thanks guys.. nothing special.. really basic stuff.. I feel our trade (jewellery) is too closed and anything related to it is kept carefully guarded to ensure that better margin over our competition.. to the point where we are wiping ourselves out as an artisan trade.. so I try be as verbose as I can and share as much knowledge as I possibly can hoping others hitting the same headaches i do have something to reference.   (albeit my method be right or wrong )

my upload speed is 15kb/s .. that took me ages to upload so dont feel bad bout your dial up lol

Those of us that are eager to learn are very fortunate to have folks like yourself that are willing to share their knowledge and experiences.
You (as well as others here) are to be commended and I for one condone your "method".
Thanks Chris,
RC

Chris,

Just checked this post , and I must say , SUPER FINE , work your doing there.
Also checked your web page and the videos. I'm impressed at your crafsmanship.
But when older age comes along and the eyes get weaker, you'll probably switch from rings to braclets, 
Nice bathrobe , BTW. 
Thanks for sharing, and don't stop.

Ed

"when older age comes along" ?


dude.. its arrived...

hey.. anyone able to identify that lathe i bought off my watchmaker mate in the video I posted?  I think it needs to be adjusted.. the part that holds the tools and slides along "x?" is wobbly.. like its been worn or something.. i see a row of hex bolts along its side and i think they are meant for adjusting the tightness of the slide..

man.. as im reading this even I cant make sense of it.. no matter will post images tonight...

Chris,
  Just curious. What was the cycle time on the Celtic Knot milling...excluding the bore.

I sometimes hit 30kbps so I should feel fortunate huh. lol

Thanks

hmm 2hrs I guess.. lemme check path info.


the fingerhole i do before the time on the lathe.. about 5 minutes.. hook the wax onto the conical clamps that are in the video then remount on  lathe to machine the outside down to just outside my required stock thickness.

ok this just in..  1h45min for path itself so maybe 2hrs machining all up.. path at 600mm/min 0.015mm stepover with a 0.127mm cutter

(plus 10min for filling in damn bubble void.)

added 3dm for kicks!

ok heres that lathe issue. this time with pics!

see image with red line and arrows.. that part of lathe "wiggles" and tho i dont cut anything tougher than wax with this i still reckon i need to adjust something.. i think its loose on its guide. and the image after that shows the only adjustment i can see.. a series of little nuts n bolts...

im guessing i tighten those till wiggle goes away?


also while im on it.. i can pick up 4 axis kit with BOB , 1.8' steppers etc for 250USD.. now thats pretty croddy equipment im sure (right off ebay too) but would that be hard to rig that upto this lathe? is it worth doing this as a side project? (not that i need anymore side projects mind you)

Hi Chris,

I use cheap (made in China) stepper controllers without any problem on small machines the only drawback is that most of them have 2.5 Amp max. rated drivers and would not be suitable for driving large steppers as would be required for a big machine. I think it would be a worthwhile project to convert the lathe if you have sufficient spare time and the lady boss approves.

Tweakie.

the lady boss... yeah there is that factor too....


thanks for info 

im guessing i tighten those till wiggle goes away?

Chris, yes, you loosen the hex nuts just a little and then tighten up the slotted set screws which should be tightening up against a "gib" that then presses onto the dovetail. Tighten up  each screw slowly along the full travel ( I like to go one at a time to see where each screw is tightening up) and then once you have it in a good setup, the hexnuts get tightened up as well and that should lock the setscrews in place.

Unfortunately sometimes it's a trial and error game as the set screws sometimes tighten up against the gib and mess up your final setup so you have to back off and try again.

You may want to actually pull it off first to make sure there's no swarf or dirt in there to damage the ways.

Hope that helps-
Dave