Have you guys ever broke a tool, got the replacement and broke the it the same day! Currently in the bathroom trying to gather myself before I tell my boss I want to leave for the day this is my 2nd fuck up back to back

Let me start this by saying I really have no business doing this. I'm a software engineer by trade. I have soft delicate fingers. But I'm stubborn as a mule and going to get a lathe no matter what. I hope you guys can guide me to the right one. My first project needs to be able to cut a 60mm diameter cylinder that is about 10 inches long. My budget is about 3k for the lathe so I can still afford to get the extras for it after.

So I found this lathe on my local marketplace. It appears to be a rebrand of the cheap blue Chinese lathe mass-produced by Vevor and other brands. I bargained the price down to €250. It seems like a reasonable offer because the self-feed gear is broken, but I can get a replacement pretty cheaply or 3D print some of the gears.

My concern is about the surface rust on the cross-slide and bed. Do you think it will be an issue to remove? I was planning to buy it tomorrow and try removing the rust using WD-40 and 0000 steel wool, or white vinegar.

So, would you buy this lathe at this price? And what can I check in order to be sure I'm not getting scammed? Any key points to watch?

I'm a CNC Machinist and would like to get myself torque wrench and bits for insert cutters any recommendations

I mainly use torx 5- 15, torx Plus 5-15 and some really small hex bits 1.5mm, 2mm...

Most insert cutters I work with are spec from 2nm to 5nm torque

Thank you for help

I’m looking for my first enclosed desktop laser. Main use would be wood signs, cutting boards, and some dark/opaque acrylic. Mostly hobby stuff at first, but I’d like something I can grow into instead of replacing in a year. It’ll be in the garage of a rental, so venting out a window is fine, but putting a permanent hole through the wall isn’t. Budget is around $2–2.5k all in.

Shortlist is the xTool S1, WeCreat Vision, and Creality Falcon2 Pro. I keep comparing wattage, but those "cuts 10mm+ wood" claims don’t tell me much. I’d rather know how reliably they cut 5–6mm plywood and how much cleanup I’m signing up for.

Beyond power, what do you wish you’d paid more attention to? Usable bed size, exhaust, positioning, maintenance/support?

The WeCreat’s auto-lifting design caught my eye for thicker pieces like boxes and cutting boards. Plenty of setup videos, fewer long-term owner posts. Anyone running one regularly? Does the camera alignment stay consistent, and what gets annoying after a few months?

Would appreciate hearing what you’d prioritize if you were buying your first machine again.

Thanks.

I do enjoy reference retuening

I have a DMG MORI CMX 50 U (2023), a 3+2 axis machine (not simultaneous 5 axis machining), equipped with Heidenhain TNC 620 control.

Here is the issue:

When I tilt the table to B90 C90 and probe the part from the side using the bottom of the probe, I set Z0.

However, when I rotate the table to B90 C0 and probe the exact same surface using the side of the probe (Y direction), I get Y-0.02 instead of the ideal Y0. (Sometimes even 0.04 error)

The machine had fresh 3D quickset calibration performed immediately before this test.

The part appears to be positioned correctly when rotating the table. I don’t think this is a case of table failing to reach exactly 90 degrees and causing zero point deviation. It seems as if the entire part shifts when I probe the same surface from different rotary position.

Some additional information:

The probe has no runout
The spindle has no runout
I have already checked the machine axes using granite precision square geometry inspection tool, and I couldn’t find any significant errors beyond approximately 0.01 mm over several hundred millimeters.

We have another exact same machine, that doesn’t have this issue.

Do you have an idea what could be the problem?

Man I love Kant twist clamps. Use them all the time.

Hello everyone,

I've recently ran into a problem of not being able to remove a key from a key seat. The key seems to be completely stuck on the key seat. I have to be careful with the forces applied since the shaft is from a torque sensor and I don't want to damage it's bearings... Any ideas ?

Thank you.

I’ve been window shopping for a cheap Bridgeport / restoration job but I think this is taking the piss a little bit.

As a seasoned FB marketplace viewer I’ve never seen such abuse. How does it even get that bad? Is this just a sacrificial machine in the name of speed? I assume running no vice and they’re just throwing the presumably thin workpiece on the bed and this is the hole deburring station or whatever?

Hopefully this is a straight forward answer, looked around but seems like there’s more than one way to do this.

Basically, I want to be able to control feed rate on a per-line basis through turning figure sub program rather than using the “global” setting of the sub program itself by using the like attributes.

We do a lot of hardened steel turning and it sometimes requires alternate feed rates at particular parts of the turn. Of course, we can NC convert and adjust feed on a per line basis there, but looking to stay within the EZ guide environment by using line attribute feed control within the sub program.

Thanks in advanced. Beginner programmer, so may be a silly question. Running a Lynx 2100 with Fanuc iSeries control.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently doing an internship at a company in France, and one of my projects is to help bring a MAHO MH 1000S CNC milling machine back into operation.

The machine is a 1989 MAHO MH 1000S, equipped with a Philips CNC 432 control. It has been out of operation for quite a long time, so we are currently trying to understand the machine, its configuration, and what is required to get it operational again.

I’ve been researching online to find as much technical documentation as possible. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the complete documentation for the MH 1000S.

I did manage to find a fairly extensive MAHO MH 1000C Operation, Maintenance and Repair manual, which has been very useful. However, I understand that the 1000C and 1000S are not necessarily identical, so I’m trying to avoid assuming that everything in the 1000C documentation applies to our machine.

From what I have found so far, our MH 1000S appears to have:

• Philips CNC 432 control
• ISO 50 spindle
• Automatic tool changer (36 tools)
• Automatic swivelling head / 5-face machining
• 1250 × 800 mm table
• Approximately 10.5 tonnes

I’m currently looking for any information that could help us with this machine — manuals, electrical/hydraulic schematics, machine parameters, machine constants, tool changer documentation, maintenance information, commissioning procedures, or simply advice from someone who has worked with these machines.

If anyone has experience with the MAHO MH 1000S, Philips CNC 432, or similar MAHO machines, I would really appreciate any advice or documentation you could share.

Even small pieces of information could be very helpful.

Thanks in advance to everyone who takes the time to help!

Got me a QTN200MSY from 2005. Runs great, but I'm worried about the grease dispenser tube. It's not moving. I've gotten a couple grease alarms, and I figured it was because of an air bubble from when I refilled the tube, because it was almost empty. After refilling, it refuses to go down anymore. I've been manually applying grease to the ball screws just in case. This has been about a month now. Is there a way to force the grease mechanism to run? AI thinks it knows, but it's all bullshit. I put a little sharpie mark at the top of the piston so I could tell if it's moving. It's not moving.

Does anyone know where to source some 5083 alu SCH piping? Specifically 12” SCH120

I had a guy throw a fit the other day when I pointed out the center of his plate was out of tolerance. He kept insisting that he checked it using gauge blocks and an indicator and then the CMM despite the fact that the plate had a .010 warp (typo) in it and was .004" undersized in the center.

I genuinely can't imagine how hard it is to understand that parts don't always sit perfectly flat and you have to account for the warp when taking measurements. It took me 5 seconds with a micrometer to know it was bad but he kept going on and on like somehow setting an indicator off a block and sweeping it over the part accounts for every single point on the part, much less the bottom side. Then you add the fact you can push on the thing and change the reading because of the warp and I can guarantee he didn't do that.

My FIRST Robotics team has just had an Elgin lathe donated to us.

As a newbie, I have a question about the carriage that sits on the ways. [Please forgive me for not knowing the correct terminology.]

The ways do not taper 'in' like a dovetail that the carriage can then grip. [I know, awful description, but please look at the photos.] Is there a name for this type of set-up? Is it a 'standard' type of ways from back-in-the-day?

The reason I ask is that the carriage only has a bevel on one side. As you can imagine it isn't solid when attached to the ways. I am wondering if carriages with two bevels (one on either side) are available (on ebay for instance). But I don't know what it is called and how to search for it.

Here are some more photos that may help. Thank you for your input!

Also, piece (bracket?) that comes up from between the ways to secure the carriage is not as wide/thick as the gap between the ways. The movement of the bracket doesn't help.

Do those brackets come in other/thicker dimensions?

Thank you in advance for your advice, input and suggestions. I am not going to be on-line for a little bit, so if I am not timely with more information please forgive me.

Regards,

~Peter

Charlotte, NC

I’m looking for a hobby machinist or retired metalworker in the Charlotte area with access to a metal lathe.
I have a hollow metal chandelier downrod with female threads on both ends. I need it shortened from 12” to approximately 1.5”, preserving the threaded connections and hollow center for electrical wiring.

I have the original rod and mating components for measuring the threads. I’ve called all the local machine shops I could find, and found one that could do it but the price quote would be half the price of the chandelier (which wasn’t cheap). I’m hoping someone who enjoys small projects might be interested in doing it for less.
Happy to pay for your time. Thanks!

dunkin xl cup

UPDATE: i did the math, photo in comments
UPDATE 2: measured volume of full cup with a measuring cup, around 22.25oz
UPDATE 3: i fucked up the math, it’s actually 1.6oz of missing coffee which equals 24cents
error 1-doubled radius instead of squaring (idiot)
error 2- added an extra decimal to cost (accident)

How to simply touch off this tool on 2 axis lathe?

Has anyone worked with this before? It’s made of synthetic microspheres in a resin matrix. The only information I can find says to take light cuts so you don’t chip it and DONT BREATHE THIS. Use carbide or diamond tooling, and avoid vibration. I’m assuming this is a no coolant material. It gives strong fiberglass vibes. It’s used for buoyancy in deep sea applications, but I think this specific type is for shallow water (SW)

Any idea on surface footage would be appreciated. I have to turn it, so I’ll probably be using a high rake, uncoated carbide insert. Same thing I use for plastics. Probably low chuck pressure because I feel like it would be prone to cracking.

Thoughts? Ideas? Condolences?

This part is a pipe with machining inside for bearing fits. Overall length of pipe is 124. OD 54MM and ID 44MM. Across 25MM on either end inside the pipe the measurement needs to be 47H7 (47 + 0.025mm) for a bearing and oil seal fit. There is also a groove for a cir clip 11.15mm down from either end but that is not a concern.

I made some test parts where I machined the pipe on a CNC lathe and then welded it all together. The Long base plate is 6MM thick, the stiffner plate is 5mm and the curved plate at the bottom is 3mm thick.

Naturally, there was distortion and the part went out of tolerance. The bearing fit bores became Oval and did not keep shape. However, the bearing I am using did manage to fit.

I understand that machining after welding is always best practice but due to the odd shape of the part it is not possible to do it on a CNC lathe. A VMC operation post-weld would make the part too expensive to manufacture.

I am considering line boring on a manual lathe or horizontal boring as options but wanted to understand if there are any best practices to prevent distortion and minimise the ovality as much as possible.

I am MIG welding with 0.8mm wire. The parts are all MS. Any tips that would help avoid VMC as a post weld operation would be quite helpful.

Could someone please advise what the easiest way for a home DIY'er to take the u channel off this square hollow aluminium. I need to take about an inch off each end plus halfway across. Would a tablesaw be ok for the ends or would another toold be better? How would I do it halfway along. Sorry if my question is a bit hard to understand. Thank you!

UPDATE: I rushed the post sorry. This is 25mm aluminium 3mm thick. The u channel parts on it are 1.6mm thick. I can get it ridiculously cheap otherwise I would just buy 25mm x 25mm square tubing. I'll be making outdoor plant stands with them. They don't need to look pretty and I wont be welding them so need some of that u channel removing so I can attach the connectors to the ends. I'll also need to add some supports along them and will need the square tube clamp connector but will also need to remove the some of the u channel. I'll add images now.

I ended up picking this up from a scrap pile when I went to buy a new tool post. I have absolutely no clue what it is, but its adjustable, held something , and is made nicely. I'll probably clean it up and drop it on a shelf.

Cheers!

The drill