Author Topic: Lathe advice and new tool time!  (Read 177 times)

Jimr1999

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Lathe advice and new tool time!
« on: 09 Dec 22, 07:10 am »
Morning all and seasons greetings!
Just scored some beautiful small cast iron axle stands from Marketplace and four chassis punches for a tenner all in. Whilst collecting these, the vendor was starting to clean up a Clarke CL430 metal lathe for sale. They didn't put a price on it but it looked well looked after. (they are downsizing and need to move soon)
Has anyone got any experience with this machine and its value (or otherwise) they would like to share?
Jim
... You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

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StefanN

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #1 on: 09 Dec 22, 08:33 am »
Can’t help on the lathe, but fantastic result on the stands and punches.

I’ve 3D printed dimple dies for use after the hole punches.  Very happy to share the design.

Jimr1999

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #2 on: 09 Dec 22, 08:43 am »
Yes please Stefan, although what medium did you print them in to make them strong enough to use? ( we need a files section for useful stuff like this :-) )
... You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

StefanN

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #3 on: 09 Dec 22, 07:04 pm »
I’ve printed them in PLA and in PETG.  I’ve been used them on aluminium and on steel (1.2mm from memory).  They won’t last forever of course.

synthpunk

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #4 on: 10 Dec 22, 09:58 am »
Nice machine if the price is right. Spares shouldn’t be any problem. We had them at college. Good range of features and accessories, well built and straightforward to maintain. If it’s been maintained and has any extras (cutters, chucks, steadies) then go for it.

The best thing about lathes is that if there’s an accessory you don’t have, it’s usually possible to build it yerself, using the lathe it will be mounted on, so you know it will be a perfect fit ;c)

synthpunk

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #5 on: 10 Dec 22, 10:05 am »
Oh yeah- 400 and up for a good machine with some extras. Basket cases for 200. Maybe more if it’s got the stand and try and get one with all the change wheels.

Jimr1999

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #6 on: 10 Dec 22, 12:24 pm »
Cheers for that Synthpunk! Good show.
« Last Edit: 10 Dec 22, 12:32 pm by Jimr1999 »
... You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

synthpunk

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #7 on: 10 Dec 22, 01:13 pm »
I have a feeling early ones were Korean, later ones Chinese. A step up in quality from a current production generic budget chinese lathe that you can buy new for about 400 ish quid with all accessories, but not a myford. But then, a tenth of the price of a decent myford.

I bought my lathe for 40 quid. It’s a 1909 Drummond ‘pre B type’. They later evolved into the M type that was later taken over by myford. It was probably shagged out by the end of the Great War, never mind ww2. It came with precisely no accessories. The table and motor were recycled from a scrap running machine. I drilled out a faceplate to mount a chuck by hand, tapped it, and then bootstrapped all the other accessories one by one  by making them from scratch. Took ages, but I learned a lot. Best modification I can recommend is buy 3 or 4 cheap digital micrometers, drill and tap them onto the bed and saddle etc and use them as digital readouts for your cuts. Easy to zero and makes life super easy.

Lathes are brilliant.
I also recommend looking at the archive here for interesting reading-

http://www.lathes.co.uk/

synthpunk

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #8 on: 10 Dec 22, 01:31 pm »
A good Drummond B type (200£) or M type(400) would also be worth looking out for. I fitted myford changewheels to mine, the M type was fitted on navy ships, and later formed the basis of the myford. All the accessories seem to fit as well. They are a quality lathe on a budget.

For instance https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403976321731?hash=item5e0edd7ac3:g:Z~4AAOSwLfxjZQbv&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoMxDGOc7fNpcYUeb45ndSbUev8%2FEAZtzFPyxoDrMvAvFfZqbWXGyHk1nYeKjmLIw3tDuRFF6qSfIx4zvN6%2BYMxfYPB0dLUyo%2FgH65oVl4sUqfdPy8YPDx%2FnxntRajblL1O6CEiPKo7mtlWVG33FqKgED6Nlx2eX2aHkMfFYMLsVhCSnJ1whU8EqBlXJ7zpRwxPMLxG6y7E2erQ2T17YyXXU%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-qnwsOfYQ

Jimr1999

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #9 on: 10 Dec 22, 01:56 pm »
A fair shout Synthpunk. As I would almost certainly want to see it before I bought, second hand local it must be. As I live in a area rife with engineering types, they come up regularly as an old boy quits or passes on, however, there are many people wanting them too so you have to move quick. I will see what occurs and comes to market. ;D
... You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

Jimr1999

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #10 on: 14 Oct 23, 06:37 pm »
At long last a lathe fell on my doorstep on marketplace. A Drummond type M "knee planer" It's missing a few gears as the auto feed only backs off but the fella is looking in his shed for me. Not a big deal for me at the moment and gears crop up for this and the myford version on eBay. He may have a four jaw for it too. Time will tell. It seems tight, I have yet to use it in anger, some oilers for the bearing would be useful. At £180 I don't feel robbed, although the weight of it was a challenge

JimR
« Last Edit: 14 Oct 23, 06:40 pm by Jimr1999 »
... You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

Max Venturi

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Re: Lathe advice and new tool time!
« Reply #11 on: 23 Oct 23, 08:40 pm »
Looks like £180 well spent there Jim. I've seen lathes on eBay which look little better than scrap sell for more than that.