METAL LATHE

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

aRMdaMAN

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2021
Messages
65
Location
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
Hello there FOLKS
Trying to drill accurately on a WOOD LATHE was like kicking a dead horse indeed
An erudite Well-Wisher on the Forum here directed me towards acquiring a small METAL LATHE, which we managed to get
An Walla !!! Problem solved
No more blunderings !!! The Lathe does assist with FACING, TURNING down Blanks, SQUARING etc. etc.
We still go to our WOOD LATHE for the Turning / Finishing / Polishing etc.
As an after thought, would have and should have looked at a little more advanced Machine to cope with THREADING etc.
This one has to have the GEARS changed MANUALLY for each PITCH of THREAD intended - which we still need to acquaint ourselves with.
That's another story for another Time !!!

aRM
PS : The 2 BOARDS U see are held in place with rare-Earth Magnets to keep all the shavings away from the innards of the machine !!!
 

Attachments

  • LATHE 1.jpg
    LATHE 1.jpg
    310.3 KB · Views: 120
  • LATHE 2.jpg
    LATHE 2.jpg
    242.7 KB · Views: 123
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Oliver X

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2021
Messages
68
Location
Pacific Northwest
You typically have to take a pretty big step up in cost and quality to get a lathe with a threading gearbox. Most small lathes are going to use change gears. There were some older lathes that had separate threading gearboxes available as an accessory and if you're particularly mechanically inclined, you can build one. The other option is an electronic leadscrew.

Have fun with your new lathe!
 

aRMdaMAN

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2021
Messages
65
Location
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
You typically have to take a pretty big step up in cost and quality to get a lathe with a threading gearbox. Most small lathes are going to use change gears. There were some older lathes that had separate threading gearboxes available as an accessory and if you're particularly mechanically inclined, you can build one. The other option is an electronic leadscrew.

Have fun with your new lathe!
Hello there OLIVER X
Thanks for the response
May we ask - are U familiar with these "Change Gears".
We just need to be sure about which ones are referred to, before tackling and using them for Threading
Do kindly let us know
TIA
ATB
aRM
 

Oliver X

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2021
Messages
68
Location
Pacific Northwest
I'm pretty familiar with them in the sense that I use them on my lathes to do all the threading on the pens I make, amongst other things. I've never used any of those SIEG lathes, but it's my understanding that they use a fairly conventional layout. (There's a ton of videos on Youtube featuring those particular lathes.) The manual should have a quick guide for the layout and set-up of the gears and there's typically also a sticker on the inside or outside of the gear cover on the outside end of the headstock that has the gear layout and selection charts for various thread pitches. Of course, the actual thread cutting itself has a fairly steep learning curve.
 

randyrls

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2006
Messages
4,821
Location
Harrisburg, PA 17112
The other option is an electronic leadscrew.
There is a YouTube Channel "Clough42". A year of two ago he did a many (11-12?) part video on making an Electronic Leadscrew. VERY Informative. His description of how threading math works is worth the price of a watch. It is computer / digital and he goes into great detail about how to make it work with many different configurations of leadscrew pitch / fractional / metric. He sells the single custom circuit board that is needed to make the thing work, but other than that, it is standard components.
 

Aurelius

Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2021
Messages
101
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Another thing to consider is that a metal lathe will naturally keep everything concentric so you could just get a tailstock die holder and do your threading with dies. I have not looked for anyhting to fit your machine but I have one on my (bigger) lathe and it works perfectly.
 

aRMdaMAN

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2021
Messages
65
Location
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
I'm pretty familiar with them in the sense that I use them on my lathes to do all the threading on the pens I make, amongst other things. I've never used any of those SIEG lathes, but it's my understanding that they use a fairly conventional layout. (There's a ton of videos on Youtube featuring those particular lathes.) The manual should have a quick guide for the layout and set-up of the gears and there's typically also a sticker on the inside or outside of the gear cover on the outside end of the headstock that has the gear layout and selection charts for various thread pitches. Of course, the actual thread cutting itself has a fairly steep learning curve.
Hello OLIVER X
Thanks for the response
Sorry to labour the point. Tried U Tube a while ago. Nothing on METRIC Change Gears. Stacks on Imperial.
Maybe I should do a search on a SIEG Lathe and see what comes up.
Yes. Have the Manual and the Chart. Just a bit unsure about which are the "A and B" Gears that require changing
Have learnt and cut perfect Threads on a, What U Guys call, 40 Inch Lathe. That was a Breeze. This Mini has taken me back a little.
Guess I just have to overcome the fear of making a wrong cut !!!
Much appreciate Your taking time to lead the blind !!!
ATB
TC
aRM
 

aRMdaMAN

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2021
Messages
65
Location
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
Another thing to consider is that a metal lathe will naturally keep everything concentric so you could just get a tailstock die holder and do your threading with dies. I have not looked for anyhting to fit your machine but I have one on my (bigger) lathe and it works perfectly.
Hello there AURELIUS
Yes Sir. We have purchased the Tailstock Die Holder to fit our MT 2. It was one of the first things we did
It would be accurate but methinks the Lathe Thread cut would be worth the challenge and more precise.
We could be wrong
Thanks for taking time to respond
ATB
TC
aRM
 

Oliver X

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2021
Messages
68
Location
Pacific Northwest
The link rixstix posted pretty well covers it. There's likely no real difference between setting up a metric lathe or imperial for thread cutting, but the gear choices will likely be different on account of the leadscrew being a slightly different pitch. The one caveat is you typically can't use the threading dial when cutting metric threads on an imperial lathe and vice versa. As for the actual gear placement, it can be a little confusing looking at the chart, but it tends to be simple once you're actually swapping them out. Not sure I can be of much assistance on that part as they're somewhat different from my lathes.
 
Top Bottom