Raynerd's Cowells ME Lathe

[craynerd]

Hi Sco
I really appreciate your advice. I rang Brimarc and they are pricing one for me. I tried many other places but them!

After a bin full of scrap recently, I needed something for my confidence! I decided to make a nice rear tool post for my cowells and do a decent job of it. A kind chap on the yahoo group provided dimensions, I purchased a piece of 25mm square steel bar, slotted it and made a start!



Faced all the sides square, mainly to make it look nice! Got a decent finish but my machine vibrates too much and still leaves little hair marks.


Nothing much to it I know, but took my time and it looks nice!
Next thing was a tnut, 1/2inch wide but with something like only a 2 mm height at the sides. Was a little tricky but I seemed to get a decent finish again, rightly or wrongly with the big facemill.





I could have just locked it all down with a nut but I choose to make a handle. It unlocks and locks back on quicker than my qctp on my boxford! I must admit I want a qctp for the cowells and rather than trying to making one, I'm strongly considering just making lots of square tool holders with a similar lock down handle.

I wanted to give it a nice finish so tried to blue it. I've blue small pieces of steel before for clock and watch projects but nothing this big (still tiny I know!). Heated it with a blow torch and dunked it in car oil when it looked about right. I think in hindsight I left it a couple of seconds too long so I lost a little of the real deep blue but it still looks a good colour. Hard for my camera to pick out....



Then looking good on my cowells! Just need to buy a standard hss parting tool. I got one of those small one with a parting blade and it doesn't sit properly and sticks out the back too far!

[ths]

Hi Chris,

Great work on the rear tool post, the colour looks terrific on my iPad! Have you enough room on the other side of it to put another tool in, perhaps a chamfering tool?

Cheers, Hugh.

[steamer]

Nice one Raynerd!....I need to make one of those for the SB.....

Dave

[NickG]

Good stuff! You're right, the way forward with these little lathes is lots of normal tool posts, once the tool is packet to the right height it's just as easy to swap and a lot easier to make! Only disadvantage is setting of tool height I guess.

[Speedy]

You could also try Rejon Machine Tools for a chuck key. They sell the Toyo tooling, now rebadged as Manix. They are at rejon(dot)co(dot)uk. I have tried for some time to find a key in secondhand tool shops with no success. They are rare.

Pete

[BillTodd]

Nice one Chris

I've been designing a QCTP for my Haighton Cadet (2.5" centre height so similar size to the Cowells)

I have yet to build one but if you'd like drawing I'll try to bash something out for you:

The design is based on the hardinge type I use on my HLV-H. It uses a RH thread on the clamp (M6) and a LH thread (I drawn Acme type but could be anything) on the locking handle (rotating clockwise draws the clamp into the body).

Bill

[craynerd]

Hi Bill..sorry for the lack of reply, I don't come on here too often! I'm certainly interested in the plans - thanks for posting.

Just a quick question as I know we have quite a few Cowells users on here. I've been cutting mainly brass with the Cowells but when I Swap to steel, the belt is slipping with even the lightest of cuts! I've tried putting more tension on the belt but if you look at the belt setup in one of the earlier pictures, it seems like you put tension on the belts by screwing back the motor plate...pushing the whole setup back. I've tried this but it is still slipping! So much so, that it is unusable at the moment.

Time in the workshop has been really limited over the last 2-3 months and when I have been down there I've been wanting to get on with projects so having a real study of this hasn't been on my top priority list, but does anything obvious stand out as to why this should be happening or what I could do to solve the issue? I'd like to try and get it sorted over the coming weeks.

[Johnb]

I can happily machine steel, well some of them, on my Cowells. Different shaped tool, slower speed and finer cuts than brass. And it makes a big difference if the tool is nice and sharp. I usually find finish degenerates before the belt starts slipping.

[JimG]

Just a quick question as I know we have quite a few Cowells users on here. I've been cutting mainly brass with the Cowells but when I Swap to steel, the belt is slipping with even the lightest of cuts! I've tried putting more tension on the belt but if you look at the belt setup in one of the earlier pictures, it seems like you put tension on the belts by screwing back the motor plate...pushing the whole setup back. I've tried this but it is still slipping! So much so, that it is unusable at the moment.

Have you tried cleaning the belts and pulleys with something like IPA to get rid of any possible oil.   I know that I've caused myself problems some times with the belts slipping when I've been a bit over exuberant with the oil can when oiling the headstock and countershaft.       I've cut steel quite happily on my machine but I have to go easy with feeds and speeds when the diameters get over about 1/2",  i.e. slowest direct speed or drop down into back gear.

Jim.

[Jo]

The secondary belt tension is adjusted by the lever just behind the headstock, the Primary by adjusting the motor position.

My secondary belt is always covered in oil from the headstock bearings and only has slipping problems if the tool is blunt or I am over doing it.

Jo

[craynerd]

Thanks for the replies and I'm sorry I missed them...by months!! Better late than never for the thank you though!

For various reasons I've been doing little in terms of engineering and any time I have had, I've been building a project for my daughter. I haven't touched the cowells since holding off the rest of my clock build but my aim is to make a start next week.

I was 100% not trying to take too much with the cut as I'd hardly put anything on and I had tried a few tools. I will adjust the belt tension and give the belts a clean.

Interestingly, I am using a notched belt, it has tracks on one side. I've seen a picture of similar belts being used on lathes online and I noticed that in some pics it runs smooth side down and others notch side down. Which is the correct way?

All the best
Chris

[PJW]

Hi did you ever find a chuck Key? as I am now in the same position as you. If anyone can steer me in the right direction I would be great full.

Peter

[b.lindsey]

Peter, are you trying to fit the same chuck as Chris? What is your spindle nose thread?

Bill

[PJW]

Sorry for the delay in answering, internet problems, the nose size is 14 x 1.5mm and the photo gives all the other info on the chuck, I had a few chuck keys in my drawer but non fit as the location holes in the chuck are small.

[PJW]

I have sorted out my chuck key problem, found one with the right teeth, turned the pivot down to 4mm & bobs your uncle!!