On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 01:17:58 -0400, Rex the Wrench
wrote:

Consider shafts from a pair of matching hydraulic cylinders.
The piston ends of the shafts would most likely have a nice taper and
threaded stub that you could anchor to a stout plate or casting. On the
other end, if they had an eye or a clevis, you could mount them to
another plate or casting. Decide which end will hold the headstock, and
procede from there.

NOTE: I have never tried this. It just seems a simple way to get two
reasonably rigid and parallel way surfaces.

Rex the Wrench



Mark Forkheim wrote:
Hi all,

Well after reading the Gingery book and the Flemming book I am thinking of
building my own lathe. I figure that if I build it myself I get the lathe
that I want and can shell out the money as needed, instead of all at once.
It will also give me something to do, which is the most important thing for
me.

So my question is about the ways, the books show how to build "box" ways,
most commercial lathes have "v" ways. Are there any other types of ways to
make ways? What are some of the important features of a way that I shold
keep in mind if I try to design something? Are there any books out there
that have some theory about lathe building?

TIA
Mark Forkheim



On the subject of round shafts for ways: I worked for a guy who has
been a machinist for a long time. During the second world war he
worked in a show in Seattle that built a lathe themselves for one
particular type of work. Since materials and machine tools were scarce
then the machine used shafting for the ways and the bulk of the
machine was concrete. The concrete was cast in place to hold the ways
and motor mounts. I believe the headstock was also concrete. I think
the spindle was mounted in the cast headstock to some plates cast into
the cement. A turret tool post from an engine lathe was adapted to the
round ways. I think it was a collet machine without any provision for
a chuck mount. Since the engine lathe could be used with either the
tailstock or the turret, but not both at the same time, transferring
the turret to a special built machine gave them two lathes to be used
at once instead of just one. After the war the machine sat un-used for
years and just had stuff piled on it. I suppose it's been dismantled
by now.
ERS