Converting my Engine Lathe to an 8-Station Turret Lathe!

[Kevin Taylor]

Midwest Alloys out of the chicago neibhorhood 2'X5"X20" ductile $105 to my door this was last fall they will cut to size and I think they have a blanchard grinder also nice people to deal with have plate round and cored round I think they told me one time they could cast or saw 4'X8'X15' ph# is 1-800-526-0548 project look's good I thought of using a superspacer for a turitt on a DV59 conversion to CNC Keepup the good work Kevin

[widgitmaster]

Today I put that slab of cast iron in my mill's vise, held it up high on some parallels, and machined all exposed surfaces flat parallel and square! This was necessary because the hot rolled surfaces of the slab were not flat, and I needed something to work from and to hold it securely.

Next I milled out the 1/4" deep track that will straddle the lathe's carriage! This was done in a few operations, 1st using my carbide shell mill to remove the bulk. 2nd I used a 1/2" 4 flute solid carbide end mill to square the inner corners and bring the track width to size.

Then I used a 5/32 4-flute carbide end mill to undercut the inner corners .025" deep. Then I use a 45° carbide end mill to chamfer the corners .025"

Then I used a long 3/4" 4-flute end mill to bring the ends to length.
Lastly, I setup my big fly-cutter so the tool radius fit inside the track, and took a .005" deep pass across the entire inside floor surface. This will be the datum surface when mounting the block and turret assembly to the lathe.

VIDEO I would have made more movies, but i forgot to put the memory stick in the camera and I was too dirty with cast iron to go inside to look for it!


Now the entire bottom of the slab is finished in one process! Tomorrow I will drill & bore the hole which will go over the post on the lathe's carriage.

[LUCKY13]

Oh, that looks sweat. That plate has a lot of meat & should allow a very stable platform for your turret. I guess that just sorta worked out that way because you had to make it to a height that would center your turrets tooling, but it worked out to the good from what I can see. Should be very stable.


Your fly cutter, it hangs out the back side of the base/tool. Was this for ballancing, or its just a cutter that can take a bigger cut & just happen to be hanging out the back for the size cut you was making? Looks like it was making a very smooth cut!


Well, it looks like its getting closer to time for the turret to be making some chips for use. And I hope you make a Vid of it in action when the time comes. I guess there is still more work to be done before that will happen though. So we will be waiting on the finishing touches & the rest of the story. Thank You.


Jess

[widgitmaster]

This morning I put the slab on it's edge in the vise, and removed all material except for .005" for finishing.

Next I dismantled my lathe, removing the lead screw and cross slide.
Then I put the cross slide in my mill's vise, and used the mill like a CMM to get the exact location of the post so that I can drill & bore the mating hole exactly where it needs to be!

[widgitmaster]

Next I placed the slab on edge in the mills vise, and removed all excess material except for .005" for finishing on each edge.

Then I plaCed the slab upside down in the vise, using four screw jacks to level the finished surface underneath. To do this I used my surface gage and a dial indicator, sliding the gage on the mill's table and adjusting the jacks until I had four corners with the same zero! Then I loaded my 3" face mill into the spindle and prepaired to mill the slap to the final thickness plus .010" for finishing.

But before I started milling, I needed to calculate the exact thickness required to place the top of the turret .3750 below the centerline of the spindle!

To do this I placed a .7500" hardened drill blank pin in the spindle, and dialed it in true. Then I used my trusty old planer gage to transfer the dimension from the top of the turret to the bottom of the pin to my micrometer!

The bad news is I had order a slab .750" too thick! Yikes


VIDEO1
VIDEO2
VIDEO3

[WA Toolman]

OMG!! A MAG Instrument 8 station? I used to work for them in the pre-flashlight days. Guaranteed accurate repeatability within .000050 (50 millionths, not tenths, mfg tolerances were less than half that.) Had one of the best non-aerospace QA labs I've seen. Far higher precision than the one Hardinge put on their chuckers.
Seeing that picture brought back memories of when I was 20-something and living in CA. I was at one time the only machinist (besides the owner) in the place. Then the siren song of Boeing got me to the Frozen North, but I digress...

[BobWarfield]

Fascinating work here. I'm going to have to write another Widgitmaster Techniques piece in my blog I see. Some good stuff such as using the mill DRO as a CMM and leveling and indicating the CI piece in with machinist screws.

One thing though. I noticed in picture 017, you're dialing in on the pin for the cross slide. What's up with that indicator holder? I mean, it is a widgit, but it isn't THE widgit. At least it isn't the holder you sell on eBay.



Don't mind me, just a little good natured harassment.

Best,

BW

[widgitmaster]

There's always room for more Widgits Bob!

Today I used my big fly-cutter to take a final pass across the top of the plate. With the head trammed, and the plate leveled, the final thickness was within .0003" parallel! My contribution to the MAG Industries Turret!

VIDEO

Next I drilled & tapped the eight mounting holes for 1/4-20 SHCS, and drilled the three 1/2" diameter flat bottom holes for the return springs!

Then I pressed out the hardened guide bushing from the old base plate, and drilled & bored the holes for the bushings new home!

The next step is to drill and ream a long .5000" diameter hole for the valve piston assembly, and that is another weekend's worth of work! I think I'll have to order a long drill bit, as the jobber's length drills are about 3/4" too short! Wish I had an Oxy-Acetylene set so I could braze an extension on an old drill bit!

During this whole process, I decided to lower the turret .750" below the centerline of the spindle, as it seemed advantageous to have long parts clear the top of the turret! That means I'll have to make all my own tool holders!

[lerman]

Regarding welding an extension to a drill:

Isn't there a technique where you put one part in the spindle of the lathe with the other held fixed on the cross slide (or tailstock)? Then run the spindle up to speed, turn it off and force the two parts together. The friction generates enough heat to weld the parts together.

I forget what the technique is called or where I heard about it. I've never tried it.

Ken

[Geof]

Originally Posted by lerman Regarding welding an extension to a drill: Isn't there a technique where you put one part in the spindle of the lathe with the other held fixed on the cross slide (or tailstock)? Then run the spindle up to speed, turn it off and force the two parts together. The friction generates enough heat to weld the parts together. I forget what the technique is called or where I heard about it. I've never tried it. Ken

Surprisingly enough it is called friction welding. A year or so back someone had posted a link to a video showing it being done on something. I think I might have mentioned in a post that Caterpillar (the company that is) used it for welding ends onto hydraulic cylinder rods. Just about anyone who has run a CNC machine has done it inadvertently once or twice. Although normally this involves friction welding a tool into a big block of steel rather than onto a bar of equal diameter.

[Geof]

Now I feel a bit stupid literally beside myself I guess. I did a search and find I am the guy who posted the video link. Ah well age does creep up on one.

[jackson]

looking good widgit keep posting