South Bend Lathes Sold, Drilling Square Holes & Decimal Points

by

I try to post at least one new article each week, but I’ve been bogged down on some long articles that just aren’t ready yet.  So, I thought I’d try writing a quick post with some short tidbits that I hope someone will find interesting.

South Bend Lathe has been bought by someone who might actually have the resources and business acumen to re-invigorate the company.

… Read the rest

A Chip Brush for the Jet 5X6 Bandsaw

by

Pic 1This article was written by “Mikey” and it first appeared on the Yahoo 4x6Bandsaw discussion group.   I think it is a great idea and well presented so I asked him if I could republish it here and he graciously agreed.  It originally appeared as a PDF file that is formatted better and has larger pictures that you can download here. … Read the rest

Free Plans: Quick-Release Lathe Mounted Dial Indicator Holder

by

QRHLD1SwarfRat Enterprises has a set of free plans for a quick-release dial indicator holder that mounts on the front of a mini-lathe.   The holder is made from a 5-inch long piece of .875-inch square aluminum stock.  It also uses a quick-release lever from a bicycle seat or wheel that can be purchased inexpensively or salvaged off an old bike. … Read the rest

Cutting Glass on the Mini-Lathe

by

Diamond blade cutting a test tube on a mini-latheI needed to cut a piece of glass tube to a certain length and this is how I did it using my mini-lathe, an inexpensive diamond blade, some masking tape and WD-40.

The Stirling Engine I’m building uses a glass tube for the power cylinder.  It calls for one with an outside diameter of 16 mm and a length of 26 mm (1.02-inches), although those dimensions are not critical. … Read the rest

MachinistBlog.com