On 6 Mar 2012 05:45:05 GMT, DoN. Nichols wrote:

On 2012-03-05, Bob S wrote:
On 5 Mar 2012 05:17:22 GMT, DoN. Nichols wrote:

O.K. My Unimat SL-1000 is from the mid to late 1960s as well.
Perhaps the same machine? Something like about a 3" diameter 3-jaw
chuck as part of it (the lathe part, that is), and a spindle nose which
is a M12x1 thread.

It is almost certainly the same machine. I actually has Unimat-SL on
the motor box.

I actually have more than one of them at this point. Last year I got a
box of Unimat spare parts flying in formation at a yard sale. It was
stored in a basement, so there is a certain amount of rust. The base
casting, ways, and lead screw on the base machine are badly corroded.
However, there were spare way rods and lead screw included that are
not bad. I would need to make a base. The pile also had a spare slide,
the milling table, a circular saw and jig saw, and a few other
gadgets.


[ ... micrometers ... ]

Yes, getting thread wires and/or a thread micrometer would be good.
Very few of the threads will be as small as 50mm though. It sounds
like the thing to do would be to get a metric micrometer set going up
to at least 100mm, plus some wires.





[ ... ]

4) A scissors style knurling tool to allow knurling parts for grip.
A "bump" style knurling tool needs a much heavier and more rigid
lathe to drive it.

Great idea; I hadn't thought of that.

I got my first one to use with the Compact-5/CNC -- way too
small for bump knurling -- and I really don't like it on any system. I
found a really nice one by Aloris to fit my BXA sized quick-change
toolpost . It has the two knurls on two arms which move in a vertical
dovetailed slide, each moving in the opposite direction with a leadscrew
with left-hand threads on one end and right-hand ones on the other.
Once it is set to the proper center height, I can just drop it on to
knurl any size within its range without having to re-adjust the height.

I did a little casual looking on the web and it looks like casual
looking is not going to do it.

Go to MSC and look there. The trick is to know how big your
tool shank slot is in the quick-change toolpost. The one I got (by
Eagle Rock) fits into a 1/2" slot, which works for the Compact-5/CNC.

This one on eBay will handle up to 2" diameter:

eBay # 300394065202

Here is the AXA version of the knurling tool which I use on my
Clausing in BXA size: eBay # 120748127351 -- also good up to 2"
diameter.

You can find articles for making your own scissors style
knurling tools, and if you make the pivot point a greater distance from
the knurls themselves, you can make them handle a larger diameter
workpiece.

Note that I've skipped over a lot of bump style knurling tools,
as well as various ones designed for use on turret lathes which would be
awkward on your lathe (but *very* quick for production of many parts if
you *do* have a bed turret attachment.)

There are many tools that will do up to about one inch, which is fine
for knobs but not so good for an 82mm filter ring.

Tools with large capacity probably don't fit on the small lathe.

Maybe a hand knurling tool is what I need.

However, it may be that no knurling tool is going to work well as the
last step on a filter ring because the ring is thin and will bend
under the load. Maybe I need to knurl first and then bore out the
center.

Not unless you make an arbor to support the ID of the ring.

But yes, knurling as the first step, then turning the OD to
produce flat areas which end at the knurls is a better way to go.

The best for working on thin material is the cut style knurling
tools -- which are amazingly expensive, so forget it unless you luck
onto one for perhaps $200.00 or so. :-)


I guess that there is a good reason why almost none of the step
adapter rings sold these days have knurled edges, despite the
potential convenience advantages. I guess that I will emulate the
professionals and not knurl thin rings, at least until I get some
experience and a few projects done.

Thank you again

Bob




Good Luck
DoN.