Author Topic: Gingery Lathe and Accessories  (Read 109833 times)

Offline micktoon

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 797
  • Country: gb
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #100 on: February 25, 2013, 04:30:14 PM »
Hi vtsteam , I will just echo the other lads comments, WELL DONE and well posted  :clap: :clap: :bow: :bow: , Very interesting about the wood burning melt too.
  Thanks for posting  :thumbup:.

  Cheers Mick :beer:

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #101 on: February 25, 2013, 05:01:18 PM »
Thank you micktoon and doubleboost!

After I built my lathe I happened to read a copy of Guy Lautard's Machinist Bedside Reader. In it was a description of a lathe built in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. It was amazing for me to read, having built the Gingery lathe, under of course, extremely different circumstances. There is an uncanny resemblance in the machine -- though theirs was far more sophisticated than mine in the end, and better built.

It seems to be reprinted here on the net:

http://machineshop.olin.edu/resources/documents/Prison%20Camp%20Lathe.pdf
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline jcdammeyer

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #102 on: September 11, 2013, 02:32:52 AM »
Nicely done.  One of the things I did on my Gingery Lathe is run two rows of counter sunk screws to hold the 1/2" CRS ways to the bed casting.  I found that solidified the ways a lot. There is a photo here:
http://www.autoartisans.com/gingery.htm

I now have an ELS running the Gingery so I can thread and taper without gears.

John

Offline mattinker

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1316
  • Country: fr
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #103 on: September 11, 2013, 04:52:43 AM »
VT,

I'd like to encourage you to continue this thread as it is well written with great photos and full of use full things!!

An example, reading back over it, I saw your idea of casting in bronze bushes, I think I missed it first time round, worth noting!

Regards, Matthew

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #104 on: September 11, 2013, 07:41:46 AM »
Thank you jcdammeyer, and mattinker  :beer:

My Gingery lathe is stored waiting for shop space right now. Maybe I will have it out by again this fall as I will be making more space.

I have wanted to work on it and dress it up/improve it for some time. Now that I can cast iron, for example, I'd like to make a new saddle and cross slide. Also  aluminum gears for screw cutting and back gears maybe. I have already added home made QCTP and a 3 jaw chuck. The QCTP shares holders with the Craftsman lathe I am using now.

So it may continue in the future. Thanks for asking!  :beer:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline flyingtractors1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 268
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #105 on: September 12, 2013, 04:00:17 PM »
OH - MY - GOODNESS, Vtsteam!!!   :jaw:    :jaw:   I just stumbled onto this string and am amazed, incredibly impressed and duely humbled.  Your work makes mine look like child's play.  Your documentation of the build processed is priceless literature.  This is truly publishable as a record of the best that can be achieved.  Thank you for demonstrating what can be done and for sharing the literary and pictoral process.   Ralph

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #106 on: September 12, 2013, 09:40:17 PM »
Ralph, thank you! But I feel that way about yours and many other people's work on this forum, work of amazing quality that is definitely beyond my abilities, while my stuff seems pretty straightforward to me, and in need of improvement. You and others here are an inspiration to me to learn how to make things well. So thank you, too!   :bow: :beer:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline LJP

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 6
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #107 on: October 05, 2013, 01:07:01 PM »
VT, as you know I am new here at MadModder. I came upon your thread on the building of the Gingery Lathe and read it with true amazement! The skills you developed are as important as the machine you built (maybe the skills are more important?). I have had an interest in casting, watching John Doubleboost's videos, and now seeing your work has inspired me to persue casting a bit more seriously!
Are the Gingery books the place I should start?
Very interested in what you said about melting with wood fires, can you recommend a source for more info on that?

Amazing Work!!

Thanks, Larry

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #108 on: October 05, 2013, 05:02:15 PM »
Hey Larry, thanks!!

I do like the Gingery books a lot. The first two really cover all of the basics -- others add refinements. The first two are "The Charcoal Furnace", and "Build a Lathe from Scrap" -- I believe those are the correct titles. They were like $10 each when I bought them -- probably a little more now, but still, bargains.

But I also like Terry Aspin's two backyard foundry books as well. They are British books, and I had to import them back at the turn of the millennium -- but I believe they are more easily available here these days through Amazon or some other source. The illustrations are really well done (drawn by Mr. Aspin himself) -- just great little books. So those are the four books that got me really going. All are short paperbacks.

They really get you excited about casting, and with minimal materials -- the straight old fashioned DIY stuff. These books will give you the straight scoop in the traditional way, and both produce excellent castings if followed.

re. melting aluminum with wood -- I don't know of much information about it -- I just experimented with a spring cleanup bonfire of fallen pine limbs. I put the crucible in the glowing embers at the base of the fire (technically therefore it was a charcoal fire), and waited for it to melt, which it did.

I've also seen it rapidly approach melting stage when I held raw castings up over my charcoal making barrel when loaded with wood. I did that to break up the castings at "black heat" but wasn't fast enough removing it in one case an part of the casting melted off and fell into the fire.

Aluminum only needs about 1300 degrees F, and just about any fire big enough will produce that.

Keep us posted Larry on your melting exploits!


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

Offline LJP

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 6
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #109 on: October 05, 2013, 07:55:05 PM »
VT, thanks for the book titles. All have been ordered, plus a few.
Larry

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #110 on: January 03, 2018, 11:22:22 PM »
Just finished restoring the photos to this thread that Photobucket dropped.  :beer:
« Last Edit: January 04, 2018, 10:51:37 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Toolshed

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 86
  • Country: us
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #111 on: March 01, 2018, 12:45:02 PM »
And thank you so much for doing that. Your build and your photos are INCREDIBLE!!  Making it into both a lathe and mill is pure genius.
I am planning on building the ginger shaper and possibly the mill. I already have a 6" metal lathe.

Y'all feel free to check out alloyavenue.com if you're interested in metal casting.
No matter where you go....There you are....

Metalworker
Woodworker
Metal Caster

Google Map of members.  Send me your city/state/country and I will get you added in!
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1yzP6dM2C2yeti0msljLA5Ny_pwQ

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #112 on: March 04, 2018, 01:03:05 PM »
Thanks Toolshed  :beer:

Hope you'll post your progress here with the shaper.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline Brandt

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #113 on: March 08, 2018, 05:43:59 AM »
And thank you so much for doing that. Your build and your Bathmate photos are INCREDIBLE!!  Making it into both a lathe and mill is pure genius.
I am planning on building the ginger shaper and possibly the mill.

Amazing work, Steve. That's masterful craftsmanship right there. I wish I was capable of something like that. Improving little by little though!
« Last Edit: October 15, 2019, 03:03:59 AM by Brandt »

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #114 on: March 08, 2018, 09:28:34 PM »
I'm sure you can be, Brandt. I started out not knowing exactly how a metal lathe looked, or worked. I just followed the Gingery Foundry and Lathe books, and realized what all the parts did gradually as I was building it. I learned how to use a lathe by building it. At the time (2001-2002) there was little on the Internet to tell me what I was doing, or what it would look like in the end. I could kind of make out what it was by the cover photo. But other than building it, I'd had no experience in machining.

That's why I always recommend those books. There are plenty of more sophisticated ways to cast, scrape, machine all over the Web now. And better machines to buy, at reasonable cost. But for me I am extremely glad I started out that way, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. It was one of the most fascinating and liberating things I ever did. Making something like that from nothing. Some old pistons, some sand, some charcoal briquets, and a discarded file for a scraper. Changed me. Changed what I could do. Changed how I think.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline nel2lar

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 81
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #115 on: August 05, 2018, 10:42:44 PM »
VT
Haven't been around very much, life gets in the way at times.
You have done a gorgeous job on the lathe, very nice and I am sure you should be proud of all the work you have in it.
Love all your write ups and the pics are great.
Keep the chips flying.
Nelson

Offline vtsteam

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6466
  • Country: us
  • Republic of Vermont
Re: Gingery Lathe and Accessories
« Reply #116 on: August 06, 2018, 08:02:42 PM »
Thanks Nelson!  :beer:  :wave:

Well 16 years later, doing the same thing again!  :dremel:

https://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,10542.0.html
« Last Edit: October 09, 2019, 02:44:15 PM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg