Tractor Stories

The lathe as you see it here (upside down) weighs 70 pounds plus a couple for the piece of wood. First step was to get it off the wood. The instructions said to fasten rubber legs to the lathe after adding the chip tray. Then a little further the instructions said it is best to anchor the lathe to a firm foundation such as a table. Since I happened to have such a table, I decided to do it that way. The instructions also said that they did not furnish bolts for this necessary fastening so I went to a couple hardware stores and bought some bolts. They were a bit too long so I used the originals. Later I can drill some T-6 aluminum or steel and cut off pieces to use for spacers beneath the table so the too long bolts go in just far enough. (pic 596 and 597) Using a good drill, a square, a fine ruler, and three sizes of drill bits, I marked off and drilled four 3/8 inch holes then mounted the lathe. By now lifting the 70 pound was beginning to feel like exercise. Once it was mounted, I fol...

Friday, 10 August 2007, five boxes arrived with the machine mini-lathe and accessories. That came from Micro-Mark in New Jersey. Another box came from Brownell's in Idaho containing some known stock for the lathe (T-6 aluminum, and two kinds of steel – all round). Brownell's also sent me Dykem for marking the work, Do-Drill for drilling and machining, and a few tools such as a thread cleaner and a scribe tool. I also got some tap guides from them. A few days earlier Little Machine Shop sent me the bulk of accessories including a dial measuring tool with magnet, boring tools, cutting tools, and a device for making round things (knobs). They also sent me a quick change tool post of good quality to replace the standard tool post which came with the 7X14 lathe. (pic 585) The first thing to do was set up the table for the lathe which I purchased from Micro-Mark along with the mini-lathe. Surprise! No instructions at all! After studying the design, I assembled the table and had one p...

I got the lathe put together. It took only 9 hours! It runs too. I found the instructions wanting. It said put on…. But had few pictures to tell me what it was supposed to look like. The least fun part was when it said to install some gears and they were in a different bag in a different box from the bag of gears I had before me. The table had no instructions at all. I took many pictures and will write a story soon for the blog. I am off to shower. Fortunately I had enough tools. J Tractor Boy

The packages all arrived today. After dinner I used a dolly to take them back to my Tractor building and took a picture. Then I opened the box with the table for the lathe – no instructions at all! Fortunately I have an eye and a brain so I assembled it and set it in place. I had a small piece of angled steel left and screws to attach it, but no certain idea where it goes. The holes pre drilled in the top to fasten it to the base were off where the holes in the frame were located so I put in a couple well and put the rest in as best I could. It is surprisingly sturdy. Supposedly the package weighed 18 kilos, but it did not feel that heavy. Tomorrow I open other boxes and assemble other stuff Tractor Boy

Today I decided to take the plunge and ordered a mini lathe from Micro-Mark, http://www.micromark.com/ and accessories from Brownell's http://www.brownells.com/ and from the Little Machine Shop. http://www.littlemachineshop.com/ The lathe is a 7X14 size and cost $535 plus shipping. I ordered a stand or table for it from the same place. From the Little Machine Shop I got the tools, and assorted machinist necessities such as a quick change tool post, steel protractor, and two steel rulers, as well as another dial measuring tool for lathe set up and adjustment. Brownell's sells an assortment of steel and aluminum round stock for making stuff and I bought some sample packs. They also had Dykem for marking, a scribing tool, and many other things I did not order this time. By next week I will be setting it all up in my Tractor Building . Tractor Boy

Little Machine Shop had a sale on the comparator so I bought one. The two inch thick by six inch square granite base is flat to .00005 inches. The gauge measures .001 inch. I may get either another one or a magnetic base with adjustable arm for the metal lathe setup I am going to buy. It is useful in making sure objects are properly aligned. I suspect it will measure run out on a cartridge just fine too. Yesterday I tackled my church friend's 9N carburetor. He purchased the kit from TS and I told him I would rebuild it. This is the second carburetor job and I hardly even looked at the instructions which I studied and used extensively before. The inside gasket was a mess, all shredded and worn out. I made a tool from a worn out Sawzall blade to remove the brass bolt within the carburetor. I simply have no screw drivers that wide. It worked perfectly. His fuel valve was so dirty I thought the glass bowl was tinted brown. It also cleaned up nicely. Here are a few pictures. Tractor Boy...