This video shows you how to examine a lathe or milling machine you may be thinking of buying, and could save you a lot of money!

Dennis Danich, a machinist and machine tool rebuilder with some 30 years experience, shows you how to carry out a preliminary examination of a lathe and milling machine, and explains what to look for as you do so, and shows you the few tools you need to carry out several simple but crucial tests. He also shows how to determine the accuracy of the machine's alignments, feedscrews, etc.

This video will be useful to you whether you are considering purchase of a new or used machine, or just want to know how to look after, tune up, or even just check out your own machines.

You'll also learn how to adjust and lubricate both types of machines, so this video is valuable even if you have a lathe or a milling machine already.

Also on this video:

• An introduction to the art of scraping and frosting of machine tool surfaces; an explanation of how and why it is done, and a demonstration of several techniques, including power scraping.

NOTE: Sharpening scrapers wears grooves in the surface of the combination stones typically used for this task. Eventually the stone will become virtually useless, unless the surface is dressed flat again. For that reason, Dennis also shows how to restore a bench oilstone to as-new condition on a cast iron lapping plate.

NOTE: Cast iron lapping plates are expensive, and hard to find. We therefore made an arrangement to be able to supply you with a diamond lapping plate that can be used to lap abrasive stones flat. The ones we offer are flat, durable, and very effective.

A number of old abrasive stones occupy a drawer in my basement workshop. One of these belonged to my wife's grandfather. This old stone had been so ill-used and ill-maintained over about the past 100 years as to have reached the state of being grooved and glazed almost black. My own opinion of it was that it was barely worth the effort required to throw it out of the window into the garden. When I tried the diamond lapping plate (that we now sell) on it, inside of about 5 minutes I had 3 faces of this old stone looking virtually like new. I left the fourth face "as was" to show the difference.

• A demonstration of how to carry out grinding operations in the lathe without harming it.

• A brief look at a relatively low-cost surface grinder well suited to the needs of the home shop machinist, and an  important warning against buying a used surface grinder. (A worn-out surface grinder is no bargain at any price, even if it carries a famous maker's nameplate.)

• Various shop kinks, and several handy shop accessories you can make.

• Dennis' 1890's 6-foot-stroke Gray planer (in as-new condition!!) in action, machining a 3' straightedge casting.

• Besides the above, we'll also show you briefly the beautiful little Chinese-made 2-minute vernier protractor pictured elsewhere in this Catalog, show you how it works, and turn it this way and that so you can have a really good look at it from all sides.

AND.... at the end of the video, there's a 12-minute "short" about a privately owned P40 Warhawk, bought from the Canadian Government in 1946 for $50. We get a detailed look inside the cockpit, and all around the aircraft. Wait 'til you see the smoke and flames roar from the exhaust stacks when the owner starts it up for us!!

Approx. 3 hours; DVD format

US$59, postage paid in the US and Canada, plus applicable tax (Michigan)