Do I need coolant on a "shop use" lathe?

[Ignoramus17710]

I am trying to finish up some unfinished business with my Clausing
6913 lathe. This is my question #1. Do I really need to set up a
coolant system on it? I have plenty of parts and bits for it, it will
not cost much, but I question its necessity. This is just for shop use
to fix stuff up, not for production.

thanks

[Joe Gwinn]

In article <a7mdne8MrviocwXM...@giganews.com>,

Depends on what you are doing, but I use coolant a lot. It makes a big
difference in surface finish and precision.

You will want splash shields - it can be messy.

Joe Gwinn

[Karl Townsend]

>Depends on what you are doing, but I use coolant a lot. It makes a big
>difference in surface finish and precision.
>
>You will want splash shields - it can be messy.
>
>Joe Gwinn

i use a mister, then skip the splash sheilds. They get in the way. I
do have a piece of plexiglass on the wall where it hits and a wet
track on the floor is normal when it runs.

Karl

[Gunner Asch]

Id say in your case...yes....it makes sense to put on a cheap
submersable coolant pump in a 5 or 10 gallon tank and feed waterbased
coolant or oil...Im sure you can snag a drum of either at an auction
somewhere for little or nothing. In fact..you should have coolant
pumps out of some of the machinery you scrapped already with one spare
on the shelf. Sometimes, particularly during threading...where having
coolant available really really makes a big difference when cutting on
a lathe. If you already have the bits and pieces...use em. Set up the
lathe properly once..then you never have to worry about it. Same with
a butterfly on the ass end of your spindle.

Btw..find a steady rest and follower rest for a Clausing Colchester
flat topped 13" lathe for cheap..Id be interested.

Gunner



--
"You guess the truth hurts?

Really?

"Hurt" aint the word.

For Liberals, the truth is like salt to a slug.
Sunlight to a vampire.
Raid® to a cockroach.
Sheriff Brody to a shark
Bush to a Liberal

The truth doesn't just hurt. It's painful, like a red hot poker shoved
up their ass. Like sliding down a hundred foot razor blade using their
dick as a brake.

They HATE the truth."

[Joe Gwinn]

In article <b67ip81g6h6mlmn16...@4ax.com>, Karl Townsend

I used a mister for a while, but would have fog banks in the shop after
a few hours of work. And then I'd be coughing for a few days, from
breathing the coolant mist, so I got a 3M filter mask. This worked,
even if it did make me look like a Preying Mantis (much to the wife's
amusement). But everything in the shop became coated.

So, I stopped using the mister and went to drip cooling, with option to
open the valve wide open to full flood. This works well. The flood is
essential when parting or trepanning.

I built the splash shields afterwards, to contain the mess.

The whole setup is powered by a small Little Giant coolant pump.

You may have the setup and space to use cutting oil, versus soluble
oil. I use black sulfur oil for some things (like stainless steel),
applied with a brush.

Joe Gwinn

[John B.]

On Sun, 19 May 2013 10:22:29 -0500, Ignoramus17710
<ignoram...@NOSPAM.17710.invalid> wrote:

Iggy, in days of yore, back when most machinists were using HSS tool
bits coolant was very seldom used.. I was at the U.S. Air Force's
experimental base at Edwards AFB, California, and none of their
machines, other then a surface grinder or two,even had a coolant
system installed.

--
Cheers,

John B.

[Ignoramus17710]

Coolant is very nice when it is contained. I use coolant on my milling
machine all the time and it is awesome. Makes everything run very cool
and smooth.

With the lathe, the only problem is that I need a splash guard, and I
cannot use the lathe pan as a storage area for "stuff".

I do have plenty of coolant pumps, tanks and whatnot, and I will
probably end up setting it up. I had coolant on my previous POS
Colchester lathe, and coolant was very nice to have.

i

[Lloyd E. Sponenburgh]

Ignoramus17710 <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17710.invalid> fired this volley in
news:g7KdnS16a-X4HQTM...@giganews.com:

>
> With the lathe, the only problem is that I need a splash guard, and I
> cannot use the lathe pan as a storage area for "stuff".

You shouldn't, anyway. That makes it a temptation to reach for something
you need while the machine is running. Reaching toward a running machine
for anything but the off-switch is A.Bad.Idea.

I broke down and actually bought some Horrible Fright tools. I got four
of those six-drawer roll any-which-way (all four casters swivel) flat-
topped tool carts. I populated each with the specific frequently-used
tools for each of my primary machines, then roll them around in my
workspace as necessary for clearing my motions around the machines.
Bigger stuff like pallets of milling tool holders and vises get mounted
on the wall or a stand near the machine.

NOTHING in the way of tools or attachments ever goes on the machine or
under it... too damned dangerous! All the more-so because I'm a solo
practicioner, with help about 400 feet and three walls away if I were
injured.

LLoyd

[Karl Townsend]

>I used a mister for a while, but would have fog banks in the shop after
>a few hours of work. And then I'd be coughing for a few days, from
>breathing the coolant mist, so I got a 3M filter mask. This worked,
>even if it did make me look like a Preying Mantis (much to the wife's
>amusement). But everything in the shop became coated.
>
>So, I stopped using the mister and went to drip cooling, with option to
>open the valve wide open to full flood. This works well. The flood is
>essential when parting or trepanning.

My solution is a Zero fog mister:
http://www.machinistblog.com/?s=mister&submit=Search

[Joe Gwinn]

In article <l54jp8dc8o0raup1f...@4ax.com>, Karl Townsend

I do recall this, now that you remind me.

Is the mist good enough for parting off? I find that drip doesn't do
it, and so always go to full flood (using soluble oil).

Joe Gwinn

[Joe Gwinn]

In article <g7KdnS16a-X4HQTM...@giganews.com>,

I also added a Flexbar safety guard to the lathe, partly to contain the
mess, and partly for safety, especially when using big chunky soft
jaws. That thing scares me - you can't really see the chuck jaws while
it's spinning.

I also made a rubber curtain to hang down from the front of the safety
guard to catch spray out the front, especially when running the spindle
in reverse (I do this when parting off, using an upside down tool).

Joe Gwinn


<http://www.flexbar.com/shop/pc/Flexbar-Lexan-Latheguards-c89.htm>

[Harold & Susan Vordos]

"Ignoramus17710" <ignoram...@NOSPAM.17710.invalid> wrote in message
news:a7mdne8MrviocwXM...@giganews.com...

It would have been wise to include the nature of the work you're trying to
do. Some material can be worked just fine with the use of the cutting liquid
of choice, and an acid brush. It doesn't cool well, but it does provide
lubrication for the cut, and typically improves surface finish.

The use of coolant on a machine that is not built to accommodate the flow
can be quite troublesome. If you're running a chuck, it tends to get
flung far and wide, making a general mess in the shop. Think carefully
before making the decision to add it to your lathe---it can be a mistake.

Harold

[Gunner Asch]

It can also be turned on and off..if done properly.

[Karl Townsend]

>Is the mist good enough for parting off? I find that drip doesn't do
>it, and so always go to full flood (using soluble oil).
>
>Joe Gwinn

for cutoof i use coolant from the saw in a squirt bottle. may use half
bottle on one cut. The saw's coolant is EXTRA rich in oil. It is the
drainage from all the lathes and mills, reused again and again. The
water evaporates so it gets real rich.

Karl

[Karl Townsend]

On Mon, 20 May 2013 09:46:18 -0400, Joe Gwinn <joeg...@comcast.net>
wrote:

For parting I use a squirt bottle filled with coolant from the saw.
May use 1/2

[Joe Gwinn]

In article <h83op89go3gbhgil6...@4ax.com>, Karl Townsend

Ahh. I didn't think mist would be enough.

What make and model of coolant do you use?

Joe Gwinn