$100 screw cutting 12" lathe design

[Mcgyver]

Im missing, but I tend to agree with anyone that would say being "greedy" isnt necessarily a bad thing for the US.
.

I'm still waiting for someone, anyone, to proposal a tight, workable and encompassing definition of greedy....other than they embarrassing way it is current used; hypocritical moralizing of what the other guy is doing, .... never applying to the beyond reproach speaker who of course is self righeously the best judge of whats greedy/not. Unless you are the poorest person in the country this righteousness is delusional. The only one I've come up with is greed is someone, within the bounds of their morals and ethics acting in their own economic self interest. Which is pretty much universal.

[+ or - Zero]

I wouldn't call it "a tight, workable and encompassing definition of greedy", but Ayn Rand did do a fair job of trying to show the juxtaposition of the two types of greed; the greed that makes one reach out and achieve some goal for himself alone, and the greed that drives someone to say to that person 'give what you have to me, for I don't have enough.'

Of course reading something like Atlas Shrugged requires one to actually think about the odd way humans will define 'greed' each for their own ends --quite striking how we do that really.

There is a quite good pun in the last seven words of the preceding paragraph, for those of you that have a more then passing acquaintance with Atlas Shrugged --I just wanted that group to know it was intentional. Well it's at least a fair to middlin' pun...

[macona]

Thats a big problem, no more trade classes. High school is pretty much useless now days since they got rid of everything interesting and the stuff that got kids interested in other things.

All I see kids doing now days is just sitting around with their head in their phone or other digital gadget. The parents have it pounded in their head that you go to college and you will get a job so no need for any of that hands on stuff. Well we can already see that isn't working out. Just wait another 10 years and see how screwed everyone will be.

I dont know about that. There are a lot of schools around here and they still have full, very nicely appointed shops. Including toys I never got to play with in school like CNC mills, lathes, routers, 3d printers, and laser cutters. The technology has shifted, parts are not made by hand any more, they are made by cnc and you really dont need to know how to run a manual machine to do the programming. The cam software does the figuring and figures all the parameters based on the material and the tooling you have selected in the set up for the job.

[justanengineer]

Not as long as you don't mind the rest of the world hating you and wanting you dead. Oh, sorry the ship has sailed on that one.

While I agree with your other points to a large extent...It has been my experience that there are just as many foreigners who hate the US as there are US citizens that hate foreign countries. Contrary to what the media leads us to believe at times, most people are generally good with a few eccentrics mixed in and while many strongly dislike something a particular government chooses to do, few hate everything a government does. Im not a big fan of ours, but even they do get things right upon a rare occasion.

I'm still waiting for someone, anyone, to proposal a tight, workable and encompassing definition of greedy

In the context I used it in, I was pointing to the sometimes common belief that not giving charity at all times is greedy. The point at which charity can be afforded however is quite debatable. IMHO with all of the recent economic crises and the rise of foreign manufacturing the US cannot afford to give charity outside of our own country. We have serious debt/spending issues that need to be properly addressed first.

I apologize to the board if I steered this thread a bit off-topic. I will keep any further comments on this thread related to the topic at hand - a lathe. Tools make me smile.

[Mcgyver]

In the context I used it in, I was pointing to the sometimes common belief that not giving charity at all times is greedy.

I know, I was just poking fun at the word and its misuse....about the same imo as one kid calling another a booger

[914Wilhelm]

Concrete milling machine

Just to add to the mix........ Here is someone who made their concrete-like dream come true. Though I suspect it cost more than $100.00

http://opensourcemachine.org/files/German%20Epoxy%20Granite%20Milling%20Machine.pdf

[macona]

That has been posted before. Pretty neat little machine. Must weigh a ton...

[Richard Wilson]

Sounds crazy but Tony Griffiths At lathes.co.uk called it "an astonishing original achievement". Most of the lathe technology was well proven 95 years ago.

The latest "How to Build" manual is at

http://flowxrgdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/multimachine-concrete-lathe-11-27-11-ver-1-10.pdf

A slightly older version is at lathes.co.uk in the home built section.

If you would like to help with the project please write directly to me:
Pat Delany
[email protected]
I can't keep track of all the places I am posting this to in an effort to get the word (at 76, time passes quickly!) out so write me directly if you would like to help.
Also I owe thanks to someone at this site who suggested using a glass plate as an alignment tool.

Pat

its an interesting proposal, so much so that I'm surprised no one seems to have built one. (have they? Lets see photos of it if they have and photos of anything its made.)
What puzzles me is the suggestion (maybe Pat knows where it came from) that the Lucian Yeomans shell lathe had a concrete bed. It doesn't look like concrete, there are far to many fiddly webs and small details, just fine in cast iron, but almost impossible with conventional concrete, because its much stiffer and harder to make flow into little corners, even with modern high flow mix technology and modern vibrating equipment. Back in 1916, the mix would probably have been really sticky, unless they put an excess of water into it, and I don't think (but could be wrong) that vibrating pokers were available then. Concrete technology was not exactly in its infancy, compared to cast iron back then but was certainly only a teenager, with much left to learn.

Finally, Fred Colvin, in his autobiography describes the Lucian Yeomans shell lathe, made by the Amalgamated Machine Tool Company and states quite clearly that the bed was made of cast iron. So, as far as I'm concerned, the 'concrete' machine tool is an urban myth.

Regards
Richard

[vpt]

I dont know about that. There are a lot of schools around here and they still have full, very nicely appointed shops. Including toys I never got to play with in school like CNC mills, lathes, routers, 3d printers, and laser cutters. The technology has shifted, parts are not made by hand any more, they are made by cnc and you really dont need to know how to run a manual machine to do the programming. The cam software does the figuring and figures all the parameters based on the material and the tooling you have selected in the set up for the job.

Most if not all our schools closed the doors on any kind of shop stuff that involves sharp objects. The only schools that offer any kind of cool stuff anymore are the tech colleges and even they are getting rid of the shops that aren't filling up with kids. The year before I was going to take the course our local tech school closed the doors on its auto body shop. Had to learn that one on my own as well as TIG welding. When I went for welding they only had stick and the latest cutting edge mig welder or gas. Couldn't find a TIG in the whole place.

[J Tiers]

Most if not all our schools closed the doors on any kind of shop stuff that involves sharp objects. The only schools that offer any kind of cool stuff anymore are the tech colleges and even they are getting rid of the shops that aren't filling up with kids. The year before I was going to take the course our local tech school closed the doors on its auto body shop. Had to learn that one on my own as well as TIG welding. When I went for welding they only had stick and the latest cutting edge mig welder or gas. Couldn't find a TIG in the whole place.

When I took a welding course last spring, TIG was NOT part of it, nor was gas welding. Some of us did get, buy special request, a couple hours of TIG instruction, but nothing significant. Naturally, the only welder I have been using since is a TIG at work, so that little bit was very helpful. And of course, I am now so thoroughly "spoiled" that my desire to go back to stick or mig at my shop is about nil.

The course lectures were in a large room which had formerly been the community college machine shop course room. All of the machines had been scrapped-out except for one of each in a closed-off corner. At least the welding lab work was done with large Miller SMAW/GMAW machines in a properly equipped area. No doubt those are headed for scrap as well.

Shop courses seem to have been dumped in favor of "website design" and other highly productive courses in similar vaporous subjects.

[Chris S.]

OT - I like that treadle lathe. I wants it, Precious.

Yeah, I love it for the antiquity alone but they're more fun admire than to actually use. My wife and I were at a swap meet with the Mid West Tool Collectors Association(MWTCA), where one of the member's had brought along an old treadle lathe. I think it was a Barnes Velocipede in very nice shape. He wasn't selling it though, as it was used only to draw people to his table. Anyway, I watched him turn a few spindles with a big grin on my face. "Do you know anything about wood turning" he asked? I told him I was a wood turner and the treadle lathe looked like fun. He gladly offered to let me give the old girl a whirl... and so I did... in front of an audience of about 30 people.

Down right embarrassing moment it was. Within a very short time I thought my right leg was going to just collapse from exhaustion. It was fast becoming a wet noodle. The wet noodle phase finally passed but was replaced with extreme cramps! When that happened my coordination between my leg and the turning process went down hill fast. I was walking in post holes for 30 minutes after that exercise. Funny thing is, this was many years ago when I was young and was a very strong free diving spear fisherman. Different muscles I guess!

I think anyone who used one on a daily basis would look very odd in a pair of shorts.

[alchymist]

Speaking of scrap car parts, there's always this approach:

http://opensourcemachine.org/files/How_to_build_a_multimachine.pdf