New Lathe at TechShop

Got the Series 60 in today.



Looks like it was set up with a tracer or something at one time. Thats all gone now. It has a taper attach that looks like it will fit but needs to be installed.

Needs a little work. The paint is awful. The motor starter and reversing contactors are gone. Last owner had a VFD installed.

More pics here:

http://s398.photobucket.com/albums/pp69/TechShop/Monarch Delivery/

"The motor starter and reversing contactors are gone. Last owner had a VFD installed"

How do you plan on setting this one up?

I think a 15HP VFD would be too expensive so right now I am just going to get a moor starter and reversing contactor off ebay.

IIRC, the #2 2 speed starter I bought on ebay ran about 200. It appeared to be NOS.
My friends wired it up as a reversing starter.
Harry

"I think a 15HP VFD would be too expensive so right now I am just going to get a moor starter and reversing contactor off ebay"

That would be my choice, too.

The original used a Westinghouse reversing magnetic motor starter, but any brand will do.

The same wiring diagram applied to 5, 7.5, 10 and 15 HP machines.

If the serial number ends with "AT" or "HT", then it was factory built with a tracer.

John

Isn't TechShop aimed at amateurs/newbies etc? Seems like a 9" SB might be a more appropriate machine for them??? I'd be awful careful who I turned loose with the Monarch

This lathe does have the 15hp motor in it.

No, TechShop isnt aimed for specifically for newbies. More of for people that cant afford to fill their garages with equipment or have the space for it. There will be newbies as well and there are classes on the usage.

This lathe will be rarely used really. Right now there is a SB9A, Logan 11", A unknown german lathe and the big monarch. We should be getting a couple smaller clausings soon as well.

Here is a link to a photobucket gallery of what we have so far:

http://s398.photobucket.com/albums/pp69/TechShop/

Looks like I found everything I need to do it in one auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=390012522585&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=026

Nice equipment macona!

I wish the Tech Shop in MPK had that type of equipment...

Looks like a rough copy of the baby I had at Fort Detrick; except bigger....Man, I loved that machine! If I wasn't in the HLV-H; chances are I'd be in the Monarch....Unless the diameter was too big. There was also a sweet short bed L&S in that shop listed as a 14" machine, but it would easily swing 12" over the cross-slide.

Andy Pullen

TechShop

traditional-tools said:

Nice equipment macona!

I wish the Tech Shop in MPK had that type of equipment...

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I just wish we had something like that here! It's an interesting idea. I had assumed that this sort of thing was a non-starter due to liability concerns...

I wasn't able to find very much information about TechShop on the web, nor much discussion here. But, here's a link to the Menlo Park TechShop web site:

http://techshop.ws/

Jerry,

How does TechShop work? Is it a franchise type thing? What's involved in starting one up?

Cal

The ways are pretty much fresh ground so thats a plus on the lathe. We still got to tool it up. It did come with a 3 jaw.

Pretty amazing how tiny the bore is for that size of a machine.

I looked at the serial and there is no HT or AT for the tracer option. Cant figure out what that support casting off the tail of the bed was originally used for. Plus there are holes along the back of the bed drilled and tapped down the length like there was something mounted there. The lead screw passes through the bearing block on the tail end and becomes a 3/4" shaft with a keyway. Also there appears to have been some sort of rod that ran from the threading gearbox down the length of the bed through the apron and into the casting that supports the leadscrew and feed rod.

TechShop does take a bit of insurance to make it go. That is the main issue. We wanted to have an auto section but that got nixed by the insurance company.

TechShop is kinda franchised but pretty much all we are getting from the Menlo Park location is the name and maybe some curriculum. Pretty much we are on our own.

So all you need is money! Realistically you need about a half mil to get it going. Since we are not using any banks to fund this thing we are looking for investors. $25k investment gets you 10% back per year for 10 years and a lifetime membership.

The monarch we traded for membership. We did pay for the rigging to get the thing in here though. That was $1100.

There are a few TechShop like places scattered all around the country. In the Bay area there is the Crucible and one that I cant remember the name of that is a woodworking shop. Heres another one in Colorado:

http://www.clubworkshop.com/

Our rates are $125 a month or $1200 a year. We will be offering bunches of classes. Looks like I have been stuck teaching the CNC basics class.

I'm setting up a second shop and I'm interested to know where you are running your electric lines. Did you drop lines down from the two posts I see in you building and then continue the lines on the floor to each machine? Or are you droping a line down for each machine right above that machine? What is the best approach?

For the 60 we are using a plug on the column behind the lathe. For the wood shop we are going to use bus duct and have overhead drops to the machines. I got 100 feet coming and hoping it will do the woodshop and the mills.

Okay..Thanks Macona.

I finished restoring a 61 earlier this year. The rigidity and power of these machines is awesome. Here is a pic of it right after it was completed.

The casting on the end of the bed could have supported a couple of Model 60 options: Keller attachment or Automatic Sizing Attachment. The Automatic Sizing attachment was used for turning larger step shafts, step boring, step facing and contour turning. It was an early control system used for repetitive operations.

macona said:

Our rates are $125 a month or $1200 a year.

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How does it work, do you get a certain amount of "machine hours" for that fee ?
like renting a machine but using it on the spot ?
Or is there an additional charge for the machines depending on the machine ?
Or is it for the use of the shop with all it's machines.

macona said:

There are a few TechShop like places scattered all around the country. In the Bay area there is the Crucible and one that I cant remember the name of that is a woodworking shop.

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The woodworking counterpart is much better run, quite a bit busier, and actually a great shop, IMO.

The Sawdust Shop

The TechShop has always been focused more on franchise without insuring their own business is run properly (my $0.02). They have few courses that are not SBU (Safety - Basic - Use), so folks are on their own. There are only a few machines, last week only a single mill was working, and they have only 2 lathes now, a new Grizzly with DRO and a Samson that was donated to them.

In comparison, the Crucible is more costly per course, but setup better and has a good facility to do all type of metal and wood work. Large forging area, great casting facility, lots of activity.

As one might imagine, Burning Man is a focal point for many that attend both the Crucible and the Tech Shop. Maker Fair is also creating some demand for these types of shops also these days.

Jerry,

Thanks for the information. Any feel for how big a community you need to have to provide a critical mass for something like TechShop? Even if you only have one member, your costs still include building rental, utilities, insurance, and probably paid staff?

How about maintenance? An inexperienced user can do a lot of damage to a lathe or mill. The local community college has a guy on staff that probably spends about half his time fixing or maintaining the machine tools.

Cal