Joe, as always I enjoy watching your older videos because I continue to learn so much from your timeless videos. I am currently sidelined due to a back injury so I have too much time on my hands. I can think of no better way to pass my time than watching these videos. Stay safe and hydrated.
1971 thru 1973 at Sparrows Point High School Vocational Machine shop learning the machine trade on Clausing variable speed lathes and South Bend Geared lathes. I loved the Clausings variable speed REEVES Drive. Mr Richard Hempton Retired US Army Machinist was my teacher and mentor. He is the only teacher that I remember from my youth because he taught me what I loved to do - MAKE STUFF with tools!
Its great to have someone that made such an impression on your life. I've had several. I also spent a LOT of time in Dundalk as a kid. I loved that area. I still have family up there.
Joe, I think that idea of putting a witness mark on your chuck so that you don't back the jaws out too far.... Is a great idea. Depending upon where you're standing at the time, if you start that spindle up at high speed and one of those jaws comes flying out at you - you could be killed. This is a wonderful safety suggestion!
nice setup on the lathe ,i like your videos they are easy to watch because you dont have us wait while you look for something that was a basic tool you needed to do the job and we dont have to hear every breath you take. i like your dont waste time and dont burn up your tools aproach
Nice little lathe Joe just bought one and very pleased that the habits you have in machining are still with me after a couple of decades off the lathe. I remember an old boy saying once that the machine hates you and wants to kill you, so keep that in mind. I’ve since seen people hurt that forget that.
Hi Joe, Those Colchester/Clausing lathes when in good shape are excellent machines, too bad there wasn't anything available at the time I was looking for something. A little bucket of chaos.... !!! There I beat you flat with a whole shop of absolute chaos... lol When I do videos I'll show the way I setup and the doing of, and since you do a great job on the bare instructional and theoretical part I'll refer the viewers that would want this more detailed info... Where I find you do great... ;) Cheers, PIerre
Not just the digits,the eyes too, in my currency a cheap pair of safety glasses saved my eye from being destroyed by a half inch drillbit smashed by the lathe, and its not a big lathe. trust me it was the last and only time something was placed on the lathe headstock
All your videos are very informative. I have a small garage shop that I really enjoy. But sometimes I feel like I'm operating in a vacuum. So these videos are a godsend. Keep up the great work. And thanks.
As a newbie I really appreciate the chuck jaw marking safety tip. It never occurred to me that I should watch for the last jaw coming out "like a hockey puck". Much, much appreciated. I really don't want to get hurt and it is the stuff I don't know about that will get me. Some things should not be learned in the "school of hard knocks"! Thanks. Much.
This is one of the biggies Jim. It can destroy the chuck, machine and hurt you in the process. If you ever have a question, send it my way and I'll help you if I can.
Good stuff! I like the tool cart and chuck saddle! Any ideas of being organized are welcome ones as anyone knows it doesn't take long before your working within a mess! Thanks again Joe, another great video!
Thanks a bunch Joe. I always like your posts. You have a great voice and mannerisms for doing these videos for sure. Dean, Your Grade 8 friend. That is a great little unit with all the attachments you need. Big like ! All good solid setup and smart tips. Thanks Joe !
The Z axis is always oreintated down the spindle of the machine tool, rotation around this axis is C. The W axis is the auxiliary to the Z. During my apprenticeship I used a Colchester lathe similar to the one shown in the video. I learnt the basics of turning, but my apprenticeship was for a fabrication engineer so most of the training course had a bias to welding technology. From what I can remember the Colchester was a fine machine. My apprenticeship served me well as I now work for Rolls-Royce in the U.K. Great videos - always very informative and interesting.
Crispin Cousins, another subscriber of mine, works at the same facility. His channel...Mr. Crispin, showcases some fine model work. You guys at RR in the UK must really have your 'A' game on. Keep up the good work. Your reputations proceed you all.
I like the safety suggestion, I had this problem just the other day and fortunately the loose jaw fell out when I did a test turn by hand. I would like to see more about the offset turning you showed. It sounds interesting.
The chuck suggestion is a good one. You can now appreciate the validity of it. Glad you didn't get hurt or damage anything. The offset turning is fun. I'll put that on my list.
Oh my, what a beauty of a lathe. Makes me very envious. I’m a home hobbyist come model engineer with a tiny mini Chinese made lathe. Leaves a lot to be desired. Thanks Joe.
G'Day Joe, as always very informative and educational, you make the lathe a joy and not a task. I'm from Australia and I find it rather amazing that no one here does these videos to pass on tips and knowledge, you are a very exceptional guy with lots of amazing ideas. Thanks for these videos and keep them coming
Laurie Watkins G'day Laurie, I'm an Aussie too, and there are two Aussie channels that I know of, xynudu has some very handy tips and Clockspring has an excellent channel that has excellent video editing, his vids aren't so much as a school lesson but a build video but he narrates everything and I learn stuff as well, his vids are very addictive. Joe is providing some awesome tips here too. It seems everyone has their own personal way of doing things and people like me can learn from all of them.
Joe, I found your channel fairly recently, very impressed with your knowledge. You made a comment about preferring smaller jobs, "the smaller the better". Well, I need to create a 1/4"-28 internal thread. Small stuff. My tap set does not have this thread. I have a bunch of HSS 1/4" round blanks, 1/4" square blanks, and 1/8" square blanks. It would be GREAT if you could do a video on tool making/grinding. Especially an internal threading tool for the small stuff!! Thanks! -Tim
I've been watching a lot of your videos over the last couple of days. I was thinking the lathe sounded familiar, from what I could see it looked familiar, then I saw that steady rest and I knew. Then I found this video! Out of all of the lathes I've operated, a Clausing very similar to this was my favorite. (I don't remember the diameter, but it was a long bed. Most times I could leave the steady rest on the ways on the other end.) I currently have a 13" South Bend at home, but one of these days I'll get a shop put together and this will most likely be the lathe I get. Thank you for sharing!
hi Joe, great tips and nice walk around. one thing i would like to supplement here is when you make the index mark on the chuck is the then mount the chuck, remove the jaws completely and etch a very shallow ring into the face of the chuck based on the index mark.. that way you have a permanent index mark that is visible no matter what position the chuck might be in later. it will also show a guy the limits of the stock size at a glance. cheers mike
Hey Mike. My chuck only has one key, so my warning mark is always visible when I am tightening a part down. The ring groove is a good idea. It also important to keep the jaws clocked as intended, so everything is the same. I have seen jaws let go, and its a memorable event.
Just before I head out to the workshop to mark the chuck, I just want to add my appreciation for your advice. Also, I must admire your shop tidiness and organisation. Although I am a surgeon (now retired) I must admit that yours puts mine to shame. ps. I have the same lathe, but labelled Colchester. Love it. Cheers from Australia.
I did 18 years in orthopedics. I designed many of the instruments for the Zimmer MIS natural knee instrumentation line and worked as an associate engineer in the knee product development group for Sulzer before they moved to Indiana. The surgeons like a clean shop. So do I. Thanks for the compliment.
Thanks for the walk around! Great setup, and nice and clean!! The tip at the end with the chisel mark is fantastic, I will be doing that Monday at work. That could save someones life in all reality. Thanks for sharing this.
This is called prefect timing for me. I have been looking at your personal lathe for some time now trying to figure out what brand and size. What a surprise to see a video on it. Not being a machinist, it all looks different from my point of view. When you did the 1/2" stainless in ONE cut to .030" from the camera angles your lathe looked huge. I couldn't imagine a 5C collet holding with the force you had on it. A lot different than a round crank handle set up. Just a day or so prior to your video I was looking at the Clausing Colchester 13"x40" lathes on the internet, way out of my league of course but it's like shopping for trucks, can I find a decent one for $20,000 or throw it all in and go for the top of the line and hope the wife is in a good mood. All I can say is thank you for taking the time to show us the tricks of the trade and do it in one piece safely like you pros do. You have helped me make up my mind on selling my lathe and I appreciate that. I'm pushing 70 with a lot of issues and the more I do the more I find need to take things apart and redo. Not saying my lathe is junk, I don't have the strength to make it better like I planned to do in the beginning. So I'm going to take some time and figure out what I really need. A small CNC lathe or mill and learn the programming or maybe a 11" or 12" gear head lathe that I don't have to work on. I'd really like a 13" but again it all depends on price so I'm looking for something newer than 62 years old like I have. You have a great shop and products are fantastic. I hope you have a prosperous and busy 2022 Joe, you deserve it.
Joe - you are so darned organized - even a box of stuff -- makes me feel totally inadequate.! Nice example of progressive eccentric turning... very cool. Your Clausing is very desirable. Very wise safety tip.
That's a Colchester Triumph 2000 in the UK. Just got one and it's my next project :D Love the vids, Joe. A nice bit of the science behind the practical.
Forgive me, but the 13” swing machine is a Colchester Student in the UK - at least mine is ! The Triumph 2000 is a 7 1/2” centre height ( 15” swing ) Spent my college years on a brand new one back in the 70’s !
13" 2500 rip'ems is a Master the Student 1800 only goes to to 1800 rip'ems plus it dont have the forward reverse clutches and a few other bit's. both 6 1/2" swing though
Good Video. That machine look Identical to the Colchester Triumph that we have over here in the Uk. I've never heard of an eccentric collet? A demonstration would be excellent. Cheers
Hello MrCrispin. I love these machines. The eccentric collets are fabricated from a 5C emergency collet in the mill. An offset busing for larger work. I am getting multiple requests for that. Maybe video material for sure.
Nice lathe, thanks for sharing, and nice to see how other people organize their work space. My workshop and my kitchen overlap, so clean and tidy is essential. And some cool tips too, much appreciated. :)
@@joepie221 No collet closer. Its just the motor. Everytime it turns on I have to put in ear plugs...? Maybe low on oil or something? Any advice will help me out
Spent 51 years in all phases of machining from production to model shop to die shop machining. We had Hardinge hlvh and monarch ee's all over the place, but my all time favorite go to machine was a Clausing Colchester 13x40. It did everything extremely well without the capacity restraints of the others. The only thing I wished it had was Hardinges excellent threading system.
Really loved your colchester walk around and I'm not a machinist.....hopefully you have a moment to share how you came across those vibration mount pads...? Your cart was awe some... as we get older I've got to have a crane to move the chucks and steady rests....or start doing push ups every night...!I thought your cart was a bit delicate for what you squirreled away on it....a rack on the back splash rest really makes finding your shit easier.....thanks for taking the time to help others in this turning world...
Joe, Lots of good tips. Thanks. Now I've got more projects to do to set up my lathe closer to the way you have yours. I have the same type Clausing Colchester 13x40. But yours is way newer and in better shape. The tapered work stop that goes in the headstock is a real good idea. As is the chuck cradle. And the tool height setter. Definitely looking forward to the steady rest video. and the eccentric collet one. The other thing I'd like to hear about is how to deal with a worn machine. The ways on mine are worn down by up to 0.012 in the area where the carriage spends most of its time. Problem symptoms are tapered cuts on long pieces. Earlier onset of chatter. I suspect an old school machinist would be able to turn out good parts regardless by accommodating the idiosyncrasies of the machine. Anyway, thanks again.
Watched a few of you’re Videos today on Easter Monday in Gerringong Australia, really like the style of delivery and clarity of the content. The chuck safety tip was gold. Keep up I’m subscribed1
Just wanted to add a general "Like" comment about your videos. I only recently found your channel but already I've picked up a half dozen good hints from your videos that I'd not figured out for myself even after about 40 years of my machining hobby. I also find that your videos are short and well paced but cover the information thoroughly. I've yet to find myself fast forwarding through any "filler". But I gotta say that it was a HUGE improvement when you graduated to a fixed camera mount. You REALLY need to switch to decaf! ! ! ! :) Anyway keep 'em coming and I'll keep watching. You got yourself another new subscriber.
decaf coffee is useless as teats on a boar hog. i LIKE the trip hammer staccato commentary. not boring. and no "um...um...". where do we send 'viewer appreciation' mail? California is a wasteland in many regards BUT we do some decent coffee...will send yah some beans...
its a very nice lathe and you have a lot of tools , in an other video ive said that you have a good building but the best are the white sandwich plates because they are reflecting very much and you can see very good in your shop its very important when you work with presicion machines and tools bye
Mine is sitting on shims on 3/4 inch solid white oak flooring on 3/4 inch OSB sitting on 2X4 sleepers turned flat ways at 12 inch centers that are sitting on the old garage concrete floor. Not bolted down. The white oak is sealed with tung oil. This is about as unorthodox as you can get but it works..and there is no vibration or any problem cutting true. The floor is easy on the feet and I dont have to worry about dropping something on it..
I have always done eccentric turning using my 4 jaw, I didn't even know they made eccentric colletts. Of course the only time I ever did it was 4in offsets on a crank so not really collett work. Thanks for the tour, you can keep that small stuff and send the big stuff to me. Nothing smaller than 1/4-20 allowed in my shop. :-0
I make the eccentric collets out of the 5C emergency blank collets. I used to run an 18-140 gap bed mazak. I loaded the chucks and parts with a crane. 36 inch faceplate with hundreds of pounds of counterweights. I'm done with the big stuff. You can keep it.
A 13”. I’d really like just a little bigger, but the pictures I have seen show a very clean machine. But I have to see it in person yet. I could also be tempted by a Taiwan build machine - I have some research to do.
Hi, Joe. I have a '70's Triumph 2000 with compound rest slide issues and was wondering where you would (if you didn't fix it yourself) send it for scraping/rebuilding. Your videos are great, btw, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear you mention Abom whom I also enjoy watching immensely...another great guy. Thanks much for all your education!
Joe, thank you for taking the time to produce such informative and creative machining videos. They have helped me out tremendously as a self-taught hobby machinist. I would have never been able to learn any of this without RU-vid and folks like you! I hope to pass along these essential and empowering skills to my children once they get old enough. Question for you...I recently upgraded my crappy Chinese lathe to an much older but more rigid gear head lathe with enough horsepower to use carbide insert tooling. I plan to turn mostly 4140/50 and aluminum alloys. Of the many choices available in insert geometry, which few do you recommend that I use and do you have any preferred brand/style of insert tool holders?
I have a Precision Mathews PM1340GT lathe (made in Taiwan) that looks to be a serious clone of your Clausing. The head-stock levers are arranged differently, and the handwheels are different, but the rest is the same right down to how the splash guard is folded. It hurt to pony up the cash for it, but it is a really fine lathe.
Joe I another question about your lathe. Correct me if I'm wrong but you are using a D1-4 Camlock with 3 pins??? I don't know what the diameter of the largest chuck you have regardless of if it's a 3 jaw or 4 jaw but you can swing 13". If you had a 12" chuck is there any reason the D1-4 with 5/8" diameter cam studs wouldn't hold it? My reasoning is you buy this lathe with the D1-4 as your choice for attaching the chucks you are using from the smallest to the largest being 12" or 12-1/2" in size. Are you limited to a certain size (dia) chuck because of the D1-4? Just a hypothetical question. I'm asking you because I know you are honest, and I trust your answer. Thanks Joe
Joe, forget the questions about the D1-4 Camlock. I did the research and came up with the answers I needed. The 12-1/2" lathe that came with my lathe was just to sell it. There is no way I can use a chuck that big when I have a 1/2" left between the chuck and the bed. This chuck was recommended for lathes 16" and larger. Sorry to bother you.
@@joepie221 yes sir, I didn't realize that 10" is the max recommended. The chuck came with the lathe to be a selling point. South Bend says a 9" chuck is the largest recommended size in their catalog. It didn't dawn on me that I could only chuck up 3 to 4 " rounds in a 12" because the jaws would hit the ways. Thanks
Joe, I was told at college (we learned on this lathe), that there's a speed / feed setting that advances the saddle at a great rate of knots...which we were told not to use. It's been thirty years; could you point that setting out please?
Joe, great videos man. I'd like to hear you talk about how you bought the shop. Did you always work for yourself? Who are your main customers? Basically the business side of machining. Thanks
Greetings. My story here takes a few unexpected turns. I didn't open my shop until 2006. I am a journeyman toolmaker by trade and spent the majority of my time in prototype and experimental development work in semi conductor, wafer fab and explosion supression systems for the military. relocated to Texas in 1996 and went to work for a major orthopedic company. Worked my way into engineering from the shop floor and took a job with a contractor when the company was bought and relocated to Warsaw Indiana. Identified a niche for custom surgical instrumentation and repairs and opened my shop to service that need. FDA policy's forced a change in direction and now I've done everything from custom putters for PGA tour professionals to water flow control valve design. I am actively pursuing a certification to become a military sub contractor. This building was empty before I signed the lease. I bought the machines as I could afford them, and the rest is history.
Hi Joe Your videos are really good, your presentation is exceptional. Its a pitty in am based in England as I would very much like to meet you, I bet it would be a real pleasure working along side you.
Hey Herb, someday I'll make the block, rods and pistons to go with it...........In all the spare time I have. I made the eccentric collet. I used an emergency 5-C set in a collet block and bored it off center in the mill.
Joe Pieczynski how do you set it up with right runout, when chainging direction/crankdirection in the collet? Maybe a subject for you to film? How to make, and correctly align a shaft/crankshaft with several cranks in a fourjaw. When i do, i do with several centerholes, and between centers. But i really cant figure a smart Way, when in a fourjaw, and i want ect. 4 cranks with exact distance/throw. Maybe you have some smart hints 😀. BTW, that clausing lathe does look very good, Nice condition. Ive run allot on the Colchester models, several sizes and models. A very Nice lathe indeed. 😀. BTW, also a Nice hint with the stopline on Chuck. Also remember not the run the spindle without a piece in it. On some the chucks can Walk out, and shoot arround. (Seen many on youtube running High speed rpm without the Chuck tight, Maybe worth mention) Best rgds, Rasmus
I covered the open chuck safety warning in another video. That is so dangerous and makes me crazy when I see someone run an empty chuck. Good point. The eccentric bushing or collet is setup in a mill and indicated true then offset with a DRO and bored. The indexing was done with a scribed line on the part and reference marks on the collar.
In 2002 I was upside down converting my Clausing 5913 from 440V 3 phase to 220V 3 phase when I realized swapping any two phases would cause the motor to reverse direction. I have a Precision Matthews 1236 now with 2 axis DRO. I run the compound at 90 degrees to the end of travel, index boring bar on the part, zero the carriage DRO, and then bore the desired depth. I have to measure the hole diameter with pin gauges, and then set the compound DRO. I can then cut a hole with diameter and depth within 0.001".
Hi Joe, I have exactly the same lathe by the looks of things. Here in South Africa, mine is called a Colchester Student 1800. Do you know it by this name, and are there differences? Love your videos!! Thank you! Arend van de Wetering.
Joe, back to the D1-4 Camlock. I looked in a 1960 South Bend catalog, if you are using the D1-4 camlock it's good up to a 10" chuck. I have a threaded nose spindle, 2-1/4x8, I also have a 12-1/2" 4-jaw for the threaded spindle. Is the threaded spindle a better choice to hold the larger chuck? It seems that the D1-4 has limits depending on the size of the chuck. Do you have 8" or 10" chucks for you 13" lathe and that's about the largest you would use? I'm thinking about going to a D1-4 but not if I can't continue to use my larger 12-1/2" chuck. Thanks
I just bought a used Colchester master 2500 identical machine except the carriage is configured differently. I believe the Clausing was the US made machine. Mine needs massive amount of cleanup and TLC but cant wait to get her working !
Joe, I just picked up this exact lathe! Is there anyone that stocks or makes replacement parts for these? Where can I get the gear for metric threading?
I bought a single phase motor then called Clausing support and they walked me through which wires to swap. Works like a charm. I now have 3 phase and can use either.
@@joepie221 thank you Joe for taking the time. I’m going the phase converter route to see if it works. Awesome lathe, do you still run the same set up?
Hi Joe, I am looking on getting this lathe Clausing Colchester 13" x 36" but is wire to 460 and I don't have that power here on my house any advice will appreciated Thank you
hi Joe great videos i am a beginner at the lathe, recently purchased a small southbend and now that i see how you have yours on rubber blocks , i would like to set mine up like this it would be so much better. but i have one question, how do you level your lathe perfectly if you were to have a bit of a un-even concrete floor? i asume the rubber blocks are all the same thickness? id be interested to hear how you leveled yours! thank you keep up the videos for a newbee like me, its gold!! -oli
My machine still had 6 threaded leveling feet. take a look under your south bend and see if there are features to put them on yours. A very precision machine level is going to be a big help if you can get a hold of one. Thanks for watching.
@@joepie221 have you seen a successful repowering of a 15x50 with a DC motor and variac ...? I have no reliable generator turning 3 phase so I was going to try a 1.5hp pmdc on our offgrid 120/240 reliable solar. The 7.5hp inrush current would probably stall my 25kw GMC 2-71...!
That's a nice sized machine, and you keep it very clean. You may have mentioned it in this vid or previously, but I missed what size tool holders you have, they look like BXA to me? What's your rpm range?
Would like to hear more about your floor mounts. My 5914 12X36 is floating and level on concrete. Hasn’t moved but I am always looking for a better finish.
Yes, a Trade test is the final exam in an apprenticeship. Mine consisted of a written section, ( I am a printing press technician.) and a practical section where you are required to perform certain tasks using a lathe and milling machine. The work pieces that you make are then evaluated for accuracy, finish etc..
thanks for the clarification. I have such a passion for machining as a hobby, I would have loved to have the opportunity to find an apprenticeship, they seem extremely rare and hard to find though
Hey joe love your videos you explain yourself extremely well, also your constant comments concerning safety are wonderful. I’m currently in search of an engine lathe do you know the year/model # of your machine, also are there certain year/models too stay away from in the 13/40
