Lathe Hack and old school tool use.

[Fusion_power]

Twenty years ago, my old Craftsman saw had worn out the aluminum pulleys provided with it when new. That sounds kind of strange, but aluminum is a soft metal and relatively easily distorted. Over time and hard use, the pulley wings where the belt rides had flexed enough that they were wider on one side which made the belt flop excessively. I went to a local flea market fairly regularly where a guy often showed up with odds and ends of machine tool parts. When I asked about cast iron pulleys, he dug around in a box and came up with two of them that were the perfect size for my Craftsman saw. I bought them for $1 each. When I think about my old saw, I often remember that it has worn out one set of pulleys and half a dozen belts, yet the saw is still rock solid and works like it should every time I turn it on.

[Worth1]

I bet the aluminum pulleys are really Zamak it is mostly zinc with about 4% aluminum and 3% copper.

This is the same stuff the back change gears were made out of on the Sears craftsman metal lathe which was made by Atlas.

Logan made the Montgomery Wards Lathes.

[Worth1]

Yesterday I spent a whole pile of time for nothing a total waste.
I was trying to get a 062.5 taper set on the lathe and it takes awhile with a dial indicator.
But by darn I did it right on the money I was so proud of myself.
Now to cut the taper so I can have a quick set up device for something.
I did that and now I am ready to do what I need to do.
Once that was done I checked the work and it just wasn't right.
Nothing seemed right and it was bugging the devil out of me.

Today I went back and read what the dimensions were and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
I feel like an idiot.

Here is the deal.
A pipe taper is 3/4 or .750 per foot.
Divide that by 12 and you get .0625 great now set up the angle with a dial indicator.
That is where I goofed up.
That dimension is diameter per foot.
What I should have done is divide .0625 by 2 to get .03125.
This will give me an angle of 1° 47'.
What I am doing is cutting pipe threads without using a taper attachment.
Sounds crazy but it works, I did it yesterday with great success but the angle was twice as much as it was supposed to be.
Pictures and explanation coming soon.

Worth

[Worth1]

Going to post pictures and come back and edit.
Worth

Okay first pictuer shows just about as close as I can get to the required number of .03125.
IMG_20170326_25263.jpg

Showing the angle on the compound rest 1°47' darn close if you ask me.
IMG_20170326_3651.jpg
Here is the setup to do the angle.
Run the carriage along the stock to make sure it is running true.
Then set the indicator on 0 and run it exactly one inch and it will move the required amount when correct.
You can see the wrong taper in the pictuer.
IMG_20170326_54504.jpg
The right taper turned for the fast set up tool at the right angle.
IMG_20170326_14224.jpg
Threading dial set at 1 it rotates and you have to engage it with the half nut at the right numbers or your threads wont come out right in other words out of time.

IMG_20170326_52774.jpg
Cutting tool set upside down lathe running backwards and feeding out not in running at 200 RPM.
This allows me to keep any pressure with the cross slide on the work as it feeds out.
It isn't going to happen running into the taper as you cant control it.
doing it this way you have no worries of crashing the tool and you can stop it as you darn well please all it does is run off the end of the work.
Taper turned to 3/4 inch long for 3/4 pipe.
You dont have to worry about any other dimension as the taper will make it right if it is the right length.

IMG_20170326_33431.jpg
Thread test needs to be cut deeper and where I messed up.
But you can see the taper is right.
I got the work out of time as the pipe turned a wee bit in the chuck and had to reset the timing.
No big deal but then I fooled around and got off a tooth when I engaged the half nut.
I caught it but not before it trashed about 3 threads I wasn't going to use anyway.

IMG_20170326_13249.jpg
Last but not least the fitting on the new threads.
This was 3/4 conduit and it makes trashy threads anyway.
I thing this proves proves the point.
You can cut pipe threads on a lathe without a taper attachment.
I have yet to see anybody do this there are so many unorthodox things going on.
Tool upside down and threading out not in.
Lathe running backwards.
Running the cross slide in while cutting.

IMG_20170326_25491.jpg

[Worth1]

Been wringing out the hidden mysteries of the threading dial on scrap pipe.
Just about everything I have heard on YouTube is total BS.
I hate to sound that way but it is true.
They keep saying any line or any number for even numbered threads this isn't so.
It isn't even so on my threading chart.


I just got through cutting the nicest threads I have ever cut running backwards tool upside down and treading out not in at 600 RPM 16, 20 and 40 threads per inch.
Just about as fast as a CNC.
No worries about crashing because you are moving away from the chuck.


Learning to use the dial to cut two and four start threads too.
The lead screw has 8 threads per inch the threading dial has 16 teeth.
You can engage that half nut any place you want from 8 16 32 64 threads per inch on up and not even have to look it will always be on track.
Four TPI will cut a two start thread if you get between the lines on the dial.

Rant over.
What I have been doing is working in the yard I get tired of it go to the lathe mess with it then got back to the garden.

Worth

[Worth1]

Two projects coming up.
Both for a boat.
Stay tuned.

Worth

[PhilaGardener]

Oh - you got a boat? Now you really will be busy!

[matereater]

Cant wait to see what you have coming up. I was just thinking about this thread the other day wondering when you would start another project. I dont always understand what youre doing or why but I find it very interesting. looking forward to your future posts

[Worth1]

No it is someone else's boat.
If I own a boat I will build a small skiff.
Worth

[Worth1]

Here it is a fishing pole holder extension.
It involved tapping using a die and drilling out a bolt dead in the middle with the lathe.

This thing connects to the gunwhale of a boat.

Never mind the mess I have been using this spot a lot for work even and have yet to sweep up.
Worth
IMG_20170617_13183.jpg

[Worth1]

That project is over, it is a pain in the butt hand tapping something that deep and it takes time.
I used the lathe and tail stock to get the tap started straight then move it over to the vise to finish tapping.
The threads for the fishing pole holders are 10X1.5MM.
The big bolt is 9/16 12 TPI.
I could have wasted my time setting up the lathe to cut metric threads but it wasn't worth it not being able to use the treading dial with metric threads.
I just bought a die and the right sized long metric bolt and did it that way by continuing on with the treads already cut.

The next project for the boat will be welding, cutting and drilling aluminum for a flipping seat back over an ice chest.
This way you can sit on the ice chest in either direction and rest your back.
They sell them but they are junk and the seat back bracket bends from us lummoxes using them.
Mine will be lummox proof.
The guy is going fishing some place around Rockport this coming weekend.
He is my boss and he always seems to have some sort of side project for me to do with a boat.
Known him for years.

Worth

[loulac]

Great work, as usual. Drilling and tapping a long bolt in line requires a lot of precision, I imagine you spent some time using your brains first and then your hands. Did you find the fishing pole holder part ready made or did you have to bend the part yourself ? In that case can we have details ?

All the best

[Worth1]

Thanks I had a whole answer about ready to send and and the computer decided to do a restart and lost it all.
No the rod holders are metric and store bought.
One end of the bolt is just a stud I made that screws in.
The other end is drilled and tapped for the rod holder bolt to screw all the way into.
I through drilled the big bolt because it is easier to clean out.
The tap was as I said started on the lathe with a live center so it has no choice but to get started straight.
The tap has a small hole in the end for this exact reason.
Starting a tap crocked in a deep hole is a nightmare and you wont get far without breaking it.
The lathe is a wonderful tool for starting taps and dies straight.

If you look at the top of the big bolt it will be easy to bolt a flat bar on top and have 2 or even 3 rod holders mounted now.
Something he didn't consider before.
Worth

[Worth1]

Here are pictures of drilling the hole and starting the tap straight.
Worth
IMG_20170619_12890.jpg

IMG_20170619_26435.jpg

[Worth1]

I gave the extensions to the owner he was very happy with them.
He couldn't wrap his mind around what I was doing until he had them in his hands.
Worth