Author Topic: Building a New Lathe  (Read 253145 times)

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #325 on: June 22, 2015, 03:29:36 PM »
Cope flask in place, dusted, second sprue pin added, riser added, ready to ram up:

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:12:29 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #326 on: June 22, 2015, 03:38:02 PM »
Rammed up the cope, rapped the sprue pin and riser and pulled both, pulled the cope off. I had a little break out at the journals, but nothing to bother with -- sand is drying too quickly to try to repair -- just more to bore out when the time comes.

Next time I'll probably fill similar journals with two loose pieces with drafted ends.

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:13:21 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #327 on: June 22, 2015, 03:44:26 PM »
Carefully lifted the middle flask to reveal the pattern on the drag:

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:13:50 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #328 on: June 22, 2015, 03:51:50 PM »
Carefully removed the pattern to leave the greensand core. Top of core is a little ragged, but that will just be flash -- no casting there. Good corners, nice prints in the drag, and you can see where the pattern was coped down -- there's a raised sand base. Not bad for the first try!

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:14:10 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #329 on: June 22, 2015, 03:58:30 PM »
Gates cut,  beginning to reassemble:

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:14:30 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #330 on: June 22, 2015, 04:02:12 PM »
Riser gates cut, cope on, pouring basin smoothed, ready to pour:

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:14:57 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #331 on: June 22, 2015, 06:04:22 PM »
And after cooling, first view with the drag removed looks promising. I'm a bit worried because I had a short pour and didn't fill the riser, even though I melted 18 lbs and absolutely filled my largest crucible to the brim. Metal is home mixed ZA-12 using pure zinc ingot and 11% 6061 aluminum:

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:15:18 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #332 on: June 22, 2015, 06:08:42 PM »
The bottom of the casting looks good, no problems evident and the core stayed together:

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:16:49 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #333 on: June 22, 2015, 06:17:55 PM »
The top looks a little rough, but might be okay. There's a lot of flash because the sand dried out and i lost a bit of the edges and corners in re-assembling. And the half filled riser didn't prevent some shrink cavities, but they don't look too deep. It may be that i gave enough machining allowance to remove them, we'll have to see. And the journals filled with some material, but we knew that would be happening. This casting might work out. I'll have to rough mill the base to get a idea how far I can go to bring that top surface down....

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:17:34 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #334 on: June 22, 2015, 06:35:50 PM »
After chipping out some of the journal and casting flash with a chisel and rough milling the bottom and top flat and parallel, there are only two shallow shrink cavities on the top surface. Setting the headstock on the lathe and checking centers with the tailstock it looks like I'm still .063" high, which will probably allow me to mill those cavities completely out. The journal will be bored quite a bit deeper and steps for the bearing added There's plenty of allowance to clean up the outside, too. So we'll pronounce this casting successful!  :med:

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:18:05 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #335 on: June 22, 2015, 06:43:57 PM »
A look inside the bottom shows the greensand core worked very well -- a clean interior with sharp corners. I didn't use chaplets, but would have if I'd run into trouble removing the pattern:



« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:18:26 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #336 on: June 22, 2015, 06:55:31 PM »
And a belated thank you to Andrew and Neo!  :beer:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline mattinker

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #337 on: June 22, 2015, 06:56:53 PM »
I think this looks like you deserve the special honorary old sand crab award for this casting!

I'm glad you got it first go, regards, Matthew.

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #338 on: June 22, 2015, 07:03:19 PM »
 :bow: :bow: :bow: :)  Belting series of photos Steve  :thumbup:

And glad to hear the casting is a keeper  ,  :ddb:  looking forward to seeing it machined up  :dremel:


Rob

Offline tom osselton

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #339 on: June 22, 2015, 07:25:16 PM »
Well done! I haven't tryed that yet I'm still getting tools to make patterns with, almost there though just a good sander to go! I bought 130 lbs of aluminum scrap and about the same in brass from a buddy today so I'll be pouring ingots for a while!  :D

Offline awemawson

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #340 on: June 23, 2015, 03:06:26 AM »
It came out nicely Steve

As the base isn't sliding, but just bolts down, it doesn't really matter if those cavities remain.
Andrew Mawson
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Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #341 on: June 23, 2015, 10:03:49 AM »
Thanks, Matt! :beer:

Rob, thanks! The draft can be machined off of both ends. Walls are 7/8" thick. Thinking about how to make a boring bar for this -- not sure if this stuff will need carbide.  :scratch:  :beer:

Tom, thanks, you should be happy casting with all those materials!  :beer:

Andrew, actually, the headstock does slide -- driven along the ways while being bored, and will be fitted with slides and gib just like the tailstock. But the view shown with the small shrink cavities is the top of the base, where the bearing cap goes. The bottom has no casting defects. The top will probably be final machined off, eliminating the cavities altogether (I hope).  :beer:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline mattinker

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #342 on: June 23, 2015, 11:38:40 AM »
Steve, you don't need carbide! ZA12 machines beautifully with high-speed steel, the sensation I have is sort of half way between mild steel and Al, Al with the crispness of steel, when I first read about ZA12, it was described as "machining like a dream" well honed sharp tools with what would be too fragile for steel points work well. It is softer than one would think from filing it. Sharp coarse files work better than fine ones, the coarse ones can get into the surface whereas the fine ones load up and skate. For machining, the same is true, you need them sharp and coarse, points that can get into the metal!

I think your going to enjoy the next phase, I'm looking forward to hearing about it!

Regards, Matthew

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #343 on: June 23, 2015, 10:37:34 PM »
Thanks Matt -- daughter birthday, relatives, 4th July, etc all requiring time out of shop, so haven't had time to test well yet. I did notice a lot less shrinkage on cooling than ZA-2, so maybe will have different qualities machining, too.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #344 on: June 26, 2015, 06:10:45 PM »
I managed an hour today and cleaned off the outside of the headstock. I need to mill the base so it will drop down between the ways next and make the slides and gib.

« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 03:11:50 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline shipto

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #345 on: June 27, 2015, 05:43:01 PM »
Cant believe I missed this thread for so long. Excellent job  :thumbup:
Turns out this life c**p is just one big distraction from death but a good one. For the love of god dont give yourself time to think.
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Offline krv3000

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #346 on: June 27, 2015, 06:03:40 PM »
brill you is making good progress  :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #347 on: June 28, 2015, 11:44:54 PM »
Dwayne, Bob, thank you kindly!  :beer: :beer:


I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline NevadaBlue

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #348 on: July 13, 2015, 01:48:08 AM »
Very impressive for sure! I jumped from page 5 to here... now to go and digest the rest.


Most fun to watch!  :clap:
...
Ken

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Building a New Lathe
« Reply #349 on: July 15, 2015, 12:00:26 PM »
Thanks Nevada -- sorry I didn't say so sooner -- been away from the project for a few weeks, with chores and a little wood dabbling. Will be back to this after the break from it gets old....
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg