Christmas list?

C

cbrase

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Good morning all. My kids are asking to a Christmas list, I'm working on cleaning and restoring my first lathe a Craftsman 101.07403. The question is, What would you put on the Christmas List?
 
I/we don't have one. We discovered long ago that buying presents for one another usually resulted in buying an unwanted/unneeded item. Even if we were to put an item on a list, it would probably be the wrong size, color, or function when received. After several years on dealing with returns, we gave up.

Marrying my second wife late in life, we have the maturity to buy with reason. and if we feel we want or need a particular item, we are free to buy it at our discretion. I have lists of all kinds of neat tools that I would like to add to my arsenal I seldom act on that list.
 
How about a copy of the Atlas Manual of Lathe Operations?
 
RJSakowski said:
I/we don't have one. We discovered long ago that buying presents for one another usually resulted in buying an unwanted/unneeded item. Even if we were to put an item on a list, it would probably be the wrong size, color, or function when received. After several years on dealing with returns, we gave up.

Marrying my second wife late in life, we have the maturity to buy with reason. and if we feel we want or need a particular item, we are free to buy it at our discretion. I have lists of all kinds of neat tools that I would like to add to my arsenal I seldom act on that list.
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We do the same thing. Hopefully with this mutual understanding there won't be the need for either a second wife or a second husband.
 
projectnut said:
We do the same thing. Hopefully with this mutual understanding there won't be the need for either a second wife or a second husband.
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With the first, I wouldn't dare have such an open ended arrangement. Anyway, my current wife is almost certainly going to outlive me so we are only spending her retirement income.
 
Cash. Cash always works for me. LOL!

But seriously, I don't create a list for them. I do have my own Amazon wish list, but that's just for me. I tell my family not to try to buy me something I might need as I probably already bought it, or I have a very specific version in mind.

Instead, I tell them not to buy me anything. They never listen.

Some ideas for you understanding your project:

* EvapoRust - a 5 gallon bucket of it
* A shop apron
* Boxes of rubber gloves
* A box of scotch brite pads
* Pb Blaster or other penetrating oils
* Hand tools - nice ones - brass hammer, proper flat blade screwdrivers, wrenches, gear puller, allen key wrenches
* A Kennedy Kits toolbox (Facebook Marketplace - can get them cheap, sometimes loaded with tools)
* A Gerstner machinists toolbox - new, they are crazy money, used, they can also be crazy money, but, boy are they nice!

That's a few ideas for you.
 
As to your list, if you are just getting into machining, a pair of calipers would be nice. Mitutoyo would be preferred but can be a bit pricey for youthful budgets. A caution is to avoid cheap knockoffs though and they can be hard to distinguish from the real article.
for smaller budgets, calipers from Shars, iGaging, etc. will be serviceable. For lathe work, a micrometer is a second instrument that valuable. The pre-digital micrometers work well and can be had at reasonable prices. Another must have is a dial indicator and/dial test indicator. Again, the Mitutoyo would be preferred but the no name brands are reasonably accurate.

Once you get the lathe up and running, stock is going to be a welcome gift. There are various online suppliers. 6061 aluminum is good metal for starting out. 12" lengths in 1/2", 3/4", and 1" diameters would be a good choice. If the lathe still has the OEM lantern style tool holders, HSS or brazed carbide tool bits are a choice. A QCTP is more expensive but if you already have one or are planning to buy one, additional tool holders are always welcome. Your lathe should take an AXA size. Files are an inexpensive gift and a necessary tool for lathe work. On the more expensive side, a grinder for grinding tools would be nice. I grind my brazed carbide tooling using a diamond disk from HF. The disk is ss than $10. A made an adapter for mounting the disk on a small motor; a nice lathe project, I am still using the same disk that I first bought three or four years ago.
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