MetalworkingFun Forum

Hi,
I bought a taper attachment and after checking my saddle on my 10 year old Chinese lathe I found the back was not true to the carriage movement, so I decided to clean it up.

After truing the back up I got carried away and cleaned up the whole thing including the cross slide. I found the underneath of the cross slide was not true to the top which would make the nut sit at an angle. I am making a new nut for the taper attchment so no harm in making it a little higher to match the newly ground surface, though I had already shimed it from new as the nut was to high.

I did the grinding on my mill (horizontal) to get it good enough and then took to it with wet and dry using kerosene as a lube because water would instantly rust it.
Around the outside I used an end mill to clean it up and then wet and dry.

After it was all done I acrylic clear coated it and painted the red (rust kill) underneath. This way it will never need polishing again and has worked great on things in the past.

While I was there I bored 2 holes in the apron to add oil seals 22x 16 x 4mm to raise the oil level in it. I have found with the low oil level oil doesn't get to the top cross slide gear, now it will.

I also bored each socket head hole on the carriage to take covers and counter sunk the oil fill hole to take a allen head screw for the oil fill so it's flush and doesn't stick up.

The pictures speak for themselves, I was totally over it by the time I finished, but am happy with the results.
I showed my son inlaw and said I got carried away, he said look at your 4wd (which I totally polished all the aluminium, LOL)

Thats it's 10th birthday present over and done with,
Now just to fit the taper attchment where it all started.

Dave

Nice job Dave. It's nice to have the ability to improve the tools you work with.

BTW, no one around here will think you got carried away.

Tom

Thanks Tom,
I upgraded some of the pictures as I was wondering why the camera wasn't working that great, then found finger prints from my grandson on the lense, LOL
It was rough milled under the paint bog which I suppose was to help hold it on which it did, so it took a bit to get it to where it is.

I take pride in my machines and my lathe does not look much different from the day I bought it as far as the machined surfaces go. It is a job keeping all looking that way and fighting off rust, thats why I went with clear coat for this.

Dave

Here is the 4wd my son inlaw refured to getting carried away



Dave

I see you bought one of those shiny metal cameras.

Nice job on the lathe tuneup. I should do that to mine. My cross slide has issues that I really need to address since it affects the use of the DRO making it almost useless.

Ed

Thanks Ed,
Yep a shiny metal camera, LOL
It was a lot of work but will be rewarding every time I use the lathe.
Every surface was trued up, here is a picture of under the cross slide after at least 20 heavy passes with the grinder allowing it to cool every few, I should have really milled it first but didn't know or think it was that bad until I mounted it to grind. Just goes to show how much it was out.

[attachment=6033]

Dave

That is very nicely done Dave, I wonder how much the postage is to Australia? (I could send mine )

DaveH

Hi Dave, been a while since we spoke.

Not interested in another, LOL
I couldn't count the hours put into that in the kitchen, the weather was cold and if I left it in the shed over night it would rust so I brought it inside to do after grinding. Just lucky these days I don't have another half to complain which is one of the benifits.

I looked around at all the pictures I saved of similar lathes over the years and these castings vary a lot, some have more on one side or the other, some have the square hole off set in the center of carriage etc.

Dave

I think mine is a bit 'rough and ready' in places, I did clean it up a little but no where near your LTC

DaveH

Well as Tom said , I dont think you got carried away Dave , I call that a top class job , it looks a quility machine now, its just a shame they dont make the machines to this standard in the first place really....... then again we would all have nothing to do if all our machines were up to scratch in every way lol

Cheers Mick

P.S , I am glad I am not the one that has to keep that truck gleaming