- Joined
- Apr 6, 2011
- Messages
- 2,082
Like today is any different, right? :biggrin:
I'd actually find this kind of funny if it didn't border on the "tragic" side. A little background first: I just moved a new mill in to my tiny "shop" which forced me to move all the machines out first. Now I'm in the process of setting my lathe back up. I positioned it just where I wanted it. Measured out from the wall to make sure it was parallel (OCD kind of thing ), and pulled out my .0005" over 10" level to start the process of leveling it. I spent all yesterday afternoon getting the lathe close to level length-wise even though it's not real important I did have a "drop" from one end to the other (4') of over 1". Too whacked out for my tastes. So an afternoon of cutting aluminum shims of different thicknesses, ran out of material so resorted to cutting up some Red Bull cans. Okay, got it "close enough".
Today I wanted to tackle the important part, making sure that lathe is level forward & back (no twisties ). Making shims again. Leveling this way was a major p.i.t.a. due to my own predilection to try and get it "perfect". For this the Red Bull shims were too thick so I dug up some .002" brass sheets. As you can imagine, using a tractor jack, and going back and forth from one end/side to the other, trying to get this kind of precision took me all day. In the end though, due to fatigue probably , I had it so it was maybe a half bubble mark difference between one end of the lathe and the other. Great! Time to fire it up to see how the belt is tracking...
Pushed on the lever to tighten the flat leather belt up (It's a "work bench" model) and to my absolute horror I find that I didn't leave enough room between the lathe and the wall to extend the drive pulley!!! :banghead:
I turned off the lights and walked away....
Back to it tomorrow.
-Ron
I'd actually find this kind of funny if it didn't border on the "tragic" side. A little background first: I just moved a new mill in to my tiny "shop" which forced me to move all the machines out first. Now I'm in the process of setting my lathe back up. I positioned it just where I wanted it. Measured out from the wall to make sure it was parallel (OCD kind of thing ), and pulled out my .0005" over 10" level to start the process of leveling it. I spent all yesterday afternoon getting the lathe close to level length-wise even though it's not real important I did have a "drop" from one end to the other (4') of over 1". Too whacked out for my tastes. So an afternoon of cutting aluminum shims of different thicknesses, ran out of material so resorted to cutting up some Red Bull cans. Okay, got it "close enough".
Today I wanted to tackle the important part, making sure that lathe is level forward & back (no twisties ). Making shims again. Leveling this way was a major p.i.t.a. due to my own predilection to try and get it "perfect". For this the Red Bull shims were too thick so I dug up some .002" brass sheets. As you can imagine, using a tractor jack, and going back and forth from one end/side to the other, trying to get this kind of precision took me all day. In the end though, due to fatigue probably , I had it so it was maybe a half bubble mark difference between one end of the lathe and the other. Great! Time to fire it up to see how the belt is tracking...
Pushed on the lever to tighten the flat leather belt up (It's a "work bench" model) and to my absolute horror I find that I didn't leave enough room between the lathe and the wall to extend the drive pulley!!! :banghead:
I turned off the lights and walked away....
Back to it tomorrow.
-Ron