New Toy(s)

jayzedkay

jayzedkay

Club Member
picked this up the other day.
still need to sort it out a little; refit the motor and mount it properly; drip-tray, raise-blocks, level it etc.
it's a 1991 super 7; gearbox, power-feeds, one previous owner, home engineer.
i got various bits with it; tray, chucks, face-plate, milling block, cutters, keys/tools etc.
everything to get going.

IMG_8390.JPG


i've been deliberating a lathe for some time, years in fact, going on/off the idea for various reasons.
mainly 'off' the idea supported by cost/use balance. investment in lathe and tooling can pay for quite a bit of machining outsourced?
i work with an excellent machinist for all my requirements, large and small and will continue for the tricky stuff beyond my ability and capability.
but, i often get frustrated waiting for the smaller parts, holding up progress, that i could make myself?
plus i know i'd enjoy making shit on a lathe, whatever it's for. It's part of my dna.

After concentrating on myfords and boxfords, i concluded a boxford would suit my needs best; being a slightly more 'industrial' machine?
but after concentrating on researching boxfords; AUD/ME/280 models. I concluded they would just take up too much room in my compact workshop.
I know on paper they compare footprints to a myford, but with all that under-drive cabinet affair or 'boxy' later models. it would just take up too much room.
So, for space saving and 'ease' of transportation, I went full-cricle and came back to myfords.
looked at various ML's, but concluded the 'super' was the one to hold out for.
This one came along and ticked all the boxes; age, condition, features etc. so took the plunge.

looking forward to learning general machining and how to use it properly.
already have a back-log of small/medium jobs to do on it.

Plus I already have an Alpine RF25 bench drill/mill i picked up over the autumn.
it also requires full assembly, but some car panels in storage above it are preventing this for the moment.
so come the time, between the small mill and lathe, within limitations setup for most things.

IMG_8391.JPG
 
I ended up with a Harrison L5 with the larger bore spindle about 20 years ago plus, it was still three phase but half the price of a Myford.
The Transwave converter cost more but it was worth it in the end.
It gets used nearly every week and I couldn't envisage life without it now, so many spare parts have to be worked on to make them fit.
Great for new girder fork spindles too.
 
I have a slightly older super 7 with the gearbox but no power crossfeed which is a bummer. If you can get the cabinet stand it makes for a lot more stability unless your bench is really sturdy. I also had an alpine 25 drill/mill but never got on with it, sold it for more than I paid and now have a 9x36 J head Bridgeport with power everything, bit heavy though at 1 1/4 tonnes 😀
 
I've got a big drill, and I'm not frightened to use it.............even though it did brake my finger once. 😒
 
i'm gonna stick with the wooden bench for now,
i feel it is very sturdy, 2x3" frame secured to the walls of the workshop and noggins across the top frame to add stability.
presently has 18mm hardwood ply on top, but i'm thinking to add another 12mm ontop.
i'll add steel plated under the feet too, to stop them sinking in the wood, but the drip tray will help with that too.

yeah, the RF25 has limitations, a bridgeport it ain't.
though foreign, korean i believe, imported by numerous businesses and rebadged.
made decades ago, they are in a better league than the modern chinese crap around?
but its simply impossible for me to consider somehting like that.
the RF appears good, relatively little use for age, so hopefully it'll be acurate enough and will suffice my needs i'm sure?
anything super precision i'll outsource, as i do now.

i got a couple of books i'm reading through:
amateur lathe by sparey and the series 7 manual by bradley.
 
Great set up, I've been lucky and had my Boxford for year's. It's got a slotted slide that has also been used for horizontal milling. Your mill will be great for precision drilling. A decent twin wheel grinder is a must have also.
Ah just spotted the grinder on another post (y)
 
Another couple of books worth considering (or getting from the library) are :-
Model Engineering by Peter Wright, and
The car restorers workshop companion by Geoff Purnell

Obviously not geared directly at lathe or mill work but a mine of information for those of us who like diddling with bits of metal.(y)
 
jayzedkay said:
picked this up the other day.
still need to sort it out a little; refit the motor and mount it properly; drip-tray, raise-blocks, level it etc.
it's a 1991 super 7; gearbox, power-feeds, one previous owner, home engineer.
i got various bits with it; tray, chucks, face-plate, milling block, cutters, keys/tools etc.
everything to get going.

View attachment 1200110

i've been deliberating a lathe for some time, years in fact, going on/off the idea for various reasons.
mainly 'off' the idea supported by cost/use balance. investment in lathe and tooling can pay for quite a bit of machining outsourced?
i work with an excellent machinist for all my requirements, large and small and will continue for the tricky stuff beyond my ability and capability.
but, i often get frustrated waiting for the smaller parts, holding up progress, that i could make myself?
plus i know i'd enjoy making shit on a lathe, whatever it's for. It's part of my dna.

After concentrating on myfords and boxfords, i concluded a boxford would suit my needs best; being a slightly more 'industrial' machine?
but after concentrating on researching boxfords; AUD/ME/280 models. I concluded they would just take up too much room in my compact workshop.
I know on paper they compare footprints to a myford, but with all that under-drive cabinet affair or 'boxy' later models. it would just take up too much room.
So, for space saving and 'ease' of transportation, I went full-cricle and came back to myfords.
looked at various ML's, but concluded the 'super' was the one to hold out for.
This one came along and ticked all the boxes; age, condition, features etc. so took the plunge.

looking forward to learning general machining and how to use it properly.
already have a back-log of small/medium jobs to do on it.

Plus I already have an Alpine RF25 bench drill/mill i picked up over the autumn.
it also requires full assembly, but some car panels in storage above it are preventing this for the moment.
so come the time, between the small mill and lathe, within limitations setup for most things.

View attachment 1200111
Click to expand...


some nice kit there , I bought a small hobby one for £100 , they are so usefull , I have been given a larger one by my wife's uncle but I have yet to collect it , may need to get rid if my compressor to get it in the garage..
 
Paul P. said:
It is very satisfying to build ones own workbench and of course it will be at just the right height - repurposed or recycled is nice for your carbon footprint as well, look Greta at what I've made from the chips on your shoulder.
Click to expand...

i've also repurposed a couple of ventilation fans i salvaged from work to be skipped.
i fitted x3 skylights in my workshop when i built the roof. fitted the fans to two of them. almost made-to-measure
it's a simple procedure to loosen their lower mountings allowing them to hang/hinge down from their top two mounts.
allowing enough room to get your hand in to open the skylight.

IMG_8400.JPG


i don't do that much spraying, but these are gonna work out great for getting the overspray out.
over this summer i have a set of car panels to paint, so they should pay dividends?
i also plan to use them for cooling freshly built engine(s) during initial start-up/heat-cycling. (y).
 
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