[Geof]

Anyone with a TL1 or 2 knows how awkward it is to use the chuck key in the manual chuck, especially with the enclosed machines. Early this year I started suffering back problems due to some semiproduction work I was running on my TL2 and it got to the stage I had to stop using the machine.

So I solved the problem by making a chuck support bracket and extending the chuck key. Now closing the chuck can be done with a pushing motion rather than pulling and twisting and my back is once more feeling fine.

I had to drill holes through the big web in the casting so being lazy I used power feed on an air drill; .001 feed rate in Handle Jog worked like a charm. I used an air drill so that if it stalled it would not burn out.

[Vern Smith]

Maybe the old saw should be "pain is the mother of all invention"

I took delivery of a nice new Haas GT-10 and now have to figure out how to use it while doing minimal damage to myself and the machine. I've read the thread in setting up tools and work offsets and thought I would try to take the best recommendations and incorporate them into my procedure. Seeing I have none it's a good opportunity to establish a good one. I like Geof's system of keeping all the Z's the same sign and insuring a mistaken plus sign heads right rather then left. I like Hu's idea if establishing a fixed point to reference all the tools from in Z.

As I see it, the problem is establishing a consistent reference point to set tool lengths from, especially when changing from collet to jaw chucks. I've attached a drawing of a simple plug I'm hoping can be used in the collet chuck to give me the consistent reference point. I will make the plug long enough to insure that most of my tools will always be using negative numbers. I guess I could use Donkey's idea and implant some kind of indicating devise in the end to tell me when the tool arrives.

I've read the threads about not using collet stops with draw tubes. Having never had a draw tube I found the information a little hard to understand. My concern about my proposed reference plug is running afoul of draw tube limitations. Will using the pull back of the collet to seat the face of the plug against the end of the collet chuck cause problems for the draw tube mechanism? The plan is to make a similar plug for the 3 jaw that indexes against the face of the chuck and protrudes a distance toward the turret to match the distance established by the collet chuck plug.

The lathe has tooling fixtures with one inch diameter holes in them for collet chucks and boring bars and such. I see these tools are held into the fixture bores with set screws. Do you machine a series of small flats on the collet chucks for the set screws to seat against? I would think simple winding in the set screws would scar the collet chuck shaft and make it difficult to slide it back out. I also notice that one can easily allow the shank to stick out the back enough to jam the turret.

Please have patience, this will be the beginning of a long string of stupid questions and ideas.

Vern

[Geof]

Bought the baby one did you.

Let me see if I can ramble on and answer one or more of your queries.

Draw tube, why would you not attach a stop to a draw tube? Because draw tubes move so your stop will move.

Yes machine flats on anything that does not have a flat if you want to clamp it with setscrews in the holders.

Yes things can stick out the back and jam the turret. Don't let this happen, it can lead to a visit by the technician to sort things out after the turret gets misaligned.

Your idea of pulling your reference piece back against the front of the collet nose will probably work.

Why use a constant reference point for Z zero? Why not use the end of whatever part you are machining. I simply set the tool offsets to the end of the stock; take a facing cut with the first tool and then simply touch all the other tools against this faced end.

You mention Donkey, have you noticed Donkey done disappear?

That is enough rambling for now.

[Vern Smith]

Bought the baby one did you.

Yes, small parts, limited service amperage and lack of 3 phase


<Draw tube, why would you not attach a stop to a draw tube? Because draw tubes move so your stop will move. >

That part I understood my concern was the big warning sticker at the draw tube actuating mechanism warning about "dead length stops" killing the system. Just wanted to be sure my plug gage pulled against the spindle did not fall into the "dead length stop" category.

<Yes machine flats on anything that does not have a flat if you want to clamp it with setscrews in the holders.>

I thought there must be another way to hold the collet holders in the tool holder otherwise you would think that for $150.00 they would machine some flats on the collet holders. My dumb.


<Why use a constant reference point for Z zero? Why not use the end of whatever part you are machining. I simply set the tool offsets to the end of the stock; take a facing cut with the first tool and then simply touch all the other tools against this faced end.>

Those of us that came to CNC late in the game usually find learning CAM software the lesser of two evils. With CAM software establishing a GXX is elemental to the process. CAM software also allows you to set up unlimited templates for the operations you do frequently. These templates carry along all the tool locations nose radius, etc, as well as the basic tool movements like face, rough, finish, etc. You can bring up the template, apply it to your previously drawn tool path and off you go. I was hoping I could establish a common Z reference point to set tool lengths from for tools that needed to be added to the turret for whatever operation I wanted to do. Maybe I'm spoiled by the way the mill works. Anything in the changer shares a common length offset, why not use the same approach with the lathe turret?

Please do not construe the proceeding to be an advocacy of, or sales pitch for, the use of a CAM system.


<You mention Donkey, have you noticed Donkey done disappear?>

Anyone who enjoys communicating as much as Donkey does will not be gone for long, I hope. Take you and Donkey away from the Haas forums and things would get pretty sparse.

<That is enough rambling for now.>

Please continue

[littlerob]

Bought the baby one did you.

You mention Donkey, have you noticed Donkey done disappear?

That is enough rambling for now.

Me thinks he went to the dark side, you know Geof, that forum that supports everythings and allthings.
And if it weren't for your ramblings most of us would be in the dark.

[Geof]

Please continue

Vern; you are not supposed to type your comments into the quoted material; it makes it very hard for us senile old types to sort out who wrote what.

By the way it is okay to push CAM, my company now uses it; I don't but that is a different matter entirely.