On 2008-05-08, Joseph Gwinn wrote:
In article ,
"DoN. Nichols" wrote:

On 2008-05-08, Joseph Gwinn wrote:
In article ,
"DoN. Nichols" wrote:

[ ... ]

With a shorter total dovetail, there is less linear travel
before the gib gets too far off center to give proper support. Assuming
that the taper is along the length rather than the width, which would
require an interesting adjustment system.

Well, in theory yes, but the gib adjustment range is the same for both
dovetails. The taper is indeed along the length, and is the same (5/32"
per foot) in both gibs.

O.K. So they didn't give an extra adjustment range to the
cross-slide, even though they could have.

[ ... ]

But the tool is upsidedown, so that won't happen. Well, not often.

One of the benefits of upside down is that chips tend to fall
out of the cut. But with a long curl, you would have the chip feeding
back cycle after cycle until there was enough to drag into the cutter
from pure edge friction.

The tool tip is slightly angled, and so the chip usually curls into a
helix, versus a tight jellyroll.

O.K. And if the tip has a shallow 'V' in the top, it will make
the chip narrower than the slot, to reduce the chances of catching.

[ ... ]

And only a fool says that a system is hack-proof (using the
wrong sense of "hack".) I prefer to call that "cracking", as it has no
constructive target.

I don't think the hack/crack distinction has any traction in the
language at large. White hat versus black hat seems to be how the
distinction is made.

Yes -- it is a lost cause -- though it *used* to be a term of
praise.

[ ... ]

Now, Microsoft is slowly changing Windows so people don't have to run
their software from an administrator account, but this is like turning
the Queen Mary. But it five or ten years it will have been done.

If they are still around by then. :-)

Oh, they will for sure, It's damn near impossible for a billion dollar
company to fail, even if they try real hard.

They appear to be trying "real hard". :-)

Well, they have always been good at understanding their business. After
all, they managed to achieve 90% market share selling products that were
far from "best in their class" technically.

:-)

[ ... ]

[ ... ]

I found the drag to be a problem.

Well ... it needs to be just right. Too loose and vibration
will change it -- even with a balanced crank. Too tight, and it is easy
to overshoot when you get past the friction limit. Just right and you
can steady the crank with one hand as you loosen the thumbscrew, rotate
the outer dial, and re-tighten the thumbscrew.

Thumbscrew? Mine came with hex socket cap machine screws riding on
brass slugs. Hmm. The 5914 manual shows knurled thumbscrews, also
riding on brass slugs. So both thumbscrews were lost and replaced. The
cap screws are clumsy to use.

Mine had one thumbscrew and one cap screw, so I ordered a
thumbscrew along with the leadscrew and T-nut for the cross-slide.

[ ... ]

There are some larger Logans, I think. We've got an expert on
the newsgroup -- Scott Logan.

Yes, there are suitable 1000# Logan lathes, but none came onto the local
market while I was looking. Logans were a definite possibility because
Logan Actuator still exists and still supports their old iron.

Yes. I guess that more of the Logan lathes were sold in the
hobbist size range, so we don't see the larger ones coming up on the
used market very often.

[ ... Nichols mill ... ]

Someday. Space is my issue. I saw a local Nichols horizontal hand mill
go for ~$500 about six months ago. There were few takers.

Mine was $200.00 on eBay -- and cost more to ship down to the DC
area from the Boston area. :-)

That's a bit of a drive. How much did the shipping cost, and what year
was this? Perhaps I should have considered non-local sources.

I don't remember for sure, but I think about $240.00. And this
was back around 2000 I think.

Enjoy,
DoN.

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