Hee all
I've bought a slightly used lathe of the HBM make (dutch) will post piccie tommorow if the camera don't let me down again.
thing is I've never worked on one of these before, (well not by myself anyway)
Are there any online tutorials on the basics of metal turning and spinning?
Grtz Thomas
They're not free but these are popular
http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Chronos_Catalogue_Workshop_Practice_Series_185.html
There is a small book 'The Amateurs Lathe' only about a tenner but a very worthwhile read. Most examples are around model making, but the
techniques etc. are applicable to any turning activities.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THE-AMATEURS-LATHE-BOOK-MYFORD-BOXFORD-COLCHESTER-LATHE_W0QQitemZ160197219060QQihZ006QQcategoryZ11437QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcm
dZViewItem
Mine may be a bit big. It has a 48" bed (working length) and is a gap bed with a 20" swing. Perhaps I'll sell it and get a smaller
one....!!!??
Just be carefull and sensible with it, they can bite you BIG TIME.
Dont leave the key in the jaw chuck.... when it leaves it hurts!
Many people learnt that one at uni!
I got The Amateur's Lathe, highly reccomend it. I just started turning recently.
Fortunately for me I had a pro on hand to advise me.. "should it be making that sound" etc.
Thanx for all the advise!
the website is very usefull, also I asked around if there's someone who can give me an evening of learning to do some parts, I can do outside and
facing pretty well after an evening trying, but things like turning thread and inside boring with a boringbar etc etc..... no idea what to do.
Anyway it's far more complete than I thought, the guy I bought it off had all sorts of stuff with it 3jaw 4jaw range of gears, boring head for
the tailstock with HSS center drill, spinning center etc etc etc. There's also some sort of key with it which I do not know the function of, see
piccie..... somebody in the know?
I can't leave th key in the chuck because when it is I can't start the thing, also there's a sliding collor on the key that makes it
drop out of the hole as soon as you take your hands of it, very clever for someone like me.....
Now I did something very brave yesterday. I took a cabinet out of our guest bedroom and rebuild it with big frame to put the lathe on, the cabinet
belongs to SWMBO, and she didn't notice last night when I showed her my new toy..... that is just a matter of time she will find out, so if i go
missing...... well you get the idea.
anyway here it is (thought the engine hoist would come in handy one day for something not engine...)
HBM 250/40 Lathe
the unknown tool, it's quite small. but what is it?
unknown lathe tool
Grtz Thomas
[Edited on 18/1/08 by thomas4age]
its a c spanner, often used to hold the lathe spindle still while fitting the chuck.
might not be on that one but is often the case
I sorta figured that, but I can't find a place to put it, it's smallish for that application.
grtz Thomas
mmm, odd one then. Thought you might say that! No idea then.......
On my Colchester Student lathe I have a HUGE one of those to undo the collar behind the chuck. I have to put the lathe in its lowest gear, then bump the collar undo in the opposite direction to normal rotation. Once this has been undone the chuck is just sitting on the tapered nose of the mandrel, ready to remove (in other words, ready to fall off and crush my fingers).
do you have a collet chuck? thats what i use one for
maybe just maybe, it's a tool that doesn't belong to this machine, but hard to think that cause the HBM make is cast into the tool, and the
guy I bought it off didn;t have any other machinery standing around...
@liam, is this a collet chuck? I have a boring head but it's the self tightning type, will check if the spanner fit's that
anyway unless do a job that needs this thing I'll probably be OK,
I will get some alloy bar stock tommorow and try to turn a spacer to get the alternator lined up with the pulleys on the twin supercharged v8. that
will be my firts purpose made "turnsel"
can wait to c**k up the first meter of bar..... 
grtz Thomas
[Edited on 18/1/08 by thomas4age]
[Edited on 18/1/08 by thomas4age]
Here's my C-spanner - I put it against the wheel to get a sense of scale!
Nice lathe BTW - perfect for a beginner, while being big enough to do useful stuff.
Rescued attachment 00001.jpg
Nah the spanner in my picture is about 15cm long,
I'm getting thought that it is indeed for tightning of the boring head, but I haven't used that yet, so am not 100% sure.
the tailstock has an MT2 cone btw, How can I get the live center, that is in right now, out? to fit the boring head.
Grtz Thomas
[Edited on 18/1/08 by thomas4age]
Get a piece of metal rod a bit smaller than the hole down the centre of the tailstock. Use this down the right-hand end of the tailstock to tap the
back of the centre's taper - start gently and increase the amount of tap until it comes loose (this is the normal way on small lathes.)
The bigger lathes eject them automatically if you wind back the mandrel fully - but I doubt if yours will have that feature.
[Edited on 18/1/08 by David Jenkins]
Ah let's try that.
off having a few beers for now, which doesn't strike me a as a good combination, learning to run a lathe and drinking beer...
grtz Thomas
Certainly not!
Lathes can bite hard if you're not paying attention... 
Found it,
It's a spanner to get the locknuts from the main axle loose in the back of the gearhousing , that's why it seems to have never been used.
@David: the tail stock does releases itself automaticly when the MT2 spindle/mandrel is fully turned back.
that raises a question, when to use which center, ie Live of fixed? and do I always need to centerdrill the workpiece when using the tailstock
center?
anyway tried some shopping today but need to wait till monday when some better toolshops are open.
did however get the powerfeed up and running slow enough to make very nice repeatable cuts, 0.5mm deep.
I assume that when there's a steady serpentine shape string of alloy coming from the tool-bit and the sound is only hissing, I'm doing good.
from the book I understand that I can engage powerfeed without stopping the lathe, and it seems to be working like that, but read that it's not
wise to do.... so what's-it then?
grtz Thomas
[Edited on 19/1/08 by thomas4age]
[Edited on 19/1/08 by thomas4age]
quote:
Originally posted by thomas4age
that raises a question, when to use which center, ie Live of fixed? and do I always need to centerdrill the workpiece when using the tailstock center?
quote:
From the book I understand that I can engage powerfeed without stopping the lathe, and it seems to be working like that, but read that it's not wise to do.... so what's-it then?
Thats exactly the same model i have, except its imported by Chester here in the UK, its been brilliant for doing all he jobs ive needed to while making the car, the only problem i would warn you about is that if you fully wind out the tailstock the key in the inside will drop out, it took me ages to realise why it wouldnt go back in, had to strip the it down and hold it in from the other end while i pushed it back in from the other end.
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Here's my C-spanner - I put it against the wheel to get a sense of scale!
Nice lathe BTW - perfect for a beginner, while being big enough to do useful stuff.