CAMCOMPCO wrote:

I don't think I could duplicate it (ladies watch) with the Boley, not
that good of a machinist yet, but, is it just the size of the cutter
that makes the level of detail finer with a smaller lathe. Couldn't I
fabricate a tool post holder that would hold the same cutters that the
Boley would hold? Or, it it that 1 turn of a dial on the Boley is
0.00001 where my smallest "click" is 0.001?

Look closely at it and you will see that there _is_ no dial. With a Boley
you work freehand or with purpose-made jigs.

The price on that particular Boley is a collector price, probably because it
was one of the last models made by the company. If you want to have some
fun you can find Webster-Whitcomb type lathes (the Boley is based on the
Webster-Whitcomb design) online for under $200. You might want to get one
of those and a book on their use and play with it when you have time. I
think you'll find it highly educational. In a way it's a return to a
different era.

One thing that those pictures don't really convey is the scale of it--this
is really a tiny piece of machinery.





John

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)