The New Lathe Has Some Issues, But I Can Fix Them
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Published 2023-06-24
Not to be too negative to start off with, the lathe is meeting expectations. Spindle bearings are fine, I can make good parts and attaching a 1hp motor to a gearbox driven lathe is always a good start. But, and there's always a but, it may not have been as well put together as I originally thought. Call it being swept up in the moment, I think we all can be when we unbox a new piece of expensive equipment.
The headstock is full of it, and by it I mean grit, which is not what you want grinding up against the gears and spline shafts and bearings. So I'll have to replace the oil and clean the gearbox.
I'll also get a few quality of life upgrades out of the way. A new handle for the tailstock to replace the small one. Also adding a carriage mounted chip tray and a new motor cover. Finally I'll seal up the lathe chip tray.
#lathe #machining
Lathe Upgrades
Lathe Modifications
Lathe: Hafco Al250G
Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction
0:59 - Flushing The Gearboxes
4:29 - Inspecting The Apron
7:35 - New Tailstock Lever
11:28 - Sealing The Chip Tray
12:24 - Adding A Chip Tray To Teh Carriage
14:20 - Adding A Motor Cover
All Comments (21)
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9:40 Put more heat at other side of a bend (side that get streched). Bend easier. Any tool made of chinesium, before first use, require complete dissasembly, cleaning of piles of casting sand and chips left inside, deburring, replacement af all screws and bearings with propper ones, replacement of oil and that jam they call grese, etc.. Ask me how I know :)
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I think of these import lathes and mills as a kit, per-assembled, needing to be finished. After buying them, you discover that there are ways to improve them as you use them. It is half the fun of having them, as you end up getting creative, and it is a great way to learn how to use the machines, what their capabilities are and limits, and how to work within them. Once you start modifying them as time passes, you will always have new ideas come to you, and that machine you brought home will become a totally different beast. Kind of like bikers personalize their bikes.
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If you haven’t yet. Add a magnet to the bottom of the drain plug to help catch any wear particles. That way when you pull the drain plug it pulls the filings out with it
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Being able to do work through the headstock will be a huge game changer. Don't let it spoil you too much!
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ISO 68 hydraulic oil is what was recommended to me for ways and gearboxes. Ferrite or Alnico magnets in the gearbox is what I'd recommend to you. Strong enough to catch filings, not quite strong enough to magnetise the gears. Be sure to do one or two oil changes in the first couple months of use while the gearbox wears in. And be sure to work those nipples, the grease nipples that is.
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Some good improvements, especially the removal of sand from the gearboxes! The chip tray cover looks good, I made and fitted roller blinds to my lahe ways, much better than bellows, cheers, Dave
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Artisan, chuck some neodymium magnets in the bottom of the gear cases maybe?
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i really enjoy the "this old tony/stuff made here" feel of this video, very cool
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My Harrison M300 lathe specifies a 68 weight oil in the headstock but the feed gearbox uses a 220 weight. It's a larger lathe but the layout is much the same. All other parts show a 68 weight oil to be used.
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Gday, I’m glad you flushed the headstock and gearbox, first think I did with my lathe, great improvement mate, cheers
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I suggest replacing the bolts fastening the chuck with DIN 913 set screws. This will lessen the thread wear when changing chucks. It might also be a bit faster to unscrew a nut.
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Thankyou once again. I was looking to buy a Myford ML7 restored in South Australia. I thought I would hold off and see how you go with the new lathe. Its always hard when you are trying to balance quality and cost when purchasing a new lathe. I really appreciate your efforts and look forward to the next episode.😊
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You did a good job with your mod's. I've also had Hafco gear and also had to 1/2 pull them to bits and rebuild them. It won't stop me from buying equipment from them. They are a good mob to deal with.
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Glad you had the idea to check the gearboxes and apron, my used industrial lathe had oil that looked like yours. But mine is an industrial machine built in 1974 and purchased at auction so expected.
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You will be surprised just how much value a DRO will provide you when you finally add one. But yeah, QCTP would be step 1.
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The chip tray makes sense. I would still get way covers. The "armoured bellows" style seem good, the metal strips on top provide a smooth surface. They are not unreasonably expensive, but seem easy enough to put together yourself if you want to diy something similar.
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Bought one of these 6 years ago. Instantly fitted a QCTP taken from the previous smaller lathe.. After a year fitted a DRO. This year replaced the QCTP with a wedge type Aloris clone. Made a similar chip tray, but drilled holes for oil nipples. Not happy with paint quality. Tailstock has a tendency to slip on the ways. Some foam to keep chips from going through openings in headstock. Of course not highest accuracy. A decent lathe in size and price. Serves me well.
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You picked up a REALLY sweet lathe. Your unboxing was a hoot! When you removed all the extra hardware, that was the best. That oil was a potential HUGE problem. There is ZERO excuse for that coming out of a factory. The only things I saw that bothered me was some of the casting was rough. With a bit more effort that would have had a bad ass over all finish. That oil….. that is insane! Definitely a phone call needs to be made. You are smart and thorough going thru the machine the way you did. That shows your expertise. Excellent video. GOOD LUCK! Post up what the factory says. SWEET MACHINE!
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Nice upgrades to the lathe, thanks for sharing 👍.
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Also picked one of these up, It's a BL250G by WMT CNC. It's based upon their CJM250. I recently contacted them about a DRO kit, $285 USD shipped to me in Sydney.
