OK Pete and others. You wan't to know more about my machines ?
Why not ? It might be refreshing to hear about something else than DECKEL & SCHAUBLIN (although these are the most desirable machines, but too much of a good thing...)
And I think I will surprise you with some french machines I own, since I'm sure you -american bros- think inspector Columbo's car set the quality standards for every french manufactured products...
Let's begin with the CROUZET lathe. This is a french machine that was built in VALENCE - FRANCE, in the area I live in.
It is a small toolroom lathe (centre height : 5 inches - distance between centers : 16 inches). I don't know the year of manufacturing, but it seems to be one of the latest models CROUZET manufactured before retiring from the machine tool biz.
The company still exists, but CROUZET is now producing automatic devices and aeronautic equipment. I never saw another exemple of the model I own. All the CROUZET lathes I have come across did have a flat bed and a less sophisticated feed box (on wich you have to change a double-cog to shift from turning feed rates to threading ones).
The spindle nose accepts W20 SCHAUBLIN collets directly and the spindle is driven by multiple stages pulleys.
Speeds start from 80 Rpm up to 2660 Rpm (two speeds motor).
The headstock features a very convenient built-in dividing device (very convenient to engrave dials), and a tiny lever allows the user to lock the spindle in order to tighten the coolets.
The feedbox gives most of the standard metric threads right-out-the-box, and a chart in the drivetrain housings indicates the withworth threads available by simply changing some cogs.
One of the most outstanding features of this machine is the possibility to use stops with the powerfeeds during turning AND threading operations. Every machinist knows how ennoying it can be to thread a shouldered part.
When the threading tool arrives in the shoulder zone, it has to be pulled backward quickly to prevent collision, thus forcing the user to select low speeds and to fuss around with the brake to stop the spindle and tool.
It is not rare when it all ends up with broken tool or/and part... Not to mention that you must take extreme care about your work. This makes threading a very stress and time consuming operation on conventional lathes.
Not so with the CROUZET : you simply set the stop, engage the feed and let the machine do the work. This is extremely convenient and restful.
This is made possible by the specific carriage driving system. The lead screw drives a worm wheel attached to the carriage. The worn wheel spins freely on an axle, but can be locked up using a tiny lever. When locked, the worn wheel (and thus the whole carriage) is forced to follow the leadscrew movement, just as when tightening or loosening a bolt.
The adjustable stops simply disengage the worm wheel locking pin. Simple, precise and efficient. The only other lathe I know wich has the same feature is another french one (CAZENEUVE HB 360 series), and it uses the same principle.
I even made the system better by mating a threading indicator of my own at the end of the leadscrew.
The crosslide has to be operated by hand (you can't have it all).
In fact, the only thing I could want to make this small lathe better would be an expanding and contracting pulleys driving system, just to avoid the hassle of changing speeds with the multiple stages pulleys.
Otherwise, I think this lathe definitely has everything the home machinist (and even a professsionnal) can expect from such a small machine. Not to mention that the quality is totally comparable to the Swiss machines I own.
The lathe
The headstock and built-in dividing device
The feedbox
The driving system
The threading indicator
The tooling
My smilin'face (nothing avalaible yet)
So folks, isn'it well worth a SCHAUBLIN 102 ?
If someone has infos, brochure and/or manual about this lathe, I'd be glad to hear from him.
Just E-mail me
Next time, you'll see the CROUZET milling machine. A beautiful piece of crafmanship too...
Be patient!
[This message has been edited by T. NGUYEN BINH (edited 09-12-2002).]
Why not ? It might be refreshing to hear about something else than DECKEL & SCHAUBLIN (although these are the most desirable machines, but too much of a good thing...)
And I think I will surprise you with some french machines I own, since I'm sure you -american bros- think inspector Columbo's car set the quality standards for every french manufactured products...
Let's begin with the CROUZET lathe. This is a french machine that was built in VALENCE - FRANCE, in the area I live in.
It is a small toolroom lathe (centre height : 5 inches - distance between centers : 16 inches). I don't know the year of manufacturing, but it seems to be one of the latest models CROUZET manufactured before retiring from the machine tool biz.
The company still exists, but CROUZET is now producing automatic devices and aeronautic equipment. I never saw another exemple of the model I own. All the CROUZET lathes I have come across did have a flat bed and a less sophisticated feed box (on wich you have to change a double-cog to shift from turning feed rates to threading ones).
The spindle nose accepts W20 SCHAUBLIN collets directly and the spindle is driven by multiple stages pulleys.
Speeds start from 80 Rpm up to 2660 Rpm (two speeds motor).
The headstock features a very convenient built-in dividing device (very convenient to engrave dials), and a tiny lever allows the user to lock the spindle in order to tighten the coolets.
The feedbox gives most of the standard metric threads right-out-the-box, and a chart in the drivetrain housings indicates the withworth threads available by simply changing some cogs.
One of the most outstanding features of this machine is the possibility to use stops with the powerfeeds during turning AND threading operations. Every machinist knows how ennoying it can be to thread a shouldered part.
When the threading tool arrives in the shoulder zone, it has to be pulled backward quickly to prevent collision, thus forcing the user to select low speeds and to fuss around with the brake to stop the spindle and tool.
It is not rare when it all ends up with broken tool or/and part... Not to mention that you must take extreme care about your work. This makes threading a very stress and time consuming operation on conventional lathes.
Not so with the CROUZET : you simply set the stop, engage the feed and let the machine do the work. This is extremely convenient and restful.
This is made possible by the specific carriage driving system. The lead screw drives a worm wheel attached to the carriage. The worn wheel spins freely on an axle, but can be locked up using a tiny lever. When locked, the worn wheel (and thus the whole carriage) is forced to follow the leadscrew movement, just as when tightening or loosening a bolt.
The adjustable stops simply disengage the worm wheel locking pin. Simple, precise and efficient. The only other lathe I know wich has the same feature is another french one (CAZENEUVE HB 360 series), and it uses the same principle.
I even made the system better by mating a threading indicator of my own at the end of the leadscrew.
The crosslide has to be operated by hand (you can't have it all).
In fact, the only thing I could want to make this small lathe better would be an expanding and contracting pulleys driving system, just to avoid the hassle of changing speeds with the multiple stages pulleys.
Otherwise, I think this lathe definitely has everything the home machinist (and even a professsionnal) can expect from such a small machine. Not to mention that the quality is totally comparable to the Swiss machines I own.
The lathe
The headstock and built-in dividing device
The feedbox
The driving system
The threading indicator
The tooling
My smilin'face (nothing avalaible yet)
So folks, isn'it well worth a SCHAUBLIN 102 ?
If someone has infos, brochure and/or manual about this lathe, I'd be glad to hear from him.
Just E-mail me
Next time, you'll see the CROUZET milling machine. A beautiful piece of crafmanship too...
Be patient!
[This message has been edited by T. NGUYEN BINH (edited 09-12-2002).]
