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Thread: It lives!

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by OxxAndBert View Post
    First thing would be to turn your compound around so the handle is somewhere between the 3 and 5 o'clock positions.
    Will stop you having to crank the cross-slide over so far.
    Thanks, Steve.

    Funnily enough I managed to work that one out for myself today. A bit slow! And I also realised that there is another spot for mounting tools that works better for facing. And I ground an old piece of tool steel with a less aggressive tip and the facing improved. Funnily enough I feel more confident repairing the machine than using it! I guess that will also come with time and practice...

  2. #17
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    Lots of helpful stuff on YouTube. There is also the famous Hercus Textbook of Turning. PM me if you would like a soft copy.

    Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Silversprings View Post
    Lots of helpful stuff on YouTube. There is also the famous Hercus Textbook of Turning. PM me if you would like a soft copy.
    Thanks! I found a copy and have it printed out next to the lathe. It is the only way I worked out how to get the second set of speeds up and running, and how to use the power cross feed. It is a really nice book.

    Yes to YT. I've found a few channels that work for me, plus I got a copy of the Big Green Book (TAFE's Fitting and Turning text). All overkill for what I originally wanted to do but this is going to be fun to learn how to do some of this turning stuff. Those days in front of a lathe 40 years ago seem a pretty distant memory now...

    On a slightly different topic, I was at H&F yesterday and I had a closer look at some of the lathes that were on my wishlist (the usual $1-2.5k stuff). All I'll say is that I am very glad to have joined the Hercus Club. I feel as though I've got an excellent lathe that'll do all I'll ever need and outlast me by another 70 years. Thanks for your help and encouragement!

  4. #19
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    Sounds like you are well on your way. You never stop learning, which is one of the enjoyable things about this 'hobby'....or, for some of us, a bit of an obsession!
    The Hercus book is a good read. Well written, with strong echoes from Southbend publications (which are also a good read, if you search and download).
    I agree with your comments on the cheaper H&F machines. Still, a lot of people get started with the Chinese machines, as they are a relatively cheap way to start, and they are still capable of doing good work - albeit with some restrictions and often needing after market mods. I much prefer the Hercus, but even they can let you down if they are worn out - something that will cause a novice to shy away from buying a 40+ year old machine.
    I have 3 Hercus's, but I tend to use my big, relatively new, Taiwanese machine for my commercial work.
    Enough of my waffle.
    Cheers, Tony

    Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk

  5. #20
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    If you want a good little project to start with I can see a small brass hammer or knocker in what you already have in the chuck
    By a knocker I mean like the head of a hammer, but without the handle. Handy for giving things a small tap to align them or assist them going together where you don't need the extra swing from a handle.

    Steve

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by OxxAndBert View Post
    If you want a good little project to start with I can see a small brass hammer or knocker
    That's a cool idea. Like a small journeyman's hammer.

    I guess the unseen part of this picture is the small, but pretty functional, woodworking shop. This lathe's purpose, if you will, is to help me out in the guitar building department. If that means a side-track down the tool making isle, I'm all for it! )

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Silversprings View Post
    The Hercus book is a good read. Well written, with strong echoes from Southbend publications (which are also a good read, if you search and download).
    Thanks again, Tony.

    I love these old books and have the 1929 Southbend one printed, those overhead leather-belt drives crack me up. Still, regardless of what provides the spinning, the turning and facing is pretty similar.

    In terms of learning, I think I'm going to stick with HSS tooling for a while and get the hang of grinding angles and stuff. I figure I can always more to carbide when I get tired of doing my own shaping but, for starters, HSS seems the place where I can learn the most.

    .. m.

  8. #23
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    Okay... I just spent far too much time attempting to level my Hercus 9. What a fun, if tedious, process where I ended up chasing my tail more times than I want/needed. Still, I have learned a lot about the machine and its controls (which I frankly like).

    Attached is a picture of one of my failed series (I finally figured out the tail stock will add its own errors and better to free float the piece and take very shallow cuts). In the end I got it to about 0.02mm over 120mm (a fraction under a thou in old-speak) which will work for anything I'm planning on doing.

    Out of interest, what kind of accuracy are folk seeing from these old lathes?

    Keep well!

    .. mark.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  9. #24
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    Hi Mark, Guys,

    I have a Myford S7LB lathe, not too different from your Hercus.

    Okay... I just spent far too much time attempting to level my Hercus 9. What a fun, if tedious, process where I ended up chasing my tail more times than I want/needed
    I've just rechecked it for taper using the two collar method and found that it had shifted a little, even though its on a steel cabinet stand and bolted down to a concrete base. It had about a thou smaller on the collar 150 mm from the chuck. I only shifted the tail rear jack screw by one flat and it has changed the taper by half a thou bigger. Just tightening the front tail clamping nut brought the taper down to 0.3 thou. I've left it at that !

    It does surprise me just how little it takes to flex the bed enough to alter the taper by a fraction of a thou. I remember when I first set this lathe up with a borrowed level. Chasing my tail when the bubble insisted staying at one end or the other.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  10. #25
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Something else to look at in the future, flood and/or misting lube systems.
    The circular guard reduces the amount of flood coolant thrown all over the place, including me.
    Hercuscover2.jpg
    Hercuscover1.jpg

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by BaronJ View Post
    It does surprise me just how little it takes to flex the bed enough to alter the taper by a fraction of a thou. I remember when I first set this lathe up with a borrowed level. Chasing my tail when the bubble insisted staying at one end or the other.
    Thanks, Baron.

    I started with a level and used it to ballpark the packing I'd need. My workshop floor is the best of Leichhardt Italian DIY so there was no way I could do anything but try and get the two end to more or less the same slope. Then packing and retrying the cuts.

    I was doing full cuts so I did notice a bit of bed wear as well, though not too bad in the working area (some ones did drop the 4 jaw chuck on the ways more than once in its life, I suspect). I'll check it again in a few weeks as the temps change to see how it is going.

    .. mark.

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Something else to look at in the future, flood and/or misting lube systems.
    The circular guard reduces the amount of flood coolant thrown all over the place, including me.
    Thanks, Bob. I hadn't thought of that at all.

    Obviously this is for cooling the cutting surface for longer life, etc. When, in your experience, does this kind of system come into its own, as opposed to smearing cutting lube on the work? I'd imagine it'd really help working with carbide tooling on stainless but I'm just guessing here...

    .. m.

  13. #28
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by mark5009 View Post
    Thanks, Bob. I hadn't thought of that at all.
    Obviously this is for cooling the cutting surface for longer life, etc. When, in your experience, does this kind of system come into its own, as opposed to smearing cutting lube on the work? I'd imagine it'd really help working with carbide tooling on stainless but I'm just guessing here...
    .. m.
    Yes, but I also use it for most steels.

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    Yes, but I also use it for most steels.
    Okay. Did you build it or buy it? If the latter, do you have a link?

    .. m.

  15. #30
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    The mister is one of two I bought a couple of years back
    Some details about the one I set up on the mill here
    https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t201...t=Mist+coolant


    For the floor coolant side I posted the WIP for this back in 2011.
    https://metalworkforums.com/f65/t135...+coolant+lathe
    initially I just had a PVC hose but have since added uses a commercial magnetic base nozzle from eBay as you see in the above pics.
    The whole system works really well and does not smell because of the extra fluid recirculation circuit that was added
    I use the same set up fof this on my BS.

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