NB-making small things on big machines

Shortly after I had my first back surgery..when i went in to get the staples removed..the doctor was pissed when he discovered my leathers and motorcycle helmet in the corner of the treatment room.

It was only 47 miles each way..shrug

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

The difficulty with machining small parts on (relatively) large machines is the lack of high speeds required for small diameter work, be it the turning of shafts, drilling of holes, milling of features.

I own a Maximat V10P with a top speed of 2500 rpm (roughly a ten inch lathe) and small turning/drilling drilling is not easy on this machine. It can be done but takes great care not to break the part or drill, tap, die, etc.

For small stuff, say 3/16" dia or less I have a swiss watchmakers lathe complete with toolmaker's cross slide, 3 and 6 jaw chucks, and a Dremel drill chuck fitted to the tail stock. It has no povision for threading, but for these small sizes taps and dies are more appropriate. For the tiny stuff this machine is a pleasure to use.

If you already have the 12" lathe, or it is priced too good too pass up, your solution may be to fit a watchmakers spindle into the headstock taper. This is a small, separately powered spindle which will accept watchmaker lathe collets and chucks.

Being separately powered it can have the high speed desirable for small work.

Wolfgang

Thanks for the replies-excellent information Wolfgang.

Andy

I broke my ankle and had a halo (metal content) but wasn't allowed to walk on it for 3 weeks. I'd missed my kung fu classes for two weeks and couldn't take it any longer so I rode my bike to class. It was the right ankle so I could shift just no rear brake. Crutches crossways across the handlebars. Of course the Ladies that ran my bone Dr's office saw me and told him. I show up on crutches by way of motorcycle and they're laughing at me and said they saw me and told him. He didn't say a thing about it during the exam. Just said "Be careful" over and over. I did everything he told me. Don't know what he was so worried about. Karl

:) I did something pretty similar about 3 yrs ago. I had been on crutches for about 6wks(w/ at least another 12 to go). I was going so stir crazy I had to get out. Since I couldn't drive a vehicle(hard to run the gas pedal in a full leg cast), I took the bike. Getting on/off was a little tricky, but it sure felt good to get out a little.

Never bothered to tell the doctor(or my wife for that matter).

JW

Back around 78 I tore up my left knee real bad when I hit a dog on my RD400. Slid down the road with the bike on top of me for about 40 feet. Major ligament and cartilage damage. I had to ride that bike to the physical therapy sessions in the snow twice a week. Sold it soon after

Ouch.

But better than me. I wasn't able to leave "the ward" until I had completed two weeks of PT. Talk about going stir crazy. When I wasn't in PT, about the only thing I could do was watch TV. I rarely watch TV.

FWIW, how I got there was to get T-boned by a Freightliner. Somehow I, more or less, walked away from it. My right leg was destroyed, but 3 yrs later I can walk pretty much fine. There is a lot of SS and titanium in that leg, but it functions "normally".

They had told me I would be lucky to leave in less than 2 months. I told them I would be out in 2 weeks. I was. Still spent 6 months of limited mobility at home, but at least I was at home.

JW

A friend of mine set his modern fibreglass cast on fire while OA welding a car, not badly luckily. The nurses were not impressed.

I'll bet the gal at that chicken place (another thread) would have been impressed :)

A friend of mine blew out her ACL. She had rode a bicycle everywhere before that. So she bought a motorcycle. Karl

I was only supposed to stay in the hospital over night but I lied and told my Dr. that was someone at home to help me. Then my friend came and picked me up and I went to the gym I ran and hung out there. Karl

My Dad had a cast on his arm, and found it difficult to do bodywork - the weight of the cast along with holding the hammering dolly... He eventually used the cast as the dolly - held it up under the metal while he hammered on top. After a while the cast was beaten to a pulp so Dad mixed up a batch of PolyFilla and repaired it. The technician in charge of removing the cast several weeks later had a helluva time cutting through that Poly!