Walter,

Get a set of screw machine length drill bits (stub drill bits) for drilling
from the Sherline tail stock. Always start drilling with a center drill.
The short stub drills work well for small jobs in your drill press or small
mill, also.

Don't bore with the tool bit in the tail stock. Put the boring tool bit, on
center, in the tool post instead.

For holding work larger than the spindle through hole, reverse the jaws in
the Sherline chuck. Also, note the reversed jaws can be used to hold hollow
round pieces with the jaws opening out rather than in. Mark the jaws and be
sure to always replace them in their original location.

Screw cutting in the Sherline was "designed in" as an afterthought, I'm
sure. However, with the Sherline screw cutting attachment one can cut very
accurate screws, centered on the spindle. This is a bit awkward, requiring
the headstock to be turned with the left hand; however the reward is a screw
of "machine quality". For more ordinary work you can do internal tapping
with the tap held in the tailstock and turning the work in the headstock by
hand. For external threading small 13/16" diameter dies can be held in a
die holder in the tailstock - or - started "square" by placing a small plate
(parallel) between the die and the flat front of the tailstock. Of course,
the spindle is revolved by hand whilst the die and its guide plate are
advanced via the tailstock. After starting, the die can be turned with the
fingers to complete the cut.

Bob Swinney


"Walter Harley" wrote in message
...
"W.E.Cole" wrote in message
...
I'd like to get a small metal working lathe to use for my robotics hobby,
preferably a table top or workbench type.

FWIW (I'm a newbie, so it's not worth much...) I've got a Sherline and I
find that it really is very limited in terms of what it can handle. The
issues a (1) when you put a chuck and drill bit into the tailstock, to
center-drill a piece, there is very little room left for the piece; (1a)
the chuck capacity is 1/4", which is a bit too small for a 1/4" square
boring tool to fit, so boring holes is kind of problematic; (2) the
diameter that can fit through the spindle is very small, so for almost any
workpiece you're limited by the length of the bed; and (3) not being able
to thread (without an attachment that costs as much as the lathe did and
that is turned by crank rather than by motor) is a bit of a pain.

It's a great little lathe for doing very small work, but when working on
anything bigger than about 1.5"D x 3"L I start running into limits. I'm
sure a smarter machinist than me would know tricks to get around those
limits, to some extent, but for me they're a problem. If I had the space
I'd be seriously thinking about something bigger.