11echo

I live in Bakersfield, CA. ...The part is small enough I could ship it to anyplace in the U.S. ...Yes I could machine something "new" or re-fix this part again, but I wanted to look into what it would cost to re-cast this part just to keep in line with original construction. Now is this cost effective!?? ...Remember your talking to some "yahoo" that drug a 100 yr.s old lathe out of the junk pile and "fixed it up"! *G*

I've got an old model A Monarch lathe, and the anchor plate on the tailstock is broken ...probably a number of years ago. It was brazed back together but is starting to crack again. I was thinking about a "new" casting, and was wondering where a good foundry to try is? ...Any recommendations?

When your cutting threads on a lathe sometimes it's easier to do the cutting away from the headstock! ...To do this you have to be able to turn CCW. So esentually your threading upside down. ...It works I'm here to tell you!!!

Forge!?? ...Forge what's that!?? *G* ...I WISH!!!

I'm a hobbyist type machinist and I'd have to say I would have both! I live near the oil fields here in middle Calif. and I see alot of "sucker rod" (the rod you see on derks pumping oil out of the ground) as scrap. It's pretty good steel but on the tough side. You can cut it with HSS, but it'll dull the tooling semi quick, so I have carbide tool too to deal with it. I just find it more versatile to have both on hand to deal with what ever I use.

I have just picked up a small knee mill and am now in the process of rebuilding it. One problem I've now run across is the one of the threaded table shafts is bent. It's a semi long shaft (30"), threaded and has a number of different diameters on it. The end portion where the hand crank is, is 1/2" in diameter x 7" long, unthreaded and this is the area where it

I understand about pre-heating, but there are two issues with that! One this thing is cast iron about 4'-6" tall with a 18"x 24" base ...i.e. weights a ton! So I'm limited to "freely" moving it around (especially hot!) And Two where I live building a fire outside is fronded upon by the "Air Care Board" ...HOWEVER I have come up with an idea, I have a propane shop heater, I could fire-up and park next to it, that should get it pretty hot!!?

Unfortunately I don't have a TIG welder! ...So I'm stuck with the gas welder. Someone has suggested to use a carbonizing flame when I brazing! ...Any thoughts on this? ...And to what degree ...how much of a "feather" off the tip of the blue flame? "Cause of the crack"!?? ...Not a 100% sure, but 2 things stick out for me! Poor casting is a good part of it, but design of the casting is also a part. There is a rectangular hole near the corner of this pedestal (coolant or lubrication return I’m guessing), and the cracks have come off the apposing corners of this hole (would have been nice if they used a round hole!*G*), reaching to the edge of the outside web! I don't see any damage as if dropped. Another question I have, is it better to try to braze this thing from the inside to the outside edge, OR the other way around?? ...I would also like to THX everyone that has taken the time to respond to my question here! I find it VERY helpful!!! ...Mark

I did stop the one small crack; the other goes clean thru to the edge, so nothing to stop. I have a #2 tip, but that's too small to put out the heat I need. Don't think the #3 would do much better!?? ...I do have a rosebud tip which I planned to slow the cooling process with. I guess I could try to pre-heat with it!!?

...I'm a hobbyist machinist, and I have just picked up a little knee mill that's probably about 70 years old. I'm in the process now of cleaning it up. In this process I noticed that the cast iron pedestal is cracked in two places. Not real long cracks, one is about a 1 1/4" and the other is about 2 1/2". This is at the base that has cast in webs, so varying widths of cast iron. Which is kind of the problem, I'm finding it hard to get the area to braze hot enough to do the job! One problem with my brazing technique that I

I first laid eyes on this driving thru a small town in central California. I contacted the owner and over the next 9 month I

I'm a hobbyist machinist! I've been doing this afew years now. Normally I pick up older machines, rebuild them to the best of my ability and try to use them to their extend. Same goes for cutting tools ...ie drill bits. I get old drill bits (usually with a #2 or #3 MT shank) clean them up and try to sharpen them ...per my high school shop training (or what I remember of it). Seem to be semi successful on larger bits (over 3/4" dia.). But I have trouble with the smaller ones (especially below 1/2"dia.) ...primarily because I don't think I know how to deal with the smaller bits. SO can anybody point me to where I could get some info on how to hand grind these and reamer too (I just picked up a number of them too)? YES I've tried "googling" ...but most of what I'm finding is "Drill Doctor" type machines. I'm looking for old school hand grinding techniques!! THX! ...Mark

I was never a big "BOOK" type of guy. I always did better when someone could show me. SO I went to local J.C. and sign up for an introduction to basic machine shop practices class! BIG HELP for me!!! I did end up with a book and it's of some help, but the big push was from this class! My $0.02 anyway, Good Luck!

When I got out of the service in early 76 I decided to take some refresher classes in drafting so I could start looking for a job (already had the AA degree in drafting ONLY because it was easy for me ...no plans to work in the profession). Any way 3 years in the service MAKES you think about what you want to do afterwards. So I decide to try this drafting stuff and decided to take afew drafting classes on the G.I. bill, you get paid money to go to school, so I started looking at other classes I could take. And there was an introduction to arc welding at the local high school not 1/2 mile from my house. Started the evening class, and really liked it! So much so that half way thru the class I got my first credit card and I went down to the local welding supply store in Santa Ana, Calif. and my first purchase was a Lincoln AC welder. I still have it to this day! Now I'm not a pipeline welder by any means, but my welding doesn't look like bird cxxx either! *G*

WELL I guess I'm going to have to show my age here! ...Well the age of my lathe anyway. This is a "A" model Monarch, I've been cleaning it up for some time, and have been using it here lately. STILL have afew "issues" but has been very enjoyable!