-
Engine Lathe Restoration
Join me in the machine shop for the lathe restoration. This is an engine lathe (or metal lathe) that I inherited from my grandfather and it is a metal machine tool used for metal turning and thread cutting, among many other lathe uses. During this machine restoration I will be getting into a little bit of everything including the lathe chuck assembly, power feed mechanisms, tailstock alignment with a dial test indicator, and even lathe safety. And who knows, we might even make some metal chips on this fine piece of industrial machinery.
-
Milling Machine Restoration
Join me in my machine shop for the Bridgeport restoration. Ok so it’s not technically a Bridgeport mill, but it is a vertical milling machine based on the Bridgeport design. Nevertheless, this is a used milling machine and is long overdue for a serious cleaning and adjustment before I can make any chips. First step of this mill restoration was to get everything to a clean slate by doing a thorough machine rust removal as well as scraping away all the sludge embedded with metal chips. With all of the mill ways clean I could then perform both the mill gib adjustment as well as reduce the backlash in the lead screw mechanism. After everything was running smoothly I did the final step of mill tramming where I square the mill spindle to the table using a dial test indicator. And since I intend to use a precision milling vise on my first few projects I went ahead and mounted and squared one up to the table as well.
-
Machine Shop Tour
After all these years, I can hardly believe I have a machine shop of my own. Last video you saw how we moved all these industrial machines, but we didn’t talk much about what they actually are. So let’s take a shop tour! Here I break down the four “big” machines including the vertical milling machine, engine lathe, surface grinder, and metal cutting bandsaw. I’ll be going over the other equipment including the granite surface block, drafting machine, drafting table, sandblasting cabinet, parts washer, and more. You’ll also see the shop I built for all these tools, the wood stove heating I installed to make the frigid winters bearable, and the shop dehumidifier for keeping the tools moisture and rust free.
-
I Inherited a Machine Shop
I inherited my grandfather’s machine shop. He was a hobby machinist and his machine shop consisted of several industrial machines including an engine lathe or manual lathe for metal turning, a vertical milling machine like a bridgeport mill or 3 axis mill with several mill machine bits, a surface grinder, and a metal cutting bandsaw. Also part of the machine shop was a drill press, belt sander, bench grinder, and a granite surface block, all tools essential for metalworking projects. A critical tool in moving machinery like this from the remote Kentucky holler where they were located to my personal machine shop was a drop deck trailer and a ton of heavy duty ratchet straps. Follow my journey of inheriting my grandfather’s machine shop and getting back to my metalworking roots.