Do I need coolant on a "shop use" lathe?

Depends on what you are doing, but I use coolant a lot. It makes a big difference in surface finish and precision.

You will want splash shields - it can be messy.

Joe Gwinn

i use a mister, then skip the splash sheilds. They get in the way. I do have a piece of plexiglass on the wall where it hits and a wet track on the floor is normal when it runs.

Karl

Id say in your case...yes....it makes sense to put on a cheap submersable coolant pump in a 5 or 10 gallon tank and feed waterbased coolant or oil...Im sure you can snag a drum of either at an auction somewhere for little or nothing. In fact..you should have coolant pumps out of some of the machinery you scrapped already with one spare on the shelf. Sometimes, particularly during threading...where having coolant available really really makes a big difference when cutting on a lathe. If you already have the bits and pieces...use em. Set up the lathe properly once..then you never have to worry about it. Same with a butterfly on the ass end of your spindle.

Btw..find a steady rest and follower rest for a Clausing Colchester flat topped 13" lathe for cheap..Id be interested.

Gunner

I used a mister for a while, but would have fog banks in the shop after a few hours of work. And then I'd be coughing for a few days, from breathing the coolant mist, so I got a 3M filter mask. This worked, even if it did make me look like a Preying Mantis (much to the wife's amusement). But everything in the shop became coated.

So, I stopped using the mister and went to drip cooling, with option to open the valve wide open to full flood. This works well. The flood is essential when parting or trepanning.

I built the splash shields afterwards, to contain the mess.

The whole setup is powered by a small Little Giant coolant pump.

You may have the setup and space to use cutting oil, versus soluble oil. I use black sulfur oil for some things (like stainless steel), applied with a brush.

Joe Gwinn

Iggy, in days of yore, back when most machinists were using HSS tool bits coolant was very seldom used.. I was at the U.S. Air Force's experimental base at Edwards AFB, California, and none of their machines, other then a surface grinder or two,even had a coolant system installed.

Coolant is very nice when it is contained. I use coolant on my milling machine all the time and it is awesome. Makes everything run very cool and smooth.

With the lathe, the only problem is that I need a splash guard, and I cannot use the lathe pan as a storage area for "stuff".

I do have plenty of coolant pumps, tanks and whatnot, and I will probably end up setting it up. I had coolant on my previous POS Colchester lathe, and coolant was very nice to have.

Ignoramus17710 fired this volley in news:g7KdnS16a-X4HQTMnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

You shouldn't, anyway. That makes it a temptation to reach for something you need while the machine is running. Reaching toward a running machine for anything but the off-switch is A.Bad.Idea.

I broke down and actually bought some Horrible Fright tools. I got four of those six-drawer roll any-which-way (all four casters swivel) flat- topped tool carts. I populated each with the specific frequently-used tools for each of my primary machines, then roll them around in my workspace as necessary for clearing my motions around the machines. Bigger stuff like pallets of milling tool holders and vises get mounted on the wall or a stand near the machine.

NOTHING in the way of tools or attachments ever goes on the machine or under it... too damned dangerous! All the more-so because I'm a solo practicioner, with help about 400 feet and three walls away if I were injured.

LLoyd

My solution is a Zero fog mister:

I do recall this, now that you remind me.

Is the mist good enough for parting off? I find that drip doesn't do it, and so always go to full flood (using soluble oil).

Joe Gwinn

I also added a Flexbar safety guard to the lathe, partly to contain the mess, and partly for safety, especially when using big chunky soft jaws. That thing scares me - you can't really see the chuck jaws while it's spinning.

I also made a rubber curtain to hang down from the front of the safety guard to catch spray out the front, especially when running the spindle in reverse (I do this when parting off, using an upside down tool).

Joe Gwinn

It would have been wise to include the nature of the work you're trying to do. Some material can be worked just fine with the use of the cutting liquid of choice, and an acid brush. It doesn't cool well, but it does provide lubrication for the cut, and typically improves surface finish.

The use of coolant on a machine that is not built to accommodate the flow can be quite troublesome. If you're running a chuck, it tends to get flung far and wide, making a general mess in the shop. Think carefully before making the decision to add it to your lathe---it can be a mistake.

Harold

It can also be turned on and off..if done properly.

for cutoof i use coolant from the saw in a squirt bottle. may use half bottle on one cut. The saw's coolant is EXTRA rich in oil. It is the drainage from all the lathes and mills, reused again and again. The water evaporates so it gets real rich.

Karl

For parting I use a squirt bottle filled with coolant from the saw. May use 1/2

Ahh. I didn't think mist would be enough.

What make and model of coolant do you use?

Joe Gwinn