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Rear Parting Tool Post on Myford Super 7

 I’ve been meaning for some time to make a rear tool post for my Myford Super 7 when parting off material.   There are various comments on the web about how a rear mounted blade is the best way to succeed for this activity.

Hemmingway Kits here in the UK offer a kit of materials and instructions based on the Geo. H Thomas design as detailed in his ‘Red Book’  (ISBN 1-85761-000-8).  This seemed like a good route to take.

The kit arrived with all the materials and documentation needed including a casting for the body of the post.  You do have to make a couple of cutting tools as part of the activity but again the material is supplied for this.  I found that having access to the Red Book in conjunction with the Hemmingway kit notes helped me better understand what was involved.

Having the Tormach CNC mill allowed me to depart slightly from the intended construction  but it all came together very well.   I had some Myford Aqua blue paint to hand from my Clough42 Electronic Leadscrew control panel enclosure and this finished off the project nicely as shown below.   However I do need to crop back the excess on the rear of the blades before blood is spilt.

Hemmingway rear tool post parting tool holder
The finished rear parting tool holder made from the Hemmingway Kit

Trial cuts have so far been excellent. I can now use the power cross feed when parting brass which is a major departure.  Overall a good addition to my workshop assets and a relaxing pleasure to make.

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Myford Super 7 backlash solution with thrust bearings

One Job Leads to Another

I had a job for a customer that needed two M18 screws cut on the ends of a  shaft.   I have never cut anything that size before but fortunately I have installed the Clough42 Automatic Leadscrew system fitted to my Myford Super 7 Big Bore lathe.

I tried some trial cuts using the Geo Thomas ‘Red Book’ top slide method but I found there was so much backlash on both the top slide and cross slide that I was struggling for consistency.   In the end I did a hybrid cut ‘nearly there’ using the ALS using plunge cuts and then I finished with a nut die that was happy to start on the part cut thread .   This gave me a clean finish to the thread and I was relieved to get the job done.   Note that my S7 is a ‘metric’ version but the leadscrew is Imperial so screw cutting using the ALS entails keeping the half nut engaged and reversing the drive.

With the job completed my thoughts came round to giving the Super 7 some TLC to try to improve the backlash issues.   I found various discussion threads about fitting thrust bearings to the cross slide and top slide but all referred to EBay thrust bearings that were no longer listed.   After some investigation I found Simply Bearings had two suitable items in stock.   The NTA916-TRA916 is a 9/16″ core diameter bearing and washers suitable for the cross slide and the NTA815-TRA815 is a 1/2″ set for the top slide.  I ordered two of each set.

The attached PDF link below gives details of how I implemented this modification.

Myford Super 7 Thrust Bearing Mods

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Adapter plate for a Tormach microARC to mount a Xin Dian centralising vice

I’ve made mention in another post of the arrival of the Tormach microARC to use on my Tormach PCNC440 CNC milling machine.   The microARC provides a 4th axis facility.

To date I have used this with the supplied chuck but there have been a couple of instances where a vice style stock mounting would have been useful.  I am indebted to David Loomes for bringing the Xin Dian centralising vice to my attention. 

Xin Dian centralising machine vice
The Xin Dian centralising machine vice

This is available from various sources on the Internet and at a delivered price of less than GBP100.   It is a lovely little vice.   It is supplied with an industry standard backing plate which is held in place with four M6 cap head screws.  The supplied backing plate is not suitable for mounting on the microARC .

A 3D model of the microARC is available as a Fusion file and this with some careful measurement allowed me to model a mounting plate for the Xin Dian to fit onto the microARC face.

As a secondary activity I edited the Fusion file to provide a simple sub-mounting plate for the Xin Dian vice on my PCNC440 tooling plate.

Details of both these mounting plates are contained in the PDF link below.

xin dian vice mounting plates

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3D printed Myford QCTP dial gauge holder

I bought three Kafer dial gauges in an EBay job lot with a view to making a dual gauge holder as per Clough42’s design.   

After some thought I realised that a single holder would suffice by just flipping the orientation of the dial gauge in the holder.  Rather than machining the holder I opted to 3D print as this would be sufficiently robust when gripped in the QCTP of the Myford.

Here is the Fusion image and a picture of the finished holder in place.  The gauge is gripped in place by two nylon screws.  A M5 cap head screw acts as the height adjuster in the QCTP.

dial gauge holder for Myford QCTP
Fusion 360 model of the dial gauge holder to mount in the Myford QCTP
Dial gauge holder mounted in the Myford QCTP
The dial gauge holder mounted in the Myford

The threaded holes are all M5 and 3D modelled in the print.  They just need a run through with a tap to clean then up.

The following link has a ZIP file containing the Fusion file and STEP file along with the dimensioning sketch for the QCTP geometry.

Single dial gauge mount ZIP file

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Laser cutting line modification to Femi NG120ABS bandsaw

Quick and Easy Cutting Set Up

I recently acquired a Femi NG120ABS bandsaw which you might think seems a bit strange given how much I talk on this site about my Burgess BK3 bandsaw.   I regard them as two different animals.  

The Femi has replaced my Kennedy for cutting stock ready for milling.  The Femi auto feed facility means it can be left unattended while I get on with other things.  

The BK3 upgraded with my modified guide assemblies is a more precise ‘cutting to a line’ device with the benefit of a wide throat for cutting sheet stock. 

I am impressed by the Femi and by its performance.   Speed of cut is excellent and build quality is very good.   The vice action clamps well and is very rigid.

The one frustration with the Femi has been when loading material ready for cutting. You have to iteratively and repeatedly move the stock in the vice to match where you want the blade to be cut.  This is easier with long pieces of stock but when you have a heavy short chuck of metal block with not much left between the jaws it becomes a juggling act.  Likewise when cutting off line such as mitres.  These situations mean constantly raising and lowering the cutting arm to check you have it in the right place.

I have created a battery powered laser line module that mounts on the Femi blade guide and which will show where the blade will cut.   It clearly isn’t for everyone’s taste but it makes life just a bit more simple !  As Jimmy Diresta says … ‘I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it’.

femi bandsaw laser alignment guide
Image showing the laser alignment guide mounted on the Femi NG120ABS bandsaw

Here is a pdf file containing the write up giving details.

Femi Laser Module Mk 2

Due to demand here are the Gerber and STEP files for the project

Femi_files and notes

Because of the interest shown, if there is sufficient demand I could arrange for some PCBs to be manufactured offshore.  Let me know via the email in the footer.

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