Cowell sensitive tailstock attachment

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

I’ve got a Cowells too. I’d be interested.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Clearly a majority of readers of this thread like it, but only a minority of MEW readers have series seven lathes, and how many of them want rack feed? That said I can see applications on other lathes!

I'm not sure it is Ian Bradley's greatest design, the horizontal, but skewed, pinion adds complexity and potentially interferes with use of the cross slide when near the tailstock.The self ejection mechanism is clumsy and ugly.

I have an idea how it could be simplified and improved, but I'm not giving it away (yet) as it would mostly be a 'steal' of someone else's design.

Interestingly the MEW with the first part in has a (rare) photo of BR 0-10-0 'Big Emma' on her retirement. No not a mistake, apparently Big Bertha was latterly known as Big Emma. Now there's an IMLEC winner!

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I've now looked at the design for the EW. This is made to swivel so the pinion can be vertical, so he must have had something of a rethink on that! Otherwise it is essentially the same device. The ejection mechanism is till crude but not quite as robust and obtrusive.

Now, the Myford design or the more refined EW design or both?

Neil

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

An article showing the construction of a similar tailstock mod was published in MEW 93 -95 (Oct – Dec 2003), designed for a Warco BH600 but easily adaptable to other machines.

[BikepeteParticipant @bikepete]

Also look at the Schaublin starwheel tailstock and Cazeneuve HBX 360 designs for inspiration… e.g. from lathes.co.uk

 

and a Cazaneuve also from lathes.co.uk:

 

Edited By Bikepete on 20/08/2014 16:56:03

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 20/08/2014 16:23:35:

Clearly a majority of readers of this thread like it, but only a minority of MEW readers have series seven lathes, and how many of them want rack feed?

This thread is really revealing about the current direction of MEW. Motorcycle articles are, apparently, "de rigueur" but it takes a forum poll to justify one on a tailstock rack-feed?

I'd hazard a guess that rather more people here own series seven lathes than own motorcycles …. just my guess though. In any event, it would be trivial to adapt the Myford version of either the Cowell or Cleeves design to other lathes. And if you don't want a rack-feed ….. well, there's one article that wasn't of interest; move on to the next – it's happened to me a few times too.

[CotswoldsPhilParticipant @cotswoldsphil]

Hi Bandersnatch and others,

Sorry to be a bit tardy replying – you asked about the rack and travel of my Cowell. It's 8 teeth to the inch and one revolution of the spider gives 3 inches (can't use the double quotes character) of travel at the chuck. I've put a rather poor photo in my album.

Well, this all started with me asking about swapping ML7 and Super 7 tailstocks to maintain my Cowell attachment on the Super 7 I've just aquired. Perhaps I will make one for the Super 7 from the soon to be published article.

I've already got 3 spider arms and knobs off the mill which are never used.

Regards

Phil H

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 20/08/2014 13:58:40:

Would you feel cheated or delighted?

.

Delighted

[even though I already have a Cowell one]

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> This thread is really revealing about the current direction of MEW. Motorcycle articles are, apparently, "de rigueur" but it takes a forum poll to justify one on a tailstock rack-feed

Some of my comments were a little tongue-in cheek

I do think the 'bar' for reprinting an article has to be a lot higher than for new material, unless it is a very short (like filling a gap with a chuck cartoon). My job would be very easy if all I did was reprint the best tooling articles from 116 years of ME!"

There are also issues of quality of images; drawings can be redone, but the pictures from old MEs are not printed exceptionally well and don't scan to anything like the standard I would like to use.

So I need to be really sure it's wanted. Of course the ideal solution would be someone making an updated version and writing it up with new pictures (ideally in similar concise language to Ian Bradley!)

An alternative is to put the Ian Bradley articles on line, of course.

I recall the Warco BH600 article, but it wasn't in MEW, it was have been in Anthony Mount's series in ME with the tailstock starting in issue 4207. It looks a much neater design but is a bit recent for a re-run in MEW.

There's also an excellent article for the Unimat (which could be scaled up) in issue 178 of MEW by Mr Rhodes.

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Neil,

Do feel free to post it a another free article on the forum pages

MichaelG.

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 20/08/2014 20:10:12:

I do think the 'bar' for reprinting an article has to be a lot higher than for new material, unless it is a very short (like filling a gap with a chuck cartoon). My job would be very easy if all I did was reprint the best tooling articles from 116 years of ME!"

Yes, I do see where you're coming from Neil but perhaps not nearly as high a bar as for yet another ball-turning or qr-toolpost article (even if those are new entries!). At least this type of add-on hasn't been done much (if at all) over the intervening 50 years. (I may be blind – not unlikely actually – but I'm blowed if I can find Coalburner's reference in MEW 93-95).

Of course a new article, by an experienced author, would be better and would be a good candidate for MEW. Given that the actual interface at the lathe is minimal, it should be possible to make it general enough to apply to most any lathe. Pity Graham was driven away by the more uncouth elements here.

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

Neil, Bandersnatch,

Yep, your right, it wasn't in MEW, dunno what happened there, had a complete brainfart, it was actually in ME 4207 – 4209

Sorry for the misleading info I blame it on the medication.

Graeme

[SaxalbyParticipant @saxalby]

I have an urge to modify my spare Boxford AUD tailstock into the Cowells type. Problem is in finding a supplier (other than a stockholders) of 1 1/16 inch Ground mild steel bar for the replacement tailstock spindle.

Anyone know of a supplier. ??

Regards

Barry

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by CoalBurner on 21/08/2014 10:59:22:

Sorry for the misleading info I blame it on the medication.

No problem, Graeme (I can relate ). Turns out I actually have those issues among my motley collection. Looks really interesting and adaptable for just about anything.

Thanks.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

I've done a similar mod to my Mini-Lathe.

 

It all works very well and I would not be without it now.
I made a longer barrel to give more support when extended and have around 75mm of travel for deeper hole drilling, without the need to reposition the tailstock

A few more pics are in the album.

Martin.

Edited By blowlamp on 21/08/2014 17:00:31

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

The pictures for the Martin Cleeve articles really won't stand republishing on paper, so instead I have taken Michael's invitation and created an article with links to pdfs of the Martin Cleeve articles HERE.

If anyone does make one, please share it!

Neil

[simondavies3Participant @simondavies3]

Neil,

Thank you for reuniting me with this article – last night I actually found the original block that I had started making some 30 or so years ago for my little Cowells 90.

I may well try an updated version for my current lathe, scaling up rather than down.

Simon

[John CParticipant @johnc47954]

Neil,

This is just the sort of thing that I originally subscribed to MEW for. Thanks for publishing the article on line, and rest assured that there is interest in this sort of thing.

I remember that JS did a write-up of a lever action tailstock mod.  A quick search for 'Tailstock' on this forum turned up several articles related to tailstock mods – all interesting and worth a read, but no JS submission. Perhaps you could coerce him ( with the promise of £2) to reproduce his articles here too?

John

 

Edited By John Corden on 21/08/2014 18:25:04

Edited By John Corden on 21/08/2014 18:31:35

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Thanks both,

JS is busily working on his prototypes! I have a small cube of metal with a hole and cotter in it as physical evidence!

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 21/08/2014 17:14:26:

The pictures for the Martin Cleeve articles really won't stand republishing on paper, so instead I have taken Michael's invitation and created an article with links to pdfs of the Martin Cleeve articles HERE.

.

Neil,

You are a

Everyone's a winner.

MichaelG.

[geoff walker 1Participant @geoffwalker1]

Hi All

Looking at this image posted by Phil P some years ago, I have a question.

How is the casting part of the attachment fixed to the tailstock body.

I can't see any fixings and I assume the unpainted portion between the tailstock body and the attachment casting is the 2.125" diameter boss on the rear of the tailstock, but how are they joined together?

Also what is the long allen screw for in the casting.

Geoff

[BazParticipant @baz89810]

I would imagine that it is retained in exactly the same manner as the original tailstock handle, a semicircular keep plate, the long Allen screw takes up any longitudinal play and stops the whole thing rotating.

[geoff walker 1Participant @geoffwalker1]

Hi Baz

thanks, got it, just can't see the outline of the key in the photo.

The allen screw will be probably be screwed in the threaded hole in the keep plate which stops it lifting out and also rotating.

Cheers Geoff

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