Uses for a lathe in cub restorations

[sawdustdad]

OK, first cub-related project: surfacing a pair of clutch plates. Took about 0.025 off each one--5 passes at 5 mils each. Switched bits mid way, had trouble finding a suitable one that was sharp in the pile I got with the lathe. Need to order some more carbide bits. One plate has a few pits left, but I think it's good to go. They are quite flat, when put face to face, they "stick" together a little. Like a suction cup.

[Sam Mac]

Those should work as good as new.

[Cubcrazy]

Nice!

[ACecil]

Top notch work! They look nice!

[clint]

You will find all kinds of uses for your lathe which is in great shape from the looks of it as a matter of fact I bet you will wonder how you ever made do without it. I have used my lathe a Clausing 4912 making bushings for carb, two piece bushing linkages/bushings on 149 hydo pump control (shaft that sticks out side of pump always wears) which worked really great, spacer, custom length bolts, drive shaft, bushing for drive shaft to flywheel,truing pressure plates, etc etc.

I will try to get a picture of my baby up another hobby you will find now is buy tools etc and of course scrounging stock... I found several new stainless bearing rod I have been using to make drive shafts from lucked up on OD lol.

[clint]

Please be careful with your new lathe, they can be very dangerous and "bite" you hard if your not aware of your surroundings. Make a special place for a dedicated pair of safety glasses so you never forget to have them on hen you turn the power on. You can find a wealth of information on the net on how to when working on projects materials tooling etc. Youtube has a lot of how to videos as well.

[sawdustdad]

Clint, yes, safety is most important. I'll relay a story about safety for the group.

I had a neighbor, really great guy, very much into building race car engines. He helped me rebuild a small block (283) and put it in a chevy pickup back in the '80s. Anyway, he had a very nice shop. I was over there one day when he takes something (can't remember now what it was) over to the mill and clamps it down, starts drilling it. Chips flying everywhere. He's not wearing any kind of eye or face protection. I'm just amazed.Why? Because he had already lost an eye--and only had one.

I just got some tooling from drillsandcutters.com and grizzly.com--live centers, MT3 to MT2 adapter, tool bits, etc. I'm in business now.

Thinking about ordering some bronze rod to turn a couple PTO buttons.

[clint]

Check ebay for "drops" you can get really good prices on many common and even some high end stock. Safety glasses and cleanliness are the two things I consider important when using lathe. It's easy for stray rag rope etc to get caught in chuck/part don't leave key in chuck, keep your eyes safe that is my tips.

I have a jacobs collet chuck if you get used to using collets they will spoil you !! You got a nice clean lathe with lots of tooling to keep you busy I guess your just looking at a cub now trying to find something to make, modify or even over design lol

[john hall]

Look into getting a quick change tool post. There are 2 kinds, piston and wedge type clamping systems. The piston clamping systems are considered el-cheapo--probably less rigid and don't repeat as well----but you aren't running a machine shop. Either style would be better than a rocker tool post.
I would also look into getting some indexable tooling. On a small lathe a CCMT style turning tool holder should do nicely. You should also be able to pick up a boring bar that will run the same insert. They make inserts for all metals in that series. You should be fine with a general purpose insert for steels and a high rake insert for aluminum and plastics. MSC, Travers, and Enco are great places to buy your tooling.

[sawdustdad]

I looked at a quick change tool post, but it's hard to tell if it will work with my cross slide. As for indexable tooling, I don't see any 1/4 inch bits like that, they seem to start at 3/8 inch. I'll have to do some more research.