It looks like I've scored a nice Harrison L5A lathe from the workshop next door, for reasonble money (they only use it for winding reels of welding wire!) - so now I'm looking forward to getting into a whole world of machining
First job will be to do something with my extremely dodgy exhaust system which is currently held together with an oily rag... but I'm hoping I'll be able to use it to renovate the bore & crankshaft on my 2nd engine (both are rusty), and I'll probably need to machine an entire new shaft for the startomatic alternator, as the current shaft is badly bent.
Also, as it's a fairly old machine ('50s to '60s vintage), I'm hoping I can cut Whitworth screws/nuts with it, if needs be...
So... I'm looking for a good "learn to lathe" resource - any recommendations from the panel?
come into this late, and been busy elsewhere...
basically a lathe is a machine that rotates the work while keeping the tool fixed, and basically a mill is a machine that rotates the tool while keeping the work fixed.
Before you go any further, take a look at
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/fasand.words/LathesCanKill#make yourself look at it at some length
now, a small hobby lathe or mill can't do that to your body, but it can do it to hands, fingers and eyes.
spend an hour or two with thumb and first two fingers of your main hand gaffer taped to the palm to simulate losing them.
*EVERYONE* who has NOT had or been present at a machine tool "accident" will think I am exaggerating the safety aspect.
OK, that out of the way.
1/ carbide / HSS debate.
Carbide is for production environments with very rigid machines, loads of spindle torque, where high material removal rates are the difference between trading and going bust.
HSS can cut anything carbide can, plus you can sharpen or harden it at home, it is NOT great for high material removal rates, but so what in a hobby environment. HSS can be posted out and CNC sharpened and posted back for a couple of bucks a tool if you don't have a suitable tool grinder and skill.
HSS is homogenous, the whole thing can be ground to be a tool, no brazed tips, no screwed in inserts, nothing to break and fly off, nothing to buy, nothing to go wrong.
2/ the lathe chuck key is something that exists in one of two states, it is superglued to your left hand, or to the tool rack, it is never, ever, ever left in the chuck.
3/ emergency stop bar triggered by your hips, plus the button.
4/ never ever ever do any chuck adjustments when the lathe is rotating OR has power going to it.
5/ set up the things that can go wrong FIRST, eg the trip to stop the tool feeding into the chuck.
6/ don't forget on a lathe the crossfeed is adjusting radius, not diameter, if the object is 4mm too large you only need 2mm of cross feed radius to get 4mm diameter.
7/ ensure the cutting edge of the tool is bang on centre height, and at the right angle to the work.
8/ if you get juddering "more feed, less speed" eg slow down the RPM and / or up the feed rate.
9/ go and look at that video again
I *HIGHLY* recommend you splash the cash on these
http://smartflix.com/store/video/574/Professional-Machine-Shop-Course-Vertical-MillHTH etc