In need of a compound rest

[welderskelter]

My ex boss broke his compound rest and is looking for another. Its on a LeBlond lathe. I think its about a 16in. x 5ft.lathe. The compound rest has a 5in. bolt pattern. What all kinds of measurements and pics do I need to find one for him> Or would it be like looking for a needle in a havstack?

[tom_d]

Can you get the model number of the lathe? A picture of the headsock and the carriage/cross slide would help. There might be someone here with some parts kicking around. Check on places like ebay. Also, there is the possibility of doing a retrofit with a compound off a different model.

[SVS]

Needle in a hay bale maybe…..

Bolt circle, spigot diameter, height are priorities, but compounds are fairly adaptable from brand to brand.

I modified an ATW compound to fit my Sidney.

Ebay is worth a look.

[fixerup]

I once broke the front end of my lathe compound rest. My good friend welded it back together, using nickel rods and peening the weld. I then took a file and some sanding paper and blended the welds. In the end you couldn't tell it was repaired, excepted for a light metal discoloration. I used that compound rest for at least 5 years before I sold it. I wouldn't hesitate doing the same again.

[welderskelter]

He has it welded now but for some unknown reason it has been welded on the sides and wont travel into the work. All travel is done with bottom crank. I dont under stand about side welds . But then I didnt understand a lot of things he did.

[BCRider]

I wonder what sort of crash caused it to break!

I'd say that only the bolt circle is the big issue. The spigot on the new one can either be machined down to fit or it could be given a bushing if it's too small to start. They are only cast iron after all. Only the bolt circle would need to be a match or close enough that only a slight ovaling of the holes is needed. Or if it's the sort with crescent slots a light skim with a rotary table in the mill.

I would think that with the fit of the dovetail being so critical that any such welded repair would require the dovetails to be scraped or at least given a skim cut with a dovetail cutter to ensure that the dovetail is straight and pretty close to parallel with the side that has the gib strip. Or if it is a tapered gib that it is straight and at the proper angle the whole way. The slightest bit of distortion would require it to be either way too loose or tight and binding at some points like he's found.

[nc5a]

You might consider suggesting he not worry about finding a compound right now and convert to a solid tool block. Several Gurus on youtube have made the conversion and never looked back. I have not done one but a friend made one for his 12 X 36 Craftsman and really liked it. Said it improved the cutoff and threading operations. It's worth a try. Search youtube for lathe solid tool post conversion or just soild tool post for lathe.

[rickyb]

Try local used machine dealers. Get ready for sticker shock.

[BCRider]

You might consider suggesting he not worry about finding a compound right now and convert to a solid tool block. Several Gurus on youtube have made the conversion and never looked back. I have not done one but a friend made one for his 12 X 36 Craftsman and really liked it. Said it improved the cutoff and threading operations. It's worth a try. Search youtube for lathe solid tool post conversion or just soild tool post for lathe.

And a riser block like that is fine... right up until the machinist wants/needs to cut an angled feature or do some single point threading. I can't say that I've found my compound to be a limit on my work but it sure comes in very handy for the times I'm doing something with odd angles. It's different for those folks like Stefan and Robin that have the compound on the shelf just out of camera range and ready to use as needed. But to not replace or fix it at all in favor of a riser? Nope, I don't see that as a viable option.

[welderskelter]

nc5a, His compound is set in one position the way it is. But he wants to cut a huge bunch of threads and how do you cut threads with a solid compound?

[nc5a]

nc5a, His compound is set in one position the way it is. But he wants to cut a huge bunch of threads and how do you cut threads with a solid compound?

I assume the concern is not being able to angle the compound to 29 degrees and feed with the compound during threading operations. Lots of machinist thread by feeding the tool straight into the work. With a 16" lathe there should be enough power to thread most common thread profiles straight into the work. Check out youtube for some excellent videos on the solid block compound replacement. .

[welderskelter]

That answers my question. thanks

[old mart]

I never angle the compound to singlepoint thread even for 5 ACME and that is on a 9 x 20.