Yeah, cuttings get everywhere, even closed pockets. I recognize this is a bit late, but, you could've cut the hole by "pulling" the boring bar instead of pushing it as you did.

at 11:26 it appears that you are cutting a very slight concave surface.you would need to step scrape your crossfeed ways to get closer to 90 degrees.but a concave surface is better than convex ,otherwise all your parts would rock like a spinning top. check the surface of your machined faceplate and see if you are a bit lower in the center than the edges?

fine tuning stages now eh?

You might be able to make a "Norman patent" style toolpost from left over lathe scrap. They can be pretty simple designs, would allow for setting the tooltip on center and can be made as stout as you want. Plus, most of the work is drill press class stuff.

What a difference in finish. I reckon you'd see some more improvement by ditching the washers holding the cutting tool and machine a block that holds it along more of its length. Ideally similar to a four way toolpost. Suspect there is a decent amount of flex there.

Very nice job Sir, and Merry Christmas to you

The outcome is looking good Mr Allen. Be careful though, soon all your neighbors will be at your door wanting things made and fixed. 😂😂

Just found your video as I’m getting into doing this kinda stuff myself- it’s great thanks , good on you for going to the effort of recording your work and posting it for others to see and learn from.

Set up 75% of time at least for me when doing one offs - obviously different doing multiples 😅

I really like your comments, particularly the OCD, then get fed up. Sounds like me, if I can't get it 'perfect' in a reasonable time, it may never be finished.😁 (I still have 'projects' I started 20 years ago, then, I didn't have time, now, I don't have money) Working on construction equipment taught me 'near enough is good enough' although my 'temporary on site repairs' were often better than some workshop repairs by co-workers and machines stayed in service a few years rather than the month or so I would expect (UK Plant in Britain, tool and equipment hire) BTW, I finally subscribed, should have done it a while ago.

Scribing a Line is a good way to cut stock. Sets up a Stress Fracture and with a little back and forth bending, not a full 90, you can watch the separation. Think the Thickest I've done is 1/32" in Brass using a Vice and Smooth Steel Bars to clamp along the line. 🤔

Thank you, Alan for showing after completion adjustments on the lathe. Other lathe build series show the first cuts it ever makes and then no follow up at all.

Lunch time entertainment with Mr Allen. Really glad it's working out as good as it is.

I think of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance every time I use a soda can for shim stock.

Ah shims and lathes... the hours i've spent trying to get that right on a lathe with wear at one end!

Set up time is the hidden puzzle. Started in a Job Shop and One Job called for 8 pieces. Got a good Chewing Out from the Boss because I only cut 9 blanks. We would use the extra to check the Setup before running the rest. Material is Cheep he said and wanted 3 extra just in case. You are doing One Off's so setting up and Checking will take some time 🤔

Hey thank you for the video, it is really inspirational! May I ask what circuit is this? and did you brought the pcb or printed yourself?

Very nice work mister. You put a lot of effort in these machines. Good on you

I didn’t know you were a musician. You are a true renaissance man, sir.

Nicely done Alan. I also use the same brass scourer for iron tip cleaning, much better than a sponge. I too like that it never needs dampening. End result sounded very spacey. 👍What was the tune you were picking at the end? (I am not familiar with it)

Yes, setup is the main thing in machining. Even before I made parts myself, I noticed that machinists never want to make 1 part. If you ask for 1, they'll make 3. It's all a strategy to avoid doing the setup AGAIN.

Set up time varies with the job, the machine, available tooling and experience. I really don’t even think about it a lot of the time if I have everything at hand (which is part of the challenge). I couple of suggestions. 1. Bolt your lathe down solid and level, on a heavy steel plate would be ideal so you have place to set your indicator. 2. You don’t have to use the compound of you have too much ex, just make a solid toolpost that bolts in place of the compound, the effect will be amazing. 3. Get a live center. 4. If you are marking out castings and transferring measurements buy or build a surface gauge, the method you used was almost a waste of time if you want accurate work, no point in eyeballing work off a surface plate. Glad to see somebody finish a Gingery lathe, I found his books when I was 13/14 set up a foundry and started building a lathe but got picked up by a local machine shop as an apprentice so I never finished it. Keep up the good work.

Indeed, setup time is most of the time longer than the machining time.

What an intimidating part to turn! Nicely done considering 👍

Set up time nearly always takes longer! I like to do my setup midweek on my lunchbreaks so then on the weekend i'm all ready to go! Doesn't always work out like that though. When marking up things on the surface plate you could use a needle or something pointy attached to a steel block. Mark the work with a pen then scratch in your heoght marks. Much more accurate. Obviously it would be best to get a height gauge but you can definitely make do with bodged alternatives.

looks like its coming along nicely

Set up is 70% of the task usually. Another thing you can do to make chuck or face plate changes easier would be to make a collar that has external threads and bore it to fit your spindle shaft with set screws to retain it. Then thread your face plate and chucks to fit. Then you can easily spin them on and off. As long as you don't install a reversing motor it would be fine. A lot of larger production machines have threaded spindles for this purpose.

When doing 1 of something. Yes, always.

Maybe a couple paper shims under you top tool post washer to raise it up a bit?

Now you have a lathe .Good Job sir. I would tighten all of your drive belts .They appear to be moving around a lot.That will induce roughness in your cuts. Also on your faceplate,i would turn EVERY surface until they are completely TRUE and smooth as this will help with surface finish.Imagine driving a car with a tire unbalanced.I built a Gingery shaper also.I already own a POS lathe.

Chocolate cookies and fudge overload (hashtag not sponsored as Quinn would say) sounds awesome. I like how you stored the funnel for pouring the Evaporust back into the jug right inside the container you use to soak the part in. Then you will be able to find the bloody funnel when you need it.

When I pause the video to read the subtitles the youtube controls are covering the letters. Is there a way to hide them while paused?

Progressing much quicker on this one Mr Allen. Keep it up.

Saturday Have a Go video drop. Nice :-)

I am just now learning that you can make your own petrobond sand.

I like your Have a Go philosophy. It isn’t about success first time every time. It’s about having a go and either succeeding or learning how to succeed.

Hey, Samuel, you are right. Facts can be fun!

It’s unfortunate how such a big and difficult casting comes up so early in the project. I wonder how many people have become frustrated and given up because of this difficult casting.

Wouldn’t it be unique to play strictly public domain music in the back ground while you work. All the classics like Happy Birthday to You, lol.

Those step pulleys just might be the shiest pulleys I have ever seen.

The flask building is one of the less glamorous parts of the process, but an important part to learn. Thanks for demonstrating for us.

Oh, cool, got the whole book with how many machines in it?

I really have to clean up my workspace too.

I think it’s myfordboy who uses the tarp method to mix greensand too.

I see your older videos feature you in front of the camera. Have you since decided to be a little more “This Old Tony” style?

A comment for the algorithm. I’m just going back over all your videos to watch, like and comment.

I have never seen anyone make a Gingery shaper with anything denser than aluminum. I’ll bet yours will work better because it is just heavier from the Zamak. Do you use Z 12?

It would be worth you getting some dreadnought files, they are really coarse and are intended for cutting soft metals like aluminium and copper, and don't clog up. they have about 8tpi. Sandvik do them in a variety of sizes, and most have a safe edge, so you can get into corners. There are also round and square ones, but they are harder to find. They make cleanup of castings a lot easier, and give a good finish.

Another interesting project. Great looking forward to this.