The Home Machinist!

What RussN said. Until one is capable of hand grinding lathe tools in HSS, he/she will be held captive. Thin grooving tools are not that hard to grind, not even to proper size. Takes a little practice. One thing that is VERY helpful is to lose the grinding rest. All it does is get in the way. H

I think it depends on the accuracy required for the job. True! The problem is some folks get the idea that readings from a caliper are gospel, and they typically are not. There's way too much history with their use to assume otherwise. Used within their parameters, especially for a job where "close...

The problem with resolution within a thou is that critical fits are more demanding of size than that. If you're trying for a snug slip fit, even a half thou is more than enough to eliminate the desired clearance, be it too much or too little. If you're trying for a proper press fit of a drill bushin...

It is quite common for holes drilled with a twist drill in thin material to come out three sided. Even reaming won't guarantee a round hole, although it will generally be of much nicer quality than just drilling. Taper can be a problem with reamers, as can bell-mouthing and multiple sided holes---ge...

Otherwise, your measurements are not useful. That's a point I've tried to drive home on several occasions (usually in discussing calipers of any description). Sort of like the idea of garbage in, garbage out. If one doesn't have a true reading and is attempting to make parts to exacting specificati...

For a working fitting (any type of motion, be it fast or slow), steel on steel is pretty much a poor choice. Doesn't really matter which alloys are combined, with the problem of scoring exacerbated by lack of lubrication. As Bill stated, stainless is generally a poor choice due to its propensity for...

Great score! LeBlond built very robust and functional lathes. Looks to be in quite good condition.

H

I can't help but wonder if, maybe, the 1,100°F temperature implies that the solder won't degrade below that temperature. Oxidation is a problem with most molten metals.

H

It has been my experience that getting things square (high precision) with a vise is difficult. When I hope to achieve true squareness, I use an angle plate of known quality.

H

Yep! It is sharp! Very nice job, Charlie.

H

You can expect the bed to have similar wear for both the carriage and the tailstock unless the ways are flame hardened. It may or may not be obvious. How does the tailstock align with the spindle? When there's excessive wear you can expect the centerline to be low and the quill may even have a tende...

I can't imagine that the worn cross slide isn't representative of the overall condition of the lathe. If it is in need of repair, the balance of the machine can't be too far behind. While some folks have successfully rebuilt such a machine, how successful they have been is likely questionable. To re...