Lathe rebuild Pt.2 - The apron, a quick change tool post and something about the gearbox 

Thanks Bob. Glad to help 🙂

I do wonder how much it cost

Thanks Simon. I'm working on the 3rd and last part of the rebuild. I think there will be other improvements over time, but I actually want to get the rebuild series complete, so I can start sharing other projects. I think those will be more interesting, both for me and for all the viewers 😃

Thanks, that's something helpful. I also thought the pin could have a groove or 2. I'll replace it in the next days. Thanks for pointing that out 🙂

Hi Nicolas, that's an interesting request and I see your point. That short section was a couple of hours squeezed into just a few seconds. Let me think of how I could come up with a longer version of those videos without killing the channel 😅 and I will get back to this. It might take a couple of months, as now I'm prioritizing the next videos and there's a bigger project coming up, but I will get back to this. Thanks

Hi! Thanks! When I got my mill I also stripped it down for cleaning. Having done both the mill and the lathe, I'd say I went through the mill much faster than the lathe. I think I found the mill "easier", but I didn't do any paint work or rebuild the spindle. I remember I had some issues with the head nodding and that took me most of the time. Then I found the sweet spot shimming each side of the head (between head and column) and the "correct" gib adjustment. Apart from that I think I was lucky with my mill, which is also from Amadeal, but the 25 model (smaller machine). The lathe was much more time consuming and I think it's less forgiving. I wouldn't put it down to quality, just being a different machine (this was my experience). I spent a lot of time levelling the lathe. Everytime I added some weight (headstock, carriage) the bed un/twisted. Constant checking was needed before moving on to the next step. Also, I have the lathe on a cheap non-reinforced stand with an mdf top. That didn't help levelling, I was always unsure if the wood was compressing. Then I got the steel base plate and it helped a lot making sense of what I was doing and keeping the alignments right for a longer period of time. I will definitely make a new stand for the lathe, I've been think about the size, design, etc. Regarding the carriage lock, I see exactly what you mean. I'd like to have an easier way to lock the cross slide - so far I've been using a cut down hex key. I think I'll try to fix that in the future. My scale doesn't limit the cross slide travel - maybe it's a bit longer? However the tail stock reach was a problem. I've been using an MT2-MT2 extension which resolves that. I can have a live center with the tail stock at minimum stick out and still have some room to start turning on the tail stock end. So far I didn't notice any downside (I don't notice any particular flexing) but of course, I'd rather not use the extension. If you reposition the scales to the front you might want to cover them really well. I considered that as a possibility as well, but I didn't have the time to do all at once, so I had to pick my fights🙂 Regarding electronics, I think you might have a brushless motor and different modules (according to Amadeal website spec). Mine has a brushed motor. I didn't notice any particular issue so far, be it lack of power or overheating, but I'm keeping my eye on that. What is a bit annoying is the buzzing noise from the motor. I thought it was the contactor so I had a look at that and it's 100% the motor. If/when it starts to give problems, I might go VFD/AC motor. I just hope to have the lathe stand made by then😅 (if you post your design for the electronics, let me know) Thanks!

@@nbrworks Hi, the mill was a real pain as all the carriages had to be scraped in and the everything is so much heavier. I had to get help every time I needed to move stuff! I got the dedicated stands and while the finish is grim, with some good quality feet, they are very stable. I agree that the lathe will be more of a challenge. Re the motor, yes I have a brushless motor and I believe they are more susceptible to getting hot at slow speed because they are smaller they also have a smaller fan, so less cooling. I have lots of videos and pictures but I’m relatively new to RU-vid and so far my videos have been made to help me remember what I did, they are not as ‘polished’ as yours which are well presented and easy to watch. I will ‘go live’ at some point, if I ever finish frigging with these machines…….

@@thisthatotherstuff1203 That's how I started. When I took the lathe apart I wasn't thinking about doing youtube. Even during the rebuild, I was recording with my phone, sometimes out of focus (other times not even recording) and I wasn't sure about posting any of that... but then, why not? At least I get a chance to try my English 😅and you, as a viewer, get to see some details of this type of lathe that you don't see in reviews. I think you should try it 🙂

@@nbrworks Hi, I will release my vids but need to go through them and remove all the swear words first! I’ve now got lathe bed ready for painting and looking at the saddle. The machined finish on the underside of the bed (where the saddle keeper plate runs) was very rough so I cleaned it up and polished it. Now I will need to ‘adjust’ the keeper plate, or make a new one. And now I’m thinking ‘why is there no adjustment for this, like the gibs on the slide ways?’ so I am looking at making a new keeper plate, deeper, so I can fit a bar of say 5mm thick phosphor bronze with screws & locknuts underneath so I can adjust when the saddle is on the bed. I haven't seen this done before and would appreciate your thoughts on this.

@@thisthatotherstuff1203 ​what you are describing reminded me of this (slightly) tapered gibs with adjustment: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NkLtLUbPvzA.html I'm trying to visualize the forces envolved when we're using the lathe and I think that most of the load should be taken by the saddle against the bed. The retaining plates are there just to avoid any lift and keep things together. I don't expect them to wear fast and my concern when I did mine was just to provide better support for the saddle. I made them longer and with a tighter tolerance - also because this helped me to reshape the ways and make them consistent. If for any reason they wear, I can take a skim cut to compensate for the wear. If you want to make this modification, my advice would be to start from raw pieces of stock. If for any reason you decide to go back, you have the original parts. (that's what I did as well)

Hi Chris. Thanks for the comment. Yes, I refer that in the video, that's one of the things I might do in the future. I need to get a piece of stock big enough for that 🤔

Mike, do you mean the spring covers on both sides of the apron? Those are made of thin spring steel and came with the lathe. If you make a search on Google for 'telescopic lathe lead screw covers' you will find some links selling, including 'the little machine shop' (if you are in the US). If you buy a set measure the diameter and length to make sure you buy the correct ones for your lathe.

Hi, I didn't get to fix it. It doesn't affect functionality (other than maybe wear), so I used the gears and shafts as they were. If that ever comes to be a problem, I'll handle it then.

Hi Christo. I made a quick search and I was only able to find the 7x14 apron version (sold on aliexpress). I don't know what type of you have, but start with a look on ebay. Make a search by "lathe gearbox" and you'll find other gearboxes for sale, including the white one shown on this video. If those sellers are selling that gearbox, chances are they might be able to sell you the apron. Another option is to reach out Precision Matthews in the US, I don't know if they can help you, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Just be careful to check the if the half nut will engage your lead screw and the hand crank gear matches the gear rack. Also, mine has power cross feed and that requires meshing with the cross feed leadscrew gear. Don't rush it and make a good research before you buy anything. Good luck!

Maybe I should clarify the "cheap" part. The plate was 30 euros (around 30 USD) at a local industrial fabrication place (heavy duty stuff). Then I paid 70 euros to have it ground on both sides. Total 100 euros, I think that was cheap, but you might feel differently. Either way, it was one of the best things I did for the lathe. Thanks

@@nbrworks No I agree, that's definitely cheap! I need to find a better local place lol