Fogbuster update on my Myford Super 7 lathe

Plan B Fogbuster Mounting on the Myford lathe

Of late there has been a long thread running about Fogbuster use on the MEW forum.   This set me thinking.  The forum debate centred on whether mist lubricant or flood coolant was more or less healthy.   For hobbyists the consensus seemed to favour the mist coolant.  This was with the proviso that the jet and coolant mix is carefully balanced.  An interesting point was made about ensuring the air stream was pointing away from the operator to avoid blowback.  If all is good you should not be able to smell the lubricant.   (N.B. I use QualiChem Xtreme Cut 250C at around 8% dilution).

The installation on my Tormach PCNC440 is fine with respect to blowback at the operator.  Both nozzles are on flexible mountings and can be easily directed towards the back of the mill.  (See prior post).

My installation just completed on my Myford Super 7 is not quite so perfect.   I was using a T slot at the back of the saddle as the nozzle mounting.  This meant the nozzle was playing on the back of the workpiece and towards the operator.  Perhaps with hindsight not the most healthy option.   OK so I don’t use lubricant on the lathe that much as most of my work is brass and aluminium so maybe less of a critical issue.   Because of the infrequent use I wanted the Fogbuster to be quickly demountable until the next steel job comes along, hence the T slot idea.

I have a Myford Quick Change Toolpost fitted on the Super 7 which has two tool holder positions at right angles to each other.  It struck me that the Fogbuster could be mounted in the QCTP unused slot.   This would allow the air jet and lubricant to point forwards towards the workpiece.  Normally I would have the empty slot on the far side face so a boring bar can be dropped into place.   By rotating the QCTP through 180 degrees the spare slot would sit nearest the operator and be ideal for the Fogbuster.  

I didn’t really want to dedicate a steel tool holder to the Fogbuster so I created a 3D printed version.   This picked up on the prior mounting holes I had modelled in the flexible clamp.

I needed to make sure my 3D printed profile was a good fit in the QCTP so after fully modelling it I moved the time line in Fusion back to the profile extrude and reduced this from 26mm to 5mm and ran a test print on just a 5mm depth version.   This allowed a quick print to be done which gave me feedback to do some minor edits.   The timeline then was dragged fully forward and a full size print run.   Try doing that as easily and quickly in steel ?

The pseudo toolholder 3D print ran in around 90 minutes and looked and fitted well.   To finish off, I turned up a small clamping button to match the normal clamping and height adjustment screw on the QCTP.

Hey presto a new Fogbuster forward facing mounting ready to go.

Close up of Fogbuster mounting using the Myford QCTP
Fogbuster mounting using the Myford QCTP
Overview of Fogbuster mounting on a Myford QCTP
Overview of Fogbuster mounting on a Myford QCTP

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Having it and not needing it or Needing it and not having it ?

Changing the Drive Belt on a Cowells ME90 Lathe

One of the posters that Jimmy Diresta sells says “I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it”. The saying is apt and often strikes home.  This is not just in terms of larger workshop assets but also in the small scheme of things like workshop tooling.  You know the time you spent making a jig for a job and thought ‘all that extra time and effort to just make that and what do I do with the tooling now ?’

I think it is a saying that is close to the heart of many hobbyist no matter what the medium you are working in.   It does explain why our workshops are full of ‘stuff’ that we accumulate on the ‘just in case’ basis.  How many screwdrivers do we really need ?  The answer of course is ‘one more’.

I believe there should be a sub clause to Jimmy’s poster – “Needing it and Having it yet not being able to Use It”.

I have a Cowells ME90 mini lathe which is a beautiful piece of engineering and I seem to remember it was my first real mechanical engineering purchase.   For 364 days of the year it sits looking forlorn at the back of the bench asking to be valued, loved and used.   When it is called into use it is indispensable.   Usually.  On a recent once in a blue moon 365th day when it and only it could perform a task for me I found the drive belt to the headstock had perished.  You could almost see the grin on the ME90s face.   Gottcha mate, serves you right for not looking after me.

Thankfully the drive belts are standard sewing machine belts (#MB410) and are readily available both direct from Cowells or numerous sources on the Internet including Amazon.   A replacement was ordered and it arrived quite quickly.

Now to the nub of the problem – how to fit the belt ?   Looking at the headstock it suggested that maybe the whole assembly had to be lifted off and split but the cap head screws for this which went down into the baseplate did not want to budge.   I looked at the spindle and it seemed to have differing diameters that at first glance would not allow it to be removed out of the bearing mounts.

Cowells ME90 headstock assembly
Cowells ME90 headstock assembly for reference while following the belt replacement instructions working left to right

Rather than risk a regretful step I emailed Cowells and very quickly got a support reply from Colin.   For all future intrepid belt changers here are his instructions : –

The only way to fit the belt between the 3 step pulleys is to dismantle the headstock assembly.

Its quite simple really:-

Start at the left hand side of the headstock.

1, Unscrew the knurled gear retaining nut.

2, Pull off the 20 tooth gear ( be careful not to lose the tiny Woodruffe key beneath it).

3, Unscrew the round adjuster nut that butts against the large (64t) gear. -You can use a pair of pliers/grips if you put some emery cloth in their jaws.

4, Slacken the M5 grub screw ( or take it out) in the 64t gear.

5, Pull this gear off. (If it is reluctant to budge then, its probably due to a burr underneath- see below for advice).

6, Slacken the M4 grub screw( or remove) in the little collar that abuts the headstock pulley inside the headstock channel.

7, Slacken (or remove) the grub screw in the central vee of the headstock pulley.

8, Slacken the tension on the two bearing adjuster journals- these are the large cap head screws you see on the top face of the headstock body.

9, It should now be possible for the headstock spindle to eject toward the tailstock.

Clean all parts thoroughly and re-assemble in reverse.


If you have trouble removing the 64t gear then, make sure all grub screws are removed as above. Screw back on the knurled gear retaining nut and with a hide mallet, gently tap the headstock spindle toward the tailstock.

As I said in my thank you reply to Colin, I felt like a hybrid version of ‘stupid boy Pike’ and ‘Rodney you plonker’.   (UK sitcom specific joke).

Enough said ?

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Adding stepper motors to a Myford VMB manual milling machine

Myford VMB Manual Mill Conversion to Stepper Motor control

After many years of winding the Z axis up and down on my Myford VMB I have finally got around to fitting motor control and it is a joy to use.   I am however suffering from muscle wastage as a result.

stepper motor control of a VMB manual milling machine
A general view of the stepper motor control conversion of a VMB manual milling machine. Only the X and Z axis are completed so far. The control box is on the wall behind the mill and has the Shumatech DRO control panel mounted on the front panel.

I have done a write up for those who might want to also enjoy a less taxing movement of X, Y or Z axis on their manual milling machine.  Click on the link below to download as a pdf.

 Fitting XYZ motor feeds to Myford VMB v4

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Clough42 Electronic Leadscrew Project Implementation Notes

I have been avidly watching Clough42 on YouTube.  James comes over as a really nice guy and his presentation of his projects is excellent.

My principle interest is the Electronic Leadscrew modification to lathes.  When installed this removes all the hassle of gearboxes and look up tables to be able to cut both Imperial and Metric screw threads and to set X axis movement feed rates.

The concept is simple but his implementation is second to none.  A rotary encoder is fitted to the spindle to count revolutions of the chuck and a stepper motor (or servo hybrid) controls the rotation of the leadscrew.  The resulting feed speed is derived from look up tables.  The whole installation is controlled by a Texas Instruments LaunchPad C2000 microcontroller development board.

I have documented how I implemented this on my Myford Super 7 Big Bore lathe and the pdf can be downloaded below.   There is also a ZIP file of all the Fusion related models for either CNC or 3D printing.

Electronic Leadscrew on Myford Super 7

Minor edits added to v3 relating to programming the servo controller

Electronic Leadscrew on Myford Super 7 v3

Electronic Leadscrew Fusion 360 Files

Updates : –

Painted control panel for Clough42 Electronic Leadscrew
Finally got the Clough42 Electronic Leadscrew control panel box painted and rather pleased with the result.

Since installing the ELS I have incorporated thrust bearings on the leadscrew mounting.   This impacts on the coupling to the stepper motor.

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3D Printed ESAB Warrior Tech Helmet Hinge Latch Plate

My TIG welding frustration suffered more than usual the other day . 

I have an ESAB Warrior Tech helmet which works really well when welding but it would not stay flipped up when I wanted to see things in daylight.   Every time I leaned forward the helmet would drop down over my eyes and thump me on the chest.  Added to the fact I was trying to TIG some thin wall tubing I was no in no mood for distractions.

Before the helmet joined the happy hunting ground over the neighbours fence I took it apart to see why the latch up action was not working.   Inspection revealed that the backing plate had cracked around the latching cam.

I could have bought a completely new head band assembly but the part in question might just be 3D printable.   The Fusion 360 sketch ended up being very complicated based on eyeball guesses on curves and centres but on the second version I had a printed replacement which did the job …. for the time being anyway.

3D printed ESAB Warrior Tech latch plate replacement
The final version of the replacement plate for the ESAB Warrior Tech welding helmet latch.

If anyone is suffering from a bruised chest let me know and I will forward the Fusion file.

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