New member from Thunder Bay

[ShawnR]

Hi All

As stated previously by other new members, I found this website and pretty much registered right away. I have a Craftex lathe and small mill as the machining tools, and then the usual metal and wood working stuff. I just built a furnace for melting aluminum but have not tried it yet.

Looking forward to networking with you all.

Cheers,

Shawn

 

[Dusty]

Welcome aboard Shawn, great bunch of members here, loads of information and insight. What model of Craftex lathe do you run?

 

[Hruul]

Welcome to the forum Shawn.

 

[ShawnR]

Welcome aboard Shawn, great bunch of members here, loads of information and insight. What model of Craftex lathe do you run?

B2227L

I have had it for probably 20 years but can honestly say that it has not been used all that time. I go hot and cold on hobbies and interests. I have just retired and am in full metal mode right now...

Thanks for the greeting

 

[Brent H]

Go Shawn Go! Welcome to the club!

 

[ryanthemillwright0919]

Welcome, this is a great site you should enjoy it

 

[Dusty]

B2227L

I have had it for probably 20 years but can honestly say that it has not been used all that time. I go hot and cold on hobbies and interests. I have just retired and am in full metal mode right now...

Thanks for the greeting

B2227L, same Craftex lathe in my shop although somewhat shy of being 20 years old. Mine hasn't seen many miles of late due to my lame right leg but it will.

 

[CalgaryPT]

Greetings from Calgary Shawn.

 

[DavidR8]

Welcome to the forum from Vancouver Island!

 

[ShawnR]

Thanks all. There are many machining forums on the web. Always nice to see Canadian content.

Having said that, I found this website cause I have a problem threading on my lathe. I did a search for my lathe make and model and here I am! Good find!

Perhaps I should start a new thread but I have one running on Shop Floor Talk. With the Craftex lathes being a Canadian name, I was hoping someone here would have insight. I see Dusty has the same lathe. Dusty, have you threaded with your lathe?

Last week, I made a ball turner and decided I need to make a mandrel. That lead to attempting threading (I have done very little of it and probably most under the eye of an instructor in a class many many years ago). I am getting multiple starting points. To save duplication, if anyone is interested, take a peek here

https://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52821

Would anyone here have any input for me, please? knew I would be learning and expected practice to be comfortable with cutting threads but 2 days later, I am still trying to figure out what is going on. I have yet to find that icon for banging the head on the wall...I could use that one lots..

Thank you for the greetings. Looks like another great group!
Cheers,
Shawn

 

[TOBARApprentice]

Hey Shawn. Hi from Ancaster. I used to live in T-Bay. Flew for Bearskin Airlines are you PA or KW side? Lots of good scrap finds over at Mission Island for your furnace. As for the threading, I have an old Atlas 10F and it was easier than I thought. To be honest, you’ve tapped into probably the greatest group of folks possible. All great, very helpful and really good guys and gals. I would suggest that you check out threading on YouTube. There are MANY examples but if you check out mrpete222 “Tubalcain” he is likely your best start. His early stuff, where he teaches is amazing, his recent stuff, not so much. Keep in touch, and good luck. Let us know if you need anything, most of us have extra or can find bits and pieces for you...... like a “web of pals” so to speak. We’re all in this together.

Cheers,

Derek


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Chipper5783]

Hi Shawn, welcome to this machining forum. I'm a Lakehead grad - so have enjoyed the hospitality in TB. Hang in there on learning single point threading on the lathe. Think of it as a core competency, that pushes you into learning a number of fundamental lathe operations. I looked at your "shopfloor" post and I think the troubleshooting and feedback support was all valid (I'd switch the tool to the chuck side of the tool post, pull everything in as short as you can, cut a wide groove where the thread will end (so the tool end in air) - and off course figure out the thread counting dial. The threading dials can be quite different from one lathe to the next (I have two lathes and the "when to close the half nut" is very different from one the next - regardless, the provided instructions make it straight forward). Single point threading is one of those tasks that you have to set up a number of parameters (get them one piece at a time) - once you get it sorted out you'll wonder what the big deal was.

I too am in an on again / off again sort of retired. Hoping to be in the shop a bit more. David

 

[RobinHood]

Hi Shawn, welcome.

Can you take a picture of the front of your lathe showing the table. I suspect that it is of the metric pitches. The table inside the manual only shows SAE. Also it does not show where the 127T transposing gear is supposed to go in the change gear train - yet the parts list says the lathe has it.... something is a little odd here....

I think your lathe has a metric lead screw. Here is a picture from the page you posted. The “3” means 3.0mm pitch, the 30* is the pressure angle.



So the threading procedure you describe here https://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52821 only works if you are threading in METRIC (if indeed the lathe has a metric lead screw).
Which would mean two things: a) the 127T transposing gear can not be in the drive train, and b) unless you have a complex metric thread dial, you need to engage at the same number all the time (there are multiple engagement points for metric, but it gets very complicated and the lathe needs a special dial - which yours does not seem have.).

Here is the threading dial of my METRIC Standard Modern 1340. Note the 5 different locations in which it can be mounted depending in the thread pitch (there are 5 gears on that dial). The chart on the bottom tells you which letter(s) on top can then be used to engage the lead screw at.



If you happen to have the 127T gear in the gear train, then you are attempting a SAE (imperial) thread. That automatically means you can not open the half nut (well, you can, but again, it gets very complicated...) at the end of the pass. You must leave them engaged and reverse the spindle to move the carriage to the starting point. Then take a new pass.

Hopefully you can follow my explanation. If not, just ask. Post pictures of your change gear set-up (preferably with gear teeth count) so we can see what needs to be done to make it work for you.

 

[YotaBota]

Another Island welcome.

 

[Brent H]

Hey Shawn R - Plus 1 for @RobinHood 's explanation - If you are on an imperial lead screw lathe with metric change gears you have to leave things engaged - Oxtool on Youtube has a great video on a bit different process that works pretty slick. If you have a metric lead screw and change gears for imperial threading etc and are trying to cut imperial threads I think it will be the same type process. Metric lead and Metric change gears you will need a fancy threading dial like @RobinHood has to achieve consistency

 

[Dusty]

@ ShawnR, "Perhaps I should start a new thread but I have one running on Shop Floor Talk. With the Craftex lathes being a Canadian name, I was hoping someone here would have insight. I see Dusty has the same lathe. Dusty, have you threaded with your lathe?"

Sorry, wish I could be more helpful however my limited experience with threading on the B2227L Craftex lathe always seemed to end in total disaster. Similar to you as newbe I found the biggest problem was changing out the gearing then replacing same in order to return to turning stuff. Basically I soon discovered it was a total pain in the butt due to my mistakes and multiple starting points. Just when I thought I had the process down pat it might be weeks before I needed do it again then I started the learning process over again. Enough of that crap so I acquired a real nice hand set of imperial and metric taps and dies and never looked back. When I first started most of my machine work was making small aluminum pullies with sealed ball bearing inserts which I staked into the aluminum pullies for static aircraft at the Western Development Museum here in Moose Jaw.

Refer to 'Off Topic Discussion' then check out my thread on the Vickers Vedette Flying Boat. Took a barrel full of small pullies to make the flying controls work properly although I tried hard woods at first just like the originals and that was a lost cause.

Most if not all of the threading I ever require doing is on the small side of the scale. Would be rare for me to tap in the 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch area other than my chasing threads perhaps. I have a lame leg so when I get back on my feet I shall reconsider threading on the Craftex B2227L only because I want to.

 

[6.5 Fan]

Welcome

 

[ShawnR]

Thanks all

Robinhood, Here is a photo of the front of the machine. The chart is very different than the one in the manual. And a photo of the gears, installed.

Thanks Dusty. I know how you feel. I have avoided threading for along time, but finally decided to get over it. .....as I mentioned,...2 days later and still cannot do it. ;-)

If I was cutting metric threads, the same procedure applies, no? My problem is that the start point changes on me. I have been using the whole numbers, Different ones at different times, but always the same number for an attempt, maybe I should try the half's. I could put the gears in for a metric thread too and see if I achieve the consistency that I am looking for.

Today, after disassembling the cross slide and cleaning it all up, and changing gears to a selection from the machine front, I think I had about 8 passes on top of each other, thought I had it....then a pass right beside them, about a mm away! I have checked for slop, backlash, even tightened the drive belts, pulled the cover off of the gear box to see if I could find a faulty gear.....nope!

It will be something odd or something I am doing wrong. In the meantime, I am learning lots about the lathe. It used to just be a box that I can make chips with. I am more intimate with it now.

 

[Brent H]

@ShawnR : The Table 1 chart in your manual must relate to the side of your lathe and I can see why Bill struggled with the information. The table in your manual is crap - basically a bunch of change gear combinations that relate to ABCD and what the heck does that mean? LOL

I see you have posted the chart on the side of your lathe - great! I have to go to the ER but will check things out @RobinHood might have some ideas - if your lathe is originally all metric - which the parts manual suggests - that 127 tooth gear may not be needed for metric threading and causing you grief. For imperial threading it will be needed but it doesn't look like there is a threading or feed chart available....have to make one...

 

[YYCHM]

I have to go to the ER but will check things out.

I hope you're referring to the Engine Room and not the other kind of ER?