Moronic things I did with my lathe today...

ScrapMetal

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Like today is any different, right? :rolleyes: :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 :eek:), 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 :p, 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 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

Sounds like you did the right thing in the end. Sometimes it pays to sleep on it.

Benny
 
:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
oh my thats me!
see my signiture below
steve
 
the wall behind my lathe is totally covered with nails holding mics calipers scribes everything
I had a piece in the four jaw out of balance and it is a bench mill
so i made a brace to go from the head to the wall to secure it
flipped the switch and shook everything off the wall
steve
 
I turned off the lights and walked away....Back to it tomorrow.

I feel ya, brother. Sometimes it's best to take the next day off, if you can, and rest your brain. You'll get it.
 
Ron

I think Carl has the plan. Just cut a hole in the wall. That will fix er. :biggrin::lmao::whistle:
 
Ron

I think Carl has the plan. Just cut a hole in the wall. That will fix er. :biggrin::lmao::whistle:

I can't say that it didn't cross my mind. :whistle: :biggrin:

Jumps, I hear you with the tools "off the wall". I usually do that with a set of Craftsman tools I have. It's a 120+ piece set in one of those black plastic cases and it's about 15 years old. Every now and then the plastic latch doesn't catch completely I go to pick it up, then I have to spend the next 45 minutes trying to find and get all the pieces back in the correct spots. Oh, to have a brain... :biggrin:

-Ron
 
Ron,
Sounds like a beer drinking night, you might need some more shims anyway.
Paul
 
So it's not just Me, there is more than one of us out there.
Nice to know----- Thank you.

Perhaps we can form a club---
Brian.
 
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