Recent purchase of PM-932 and PM-1236

Both style indicators will work. Starting with a .0001" indicator will be a problem, and many DTIs have a fairly low total travel range, which requires better rough centering. A standard 1" dial indicator is the common choice, move it in a couple revolutions and get to work.
 
I have trouble sometimes with my Bestest .0001 indicator because it reads backwards from other indicators. It is a very fine DTI, just need to get my head in the right place to use it. Switching to indicating I.D.'s can also get confusing until you get the correct mantra for the job at hand in your mind.
 
Thanks a lot. I've been using my Interapid .0005" DTI when trying to clock/center the piece. Everyone in the videos I watch on Youtube use a dial indicator instead, so I wasn't sure if I was using the wrong tool for the job. I will play around with it a little more and maybe buy a dial indicator to see if it makes the job any easier.
 
Like Bob suggested, use the rings on the chuck face for rough centering. Best to start with a dial indicator or TDI with a larger range to get it within a few thou and then a TDI to finish.

I start with a 0-15-0 TDI to get within a thou or two and then move to a 0-4-0 TDI to finish. Also I have the jaws marked so I will rough in one plane at a time, say between jaws 1 & 3 and then do 2 & 4. Once you have a rough center it is just simple math to fine tune.
 
CalRon said:
I was afraid that may happen if I was to keep the flag there. I haven't used the lathe yet, but from watching Youtube videos, you can see stuff flies everywhere. I will definitely move the flag somewhere else in my garage, want to make sure I protect it from any filth.

Thank you for taking notice and mentioning it. Nice to see others share the same pride!
Click to expand...
Just move it around the corner to the right and it will be fine. Or you could get a little smaller flag and put a sheet of plexiglass over it.

Bill
 
I played around with the lathe a little bit more today. Im trying to figure out how to reduce the vibration. I think Im going to chop 2" off the bolts so that I can lower the stand a couple inches. That may help give a little more support? I will probably make some solid mounts for it down the road sometime as well.

Other than that, I played around with the gears. I noticed that I get the most vibration from two gears. B2 (330rpm) makes the stand feel like its wobbling as if the piece in the chuck is off center. A3 (700rpm) causes the machine to shake enough that the DRO shakes as well. All the other speeds, both faster and lower, seem to operate pretty similar with little vibration and pretty smooth.

What Im describing with B2 and A3 gears isn't that extreme, but causes noticeably more vibration/movement than the other gears. It may or may not effect the finish, but Im not doing anything that intricate where I think I would notice the difference.
 
I received & installed mine a week ago. I'm pretty impressed with how smooth it is.

 
Sleddog said:
I received & installed mine a week ago. I'm pretty impressed with how smooth it is.

Click to expand...

Yours definitely seems smoother operating than mine. I put a nickel on mine and it starts to spin around from the vibration. Is your lathe resting on solid ground or did you level it with leveling feet?
 
It's leveled using 3" x 3" x 1/2" pads. I drilled 3/4" dimples in the pads then used 5/8" x 2" bolts for leveling.
 
Sleddog said:
It's leveled using 3" x 3" x 1/2" pads. I drilled 3/4" dimples in the pads then used 5/8" x 2" bolts for leveling.
Click to expand...

Thanks man, thats a lot of help. My stand is elevated about 3-3 1/2" off the floor and the same diameter bolts as you. I think if I lower it, it will stabilize better. Are your pads solid or rubber? Mine are rubber similar to hockey pucks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top