New Boy on the lock here

[iain hale 1Participant @iainhale1]

[iain hale 1Participant @iainhale1]

Greetings From Scarbados (Scarborough) JUst starting to kit out my workshop. Would welcome some guidance on Lathe And Milling Machine purchase.

Also what to purchase in tooling to get started Thanks in advance

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Welcome!

Lots of good company and help on here.

But what have you in mind to make, and how big is your budget? That will determine the sort of machines that you can, or would like to, buy.

Above all, DON'T rush!

You can do small work on big machines, but the converse can be more difficult.

Also, how familiar are you with machining techniques?

If little, you need to do some reading before parting with money for machines, tools, and measuring instruments.

How many you buy, again will depend on your budget, and your aspirations..

Certainly, Zeus Charts should be the first.

PM me if you would like a list of possible books. You may not need to buy all, although each will, contain useful information and advice.

As you gain knowledge, you will find a need for further books, on more specialised aspects.

Where are you located?

If there is a Model Engineering Club within reasonable distance, join it. You will learn a lot from other members, as well on here..

Howard

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Hi Iain,

Welcome to the forum. Good advice from Howard, if you are going to use HSS tools on your lathe a bench grinder will be handy and some means of honing the edge after grinding. A digital caliper, either HSS tool bits or carbide tipped tools for the lathe, for the milling machine a vice and T-nuts and bolts to clamp the vice, collet chuck (or suitable collets) for the end mills and slot drills you buy. This should get you going, start with some free cutting steel if you have little experience.

Thor

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Already, we are heading you towards bankruptcy!

As Thor says, the spending does not stop with buying the Lathe and Mill, you need extras to enable you to use them and to measure what youm make.

You will make mistakes; we ALL do from time to time.

Make the errors on cheap material, not expensive castings.

Learn by making simple tools which which increase your knowledge,skill and confidence, and which will make life a little easier in the future.

We all started from where you are!

Howard

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

Hi Iain, welcome to the forum. You might have a look at my website – Journeyman's Workshop

There are five (longish) pages covering:

• Finding a suitable space for your New Workshop
• Some basic things to start you off Hand Tools
• Fixing the bits together Drilling & Joining
• An introduction to workshop machinery and Choosing A New Lathe
• To go with the lathe Selecting A Milling Machine

Good luck with the new workshop and the many successful projects that will emanate from it.

John

[iain hale 1Participant @iainhale1]

Gentlemen thank you all very much indeed for your advice and encouragement. I am indeed taking my time with all this. I have joined (just) PEEMS Pickering Experimental Engineering Model Society.

I already have half my garage divided off with wall ,floor and ceiling insulated with Kingspan so my first job is to complete the rest of the area to match. This will give me two seperated rooms a clean ares for lathe and milling etc and the other for more dirt/dust activity.

My budget is very modest so every pound spent needs to count. Fortunatley I do have access to the Scarborough Mates workshop facilities too but like you all it's nice to take a cup of tea out to ones workshop to practice when the fancy takes.

Regards

Iain

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Apart from the above, are you spending on new kit or are you searching round for second hand? The latter then divides again, into more-recent manufacture and ‘classical’ machines (over 25 years old).

Mine are likely described as vintage, both lathe and mills being over 50 years old. Dave (SOD) will be along shortly to extol the virtues of buying new! There are definite advantages of buying new for new starters.

It took me about 25 years to get my machines – my first machine was new but never really provided much confidence, although it worked OK-ish for a few years. Priorities and expectations can change over time.

Edited to add that if you have the space, make that insulation at least 100mm thick. A warm, dry workshop will save you considerable sums over the years.

Edited By not done it yet on 04/11/2021 13:08:50

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

+1 for a well insulated shop.

1 ) It will be cosy and so make you more inclined to go there to work.

2 ) It will cost less to heat

3 ). And possibly more importantly, it will reduce the risk of rusting.

If you choose an older machine, it will not have the speed or possibly the rigidity to make best use of carbide tipped tools

For some jobs, you may need a special form tool, so HSS will have to be your choice.

Learning how to grind HSS tools will be useful experience for the future, anyway. Also, for the cost of one carbide tip, you can buy a length of HSS, which will suffice for MANY jobs.

Carbide tips have their uses, they will cut hardened steel that would defeat HSS, or make mincemeat of the skin on chilled cast iron.

Although using carbide for roughing and boring, I am a fan of Tangential Turning Tools. The HSS bit that came with the tool, and is my usual turning / facing tool, started life at about 1.5" long. It is now down to less than 1/2" and will soon be too short to hold. But that has taken four or five years of regular use and regrinding.In that time,

Over the same period, several carbide tips in the roughing tool, and a couple in the boring bar. have been required.

For the Tangential Turning Tool, it really needs a Centre Height Gauge, because the tool needs to be reset to centre height after every sharpening. (A simple job on just one face, with a small jig )

Making the gauge can be a good learning exercise, (Facing, Drilling Tapping, using a Die involved ) but leave a tool that will be useful for almost ever after.

It is quite likely that you will find yourself making a tool to do a particular job. As learning, Tap Wrenches, Die Holders, and then probably Tailstock Die Holders.

Toolmaking can be a hobby in itself, as can refurbishing an older machine, or improving a newer one.

And you will have the equipment to improve / repair all sorts of repair things. With the right kit, someone else's major disaster can be a minor inconvenience to you, and insurance against a future repeat failure.

You have lots of enjoyment ahead of you!

Howard

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