Boxford C Lathe

[Steve Jones 20Participant @stevejones20]

Hi all,

Many thanks to Steviegtr, Clive Brown 1, Speedy and Sam Spoons for the information listed above, It's very much appreciated. You guys are just amazing. What I need now is effectively how to start the job i.e.., I’ve got a brass bar to practice on and I’m hoping to attempt to turn the screw first perhaps this weekend and I know this is not a simple task but if I don't try then I won't succeed. I do not have a milling machine so I will have to be creative with how I do things.

If you have any more images or advice on starting the job that would be great. Step by step would be good for fools like me as I'm not a engineer by birth or training just a beginner enthusiast.

[Sam SpoonsParticipant @samspoons83065]

If you want to see what can be done in a shed with relatively basic tool have a look at Allen Millyard's YouTube channel. He does have a milling machine now but when he started he did almost everything with files and hacksaws and says the only absolutely essential machines are the lathe and TIG welder.

[Steve Jones 20Participant @stevejones20]

Hi Guys,

I want to sell my old Boxford tool post to a friend but I have no idea what price to sell it at! What do you all think would be a fair price??

 

 

 

Edited By Steve Jones 20 on 19/12/2020 20:13:14

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Posted by Steve Jones 20 on 19/12/2020 20:12:45:

Hi Guys,

I want to sell my old Boxford tool post to a friend but I have no idea what price to sell it at! What do you all think would be a fair price??

Edited By Steve Jones 20 on 19/12/2020 20:13:14

Depends if he's a good friend, or not so good friend, if the latter, I'd give it to him for free, knowing the grief that using that will cause will be worth it.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

A quick look on ebay showed one at £63. It will neer sell of course. I think there was a bunch of 3 the other day for about £20. You might do better to give it away for future credit.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

10 quid. There is not much demand for them these days. Everyone seems to go for QC toolposts these days. The original like yours is a useful unit though. gets in close to the job where bulkier set ups get in the way. And quickly adjustable for tool height after regrinding your tool bit etc. To be much use though, your mate will need to buy the tool holders to go in it, the straight, left-hand and right-hand offset ones at least.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Hi Steve Jones,

As you now know, engaging Back gear, slows the speed of the spindle, by a factor of 5 or 6, but you must disengage the drive to the main gear (called the Bull Wheel) or it jams up, because you have two gears, with different ratios engaged at the same time..One is trying to drive the spindle fast, whilst the other is trying drive it slow. It can't do both, so it jams sold.

The geras are spur vgears, (NO synchromesh on machine tools! ) so everything must be stationary when engaging / dis engaging gears, to prevent damage. It may be necessary to pull the chuck round by hand for the gears to mesh and engage properly.

I would suggest getting some books to read, to help you.

Ian Bradley's "The Amateur's Workshop" is a general book that covers things other than lathework, so is useful..

L H Sparey's "The Amateur's Lathe" deals with lathes. The illustrations show Myford ML7, but the principles are exactly the same.for any lathe.

Tubal Cain's "Model Engineer's Handbook" is veryb useful reference book for all sorts of aspects of model engineering, so well worth having.

Harold Hall has written a book on lathework, and past issues of M E W contained m course on lathework, written by Neil Wyatt. Well worth finding and reading.

If the threads that you want to cut are small (less than 10 or 12 mm or 1/2" ) I would suggest using Taps and Dies.

These will nee d to be lubricated during use (Trefolex, or Rocol RTD are the ones often used ) turning the tool back every 1/2 turn or so to break the swarf.

If you want to cut Metric threads, (especially fine ones ) your easiest way, probably is to look at Tracy Tools who supply Taps and Dies for coarse and fine Metric threads in various sizes, and pitches.

Since you mentioned 0.7 (looks like a 4 mm diameter thread ) presumably you have a set of Metric thread gauges, to enable you check the pitch of the original thread?

At the risk of insulting you, there are a variety of threads used, Whitworth, BSF, BSP, BA, Unified Coarse and Fine, as well as Metric Coarse and Fine – a variety of non coarse pitches are available in some sizes )

The thread forms are not the same! Whit form threads, BSW, BSF, BSP, BS Brass, Model Engineer threads are 55 degrees; BA (often used on older electrical items ) are 47.5 degrees. Unified and Metric are 60 degrees, but are NOT interchangeable, differing in diameter and pitch.

This where Zeus Charts, and Tubal Cain's book come in handy!

Also, there are sizes and pitches which are specials,. The thread on your Boxford spindle is one of them, as is the 1.125 x 12 tpi thread on the Myford ML7 lathe, or the 2.250 x 8 tpi on mine. The thread pitch (and therefore depth) are not the "Standard" for that diameter. The Myford ML1, 2, 3, and 4 started out using 7/8 BSW (7/8 x 9 tpi) but moved to 7/8 x 12 tpi as another example of a "special"

HTH

Howard

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

I forgot to say, that if you want to cut threads on a late where the motor cannot be reversed, it would a great help to make yourself a mandrel Handle, so that you can reverse the Chuck rotation by hand.

It will be a useful learning exercise to make a Mandrel Handle, so that you gain experience in using the lathe, before going in for anything vital, and have a useful tool at bthe end of the job.

Messing up an expensive, or irreplaceable workpiece can be, at least, costly!

Again, another potential insult , Withdraw the tool before winding the saddle back along the bed. And take back far enough that when, having put on a firther cut (UNLIKE Taps and Dies, you don't take the cut all in one go, just a few thou at a time ) you take out the backlash in the Leadscrew / Half Nuts before the tool starts cutting again.

As a newbie, I would advise against screwcutting until you have more experience, stick to Taps and Dies.

With taps, you can do the job in three stages, 1st, 2nd and bottoming (sometimes called "plug" in UK )

And a Die can be adjusted so that it starts opened up, and can be closed down for further cuts to bring the thread to the correct finished size.

Howard                      Autospell knows best, until I make a mistake and leave off a letter!

Edited By Howard Lewis on 20/12/2020 11:27:13

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Posted by Pete. on 19/12/2020 20:54:23:

Posted by Steve Jones 20 on 19/12/2020 20:12:45:

Hi Guys,

I want to sell my old Boxford tool post to a friend but I have no idea what price to sell it at! What do you all think would be a fair price??

Edited By Steve Jones 20 on 19/12/2020 20:13:14

Depends if he's a good friend, or not so good friend, if the latter, I'd give it to him for free, knowing the grief that using that will cause will be worth it.

Lantern posts are useful for insert tooling. assuming the tool fits through the slot.

Turn the base upside down, bin the boat, fit tool, check the centre height and cut a new parallel base for the full centre height.

Now you can use the QC for HSS and the lantern for insert

[Steve Jones 20Participant @stevejones20]

Hi all,

Many thanks to Sam Spoons, Pete, Bazyle, Hopper, Howard Lewis and Dave Halford for all your useful advice. You've given me food for thought!

Steve

[Steve Jones 20Participant @stevejones20]

Here's wishing all the members at model-engineer a very merry Christmas and a safe new year.

Steve

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