manureman Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Several years I bought one of Smithy's lathe,mill,drill combos and a wheel barrow load of plunder to go with it thinking that I would take a night time adult education class at the local vo-tech and I'd learn some basic operations.Well my luck being what it is the tech school stopped the adult ed. programs and now the closest one I can find is over 100 miles from here.I was taught a little all them years ago in high school but dont remember much,but I sure wish I could learn to cut threads and do a little more with it.I bought a book or two but they were already over my head.Has anyone tried the AGI video course on setting up and using lathes and mills?Or are there any other good sourses of info out there you can recomend for a total greenhorn.It sure is frustrating,I've used it to headspace a couple long chambered barrels and it ends up being nearly an all day job for me .I need some help,I know you have to do something alot to get good at it,but I don't hardly know enough to justify owning it. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doble Troble Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Jim, I've got a mini-lathe that I learned on. It took me A LOT of trial and error before I started being productive with it. I got one of the bundled assortments of round stock from Online Metals and just started practicing. The first thing I learned how to do was face the end of a round bar. Then I learned how to center drill it so I could use the tailstock center. Then I practiced turning it down to various dimensions. When I could FINALLY get a bar turned down to a pre-determined dimension +/- 0.001" I started practicing cutting threads. I still have the first screw I made - not pretty. Somehow after playing around like this several evenings a week for months things started to get much easier - setting up became second nature and the products got better and better. I didn't start off expecting to make anything useful. I considered just learning how to use the lathe as a hobby itself. Now it has become a useful tool, and all the time I spent wacking around with it is paying off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1r Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 The southbend book, "how to run a scewcutting lathe" is available on ebay and is very easy to read. Go to the Sherline website. They have many free PDF files that touch on the basics. They used to have a really good basic how-to pdf but I can;t find it anymore. Their how-to on grinding lathe bits is great. Learn to grind proper bits, face, center drill, turn, then work on threading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobDole Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 This might help, it's free and from the army. I can dig up the other chapters if you want them. [attachmentid=194] [attachmentid=195] ch7.pdf ch8.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donmarkey Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 http://technicalvideorental.com/index.php?main_page=index They have many good videos for rent. I have a smithy also, their offices are about 15 minutes away from me. Of all the multi machine they have the best specs and the only one I could find with over a 1" spindle bore and a R-8 mill taper. People warned me against a combo machine but it suits my needs great. Besides I don't have the room for a mill and a lathe. -Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manureman Posted September 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Guy's thanks for all the good info,I've tinkered around with this thing for 7or8 years making pins and bushings and the like for this or that around the farm,and most of the time I do ok,and of course the more time I spend on it the better I get then I'll go for months without touching it and.... Setting up is my big problem,seems to take me for ever.Well actually my biggest problem is working gets in the way of my playin' every time. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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