taken when machining these to keep a good fit between the cross slide and mounting block.

4. Mounting hardware: (4) 8mm hex head cap screws – (1) 14-2mm flange nut.
The mounting hardware can be just about any thing you want

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Filer Machine

Posted on June 30, 2019 by K5FR

I decided to build this filing machine as a machine project and I would have a useful tool when completed. Trying to file to line is difficult to do by hand. This machine makes short accurate work of that. After looking around trying to find one it was apparent nobody makes them anymore. I did find that Andy Lofquist at Metal Lathe Accessories sells a kit of castings with a nice set of drawings where one could be machined.

The motor and speed control are from Sherline Products, maker of miniature machine tools. This motor unit is used on their lathe and mill products and powers the filer very successfully.

The castings as furnished.

I didn’t take pictures during the machining process because I found another guy that had documented the processes very completely if you would like to see what’s involved.

Below are a few pictures of the finished machine. If you would like to see it running go up to the top of the page and click Videos.

Motor mount
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LMS Hi-Torque Bench Mill MODs

Posted on February 4, 2017 by K5FR

General

For my purposes this mill is a good selection for what I do as a hobbyist. It has a lot of power and table range. However, being one not to leave well-enough alone (as my father would say) I find the following mods greatly enhance the LMS 5500 mill. Most of these are simple bolt-on kits available from LMS or other suppliers and were not difficult to install.

Notes:
1. Click on any picture to enlarge.

Magnetic DROs for X/Y/Z & Quill

DROs (Digital Read Outs) are a very worth-while asset to this mill and are fairly easy to install. I selected the DRO PROS 3-axis EL400 and then added a single axis EL10 for the quill. Follow the DRO PROS instructions and you will have no trouble.

Installation Notes:
The quill DRO was easily attached since I had already installed the Spindle Lock (shown below). I only had to add an aluminum bracket to hold the scale and make a part to hold the scale sensor which attaches to the quill stop . The EL10 display is attached to the top of the mill control box via Velcro strips.

Spindle Lock, HiTorque Bench Mill, Flip Style

Another nice option is spindle lock LMS 5655. It will free up one hand when changing tools and also turn off the mill when engaged. This is a simple installation if you follow the supplied instructions.

 Power Lift System, HiTorque Bench Mil

Probably the handiest addition is the z-axis power lift system  LMS 5657. The hand-wheel for the z-axis is located on the top r/h side of the column and not handy at all. This is a simple installation if you follow the supplied instructions.

Installation Notes:
I did move the up/down power switch to a more convenient location on the side of the mill control box.

 

Z-Axis Up-Down switch

X & Y Axis Hard Stops

If you’re into building steam engines or other miniature projects I find hard stops are a must. Trying to machine a pocket requiring multiple passes is tedious and requires careful attention to which way you turn the table wheels. Turning the wheel the wrong way can ruin the looks of your pocket.

One answer is to install hard stops on both the X and Y axis.

Quill Lock

The factory supplied quill lock, in my opinion, is clumsy and hard to use. I elected to replace it with a piece of 10 mm all-thread and aluminum handle from McMaster Carr. This replacement provides plenty of torque and you don’t have to find an Allen wrench every time you want to lock the quill.

New Spindle Lock

Lighting

Very important is table lighting when working on the mill. Not being satisfied with my shop lighting I installed a pair of magnetic base Goose-Neck LED lights. I attached them to the top of the column one on each side and they provide very adequate working light.

I also installed a 12 vdc LED Ring Light to the bottom side of the Quill Lock plate which adds a little auxiliary light (if you’re not to close to the table), but can’t compare with the goose-neck’s.

Lights

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Sieg SC4 Carriage Stop

Posted on January 18, 2017 by K5FR

General Info

This stop can set three different depth of cuts and is very handy for manual turning. .

 

Carriage Stop Front View

Carriage Stop Top View

Carriage Stop Back Side

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Sieg SC4 Lathe Power Feed

Posted on January 18, 2017 by K5FR

Disclaimer

Be advised this modification is not to be entered into lightly as it requires knowledge of electricity, wiring, machining and general mechanical assembly.

General Info

The purpose of this modification is to add a variable speed/reversible carriage/cross slide power feed to the Little Machine Shop 3595/3540 (Sieg SC4) lathe. This mod greatly increases the usability of the lathe by disconnecting the carriage and cross power-feed from the spindle and adding an independent motor to power the carriage and cross-slide power feeds. All-in-all this is a simple modification that requires only minor modification to the lathe, but adds a lot of flexibility.

  • Total disconnection from lathe spindle gearing.
  • Quickly reconfigurable back to factory gearing configuration for threading.
  • Variable speed using a PWM controller (Pulse Width Modulator) allowing from roughing cuts to very fine finishing cuts using any lathe spindle speed.
  • Reversible direction allowing turning in both directions.
  • Provision for a limit switch to stop feed motor. This is very nice for turning down a part in multiple passes.

Parts List

  • Drive motor available from Little Machine Shop (or find your own).
  • Drive motor to gear adapter (build-your-own).
  • PWM controller these are cheap and available on the net.
  • 28 vdc 1-2 amp power supply if you use the motor above. There are many places on the web to get one. Here is where I get some parts MPJA.
  • Two (2) motor mounting brackets (roll-your-own).
  • Options:
    • Enclosure to house components
    • Connectors and wiring to suit.
    • Limit switch and bed attachment fixing.
    • Special plug to use lathe 110 vac auxiliary power connector to the power supply.

Mechanical

  • The first thing required after the parts are gathered up is to make the motor mounts. The way I did it was to use two of them. See the motor mounting pix below.
    • The first is made from a small piece of aluminum L bracket which attaches to the forward L/H mounting hole of the lathe and to to one of the 10-32 screw holes in the motor and acts as a pivot point for motor adjustment.
    • The other is also aluminum L bracket that attaches to the motor via an adjusting slot and 10-32 cap screw and the other leg attaches to the backup gear cover structure. I drilled and tapped two 8-32 holes for this (see pictures).
  • The next thing to make is the Motor Drive Adapter. The shaft size of the LMS motor is 8mm and the gear mounting hole is 16mm (.630). The length needs to be adjusted to mesh with the gear on the lead screw and a set screw added to hold the adapter to the motor. You will also need to thread the end of the adapter (I used a 1/2-20 nut) to secure the gear. And, don’t forget to mill a slot for the key.
  • IMPORTANT: Swing the gear idler assembly out of the way to disconnect the lead screw gear from the spindle.
  • Select and install the gears you want to use. I used a 100 tooth on the lead screw and a 80 tooth on the drive motor, but many others can be used as long as the drive motor adjustment will work. There is some restriction to gear combinations due to the narrow space where the motor is located.
  • Next the gear cover will need to be modified to clear the drive motor gear. This is easily done with a hack saw after it has been removed from the lathe.

Control Box

  • You will need a control box to  house the components needed to supply power for the drive motor. This is mostly a personal preference and I’m not going to spend any time detailing with how I did it since it’s such a simple circuit. Here is the Schematic Diagram of how I did it.
  • Controls
    • Motor speed
    • DPDT center off switch to select motor direction from forward to reverse.
    • Momentary normally closed SPST switch to reset the limit switch relay.
    • Green Power-On LED.
    • Red LED to show when the limit switch has been tripped.
  • See the picture gallery for a pictures of my control box.
  • Of note may be that I used 3 strong ferrite magnets to attach the control box to the lathe’s gear door rather than permanent fixings.

Operation

  • Operation should be obvious so I’ll only detail how the limit switch works. The limit switch will stop the power feed when tripped allowing you to repetitively make passes stopping at the same place every time
    • When the carriage trips the limit switch it will latch the limit switch relay and remove power from the motor stopping operation.
    • To release the lockout condition (reset the relay):
      • Switch the direction switch to reverse and press the momentary spst (NC) switch until the red LED goes out. This switch is the one in series with power to the relay coil.
      • Or, manually move the carriage away from the limit switch until the red LED goes out.

Picture Gallery

Click on picture to enlarge

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