Hi,
Thanks Refugee; even with the external chuck jaws installed the Clarke would struggle with 2.5" diameter; the outer diameter of the housing flange is 4". Opening the housing out for the bearings involves firstly boring with a largish drill bit then using what is aptly called a boring bar. Since I upgraded the Clarke adding the more powerful servo motor it will now take a decent cut. The problem is with me because I don't like all the fiddling around with a small lathe after a lifetime of using industrial lathes. I bought the Clarke from a friend because the asking price was fair and I thought it would do until I bought a bigger lathe. The first thing I did with the Clarke was to destroy the circuit board and burn out the motor; I was only taking light 60 thou cuts; when I checked the Clarke instruction manual I was amazed that they recommend scratching the metal with maximum 10 thou cuts; oh dear I am rough?
The price of Meeanite (cast iron) brings tears to my eyes; 100mm dia Meeanite locally costs £8.50 plus VAT (wait for it) PER INCH. 2.5" is required for this bearing housing and it's finished at 4" dia so 100mm for a blank is skimping? I can buy a pair of rectangular cast iron bearing housings complete with bearings for around £14 the pair saving a heck of a lot of turning. If ever I settle in the garage I'll sort out this broken casting problem in fact the welding rods should arrive soon although I'm not too happy welding as this to me is bodging? I have a number of options to choose from.
Thanks for asking Gary. There were two reasons why I decided to sell the Colchester. The first and major reason was the 3 phase Transwave converter; this converter allowed me to run 3 phase machines up to 7.5hp and I grew over the years to hate the thing; poor starting power and it would rattle like mad if I put on a decent cut; yes it worked but was badly flawed. The second reason was the Colchester took up a big footprint in the garage and at the same time I had a huge Dominion woodturning lathe this too on 3 phase. The Dominion wasn't fitted with a clutch so start/stopping with the control buttons was most frustrating.
Typical though Gary after selling both the Colchester and Dominion lathes (both to Irish buyers) a few years later I found "unique3phase" whilst browsing eBay and I'm one of very few in the UK to adopt the transformer method. I can now run any number of 3 phase machines up to 10hp all at full power using my home made/installed 3 phase transformer and at the time it cost me less than £120 but a heck of a lot of work and a steep learning curve; my transformer is brilliant giving not only full running power but also full starting power just as if 3 phase was laid on; compare this to the Transwave costing second-hand fourteen years ago £325. The Transwave coverters possibly please others but not me. I'd like an industrial metal turning lathe again but this time possibly something like a Boxford giving decent capacity without occupying too much space; I've too many jobs on at the moment to start buying another lathe but if such a lathe pops up I'll grab it.
Excellent Colin; thank you and you couldn't be more right; substitute the horse hair with barbed wire though and it would be nearer what I endure living on this valley side? Definitely needs to be water proof Big Al so galvanized barbed wire? Sure is a prison here Lawrence; retired and told what to do by the weather and the bungalow; I have little say in garage time?
I'd done the supermarket shopping easily by 8 o'clock this morning and we've just returned from Meadowhall; quality garage time this afternoon?
Update. No sooner had I posted this than a cheque arrived so we've just driven over to The Halifax in Mirfield to deposit it. I've just phoned the Toyota main dealer in Barnsley who supplied our Aygo to book the Aygo in because the nearside headlamp is misting up badly on the inside; even the car headlamp can't stand the weather? I now have to drive over to Barnsley tomorrow and sit around for up to an hour whilst the car is sorted; I might take a picture of our garage with me in case I forget what the garage looks like?
Kind regards, Col.
Thanks Refugee; even with the external chuck jaws installed the Clarke would struggle with 2.5" diameter; the outer diameter of the housing flange is 4". Opening the housing out for the bearings involves firstly boring with a largish drill bit then using what is aptly called a boring bar. Since I upgraded the Clarke adding the more powerful servo motor it will now take a decent cut. The problem is with me because I don't like all the fiddling around with a small lathe after a lifetime of using industrial lathes. I bought the Clarke from a friend because the asking price was fair and I thought it would do until I bought a bigger lathe. The first thing I did with the Clarke was to destroy the circuit board and burn out the motor; I was only taking light 60 thou cuts; when I checked the Clarke instruction manual I was amazed that they recommend scratching the metal with maximum 10 thou cuts; oh dear I am rough?
The price of Meeanite (cast iron) brings tears to my eyes; 100mm dia Meeanite locally costs £8.50 plus VAT (wait for it) PER INCH. 2.5" is required for this bearing housing and it's finished at 4" dia so 100mm for a blank is skimping? I can buy a pair of rectangular cast iron bearing housings complete with bearings for around £14 the pair saving a heck of a lot of turning. If ever I settle in the garage I'll sort out this broken casting problem in fact the welding rods should arrive soon although I'm not too happy welding as this to me is bodging? I have a number of options to choose from.
Thanks for asking Gary. There were two reasons why I decided to sell the Colchester. The first and major reason was the 3 phase Transwave converter; this converter allowed me to run 3 phase machines up to 7.5hp and I grew over the years to hate the thing; poor starting power and it would rattle like mad if I put on a decent cut; yes it worked but was badly flawed. The second reason was the Colchester took up a big footprint in the garage and at the same time I had a huge Dominion woodturning lathe this too on 3 phase. The Dominion wasn't fitted with a clutch so start/stopping with the control buttons was most frustrating.
Typical though Gary after selling both the Colchester and Dominion lathes (both to Irish buyers) a few years later I found "unique3phase" whilst browsing eBay and I'm one of very few in the UK to adopt the transformer method. I can now run any number of 3 phase machines up to 10hp all at full power using my home made/installed 3 phase transformer and at the time it cost me less than £120 but a heck of a lot of work and a steep learning curve; my transformer is brilliant giving not only full running power but also full starting power just as if 3 phase was laid on; compare this to the Transwave costing second-hand fourteen years ago £325. The Transwave coverters possibly please others but not me. I'd like an industrial metal turning lathe again but this time possibly something like a Boxford giving decent capacity without occupying too much space; I've too many jobs on at the moment to start buying another lathe but if such a lathe pops up I'll grab it.
Excellent Colin; thank you and you couldn't be more right; substitute the horse hair with barbed wire though and it would be nearer what I endure living on this valley side? Definitely needs to be water proof Big Al so galvanized barbed wire? Sure is a prison here Lawrence; retired and told what to do by the weather and the bungalow; I have little say in garage time?
I'd done the supermarket shopping easily by 8 o'clock this morning and we've just returned from Meadowhall; quality garage time this afternoon?
Update. No sooner had I posted this than a cheque arrived so we've just driven over to The Halifax in Mirfield to deposit it. I've just phoned the Toyota main dealer in Barnsley who supplied our Aygo to book the Aygo in because the nearside headlamp is misting up badly on the inside; even the car headlamp can't stand the weather? I now have to drive over to Barnsley tomorrow and sit around for up to an hour whilst the car is sorted; I might take a picture of our garage with me in case I forget what the garage looks like?
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
