More lathe gadgets

[micktoon]

Hi Lads , I have made a couple more small ' gadgets ' to make life easier when doing jobs on the lathe, again not my ideas, this is just the way I have done it  but might give some others tips on how it can be done anyway.

  The first item is a plain rod with a bearing locktighted on each end again mounted into a quick change tool holder so its nice and easy to use.



  It can be used to true up a disc type object as shown here or maybe a flat disc inside the chuck jaws just nip the job in the chuck lightly then with the job rotating just lightly contact the bearing against the surface of the job until it runs true, then tighten up or if its something precise use the DTI to fine tune, just the bearing gets things pretty close anyway.





  With it having a bearing on both ends the toolholder can be switched around and the other bearing used to true up a bar in the chuck as shown here.





 Again a really easy thing to make but very useful, any size bar that will not flex too much and any size bearing will do the job really too.

  The other 'gadget ' is a DTI with a magnet stuck to the back so it can be used on the lathe bed, or any other surface on milling machine , drill press etc where it might be handy.
  I had two matching Batty DTI's that I picked up cheap but with plain flat backs , the backs were made of plastic and when I held a magnet to the back it was binding up the spring return of the DTI. I cut a thin steel sheet into a circle and put this between the magnet and the back of the DTI which solved the problem. I used some strong magnets off Ebay 25mm round and 2mm think.
  I used two part epoxy glue to stick the steel backing plates to the DTI's then a dab more to go between the magnet and the steel, works a treat and strong enough for the gauges not to move in use.





  My lathe is metric micrometer collars so having the two imperial DTI's is handy if I want to use imperial, you could do this the other way around with Metric DTI's on imperial lathe too.



  This is where they live when not being used, the back of the cabinet door, they just stick to any steel surface so nice and handy.




  Cheers Mick.

[doubleboost]

Very handy bits of kit 
John

[Manxmodder]

Really neat neat,I love the double bearing idea on the truing roller

The mag clocks are top idea too  .

I've just been given a Dickson QCTP ,the same size as the one on your L5 photos. One of the 3 tool stations has been broken off the block,but it should still be useful enough with the remaining 2 station points available. I think the holders will only take around 16mm tools,what size are you holders?.....OZ.

[micktoon]

Hi Oz, glad you liked the ideas, there seems to be two types of holder that size the smaller is 16mm and the larger about 22mm so 2020 tools fit, so worth checking if you are buying any that you get the bigger size.
  Cheers Mick

[Pete W.]

Hi there, Mick,

Thanks for the useful tips.

Here's one in return - if you go to http://dirxion.mscdirect.com/ukbigbook/2014/WebProject.asp?CodeId=7.7.1.4&pagelabel=659# there's lots of useful information about the various sizes of Dickson pattern quick-change tool-posts and tool-holders.

I just wish folks would consult it and quote the size when they list tool-posts for sale on eBay!!!            

[Arbalist]

I made a "nudger" some time back, very handy. In the background in this picture.

[Manxmodder]

Arbalist,I reckon you only post those pics to make us all feel inferior

Seriously though, they are beautifully made tools you have there  .....OZ.

[krv3000]

Well run mick

[Arbalist]

Arbalist,I reckon you only post those pics to make us all feel inferior

Seriously though, they are beautifully made tools you have there  .....OZ.

Sand blasting makes most tools look good! 
When I posted some pics of the Tangential tool on another forum one guy though they were computer generated. 

[Ginger Nut]

  like em all.

Mick I am always concerned when using magnets such as you have. I have seen how strong they can get and the field they throw can  cause trouble if not aware that magnets over time leach to what ever they are adhered to.

OR

If the power is to strong to start with I have witnessed a wood lathe speed up when the magnetic base of a commercial light was removed by some 10%. The headstock bearings were being drawn into the field.

Over time minute carbon might just find its way into the workings of the dial gauge.

[micktoon]

Hi Lads , Well Gingernut was sort of correct about the magnetic field leeching into things as when i have come to use the DTI's they were not returning properly as they had been when tested.
  So phase two was needed, the plan to space the magnets away from the DTI's with a plastic bar spacer.
 Not sure what type of plastic is is but stinks when turned in the lathe.



 Recessed the bottom for the magnets to sit in which turned out to be mistake in the end.



 To get one of the magnets off the rear of the DTI I had to heat it slightly with pencil flame, I found out this spoils the magnet ( turns it into metal disc not magnet lol )  so after glueing the magnets in found one no longer was a magnet and the other was not sitting dead square so although it stuck, it would pivot on the most raised part.





 I am starting to get bored with this project now so tried sticking another magnet ontop of the dead magnet and it worked, then tested a second magnet ontop of the still magnetic magnet on the other DTI and it was again effecting the DTI so heated the glued magnet to kill it , then glued new magnet ontop and they both eventually work



  So I think and hope that is job done this time !

 Cheers Mick.

[AussieJimG]

Here is a cheap alternative to using a DTI: http://start-model-engineering.co.uk/machines-and-tooling/minilathe/micro-dro/

Jim

[Ginger Nut]

Here is a cheap alternative to using a DTI: http://start-model-engineering.co.uk/machines-and-tooling/minilathe/micro-dro/

Jim

Jim top idea especially as The Big Green Shed has digital cheap vernier for around $7

[vtsteam]

Many tools in my big shop have become magnetized and as far as I know I use very few magnets. I do have one of those little plastic rattle de-magnetizers, but that only works on small tools. Now I'm trying to reduce magnet use in the shop except where absolutely necessary.

It's a real problem preventing swarf and iron dust from sticking to things they shouldn't. Bearing surfaces, tapers, threads, etc.. I'm not sure why I haven't had this problem in the past, but it is definitely present now. Now many store bought items have convenience magnets attached .. maybe that's part of it. This doesn't seem to be a problem for others on the forum, so I can't explain why it's happening in my own shop, but it is an issue for me.

[BillTodd]

Many tools in my big shop have become magnetized and as far as I know I use very few magnets. I do have one of those little plastic rattle de-magnetizers, but that only works on small tools. Now I'm trying to reduce magnet use in the shop except where absolutely necessary.

It's a real problem preventing swarf and iron dust from sticking to things they shouldn't. Bearing surfaces, tapers, threads, etc.. I'm not sure why I haven't had this problem in the past, but it is definitely present now. Now many store bought items have convenience magnets attached .. maybe that's part of it. This doesn't seem to be a problem for others on the forum, so I can't explain why it's happening in my own shop, but it is an issue for me.

It is worth avoiding magnet where unnecessary , if they don't magnetize the machine , they will magnetize the swarf making it hard to clean things.   

Use  big coil of copper wire (e.g the demag loop from an old CRT monitor or telly ) and carefully and slowly wave it over the object to be demagnetized , then without switching off move several feet away turn the coil 90 degrees then switch off.

The idea is to magnetize alternatively one way and the other using the AC coil while slowly reducing the magnetic field (by moving away) this should leave the the object randomly magnetized and thus demag'ed

[awemawson]

I use an Eclipse Demagnitiser - basically the 'E' part of an 'E&I' shaped transformer core suitably mounted - it works well. I used to use it for wiping floppy disks as well 

[SwarfnStuff]

Just out of curiosity Vtsteam, are your machines aligned North South? Only ask because I read on another forum that being in line with the Earth's magnetic flux can often cause this phenomenon. Also read on the same forum that one machine shop tried re-orienting one of their lathes to be East West after degaussing it. This machine remained magnetically stable whilst the others re-magnetised. If I remember the post correctly the company decided that although the concept was proven, in their case the cost of moving all the machines was greater than the degaussing as needed so left things as they were. Sorry, I cannot recall the forum - interesting though. Incidentally my small 7x is North South and does suffer slightly from magnetism but turning it 90deg is not practicable in my miniscule shop.
John B

[vtsteam]

Swarfnstuff, the lathe is E/W, and mill vertical, but good idea to check anyway. Not that I have the space to move them.

I'm guessing the problem started with my magnetic base indicator holder. I have a separate metal drip tray under the lathe (auto floor drip pan) that I'd sometimes stick the mag base to. I think that magnetised swarf and other objects/tools on the pan, and they in turn transferred it around the lathe and shop.

It doesn't take much magnetism to hold iron filings, so even a weakly magnetized tool can be a problem around swarf. I'm not sure how the magnetism got transferred to chuck jaws, but it has on the 4 jaw, which is a big problem with its exposed jaw threads. I need a de-gausser. I do wonder if It's possible that the swarf is magnetised, maybe and not the jaws? -- I don't know I'll have to check that.

Anyway, I really want to get rid of magnets in my shop (where possible) to see if that will help, and ironically Mick you started your other lathe gadget thread with the very toolpost clock holder I need to build to get rid of my mag indicator base at the lathe. A great little project for me in this situation! 

[guds777]

one quick question, doesn't the magnet affect the accuracy of the dial indicator.

[rotorhead]

Hi Mick,

Just asking, but would an Aluminium disk in place of the steel or plastic reduce the magnetic field towards the gauge.

I'm no expert on these things or owt really, but I had the thought, any non magnetically attracted metal might serve this purpose.

[Pete.]

one quick question, doesn't the magnet affect the accuracy of the dial indicator.

Only if pointing north-south, if you use it east-west it's ok. For the same reason you should never point your tailstock towards the North Pole and hit the lathe with a sledge hammer - all of your tools will instantly jump onto the lathe as it becomes magnetised

[mechman48]

Here is a cheap alternative to using a DTI: http://start-model-engineering.co.uk/machines-and-tooling/minilathe/micro-dro/

Jim

This is exactly what I have to fit on my cross slide & boy does it work a treat.
George