Saw this on eBay, it already sold:

Rare Boley F1 8mm WW Instrument and Watchmakers Lathe
Made in Germany Boley's most precise 5 day Auction!! Item number:
5056628181

My question is this: What can you do on this that you cannot do on a
new condition quality lathe. I have a like-new Colchester 13" and am
wondering what this watchmakers lathe can do that I can't...

I consistently work in 0.001 specs with no problem, If I have a full
set of collets and a collet drawbar, what would keep me from working as
precisely with my lathe as I could with the watchmakers lathe mentioned
above?

Thanks all.....

John

CAMCOMPCO wrote:

Saw this on eBay, it already sold:

Rare Boley F1 8mm WW Instrument and Watchmakers Lathe
Made in Germany Boley's most precise 5 day Auction!! Item number:
5056628181

My question is this: What can you do on this that you cannot do on a
new condition quality lathe. I have a like-new Colchester 13" and am
wondering what this watchmakers lathe can do that I can't...

I consistently work in 0.001 specs with no problem, If I have a full
set of collets and a collet drawbar, what would keep me from working as
precisely with my lathe as I could with the watchmakers lathe mentioned
above?

Thanks all.....

Find a 21-jewel lady's watch (preferably a dead one that has no value to
speak of). Take it apart. Try to duplicate the smallest those parts on
your lathe. I think after you've tried it you'll understand what the Boley
will do that your lathe won't.

John

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

I sold a fully tooled Boley lathe with chucks and collets to a man in
Minneapolis a few years back. Nice little system. I have pix around here
somewhere of it. Beautiful work by the the people at Boley
NIce little pedestal lathe with all the trimmings. Tiny motor. Pristine
box of collets and cutters and other parts.
Quite a treasure.
perhaps he is making making time out of metal and saphire with it to
this day
And aren'twe all making time out of rubys and meta as we share this
glorious time of year here on the blue marble
somewhere out there a man is crafting clocks just because he thinks its
the right thing to do...
with a tiny lathe

I don't think I could duplicate it (ladies watch) with the Boley, not
that good of a machinist yet, but, is it just the size of the cutter
that makes the level of detail finer with a smaller lathe. Couldn't I
fabricate a tool post holder that would hold the same cutters that the
Boley would hold? Or, it it that 1 turn of a dial on the Boley is
0.00001 where my smallest "click" is 0.001?

John

CAMCOMPCO wrote:

My question is this: What can you do on this that you cannot do on a
new condition quality lathe.

Sit right in front of it, with your nose half a foot away from a part
spinning at 6000 rpm.


Nick
--
Motor Modelle // Engine Models
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
DIY-DRO - YADRO - Eigenbau-Digitalanzeige

In article .com, CAMCOMPCO
says...

I consistently work in 0.001 specs with no problem,

Some of the parts one makes on boley lathes like that *are*
0.001 inch IN diameter.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 10:39:54 -0500, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

CAMCOMPCO wrote:

Saw this on eBay, it already sold:

Rare Boley F1 8mm WW Instrument and Watchmakers Lathe
Made in Germany Boley's most precise 5 day Auction!! Item number:
5056628181

My question is this: What can you do on this that you cannot do on a
new condition quality lathe. I have a like-new Colchester 13" and am
wondering what this watchmakers lathe can do that I can't...

I consistently work in 0.001 specs with no problem, If I have a full
set of collets and a collet drawbar, what would keep me from working as
precisely with my lathe as I could with the watchmakers lathe mentioned
above?

Thanks all.....

Find a 21-jewel lady's watch (preferably a dead one that has no value to
speak of). Take it apart. Try to duplicate the smallest those parts on
your lathe. I think after you've tried it you'll understand what the Boley
will do that your lathe won't.

John

Indeed. And working to .001 is like doing heart surgery with an ax,
when it comes to watches of this nature.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

CAMCOMPCO wrote:

I don't think I could duplicate it (ladies watch) with the Boley, not
that good of a machinist yet, but, is it just the size of the cutter
that makes the level of detail finer with a smaller lathe. Couldn't I
fabricate a tool post holder that would hold the same cutters that the
Boley would hold? Or, it it that 1 turn of a dial on the Boley is
0.00001 where my smallest "click" is 0.001?

Look closely at it and you will see that there _is_ no dial. With a Boley
you work freehand or with purpose-made jigs.

The price on that particular Boley is a collector price, probably because it
was one of the last models made by the company. If you want to have some
fun you can find Webster-Whitcomb type lathes (the Boley is based on the
Webster-Whitcomb design) online for under $200. You might want to get one
of those and a book on their use and play with it when you have time. I
think you'll find it highly educational. In a way it's a return to a
different era.

One thing that those pictures don't really convey is the scale of it--this
is really a tiny piece of machinery.





John

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

In article ,
=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Nick_M=FCller?= says...

My question is this: What can you do on this that you cannot do on a
new condition quality lathe.

Sit right in front of it, with your nose half a foot away from a part
spinning at 6000 rpm.

Right in front if it, heck. There's usually a microscope
between me and my boley lathe.



Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

jim rozen wrote:

There's usually a microscope between me and my boley lathe.

You are getting old. :-))


Ni-so am I-ck
--
Motor Modelle // Engine Models
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
DIY-DRO - YADRO - Eigenbau-Digitalanzeige

In article ,
=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Nick_M=FCller?= says...

jim rozen wrote:

There's usually a microscope between me and my boley lathe.

You are getting old. :-))


Ni-so am I-ck

LOL. I've just found that when doing real fine work,
a binocular microscope makes the difference between
making it right, and busting drills and tools. You
can *really* see what's going on there.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

I use these:
http://www.jamesriser.com/Magic/Cage/Loupes0282sm.jpg
I find them less cumbersome than a microscope.
Jim
--
James P. Riser
Http://www.JamesRiser.com
""Nick Müller"" wrote in message
...
jim rozen wrote:

There's usually a microscope between me and my boley lathe.

You are getting old. :-))


Ni-so am I-ck
--
Motor Modelle // Engine Models
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
DIY-DRO - YADRO - Eigenbau-Digitalanzeige

In article et, JAMES RISER
says...

I use these:
http://www.jamesriser.com/Magic/Cage/Loupes0282sm.jpg
I find them less cumbersome than a microscope.

Those are nice - I see the dentists using those sorts of
things a lot now.

Still, the optics in a good microscope are probably a bit better,
and they zoom as well. Granted it's somewhat confining to have
to work in one spot at my bench, which glasses like that would
fix.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

JAMES RISER wrote:

http://www.jamesriser.com/Magic/Cage/Loupes0282sm.jpg
I find them less cumbersome than a microscope.

I have these ones:
http://www.eschenbach.com/preview.php?pid=43

Very light and you can clip on different leses with different
magnification (up to 10?). Not a huge magnification, mut very good for
minute work. Also, they don't come in your way that much for "normal
looking" (reachin for a tool etc.).

Really can reccomend them. And not expensive.


Nick

--
Motor Modelle // Engine Models
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
DIY-DRO - YADRO - Eigenbau-Digitalanzeige

CAMCOMPCO wrote:
Saw this on eBay, it already sold:

Rare Boley F1 8mm WW Instrument and Watchmakers Lathe
Made in Germany Boley's most precise 5 day Auction!! Item number:
5056628181

My question is this: What can you do on this that you cannot do on a
new condition quality lathe. I have a like-new Colchester 13" and am
wondering what this watchmakers lathe can do that I can't...

I consistently work in 0.001 specs with no problem, If I have a full
set of collets and a collet drawbar, what would keep me from working as
precisely with my lathe as I could with the watchmakers lathe mentioned
above?

Thanks all.....

John


I want one of these instead:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/boley/page3.html

Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com

Nick Müller wrote:
JAMES RISER wrote:


http://www.jamesriser.com/Magic/Cage/Loupes0282sm.jpg
I find them less cumbersome than a microscope.


I have these ones:
http://www.eschenbach.com/preview.php?pid=43

Very light and you can clip on different leses with different
magnification (up to 10?). Not a huge magnification, mut very good for
minute work. Also, they don't come in your way that much for "normal
looking" (reachin for a tool etc.).

Really can reccomend them. And not expensive.


Nick



I use these (http://xtronics.com/optivisor.htm), with a pair of grocery
store bought half frame glasses underneath them. Can't live without
them any linger.

And when I work Platinum I have a pair of protective glasses on top of
the grocery pair. Quite a set up. Putting on 3 set of visual aids to
get anything done. It's getting rather pathetic.

Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com

I am curious...

1) how does the older Unimat series of desktop lathe compare to a
regular watchmaker's lathe?

2) how about the Sherline series?

Any opinions?

TMT

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

1) how does the older Unimat series of desktop lathe compare to a
regular watchmaker's lathe?

Like a Sherline.


2) how about the Sherline series?

Like an older Unimat.


Nick
--
Motor Modelle // Engine Models
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
DIY-DRO - YADRO - Eigenbau-Digitalanzeige

Abrasha wrote in
:

I want one of these instead:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/boley/page3.html

Here's one for sale (in the UK)

http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/cat_leaf.php?id=799

--

Dan

xray wrote:
On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 11:12:25 -0800, Abrasha wrote:


I want one of these instead:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/boley/page3.html


What is the purpose of the thing (faceplate?) that looks like it has 3
little anvils on it? It is near the front of the case in the first
picture.


This tool is used to clamp part like the "main plate" or a "bridge" of
a pocket watch or wrist watch, so the various cutouts for spring
housings and gears can be bored out. Take a look at the production
process of fine watches at Audemars Piguet at
http://www.audemarspiguet.com/en/man...d_process.html

Under the heading "Finishing", there is a picture that's titled
"Circular graining of a bridge", which shows the cutouts very clearly.

Another image is under the heading "Assembly and Timing", "Assembly the
443 parts" You can clearly see the bored cutouts.

Another operation the tool is used for is shown he
http://watchmaking.csparks.com/IndexPlate.html
http://watchmaking.csparks.com/Drilling.jpg
http://watchmaking.csparks.com/Boring.jpg

Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com

I have a close-up image of this item he
http://www.jamesriser.com/Machinery/...atheSetup.html

You should get a better idea of how it works from the above web page.
Jim
-
James P. Riser
Http://www.JamesRiser.com

"xray" wrote in message
...
What is the purpose of the thing (faceplate?) that looks like it has 3
little anvils on it? It is near the front of the case in the first
picture.