In article , Dan wrote:
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I am just getting into metalworking, primarily with the aim of learning
small-scale machining and steel brazing. I would eventually like to be
able to fabricate small bicycle parts, such as shift levers and the
like. After reading through the "Home Machinist Handbook" I am still
just slightly confused about what pieces of equipment and hand tools I
will need.
Very tough question. The best place to start would be to take a course at a
local college or high school. For hand tools Ebay is your friend. You can
save some big bucks by buying there. Watch the auctions for a couple of
weeks and get a feel for prices and condition of items, then go ahead and
bid. Don't fall in love with anything, and don't get into a bidding war. For
hand tools I would start with something like this:
0-1" Micrometer. - Look for one in new or near new condition with carbide
faces that reads in "tenths" (.0001"). My experience is that people overpay
for the Starrett name, and there are better micrometers than theirs by far,
I'm not saying don't buy their stuff, just don't overpay. No matter what
item Starrett makes I can give you a brand that is superior, and often sells
for less on Ebay. Look for Etalon, Tesa, Helios, Mitutoyo, Starrett, or
Brown & Sharpe for a micrometer. (I never liked B&S mikes myself). Older
brands that are good - Lufkin, Scheer Tumico, J.T.Slocomb. A Slocomb
Speedmike in good shape would be great for a beginner. They usually go for
around ten to fifteen bucks in like new condition. Older Craftsman (Sears)
micrometers that were made in Germany and Japan were made by Helios, and
Mitutoyo. Any Craftsman made after the mid 80's is usually junk.
FWIW -- the Craftsman micrometers offered in the late 1960s and
early 1970s were actually made by Scherr-Tumico. I have a set from 0-3"
purchased individually during that period.
And also note that the later B&S micrometers were actually made
by Tesa, and are quite good. I agree about the older B&S micrometers,
and I have a 0-6" set. :-)
Note that *any* micrometer past the 0-1" range will *need* a
"standard" a setting (calibration) rod to properly zero it. Otherwise,
you are just closing on air, with no way to verify the zero. So --
beyond the 0-1" range, an eBay auction which includes standards for the
micrometers is better than one which does not, because new aftermarket
purchase can be expensive.
While you're about it -- look for ones with the wrench needed to
zero -- to compensate for temperature changes -- or in *extreme* cases,
for wear.
Another
option would be a digital mike. Mitutoyos are pretty affordable, and they
are probably the best. Add 1-2", 2-3", 3-4" as budget permits.
If my guess about the current world of bicycle work is right,
there is one feature of the digitals which will be a *major* help. That
is the ability to switch between imperial (inch) and metric measurements
at the touch of a button. This even allows you to convert a measurement
in one system to another -- as the lathe is most likely marked in
imperial, but the bicycle is likely at least part in metric.
Note that there are micrometers with a mechanical digital
readout in one system and a thimble calibrated in the other -- but
getting the two zeros to agree can sometimes be a bit of a trick.
For that matter, cutting metric threads on an imperial machine
is a serious pain, as is the converse. Figure out which threads you
will need to cut, and base the lathe purchase on the most frequent
probable need.
Six+ inch Vernier caliper, dial caliper, digital caliper. Wether you go with
a vernier, dial, or digital is really up to you.
Again -- the digital calipers make the conversion between the
two systems very easy. But a good vernier should have scales for both
systems.
There *are* dial calipers with both systems, but the design is a
bit of a kluge, and I would avoid those. Dial calipers are already too
vulnerable to tiny metal chips getting into the rack gear and throwing
them off by several thousandths -- *each* time you pass that point until
you dig out a loupe and locate and pick out the chip.
I would be very leery about
buying this tool used. The potential for abuse and damage is pretty high.
Often there are new ones listed and I would wait for one of these.
I've gotten both Mitutoyo digital calipers and three brands of
digital micrometers used from eBay. Starrett (0-1"), SPI (1-2") and
Mitutoyo (another 0-1", to keep close to a second machine tool.)
I also have an *old* Brown & Sharpe digital caliper which was
really nice, but which uses mercury cells (PX-13) which are no longer
made. That one is built around a glass scale in the bottom of the
groove where a the rack gear would be on a dial. The other two have
capacitance scales under the labels along the beam. Each can be flooded
out by coolant or oil under the wrong conditions, but the capacitance
ones are easy to wipe clean and have work again. The glass scale takes
a bit more careful work -- it was easiest to clean back when spray cans
of Freon TF were available, but that went the way of mercury cells. :-)
The
brands I would look for would be:
Digital (good accuracy)- Mitutoyo, Brown & Sharpe, Starrett.
Dial (least accurate)- Brown & Sharpe (I like theirs best), Mitutoyo,
Helios, Tesa, Etalon. I'm not wild about the Starret that I had, it was too
soft. But if it's a good deal...
Vernier (most accurate) - Starrett make a damn good vernier caliper. Etalon,
Helios, and Brown & Sharpe are also very good. Mitutoyos are a little light
and don't have as good of a feel as the others.
I don't have any of the Mitutoyo dial calipers. I do have Helios
(4"), Starrett (0-150 mm), and a cheap Chinese (Phase-II, IIRC) 0-6".
They all get very little use these days -- with the digitals getting the
most use -- including occasional use of a Mitutoyo 0-12" (0-600mm),
which is a bit large for everyday use, but there are times when it is
all that will do the job.
[ ... ]
Combination Square - Buy a Starrett or Miyutoyo four piece (Center finder,
protrator, square, and rule). Be aware that there are different grades, you
want precision, not carpentry. Get a 12" blade for starters. Add longer and
shorter blades later as you find them.
Agreed. Note that there is one other feature to choose between
quality combination squares. Most have the non-reversible protractor
head (the protractor head is only on one side of the scale). However,
some have the reversible head (protractor on both sides -- useful when
laying out symmetrical angles, but there are some settings it won't
reach without reversing, while the non-reversible will set to *any*
angle without hindrance. Having the non-reversible to start, and if you
find yourself needing it, get a reversible head from the same
manufacturer. (Heads and scales from different manufacturers don't
always interchange.
Calipers, compass, assorted lay out tools. - You can get these cheap on
Ebay. Look for someone auctioning off an assortment. You will get a better
deal that way.
Include a hermaphrodyte (odd-leg) caliper in this collection.
It is nice for laying out distances from an edge.
Center Punch - You'll need one for lay out work. This is a great lathe
project for your new lathe.
Yep. Actually -- make (or buy) several. A "pick" punch (sharp
angle) for feeling intersecting layout lines and making a starting
location, and several heavier center punches for various sizes of work.
Carbide scribe - General is as good as anything. Actually you can buy most
any brand, and it will be OK.
Agreed. There are hardened steel ones as well. The very long
and potentially fragile point on the Starrett carbide tipped scribe
reverses into the handle for safe storage (safe for it, and safe for
you. :-)
Six inch scale - Starrett or Mitutoyo. Older Lufkins and General's in good
shape are OK too.
Go for both the rigid wider style (3/4" wide) and the flexible
narrow style (1/2" wide). Both have their uses. One for the thin
flexible one is indicating whether a lathe tool is at the proper height.
(See other articles for this, or ask once you have your lathe -- this
is getting too long.)
[ ... ]
Magnetic base - I've used them all. Starrett mag bases are the nicest. But I
would buy a cheap knock off, that has an on/off switch and a V in the base.
Make sure it has a fine adjust knob.
Note that there are times when a mag base with a fine adjust is
just too flexible. This is especially true if you have a long travel
dial indicator on it.
I would also buy a very small China one
that is not switchable. They are around ten bucks and worth every penny.
Dial indicater - Buy a .001" to start. Get at least one inch travel. Two
inch would be better. This will likely be your "DRO" on your first lathe for
a while. Buy a tip assortment and a test stand as budget permits. Make sure
you have the adapters you need to use this with your mag bases.
Agreed.
Files - Buy good quality assorted files, and file handles. I like Nicholson
myself. Also get a file card to clan the files with. You'll be surprised how
often you use this lowly tool.
One thing which might not be obvious at first is that there are
files called "safe edge" files. One or two edges will be smooth,
allowing you to file up to a right angle inside without affecting the
other side of the corner. Lots of other strange shapes for certain
kinds of work, too.
Hack saw - same as above.
Tap handles and die stock. - Sooner or later you'll want to put a thead on
or in something.
Though I suspect that you will be needing more often to make
threads which are non-standard diameters -- for weird thin nuts to hold
sprocket wheels on and the like. For those, you won't be able to find a
die or a tap, and will have to "single point" the threads -- cut them
using the lathe's gearing to move the cutter. This is where the
difference between metric and imperial can really bite you. As
mentioned above, cutting metric threads on an imperial lathe is a pain
(if you can find the transposition gears), and the same applies to
cutting imperial threads on a metric lathe. It *can* be done, but you
will lose a lot of time compared to doing it with the right system.
The only thing which does not experience this problem is a CNC
lathe, where the threading (and everything else) is done under computer
control. (O.K. I can imagine a manual lathe with two leadscrews and
two gearboxes, but if such exists, it will not be affordable. :-)
Drill assortment - You'll be wanting to put holes in stuff. If you buy a
good quality U.S. brand you'll never regret spending the extra money.
Agreed.
Dykem - Get a bottle for lay out work.
Two -- the more common blue, and also red. Some colors work
better on one material, some on another. And having two colors can help
at other times, too.
Power hand tools - A good sabre saw, sawz-all, VSR drill, and a Dremel are
all handy to have.
For that matter, a "$200 horizontal/vertical bandsaw" for cutting
off stock. The name is old, and the price is around $160.00 more often
these days. Cheap imports, but they work pretty well until you put a
*lot* of stock through them.
There are tons of other tools you'll need or want, but this will give you a
good start.
I assume at minimum I am going to need a lathe and a mill, but am a bit
baffled by the variety of these, particularly in terms of price for the
micro/desktop units (from around $350 all the way up to $5000). The
sort of questions I have a is it reasonable to buy a combo
lathe/mill unit, or is it better to have dedicated equipment? Is the
low-end stuff (Harbor Freight) decent enough to get going or is it a
waste of money? If I know I eventually may want CNC capability, what is
the best mill to buy for the money?
If you have the room and power, I would buy a used industrial knee mill.
Amen.
Look for a used good quality mill. If it were my money I wouldn't buy a
Bridgeport. They are the most popular and command a premium which is not
deserved based on quality or rigidity. Look for a good quality lesser known
brand. Gorton, Alliant, Sharp, Atrump, Wells-Index, Induma, etc.. I recently
saw a very nice (spotless table, good chrome) Alliant with a DRO, work
light, vise, collets, and some tooling sell for around $1,000.00 on Ebay.
Same week an old round ram Bridgeport that looked hammered to death and worn
out sell for over $2,500.00 with no extras. I would start with a knee mill,
you can use it as a lathe in a pinch. Try and find a deal that includes a
vise, collets, and some tooling. All that stuff adds up. Bonus for DRO,
indexing head, rotary table, clamp set, or boring head.
As for a lathe, a toolmakers lathe would be nice but they are pretty spendy.
Monarch EE, Hardinge HLV, or a Harrison AA. All hard to find and all fairly
expensive. SO, an engine lathe would be your best bet. I like a 14" X 40",
but that might be a bit big for your needs. South Bend and Logans are easy
to find, many of them are set up for household current. I recently saw a
bunch of Nardini lathes being auctioned from a school. Something like that
would be a good way to go as well. I would want a machine that has the
ability to power feed and thread. I think good industrial quality used is
better than low quality new, but to each their own. Look for something that
includes a three jaw chuck, four jaw chuck, steady rest, functioning tail
stock, tool post and some tooling. Bonus for 5C collet closer, quick change
tool post, DRO, coolant pump, Drill chuck, and toolholders.
If inch threading will work for you, a 12x24" Clausing can be a
nice choice -- if it is new enough (e.g. 1957 or so) to have a 1-3/8"
through hole in the spindle, so you can use 5C collets and drawbars for
production runs on stock fed through the spindle.
Also, what other types of fabrication equipment are generally found to
be indispensible for making things like, say, specialty washers,
pulleys, ratchet gears/catches, etc.?
Lathe and mill will do most of that stuff. For high quality gears you would
need a hobber, not really a home shop kind of thing, but if you are making
them in quantity, it might be worth looking in to an old one. The tooling
would be a killer though.
An alternative would be to add a good dividing head to the
collection to use with the mill. That, with the right cutters can make
pretty good gears (not as good as true hobber, but still pretty good),
and the same for the ratchets. A horizontal spindle mill will be nicer
for this, but you can use a vertical spindle with a but more care.
As for making the pawls to engage ratchets, you might find a die
filer (if you can find the files for it) to be an assistance in getting
the shapes right.
If you're serious about all this, a surface
grinder might be in order. You can use it to make and sharpen tools, as well
as grind tight tolerance parts you might want to make. At the very least you
should get a pedestal grinder and a belt sander.
Agreed. How much potential shop space do you have?
A broad (perhaps stupid) question, I know, but I am just not finding a
complete answer in my books or other sources, so thought I just go
ahead and seek advice from those who know, since I really do not want
to waste money on tools or capability I simply don't need. Any input
appreciated.
Again, taking a course will give you a better idea of what you'll need. If
you buy good equipment and get a good deal on it, you should have no problem
selling it later. You'll be out freight costs which can be considerable.
Agreed.
Good luck,
DoN.
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