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Author Topic: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner  (Read 32207 times)

Taranis

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #50 on: April 05, 2020, 02:15:24 pm »

The Tailstock chuck arrived yesterday and seems very good quality as it should be for the price. It is a Marked as Proxxon on the chuck body so not  third party. MT1 or MK1 taper adapter included specifically made short in length
Proxxon 24020 £23.90 Amazon Prime. Highest price observed £43


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ANDY
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Tugtower

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #51 on: April 05, 2020, 02:37:07 pm »

My unimat came with a detachable 0-6.5mm drill chuck ( it’s detachable of the spindle so you can swap for live Centers and other attachments, however 6.5mm isn’t enough to get the boring bar in to widen a hole, and it’s worse with a insert cutter, so I managed to get a fixed spindle drill chuck up to 13mm £40 on eBay, works well but I have to remember not to take the tail stock off with it in as it’s chuck heavy!





frazer heslop

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #53 on: April 05, 2020, 10:31:08 pm »

Maybe something a bit better quality.I have seen complaints about some mag stands not holding securely and the arms been a pain to set/lock but dont know if this is the type they are complaining about
Ideally a jewelled clock is best but you pay for the pleasure of using them
Finger clocks tend to have a small range 0.8mm/2mm max
I have two clocks a plunger one that has 1/2 inch movement and a finger clock that has 0.1 inch movement They were bought when imperialum was still used
Arceurotrade/RDG/Cronos all sell mid priced clocks
https://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/CLOCKS__DIGITAL___MANUAL.html
cheers

 
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Taranis

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #54 on: April 05, 2020, 10:37:09 pm »

Thanks
Looks like  RDG sell the same item at more than twice the price  :-))  £42.50 plus postage I guess

https://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/SMALL-MAGNETIC-BASE-WITH-METRIC-DTI---CLOCK---IDEAL-MINI-LATHE-2844.html
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frazer heslop

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #55 on: April 05, 2020, 10:43:22 pm »

Just goes to show how many are selling cheap crap :-))
The cheap one will probably do what you want for a short time then start sticking and at the end of the day it what you are comfortable with.
If you cannot measure reasonably accurately then the job becomes harder.For most toy work you dont need to measure accurately as you are making one part to fit the next
cheers
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Tugtower

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #56 on: April 05, 2020, 10:45:37 pm »

I agree these are not all that good, unfortunately the better ones cost an awful lot more, as a suggestion look on eBay for 2nd hand stands, you find a lot of older ones used on boxfords/Colchester’s/Myford that might be old but are solid as rocks, some even come with older dials that just don’t die!


Not everyone’s a fan of 2nd hand gear, but I for one will always say anything pre 1980’s will always hold up better than anything made today, most of my go to and best tools are all from the 60/70’s, reliable and damn near indestructible.


When I comes to dial indicators modern ones anything less than £80 isn’t worth owning, go 2nd hand, I’m not sure if your interested ...however the Proxxon machines do fit the aftermarket DRO’s on the x/y axis and those prices are good value, I’m tempted to get one and make standoffs for it to fit the unimat over physical dials.


Just google DRO’s for your mill/lathe there is usually a kit made for a modern machine, I’ve seen them for the “Chinese mini lathe” so shouldn’t cause you much issue.


If your after the magnetic stand for zeroing/dialling in then find a good quality 2nd hand stand, you’ll prob get a better tool for less cash than the modern equivalent.

frazer heslop

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #57 on: April 05, 2020, 10:53:09 pm »

Just looked on fleabay and there is some nice Starret clocks for sale circa £30 to £40 all jewelled
A decent clock canbe repaired even by someone like me with cows "boobs" for fingers the jewells canbe bought from the likes of Cousins
https://www.cousinsuk.com/
cheers
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derekwarner

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #58 on: April 05, 2020, 11:00:28 pm »

The issue of magnet bases not holding is nothing new, but it is the magnetic gauss not having  >>:-( sufficient close by ferrous metal to hold onto, [not a lack of magnetic gauss]


Get a steel plate [nominal size] 300 x 100 x 20 thick......glue a layer on domestic vinyl to one side......[this vinyl protects the lathe bed/ways].....the magnetic base when e-attached will never move off the plate and the mass of the plate [~~4.5 kg] is sufficient not to slide over the bed when dialing up the work setup


Derek
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frazer heslop

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #59 on: April 05, 2020, 11:17:59 pm »

Or when possible mount the DTI in the tool post
Its not just the lack of grip its the arms not locking and slipping Iv seen complaints about but then if you buy a Trabant you get what you pay for. Theres no bargains for good quality measuring equipment other than second hand and then you need to be able to know they are not already damaged .Its a problem Iv seen played out many times before.
Im still using kit I bought 45 years ago and it hurt when I bought it as an apprentice but Iv not had to replace it so what is the actual cost per year
Although at our age Im not looking so long term now
cheers

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Taranis

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #60 on: April 06, 2020, 06:23:45 am »

Thanks for all the advice. Lots to think about but perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.  %%

Meanwhile I awoke early and checked Amazon to find a New lathe listed on Prime for £829 so it's now mine thank you wifey  O0 


Anyone else wanting one should check Amazon even day as I've seen it twice at £784 recently but they sell instantly.

Highest price observed in UK £1099.96 which is pretty much list price.


I'm considering this chisel set which given the extra tools over the 5 piece HSS set by Proxxon it is not really any more expensive

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RDGTOOLS-7PC-TURNING-GROOVING-THREADING-TOOLS-8MM-SHANK-DCMT-CCMT-MYFORD-/290964742705?hash=item43bed9a231
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Taranis

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #61 on: April 06, 2020, 07:03:12 am »

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frazer heslop

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #62 on: April 06, 2020, 09:32:53 am »

Just keep the swarf out of the carpets swmbo wont be happy
I would still get some HSS blanks to grind for brass or what ever you are machining as tipped tools wont always give the best finish
Tracy tools sell them reasonably priced as well as taps and dies
For small machines tipped tools can cause chatter
Harold Halls web site has loads of tooling and his books are very good
http://www.homews.co.uk/page463.html



































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Tugtower

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #63 on: April 06, 2020, 01:42:44 pm »

Yes I agree that you will want some blank hss to grind zero rake cutters for brass/bronze, inserts can do ok... that said I have a cutter set that use dcmt07 tips (I have 1/4”insert shanks as 8mm is to high of center and I can’t shun down!)  and I get very good finishes to brass at low rpm around 600 seams to give me a good finish, but I guess it depends on the lathe at what speed works best with which tool and which material, if I cut brass with hss I have to be running at 1600rpm.


Just some experimentation with your machine will soon show you what it likes at what speeds, took me a little while to work out the unimats quirks!


Be sure to note if I insert tool brass it’s usualy only my roughing tool anyway I always swap to my 45 hss for finishing pass before buffing up.

Mark T

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #64 on: April 06, 2020, 05:45:01 pm »

Hi Andy the comments above are spot on mate - buy a really decent DTI and a magnetic base that has very good mounts to lock both the arms and hold the DTI firmly.  You will use this bit of kit more than you know especially when you get to grips with a 4 jaw chuck.  They are great for turning eccentrics etc.


If you get some blank HSS tool bits and are unsure how to grind them - well we don't live that far apart and I'm happy to show you.  Its a bit like learning to sharpen drill bits by hand - Once you've got it it never leaves you.  You will need a decent grinder that has had the wheels dressed or failing that just good wheels that look nice and square.

grendel

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #65 on: April 07, 2020, 05:45:11 am »

Any advice on this or other options?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dial-Test-Indicator-DTI-Gauge-Magnetic-Base-Stand-Metric-Precision-Clock-Gauge/133032788000?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D226063%26meid%3Daca440c9fcc24071844bfc329fbc2064%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D123485215991%26itm%3D133032788000%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV1Demotion%26brand%3DUnbranded&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
I just ordered one of those before I even saw this thread, for the small work I do it will probably be good enough, after all we are not professional machinists, and someone who is says the cheap dial indicators are good as they are nearly as accurate and can be treated as disposable in high use situations where you dont want to risk an expensive indicator.
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Martin (Admin)

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #66 on: April 07, 2020, 08:36:01 am »


All this talk of Lathes... any Utube machinists fans here?

This Old Tony, Abom79, ClickSpring, Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery, Hand Tool Rescue, Keith Fenner,  my mechanics,
  EngelsCoachShop,  Made in Poland,  frank howarth .......
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Taranis

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #67 on: April 07, 2020, 08:49:15 am »

Yes Martin but the best Proxxon videos are not in English  %%

Thanks Mark. I did sharpen by hand in my apprenticeship and there are videos of this too as above  :-))


I will buy a set to begin with and resharpen as necessary


Thanks Grendel I think I will start off cheap and see how it performs  :-)

Thanks for everyones valued contributions

Now I'm looking at stock metal and plastic sources  %%  expensive  :((
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Tugtower

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #68 on: April 07, 2020, 08:55:09 am »


All this talk of Lathes... any Utube machinists fans here?

This Old Tony, Abom79, ClickSpring, Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery, Hand Tool Rescue, Keith Fenner,  my mechanics,
  EngelsCoachShop,  Made in Poland,  frank howarth .......

 


I watch all of those also “engineer bruns” a crazy Russian with some awesome skills


https://www.youtube.com/user/Angel65Pain


There’s also this guy building a marble music machine


https://youtu.be/IvUU8joBb1Q


I have a huge list but those two are worth watching

coch y bonddu

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #69 on: April 07, 2020, 08:58:45 am »

just remember one thing Andy buy cheap buy twice and that certaintly goes with  lathe tools ad you will defo need a bench grinder and a wheel dresser....Machine mart do a cheap enough bench grinder which is well suitable






Dave
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Tugtower

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #70 on: April 07, 2020, 09:08:40 am »

Now I'm looking at stock metal and plastic sources  %%  expensive  :((


They can be depending what your after, brass and bronze stock is pricy, stainless is cheap and good for rust proof boat parts.
Aluminium is cheap but it marks so damn easy in the jaws,(a trick to stop marking is to wrap the part in a soda can)
A good source of cheaper stainless rods from 10-2mm is old printers, we recently updated our home printer ( has a £6 package attached for Cheap printing very good sub from HP saves u a fortune on cartridges)
Anyway took apart the wife old printer and got a ton of stainless rods from it.
Old hoovers tend to have a few rods in, basically old home machines out for the trash are worth stripping for variety.


eBay is a good place to also get stock won’t be free but not overly unreasonable, some places offer the multi buy discount.

Tugtower

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #71 on: April 07, 2020, 09:13:57 am »

Tannis, If you message me your email I’ll forward you my ebook by Stan Bray on the compact lathe, great book will help you immensely!

Taranis

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #72 on: April 07, 2020, 09:23:00 am »

I too was thinking of recycling scrap parts  :-))


Thanks for your offer I've messaged you  :-)


EDIT
What can I say that book is fantastic!! many thanks
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Taranis

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #73 on: April 07, 2020, 09:32:39 am »

I had an email this morning in response to my enquiry about the first Lathe I sent for on Amazon.
The seller had their account hacked and they do not sell Lathes at all.
I thought it was too good to be true but Amazon didn't take any money as I paid through them.
The listing was trying to get customers to pay outside of Amazon and thus avoid Amazon buyer protection.

The more recent purchase is through Prime and still a huge saving but not had the despatched notification yet.
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Taranis

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Re: Proxxon PD 250e Lathe accessories and upgrades for beginner
« Reply #74 on: April 07, 2020, 01:49:25 pm »

4 jaw independant chuck challenge ! best available price.
Proxxon 24036 Nothing else will fit.

Lets see how well you do

I have found one at what I think is the best price without being scammed
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