tmj

V6.0 looks really, really good! The scale is there, font looks proper, it's sooo dang close! Looks can be deceiving. I think you are there! simply darken the interior of your letters and if you want to get 'real' picky crisp up the outer edges of those letters just a teeny-tiny bit (don't clean up the edges so much that it looks professional) and you'll be spot on, just like the photo! 

I typically don't paint. I try to get my joints fitting tightly, butttttt, I'm also not perfect. If I get something a bit loose, I like to dilute Titebond II (dark) with water and add it to the gap then sand with 220 grit paper to mix the sawdust with the wet glue. I use the dark Titebond as that is what I use between planks to simulate caulking. It dries super dark brown, like chocolate. Works really well for me. I do this while things are still in the rough, before final sanding and finishing. I'm sure it would work quite well for filling gaps that will be painted also, provided the gaps are not too large to fill with sawdust and glue.

Truly a work of art, in progress! 

You're making this little boat look 'really' sweet! Great work, great progress!

28 minutes ago, wefalck said:

some steels are very easy to turn and others are a real pain

This is quite true, however. Proper grinding/sharpening procedures of the tooling can typically level the playing field with all alloys. This is something that a body needs to learn how to do, manually, via trial and error. 'Off the shelf', mass produced HSS and Carbide cutters/tooling are merely a generalization of a wide range of 'typical' reliefs and standards. They're great, for the most part, however. If a tool is not cutting as well as you'd like, it is typically due to the grind of the tool along with improper feeds and speeds. I learned on steel(s), however. When I started messing with other alloys (brass comes to mind) things didn't work right, anymore. I was following the 'Machinery's Handbook' for Feeds and Speeds but not liking the results at all. I was befuddled, until an old-timer told me just how important the actual grind 'geometry' of the tooling was. One size, per se, does 'not' fit all. You can do everything right, but if your tool isn't properly shaped for the specific material you are cutting, you'll 'never' be satisfied with the finished results! Mass-produced, quick-change carbide cutters are fantastic for general work. I use them religiously! I also keep a good supply of HSS blanks on hand, at work, for those curious times when things just don't want to go right. I'll then break out a HSS blank, grind a little and turn a little... yadda, yadda, yadda on setup material. Once a good grind produces nice chips/shavings at a given feed/speed... it's time to get back to work and start making money again! 😏 You'll never find any traditional references to my custom grinds, as there are none. It's truly 100% trial and error via asking the metal 'and' your machine what it is that 'they' actually want via the current project at hand! Every project has the potential to be quite different! You need to be willing to adapt. 

9 minutes ago, wefalck said:

On my watchmakers lathe I can machine 0.3 mm diameter belaying pins from steel. Most brass I have access to is too soft for this.

Have you tried 'hammering' your soft brass to work-harden it prior to turning? I do this with both copper and brass prior to machining. It works quite well. If you need to soften it up again, just heat it with a torch. 

I've never tried turning anything as small as .3mm. That's 'tiny! 

On 12/9/2025 at 10:32 AM, Canute said:

What adhesive do you use?

 Ken, you can use 2-sided tape for this. The wood is only used as a backing to help keep the saw blade from distorting the edges of the brass along the cut edge. You don't need any 'adhesive'. That might make it difficult to easily remove the brass from the wood. FWIW, the hardness of the brass is kind of important to. You want something semi-hard to hard. Dead soft brass will likely roll its edges along the cut even if backed by wood.

As for belts... that's the least of my concerns. I'm used to running machines with gears that will 'never slip' if you make a mistake! 😮 

Besides. It's also good to 'crash a tool' now and then. It keeps you on your toes and really gets the ol' heart a pumping, which is very good for cardiovascular health! 😁

On 12/10/2025 at 2:01 AM, wefalck said:

I don't remember what the spindle-thread is on the SL, I think 12 mm x 1 mm or 14 mm x 1 mm. You may be able to find ES-collet adapters with this thread. Or someone may be able to turn it up for you. A useful set of say ES16- collets can be had for little money these days. This so much safer for working on small parts, than working close to fast rotating jaws on a chuck ... 

The SL is indeed 12 X 1. As for getting too close to the chuck, I have split shaft collars to deal with that. If needing to get dangerously close, I'll simply move my cutter to within a few thousands of the jaws and lock the shaft collar to the way, up against the cross-cut slide. It might 'look' scary while turning up to the chuck, but it will be impossible for my tool to actually go too far, where nobody truly wants their tool to ever go! Hmm. Maybe I should rephrase that! LOL 🫤

There is actually no right, nor wrong way to do things here! Build the model to suit what looks good to 'you'! Nothing else matters... unless you are striving for 100% historical accuracy. You'll never get that straight out of 'any' kit. With a kit you want to develop skills and build something that will look very nice when displayed in your living room! With Billing, just use your eye and fill in the gaps with whatever looks appealing to your eye!   

3 minutes ago, druxey said:

You may find, as I did, that a small shim might be required to align the head and tailstock. Some tool bits might also require shimming to be accurately on center. I never felt a more powerful motor was needed.

Thanks David! I have plenty of shim stock at work. Can't live without it even on the big machines. It's also nice to know that the motor will probably be fine, however. If it 'is'... that's one less fun project that I'll get to tinker with! 😔 LOL

27 minutes ago, Y.T. said:

Congratulations! It looks hardly used and clean of corrosion. One issue I was having with mine like this is that the motor interferes with a work piece. I wish the motor would be separated off the lathe and mounted of a common board further back to be away from work piece. This however kills the advantage of lathe being compact.  

I doubt that I'll ever have that problem. I don't intend to turn anything but small diameter stock. 

Thanks for all the informative replies to this thread. I've read them all and used all of you folk's feedback in my decision. "Thank You All!"

Thanks Y.T. but I bought this, today. It will not only serve my basic needs quite well, but it is 'also' simple enough that I'll be able to easily make all of my own custom accessories, etc. using the bigger machines at work. First project will be making a duplicator/repeater for nice curvy stanchions, etc. I already have the concept designed. I just need to get the machine in my hands so I can get actual 'working' dimensions. This thing should be great fun to mess with and design gadgets for! 😁 

Not sure if I'll keep the original motor, pulleys and belt system. I'll play with it and see how it goes. If I need more power and torque, I have a 24VDC 500-watt motor and power supply that I can adapt to fit this thing. I also have a good supply of pulleys and V-belts too. Can't wait 'till it gets here! 

14 minutes ago, palmerit said:

I think it's pretty clear that a lathe is a want, not a need.

Depends on what you want to make. Long skinny parts that easily flex in the middle, like masts and yards... maybe not so much. Short stanchions, etc... needful. 

Mind you. I'm only saying this right now because I'm bidding on a small lathe on eBay! LOL 😏

I might be seriously missing something here, 'but'. Why not just chuck a round wooden dowel into an electric hand drill, wrap some sandpaper around it, then pull the trigger and make a taper? I could make a 36" long mast or yardarm like that, easily! 

Fantastic job! 

Sign looks as though it has a proud wooden border / frame surrounding it...

"I'm just looking for clues at the scene of the crime;"

      Joe Walsh

3 hours ago, Keith Black said:

After viewing countless times under heavy magnification I'm certain that the lettering was done on canvas, you can see the tack strips on the edges of the name board. 

Scale 'canvas' = silk span! Scale lettering = "Hmm... you're on your own with 'that' one!" LOL

14 minutes ago, sheepsail said:

I did experiment with Fusion 360

I've been using Autodesk products since the days of DOS. I love AutoCAD, however. Fusion befuddles me. It's not very intuitive at all, it requires three times the work that 3D in Acad requires, and I find it just plain awkward and 'clunky'. Some folks really like it and produce great results with Fusion. I'm not one of those folks!

11 hours ago, Jeff59 said:

So, what's the deal, are they (both branches) still running business as usual,
should I try to contact them again or to give up??

Something tells me that if you send them money, they'll probably respond instantly by taking the money. As for actually shipping the goods?... I'm not so sure that I'd trust them.

Looks very nice with 'light' mascara! Very nice, indeed!

2 hours ago, Keith Black said:

The trick is, for me being one who is lettering impaired, to be able to make the lettering acceptable.

Don't feel bad. I think most 'everyone' struggles with calligraphy, even those artistic folks who tag train cars and bridges with spray paint! LOL

What about making water slide 'decals' of the letters on your computer/printer?