Light turning jobs such as grub screws and pot shaft extensions don't need coolant though swarf in any condition is always a pain to sweep up. An air compressor with a trigger nozzle will get it out of tight spots.

Light turning jobs such as grub screws and pot shaft extensions don't need coolant

True, but if I do get a lathe I'll be taking on bigger stuff than radio bits. At the moment I have to put the hard word on a mate for this sort of thing. It would be good to learn to do it myself.

Using a lathe is enjoyable. It's been a few years for me. My last turning job was a couple of brass bushes for the hinges on my boss' wrought iron screen door. It had nylon bushes and I just shook my head when I saw them wearing quickly and thought to myself "who had the hide to supply us with this rubbish".

I turned up four replacements out of brass just over seven years ago and the first two are still in service but wearing just fast enough to conserve the steel that makes up the rest of the hinges. The second set will probably go into service in three years or so if the rate of wear stays the same. The words "engineering" and "longevity" just doesn't go into any product made commercially today.

The roof of the shed is insulated and a lot of heat can escape via the open eves & chaff doors. The ancient Marelli fan can be wound up to some impressive speeds and being open cage, heat is not a major issue for it.

My back is rather devoid of disks and the knees have both had a motorcycle land on them three times each. So standing & sitting for long periods is not good and bending over something to work on it, will be a short duration exercise.

Rather annoying really.

You can pick up some nice small lathes that are bench size rather than 3 ton monsters like we have at the Men's Shed
It's a toolmaker, so Lord help anyone that wants to get rid of it. That one of mine was bought new in 1982.

That one of mine was bought new in 1982.

What brand is yours?

It was badge engineered as a McMillan, but is actually a Honden.

Fun job coming up on it as the belt set has about had it & one has to remove the spindle to get at it.

You need wet cutting especially on Nylon, you do get a better finish, wet cutting & it does save the cutter, provided it is the right one for the job. E.g. Ferrite has to be ground.

The blue thing on the tool post is actually the die grinder with a router bit in it.

I fitted a drainage system for wet cutting where the fluid drops into a bucket strainer, which catches a lot of the fine stuff as well as any big stuff that escapes into the tube. The tank is actually 6" Storm water pipe.

I have all but one of My Turning & fitting books from Technical School.

My back is rather devoid of disks and the knees have both had a motorcycle land on them three times each.

I see you've got a whippersnipper on the floor there. I've found those things put more strain on back and knees than almost any implement, because of the continual rotation of the spine, which we haven't used much since we gave up slaughtering each other with broadswords. I saw one in a hardware place the other day mounted on two wheels, like a golf buggy, to save back strain.

Maven

Albeit that one knows the penalty for using it. It is actually not a bad machine and has copped a flogging. I think its decades old & in typical farm style some of it is held together by tie wire. I will have the documents.

This unlike a couple of cheap ones I have seen recently actually has a serviceable air cleaner. I have had two in a week where there is no air cleaning element.

A Husqvarna (similar to photo) was very old but its element had been lost & never replaced. The others I am sure were sold with just a bit of flywire in the throat of the carburettor?

They had lasted one season as the dirt, that they throw around, has either barrelled the bore, or ground out the crankcase seals.

So we know the message: No air cleaner, no buy. Lost, or failed air cleaner... replace it and don't use it until it happens.

Preferred bench height, I think would depend on whether you have a sore upper or lower back
I need to start using one! I paid dearly for working on a circuit on the floor over the weekend.. and spend 3 days laid up in bed

I opted for 900mm and am glad that I did. Now looking for a good draftman's chair. May get two of them as 5 metres is a long way to roll.

You can get chairs & stools with adjustable height.

If you are just running up and down the bench I have seen them on a rail. Buying a train engine & whistle module (exist) to go with it, would be just a little over the top.

You can get chairs & stools with adjustable height.

Yep, that's what I'm intending to buy. Like this:

http://www.milandirect.com.au/catalog/product/view/id/3960?gclid=CO3um6mAhr8CFUMIvAodUY4ADA.

If you are just running up and down the bench I have seen them on a rail

Interesting, but that would be a bit extravagant for my setup.

I have one of those without wheels - a very good way of sitting if the bench is the right height. It gives an extra dimension when periodically relocating one's feet to avoid cramps and other niggles.

That is why the parts are away from the bench here, the back will not tolerate sitting, or standing for long periods, as said.

So having to get up to get a part is not actually inefficient in the true sense, its actually practical from a health point of view.

One thing with the eight foot shaded type flouro. when it kills the ballast, you remove the cover, and after tidying it up, if required,mount either two x double 4 foot, or a single 4ft and a 20watt etc inside the cover and it becomes the reflector.

That is what is over my Lathe & Drill press.

Marc

I'm just about to take the plunge and get an AME system and fit with ESD:
http://www.amesystem.com.au/products/ergostyle/ErgoStyle-126-Workstations-Overview.aspx.

Not cheap at all, but they have them at work, and it's hard to go back to my crud computer desk!
If you notice the price of the overhead flouro strip light option, I wonder why anyone wouldn't just go tot Bunnings