Tools/metallathe

Harrison M300 Light-industrial Metal Lathe

This tool requires induction

Owing to it's dangerous nature, delicate nature, or expense, this tool requires that you be inducted on it's proper handling before use.

Introduction

Harrison M300 Metalworking Lathe

The Harrison M300 lathe is an educational/Light-duty industrial lathe well suited for our requirements. It has a maximum part diameter of 330mm and a maximum length of 650mm and is designed to work with all standard engineering metals and well as most plastics but please note it is NOT suitable for use with any types of wood because wood fibres are sticky and abrasive so they tend to cause damage to the slideways. Induction is required for all members wanting to use the lathe and this is controlled by a card reader mounted next to the main power switch. The lathe has now also been fitted with a Digital Read-Out (DRO) to make it easier to use, it's still settling in and isn't fully accurate yet but it's usable. The instruction manual for the lathe is available here. The instruction manual for the DRO is here, please do not change the settings.

Current Status

Date	Status	Comment
23rd March 2022	Fully Functional	Coolant line replaced

Induction levels available

Induction options are level-1 which covers safe use of the machine and a handful of simple topics suitable for very simple jobs and is available from all trainers, takes about 60 minutes, with a maximum group size of 3 but 1-to-1 will go faster. Level 2 induction which covers a few more topics and is likely to deal with most machining operations that occasional users are likely to need. Level 2 induction takes 2 x 2hr sessions with a maximum group size of 2 although 1-on-1 sessions are available, there may be a small charge for the materials used during training. Level 3 induction which covers most machining operations that are likely to occur even on complex projects as well as some of the more complex maintenance tasks on the lathe. Level 3 induction will take multiple sessions of 3+ hours and is 1-to-1, again there will be a small charge per module for materials used and trainer time.

Some of the inductors also offer workshop sessions that involve completing a specific project rather than general lathe operations, these sessions will include at least a basic induction and usually include some but not all material from other induction levels. Charges and times for these vary, see the workshops page.

Tools currently available

The lathe is fitted with a Multifix clone quick change toolpost, size A. We have a number of toolholders available for use. If you change a tool, please re-fit the original before putting the toolholder back on the board.

Lathe users with level-1 induction should be using the High-Speed-Steel turning tools as they're cheap, robust and easily re-sharpened, for users with level-2 induction we have the following carbide-insert tooling available

Carbide Tooling available for use by people with level-2 induction

Tool Name	Image	What's it for?	Holder size	Insert type (if present)
20mm Boring bar		Expanding large and deep holes in work	20mm Boring Bar holder	DCMT11T308 or DCMT11T304
12mm Boring bar		Expanding smaller holes	20mm standard with 8mm shim	CCMT060204
3mm Parting blade		Cutting pieces off from stock bars	26mm Parting blade holder	GTN3
WNMG Roughing tool		Removing a large amount of material rapidly	20mm Standard holder	WNMG0804(02/04/06/08)
DCMT Finish tool		Fine detail work and surface finishing	20mm standard with 8mm shim	DCMT070204

Accessories

Photo	Name	Type	Condition/Notes	Location
	3-Jaw self-centring chuck	Work Holding	Standard chuck for jobs not requiring accurate concentricity	On the Lathe usually, spare jaws in the black cabinet by the tailstock
	4-Jaw independent chuck	Work Holding	For holding odd-shaped workpieces or work where accurate concentricity or offsets are needed - MAXIMUM SPEED 1700rpm	Shelf under lathe
	Collet chuck	Work Holding	For accurate concentricity on round or hexagon workpieces, suitable for high-speed use and small workpieces. Comes with 12 collets and key	Shelf under lathe
	Faceplate	Work Holding	For very large workpieces, MAXIMUM SPEED 1200rpm and possibly much lower depending on workpiece	Shelf under lathe
	Catch plate	Work Holding	For turning between centres, maximum speed will depend on workpiece but is usually severely limited.	Shelf under lathe
	Lathe Dogs	Work Holding	Used with the Catch plate to drive the work. Three sizes - 1/2", 3/4" and 1".	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock, top drawer
	Travelling Steady	Work holding	Stabilizes objects which are thin and long and which have to be parallel-turned. The bolts to attach it to the saddle are duct-taped to it.	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock
	Fixed Steady	Work holding	Holds long workpieces in a fixed location for turning operations in the middle of the work.	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock
	Milling slide	Work holding	Used when milling small items with a milling cutter mounted in the lathe chuck. Requires mounting holes drilling into cross slide in order to be mounted so not currently usable	Red cupboard by fire door
	16mm Keyed Drill Chuck on 3MT spindle	Tool holding	Used in the tailstock to hold drills for boring out workpiece	On rack on splashback
	13mm Keyless drill chuck on 3MT spindle	Tool holding	Used in the tailstock to hold drills for boring out workpiece	On rack on splashback
	10mm Keyed Drill Chuck on 2MT spindle	Tool holding	Used in the tailstock to hold smaller drills for boring out workpiece	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock, top drawer
	Live centre on 3MT spindle	Work holding	Holds the far end of a workpiece steady	On rack on splashback
	Live centre on 2MT spindle	Work holding	Similar to the 3MT live centre, but for smaller workpieces	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock, top drawer
	Dead centre on 2MT spindle	Work holding	Holds the end of a long workpiece without rotating. Useful for guiding taps and smaller workpieces	On rack on splashback
	Half dead centre on 2MT spindle	Work holding	Small dead centre with part of the side ground away to allow a tool to get close to the end of the workpiece	On rack on splashback
	3MT to 2MT Sleeve	Work holding	Used to fit 2MT tools into our 3MT tailstock. We have a number of these available.	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock, top drawer
	Dead Centre on 5MT Sleeve	Work holding	Used in head for turning between centers in conjunction with catch plate and dogs	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock, top drawer
	Spring loaded tapping guide	Tool holding	Assists in accurate starting of taps into concentric holes	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock, top drawer
	Dial indicator on magnetic Base	General	For accurately centring work and for general maintenance tasks	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock, top drawer
	LED lamp on magnetic base	General	Lighting up work!	On lathe
	Small red oil can	Consumable	Contains ISO-68 lubricating oil to maintain the lathe, not to be used as cutting fluid	Tool-tray on Lathe
	Floating Die-holder set	Tool Holding	Holds dies to allow accurate production of externally threaded parts	In Black metal cabinet near tailstock, third drawer
	Bed Protector	General	Used to protect the bed from damage if a chuck is dropped while changing and to shield it from abrasive particles when polishing a workpiece	On wall above lathe

Planned Upgrades

Parts and upgrades that are planned/Budgeted/Purchased for in the near future

• Machining assistance touchscreen terminal

Lathe Caretakers

Inductions

The following people are able to provide inductions on the metal lathe

Name/Contact	Induction levels provided	Notes
James-M	1

Workshops

The following workshops are available that heavily feature the metal lathe

Maintainers

These are the people who look after and repair the lathe, they're the ones to contact if there's any problems with it

Name	Notes
James-M

Recent Changes

If you make any non-trivial changes to lathe or perform maintenance please note it here, delete records older than 1 yr

• Make and fit another new coolant line adapter, trying PETg this time to see if that works better Stever (talk) 22:19, 15 April 2022 (BST)
• Reprint and fit replacement coolant line adapter Stever (talk) 12:01, 23 March 2022 (UTC)
• Realign tailstock to remove taper Stever (talk) 18:51, 4 January 2022 (UTC)
• Change oil in main gearbox, open up casing and clean oil galleries, check spindle bearing play (3um) Stever (talk) 16:13, 10 November 2021 (UTC)
• Fit new 2-axis DRO, Mike-C and Stever (talk) 16:13, 10 November 2021 (UTC)
• Recut 3-jaw chuck Stever (talk) 16:03, 8 October 2021 (BST)
• Installed card reader Stever (talk) 16:09, 29 September 2021 (BST)
• Rebuild 3-jaw chuck Stever (talk) 16:51, 26 July 2021 (BST)
• Top up main gearbox oil, oil all standard oiling points, clean and re-lube leadscrew and feed rod Stever (talk) 12:08, 27 May 2021 (BST)
• Top up apron oil Stever (talk) 18:07, 19 May 2021 (BST)
• Coolant level sensor fitted. Stever (talk) 19:11, 28 June 2020 (UTC)
• Deep clean and re-lubricate all ways Stever (talk) 17:29, 16 May 2020 (UTC)
• New apron oil seal fitted Stever (talk) 15:11, 25 October 2019 (UTC)
• New Multifix toolpost fitted, new tools are on the way - Stever (talk) 17:55, 28 August 2019 (UTC) & JMF

Image Gallery

Please feel free to add to this gallery if you have interested photos of the Lathe in use.

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  A spinning top being turned from the spinning top workshop

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  Turning using the collet chuck

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  Feedrate table for the lathe, level-2 induction is needed to use this

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  The lathe DRO

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  Lee working on his spinning top

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  The inside of the lathe's screwcutting gearbox

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  Turning a long shaft between centers

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  Turning a hardened steel circular saw blade held on the face-plate using a CBN insert

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  Circular Saw Table Lamp which features the lathe a lot

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  Demonstration of turning hardened steel

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  A brake disc before being skimmed

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  Skimming a cast iron brake rotor with WNMG carbide insert

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  A finished brake disc fully cleaned up