After the VFD installation, sometimes when using the lathe I wished for a tach to keep track of the spindle RPM's while adjusting the variable speed control. While not completely necessary, it is sometimes convenient to have an accurate gauge of spindle speed than just a guess by the sound of the lathe and location of the drive belts. Luckily, digital tachs using a hall effect sensor are accurate, cheap and relatively easy to install as shown in this article.
In the hobby shop it's a quite common need to gently tap objects into various forms of alignment. A soft blow hammer works great for this, but sometimes it's difficult to get enough room for a good swing or the item to be moved is quite small. This shot filled dead-blow knocker, with non-marring Delrin and brass ends, is very handy in such cases and is a fun weekend project that is machined entirely on the lathe.
Time to wrap-up the VFD installation for the South Bend 10K lathe by installing the motor into the lathe cabinet and making a custom mounting bracket to mount the VFD and avoid any unnecessary holes. The VFD was installed in a slightly unusual position so it is discussed why I didn't go with a more typical controller spot and why this was the best position for my usage. Also an emergency stop switch was installed that will completely kill power to the lathe.
Immediately after it was purchased the SB10K lathe had been using a 115V single phase motor which is not usable with a VFD so a different motor (3 phase) was required. This article goes over what specifications were desired in a replacement motor and what motor was eventually installed. For the VFD, various features and models are discussed and then I elaborate on why I went with the VFD that was eventually installed in the lathe.
A variable speed drive is a nice option for any piece of metal shop equipment. For the lathe, it's especially handy to be able to adjust the spindle speed during a cutting operation, like increasing the RPM's during a facing operation so the cutting speed at the tool is constant as the cut diameter gets smaller. In the next few articles I will describe how I installed a variable frequency drive into my old South Bend 10K lathe.
It's a good idea to regularly tram the mill head with an indicator to make sure it's maintaining a proper alignment with the table. It's more convenient if this operation can be accomplished with the milling vise installed. Having two preset positions and utilizing a Starrett 196, this indicator holder can sweep the mill table with the vise installed to check head tilt and can also sweep a circle in the center of the mill table to check head nod as well.
I have an old USA made General 170 Straight Tap Wrench in a handy 7 inch size that works well for taps 1/4" and under. Even though it has seen a bunch of use, it still works fine except for one major defect: whenever the jaws are opened the moving jaw falls out from the wrench. This can still be a good tool again and it deserves a repair so it can be used for another fifty years.
In this build, the PM Research Number 3 steam engine that was previously machined from a casting kit earlier in the year will be connected to a Jensen 2 1/2" electrically heated boiler. This model engine will then become a live steam engine! A PM Research dynamo, another previous machining project, will be run off a drive belt powering a small light bulb to provide a working load for the engine.
The variable frequency drive (VFD) on the Grizzly G0678 mill is a great feature. It's extremely handy to adjust the speed of the mill from zero to 2250 RPM's by the simple act of turning a knob. Certainly much easier than moving belts around! Being an electronic device, however, the VFD might unexpectedly quit working one day. Rather than wait until after the drive is inoperable, I went through all 100+ VFD settings and documented the factory-shipped values.
A few years ago I made a very handy ER32 collet chuck for my lathe. Made from a single piece of steel, it was a great hobby project that featured internal threading, metric threading and creating a precise internal taper. Unfortunately over the years it's been slowly getting more inaccurate with run-out. It can be corrected with some machining, but I thought it might be interesting to adapt a different style of ER32 collect chuck to this South Bend lathe.