Newbie question about "Millport" lathe.

Mauser Lover.
Your lathe looks very similar to a lot of small Taiwanese lathes sold under various names during the 1970's/80 etc. I think the original brand (though not 100% sure on that) was Lontaine. I have “McMillan” branded one.

One of the issues with these machines is it's easy to break a tooth off the back gear. As there is no way to hold the spindle when lossening the chuck, most users (myself included) engage the backgear without pulling the drive pin out. This locks the spindle. However when loosening the chuck, all the load is taken on one tooth of the small gear on the backgear. Very easy to break the tooth.

One of my “to do” jobs is come up with a way to effectively lock the spindle without using the back gear.

My little lathe is quite good for what it is, however it does not run carbide tips very well as it just doesn't have the power or speed.

It sounds like you are a “turning” newbie (welcome to this world by the way). I would like to suggest that you try and get a few good books on basic machining and do a bit of study. You will learn heaps and hopefully reduce the amount of errors you make through inexperience. (and you will – we all do/have done) Even a small machine like yours and mine has the potential to do a lot of expensive and/or painfull damage in a very short time.

Old trade school text books would be a good place to start. Not sure what you would have available over there in the USA but here in Australia back in the 1960's and 70's the standard text was “Fitting and Machining Stage 1, 2 and 3. (3 seperate books for the first 3 years of an apprenticeship). Before around 1972 they were in imperial and after 1972 they were updated to metric.

Eg

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1960s-S...=item2aa3d18597:g:oDQAAOSwQVpasHA3&rmvSB=true



this one is from the 1990's and is also a good one but it is in metric



https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/tur...ks/fitting-machining-hardback-book/1182502383



I hope this is of some help on your new adventure.



Regards



Peter
 
bollie7 said:
One of the issues with these machines is it's easy to break a tooth off the back gear. As there is no way to hold the spindle when lossening the chuck, most users (myself included) engage the backgear without pulling the drive pin out. This locks the spindle. However when loosening the chuck, all the load is taken on one tooth of the small gear on the backgear. Very easy to break the tooth.
Click to expand...

Okay. I'll try not to do this unnecessarily! Which shouldn't be hard at this point, because I don't have a faceplate or four-jaw chuck yet.

I've been reading a bunch online already (well, as much as the schedule allows!) but thanks for the specific links. Several people have told me to get some books, but generally they haven't told me specific titles! So, thanks for the titles and links. I'm sure I'll pick up a couple of volumes to add to the library relatively soon. Probably will look for a set that is in the USA already though...

The Lantaine looks similar (using this as my reference http://machine.archives.verhey.org/items/show/42 ), but there are a few differences between what the manual on that site shows as the bigger one and mine. Very similar though.
 
"How to run a lathe" by south bend is the beginners bible. Google HTRAL and I'm sure you'll get plenty of hits.
 
Any edition is fine. I have one from back in the 20s I believe. The info is as useful today as it was back then.
 
I looked at a .pdf of one from back in the 20s. The front page had the layout for a small shop with one electric motor or gasoline engine powering all the tools... I thought maybe a newer one would have some updated information.

Are there different topics addressed in each, or are they all basically the same?
 
I cant answer that, but if you have a pdf I'd go with that. Now that I think about it, it's easy to find a free download. The info is applicable to any lathe.
 
Congrats on your new toy (tool). Lots of good info here and good suggestions. I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but once you get started, you're going to wonder how you got by without it.
Just a tip on the 3 jaw chuck, especially if you have an extra set of jaws. Make sure the jaws and the chuck are marked, usually numbers 1 thru 3. Makes it much easier to put them back in the right order. And punch a witness mark on the chuck and mounting plate once you get it remounted and zeroed closest to true.
Also, while reading is good, I'm a visual guy. Videos have opened up a whole new world for me (like rebuilding a Cummins injector pump). Great vids on Youtube. Lastly, the best teacher is experience. Be safe and get in there and make chips.
 
Nope. Definitely a toy ;)

And yes, I've subscribed to about a dozen youtube channels of machinists since I've gotten this. Abomb79, Build Something Cool, Thatlazymachinist, etc. Learning quite a bit!

Still working on getting everything set up, busy Christmas season. Haven't been able to make that many chips. Made some wooden alphabet blocks on my milling machine (What can I say? I don't have a wood shop!) for my niece for Christmas, other than that I haven't been in the shop much.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top