Is this lathe worth buying for constructing small engines.

[gipetto]

If you don't need a lot then buy round and machine it to hex, it can be done with just a lathe.

I could give you UK suppliers but you will get hit with import and paperwork costs.

anywhere in the eu is ok. i was thinking of doing that but i don't think i would be able to make it symmetrical. i need to be able to pay via bank transfer.

[gipetto]

i recall seeing an article on hackaday.com where someone modified a mini lathe to have two sets of change gears. this is so that you could quickly cut down material as well as thread, without needing to wrench. does anyone have a link to such a video?
I am aware of electronic lead screws.

[Niels Abildgaard]

I am using longitudinal fine feed for material removal at least fifty times more often than threading.
For fine feed I have a system that can be engaged  in less than 10 seconds.

Shown in three first pictures
The fourth is the normal thread wheel carier.
You must be able to use a calculator

[gipetto]

Thanks. I think I understand mostly how it works. you have extended the drive to the lead screw to provide room for an upper gear that slides sideways, much like a tail stock does.
actually the article i was thinking of may have replaced the spindle gear with a wider gear, and then had a second bracket of three gears, so that you could simply push one or the other in or out of engagement.

[gipetto]

The sticker for the threading information became contaminated with oil and started to peel off, so I copied it into the optiturn tu2004v manual. strangely, the sticker info wasn't included in the manual so if anybody wants me to scan in that information and post it here give me a shout.

[gipetto]

suppose i want to turn down a bolt on the lathe, nearly every bolt i can lay my hands on is high tensile, if i redden the bolt with gas and let it cool that should anneal it so that it will be easier to turn right? do i drop it in water, would that help matters or do i let it happen slowly in air.

[steamer]

Gipetto

Depends on the bolt.     I'd try turning it first with a good quality HSS or carbide tool and see if it's soft enough.  Most bolts are not that hard.  Even the grade 8's

Dave
 

[gipetto]

Good to know. I'll have a root around see what is in the junk pile.

In a semi related project i was trying to to use my lathe as a drill press, to create a square hole in brass. i was thinking of making 4 holes arranged in a square, and then one large hole in the middle, then finishing the rest with metal files.
I figure the cheapest way to hold the workpiece is in a 4 jaw chuck which i already have. do i jerry rig the chuck to the tailstock, or to the cross slide. is there any pictures of a bracket someone made for this situation.

[crueby]

If you do try to anneal the steel bolt, don't drop it in water when hot, that would harden it again, possibly crack it depending on the alloy.

[steamer]

Good to know. I'll have a root around see what is in the junk pile.

In a semi related project i was trying to to use my lathe as a drill press, to create a square hole in brass. i was thinking of making 4 holes arranged in a square, and then one large hole in the middle, then finishing the rest with metal files.
I figure the cheapest way to hold the workpiece is in a 4 jaw chuck which i already have. do i jerry rig the chuck to the tailstock, or to the cross slide. is there any pictures of a bracket someone made for this situation.

You absolutely can do that.    that is not a bad approach.  See the pictures below.....

[Jasonb]

How big is the part you need to drill the holes in, can it just be offset in the 4-jaw while on the spindle and the drill held in the tailstock?

Infact you say you are going to hold it in the 4-jaw in which case just offset the part.

[gipetto]

that will work, i've never used the 4 jaw before so didn't think of it.

[gipetto]

I got the square hole bored. it's a bit rough because my tailstock is not lining up with the centre of the chuck, and the drill bit wobbles up and down. iirc someone said that's due to a twist in the bed. I sliced up my thumb on a drill bit pushing it into a plastic box receptacle so gonna wait a few days for it to heal up before i start filing by hand.

I have a thought in the back of my head about making a brushless alternator. is the electrical steel difficult to obtain for a hobbiest? I wouldn't be able to get it anyway due to no debit card at present.

[gipetto]

I had completed this sump plug for a tractor and realised i had set up the change wheels wrong and the thread was wrong. ah well, i guess i can turn it down for a smaller hole so not a total loss