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Thread: Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12

  1. #1
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    Default Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12

    Okay, there are about a dozen how-to's out on the internet for the 7x lathe cam lock tail stock, but I couldn't find a specific thread here for it. Figured in the sense of completeness, I would add one.

    I have been meaning to do this for about the last seven years that I have had the 7x, but somehow never bothered.

    I did improved the basic alignment of mine some years ago:
    http://www.wrathall.com/Interests/ma...ent_check4.htm

    The tail stock on the 7x is crap. Any time invested in it, gives the feeling of polishing a turd. It looks to me like the foot is too short on the bed ways. Back when I modeled the lathe in CAD to design the CNC conversion parts, I played around with a nicer tail stock.

    This cam lock version basically the same rear mounted lever version as suggested by Rick:
    http://warhammer.mcc.virginia.edu/ty...ger/Tailstock/
    done by John:
    http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/CamLock.html
    improved by Ralph:
    http://www.toolsandmods.com/library/..._camlock_2.pdf
    and marketed by LMS:
    http://littlemachineshop.com/Instruc...stallation.pdf

    I used a thick rigid clamping foot. This was made of 6mm thick brass silver brazed to a 6mm thick steel alignment block. I sure like those (expensive) high silver, low melting point brazing rods. Means even the €12 hardware store burner can do the job.

    Similar Threads:
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6862-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6880-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-tailstock-jpg  
    Last edited by RotarySMP; 05-24-2010 at 05:57 AM.
    Regards,
    Mark


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    The clamping face on my tail stock had a pretty nasty slope, as most do, so I milled it off flat. Glad I did the T-nut cross slide:
    http://www.wrathall.com/Interests/ma...oss_slide1.htm

    While I really admire guys like Ralph who sand, fill and repaint these machines and make them look great, I am not going to.

    That sort of effort makes sense to me for things like this:
    http://www.cnczone.com/vb...nd-saw-180234/
    or this:
    http://www.cnczone.com/vb...update-146913/
    but not for a $400 chinese lathe. I am not even sure if I'll going down to the basement to find the can of green spray paint to re-hide the bog on the tail stock

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6864-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6868-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6872-jpg  
    Regards,
    Mark


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    Since the hole in the foot of the tail stock is about 13mm, and I don't ever need the offset for taper turning (little CNC advantage there), I made the pull up bolt 12.5mm with a 12mm nut.

    The thimble which provides the bearing surfaces for the cam to act against is the same shape as the ram lock on top of the tail stock. I did this because appearance is so important

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6875-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6878-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6882-jpg  
    Regards,
    Mark


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    I did this because appearance is so important
    Eye appeal is buy appeal :rainfro:

    Nice work, and thanks for documenting it here. I've put off this mod well over 10 years and see no reason to discontinue my untarnished record of procrastination. Why put off 'til tomorrow, what I can put off until next week? Seriously, I bought a flex end ratcheting box end wrench which extinguished the little motivation I had to do the mod, but I still envy your ability to just pop that lever with the palm of you hand and use the same sweeping motion to slide the tail stock forward. I kind of wish I never bought that wrench. Works a lot better than a straight wrench, but I still have to ratchet back and forth and flip it over to go the opposite direction. I think about the mod every time I run the wrench the wrong way



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    Shame I stopped procrastinating. I was only three years off catching up with you Knudsen. Actually I am only half finished, so if I stopped now I would be one up one you. Projects you never finish have more Mojo than projects you never start, don't they?

    Last edited by RotarySMP; 05-24-2010 at 05:51 PM.
    Regards,
    Mark


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    That's right. For the sake of procrastinators everywhere, I urge you to stop, set it off to the side, let it collect dust for a few years. :rainfro:



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    Hehe.. I keep meaning to do this on the 8X as well. I even milled out the clamping face on my tail stock to get rid of the slope.

    Yep.. that's as far as I got a year ago.....

    Dyslexic procrastinators untie! Meeting next week sometime..... maybe.



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    I have been wondering why the various cross slide to live center crashes I have done over the years haven't knocked the tail stock alignment out.

    Looking closely, it turns out I really did epoxy the the thing together once I found a good set of shims, back when I did the alignment thing back in 2004. Cool. Maybe I should get some bog and make it look like it was badly machined from one piece of iron rather than two.

    The live center I have has a huge body (hence all the crashes) I really must replace it with one more suitable for this machine.

    Regards,
    Mark


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    Nice work!

    I know all about procrastination. Years ago I saw a Learning Center ad for a one night course about it. The ad said you could either register in advance or pay at the door. When I showed up on the appointed night, they said the course had been canceled because nobody signed up--but thirty people had arrived so-far to pay at the door. HELLO! What did they expect?

    In the rank of procrastination, putting it off ranks lower than not finishing it, but just giving up on the whole idea and BUYING the dam thing ranks above all:

    http://crevicereamer.com/Page_88.html

    CR.

    http://crevicereamer.com
    Too many PMs. Email me to my name plus At A O L dot com.


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    Today marked out (transfer punch in first photo) and drilled the tail stock casting. I need to set it back up and mill a flat surface on the inside of that casting. Should have done it when I milled the floor.

    That last two photos are grinding a cir-clip slot in the camshaft. I finished the CAM shaft after this, except for the threaded hole for the lever arm, so hopefully I can do that tomorrow.

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6886-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6887-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6889-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6890-jpg  

    Regards,
    Mark


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    The main parts are now finished, hardened, and tempered.
    I fly cut the clamping block square.

    Once it is all assembled and the adjusting nut set, the cam shoulders keep the thing assembled, but I will still remount the main casting and clean up that pocket so the circlip can be installed.

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6893-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6897-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6899-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6900-jpg  

    Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6901-jpg  
    Last edited by RotarySMP; 05-30-2010 at 12:29 PM.
    Regards,
    Mark


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    Well here are the parts assembled and blued. I made mine with only a 1mm cam throw, so the locked position lever angle changes a lot from the back of the lathe (thicker bed) to the middle.

    It works well though, so I guess we can called this project finished (still need a circlip, but will probably just make one). Sorry to disappoint the procrastination club

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6906-jpg   Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_6910-jpg  
    Regards,
    Mark


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    Excellent work Mark! Good thing you're not a procrastinator.

    CR.

    http://crevicereamer.com
    Too many PMs. Email me to my name plus At A O L dot com.


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    Thanks CR. Do have a "what's new" index on your website?

    Regards,
    Mark


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    Thanks Mark! That's a good idea. I guess it should be at the top of the homepage when I do it.

    CR.

    http://crevicereamer.com
    Too many PMs. Email me to my name plus At A O L dot com.


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    OK. What's new index started.

    http://crevicereamer.com/

    CR.

    http://crevicereamer.com
    Too many PMs. Email me to my name plus At A O L dot com.


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    I recently made one of these as well, after putting it off for a year or so. It was pretty much all eyeballed and made to fit, and somewhat to my surprise, it actually works. It's hard to underestimate how much more enjoyable this makes the lathe.

    One thing which made a big improvement was replacing the clamping plate that rides under the ways with a nice thick steel plate that won't deform when you clamp down. This solved the worst of my tailstock alignment issues.

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-img_0080-jpg  


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    Thanks CR.

    Sansbury -I am surprised that the Chinese were able the manufacture these things with such an absence of rectilinearity.

    Regards,
    Mark


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    Default Alternative tailstock design

    Hi Folks

    Just seen this thread whiist searching for some thing else and thought this alternative tailstock might help. As we all know there are a number of factories turning out mini lathes sharing a common ancestry which is I believe Russian circa 1970 they have been improved in different ways. The tailstock of the RedBull appears to be better than the Seig C3 style for the photos in this thread and others. The RedBull mini lathe (7xXX) is sold in the USA by BigDog and in the UK by Amerdeal. This design of tailstock is also used on some other mini lathes. The base is a full 4 inches long and the length over all is about 5.5 inches. I could measure the height to the center and the bed dimensions if anyone is interested as there could be differences here as well!

    The going rate in the UK as a spare is £28GB for the complete tailstock assembly.

    Keep up the good work as these machines are worth some TLC and the factories might incorporate some of your ideas into their designs.

    Regards - Pat

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cam lock Tail stock for 7x12-redbull-bigdog-cj0618-7x12-mini-late-tail  


  20. #20
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    Good tip, thanks Pat. That looks like a lot beefier setup, and the foot had a decent length of line contact on the ways. I'll have to look into getting one next time I am over in the UK.

    Regards,
    Mark


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