Lathe gadgets (pics)

[mklotz]

There are a few lathe operations (e.g., cutting off and knurling) where I'd like to have cutting oil supplied more or less regularly to the cut but I don't do enough of it to invest in a commercial rig - nor do I want the mess.

So I soldered up this thing from plumbing parts found at OSH. The 'cup' at the top is a pipe-size reducer thingy (hey, I'm not a plumber) and the valve is one of those used for drinking water lines to refrigerators.



My lathe came with holes for a taper turning attachment drilled and tapped into the back of the carriage. I use one of these to secure a general purpose adaptor that accepts (among other things) an adustable holder that projects out over the area where the tool meets the work. The oiler assembly drops into this so it can be positioned exactly over the working area. The cup is filled with cutting oil and the valve adjusted to a flow rate of a drop or two a minute. Slicker than deer guts on a glass doorknob and my hands are free to attend to other things plus a lot fewer brushes get eaten by the knurling tool.



Also visible in the picture above is the chip tray secured to the traveling steady holes in the carriage. It keeps chips off the ways and makes clean up a lot easier. It can hit the headstock if the carriage moves too far to the left so I rigged a small alarm buzzer underneath to warn me when it's getting close.

The chuck wrench is also visible. It's fitted with a 'speeder' that's nothing more than a chunk of 1" aluminum, hemisphere on end, setscrewed to the wrench handle. The picture below shows how it's used. With the hemisphere bearing on the palm of the hand, moving the hand in a horizontal circle will spin those jaws in/out in a hurry.

[Furnace]

Cool, Im gonna make one for work. I think I have all that stuff laying around.

[S_J_H]

Neat Idea. I'm positive I have every piece needed to make one of those out in a bin somewhere. I think at one point I had about 5 of those little valves laying around.
The chuck speeder reminds me of those steering wheel knobs I used to see. Another neat idea.
Steve

[RetiredFAE]

[QUOTE=mklotz]
So I soldered up this thing from plumbing parts found at OSH. The 'cup' at the top is a pipe-size reducer thingy (hey, I'm not a plumber) and the valve is one of those used for drinking water lines to refrigerators.

Marv, you were doing OK until you mentioned OSH. Now I'm all teared up and gonna have to go have a good cry. Sure do miss Orchard Supply Hardware since I left CA and moved to Pahrump, NV. We have a small ACE hardware which doesn't come close to OSH (before or after SEARS bought them out a few years back) and the LOWES and HOME DEPOT in Las Vegas pale by comparison (real hardware wise that is!) to the selection in even the smallest OSH.
Thanks for making an old man home sick. Probably the only thing in CA I actually miss, other than one or two ornery relatives that is.

OH, and nice job on the oiler by the way!

Steve

[Lew Hartswick]

The chuck speeder reminds me of those steering wheel knobs I used to see. Another neat idea.
Steve

You mean a " neckers knob " :-) I remember those.
...lew...

[speedy]

Nice oiler Marv. I like the spinner idea also; I have a speedbrace that I use at times.
Lew, I know those as suicide knobs. I believe that they are banned here in NZ unless you`re a crippled driver; then you can get an exemption.

[Evan]

I like the oiler too. I have been planning to make something like that for years. Not a very urgent plan but one of these days...

Neckers knobs were outlawed many years ago. In vehicles without power steering they can break your wrist/hand/fingers/arm if you hit a curb or similar because of the feedback in the linkage spinning the wheel.

[Swarf&Sparks]

Nice work as always, Marv.
Yup, those knobs were banned in Oz many years ago, cept on forklifts.
Novel use on the chuck key tho

[Your Old Dog]

Thanks for the post Marv. I like the oiler design as it's simple enough even I could make one.

Don't need the chuck "spinner" as mine is free turning enough that my index finger accomplishes the same thing.

BTW, in Ohio, PA and West Virginia those steering wheel doodads were called "spinners" I believe they are illegal there nowadays. Along with those little convex lens with the suction cups to tell when the stop light had turned green. Don't know if they got around to making those taillights with the little purple nickle sized plastic in them or not. They sure were distinctive! Still see them on motorcycles now and then.

[Bill Pace]

Marv, you DO come up with some winners....

The little drip oiler idea reminded me of the one I made up after seeing something similar at Lanes shop, and modifying to match stuff laying around in my shop.

The can is one of HF's expensive (1$ to be exact) oilers that wasnt too impressive at its designed use, and of course a valve like Marvs and a bit of tubing with the little brass tip cut out of the original spout and soldered on, all sitting on a scrap of pipe with an old round magnet on the botton. What make it so easy is the can is all metal?, --no castings, making it really easy to solder the pieces on and plug up the screw-on lid. Thats one of the original oilers in the pix too.

I sure agree something like this is a real convience when knurling & cutting off.... or sometimes on a cut that dont wanna act right---

[Paul Alciatore]

[QUOTE=RetiredFAE]

.....
Marv, you were doing OK until you mentioned OSH. Now I'm all teared up and gonna have to go have a good cry. Sure do miss Orchard Supply Hardware since I left CA and moved to Pahrump, NV. We have a small ACE hardware which doesn't come close to OSH (before or after SEARS bought them out a few years back) and the LOWES and HOME DEPOT in Las Vegas pale by comparison (real hardware wise that is!) to the selection in even the smallest OSH.
......
Steve

Steve,

At least you have an ACE. I'm in a small town in Iowa and we only have one hardware, a small hole in the wall left over from the 19th century. And they have a small town mentality. Of course we have two farm supply places, Orschlen's and TSC. My first experience with them. They do have tools and welding supplies. But kind of short on other areas like fasteners, plumbing, and electrical. I do a lot of business with McMaster-Carr.

All,

I have had a fuzzy version of the oil dripper idea several times but I never did anything about it. I am now thinking about a slightly different version. Coolant hose would make a nice support arm. It would make it easy to adjust it to any position or angle. Good for the drip line also. Probably a bit more expensive.

[moldmonkey]

Another version:




Mklotz-I like the speeder. I think I'll steal that one

[Buckshot]

............In So. Calif the steering wheel knob was known as a Brodie knob, for you guessed it, spinning brodies :-)

Neat idea on the oiler too. I need something like that as one hand on the clutch lever and the other administering liquid from a pump oiler has been real old for some time.

Rick