Wilson Seating Die(s)

Gary

SE Kansas
I have several of the Wilson Seating Dies, but some of them I purchased didn't come with the base piece. Today I was able to buy some 1¼" round stock and set about making one. Not a technically difficult task after I got a chunk of steel small enough to put in the chuck. Chop Saw really came in handy for that task. A few measurements later and a world of passes with the boring bar and the first one is done.
The pic with the die included shows the base I made with the die inserted and a wilson base next to the die. Other pic shows the base I made on the left. Lots of fun and practical.
 

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Pistolero

Well-Known Member
Looks interesting, but I am not even aware of what a Wilson seating die is. I have a couple of
Wilson sizing dies, which were used for FL sizing with a mallet back before I had anything other
than a Lyman 310 which only neck sizes.
For the ignorant out here, like me, a remedial explanation would help.

Bill
 

Gary

SE Kansas
Ian's spot on, however, I load most all my rifle with these type dies. Takes considerably more time, but I have plenty of that. Got a second one started today. BTW, any suggestions on a good cut off tool? The one I have (had) was like a 32nd thick and broke into 3 pieces when I got to the end of the cut off on the first base. Need to get a replacement ordered.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I don't know brand, but look back on my thread about breaking a carbide one where Keith, Brad, and some others offered tips. For a thorough schooling on cut-off tools and setups check out Joe Pieczynski's video on the topic on utoob. Tubalcain and others also have good videos on it, but Joe puts a "must have" checklist of things to get right for parting tools which is easy to follow (for me, anyway).
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Get the cutoff tool on center. Not above, not below but ON center. Get the tool square to the part being cut off. If square the cut off ends won't have a taper to them. Use lubrication, reapply often. Run lower rpm than for turning but don't cut too slow. When I get the right feed rate the stock comes off in little curls. Too slow and I get little chips. Too fast and I get full shorts!
I use a regular old tapered 3/32" blade. I keep it sharp!

Cutting off parts is soemthing I don't like. Least favorite task actually. Practice and more attention to setup has made it better but I still don't enjoy it.

Oh, always cut off long with the intention of facing the part to clean it up. I always do.
 

Gary

SE Kansas
I subscribe to Joe Pie's channel; he is fantastic!! I think I was cutting to fast/slow and the blade was making little chips. I'll go back and review Joe's videos.
 

Ian

Notorious member
One thing Gary and I don't have is a carriage lock. So far, the two biggest complaints I have about the machines are that and the fact that there is very limited room to set up an indicator base...anywhere.

I've been using some pipe-jaw Vice-Grip pliers with a copper shoe on the bottom jaw to lock the carriage on mine, putting the soft jaw on the carriage rack gear on the underside and the top jaw on top of the carriage platform right above the front side way. When I cleaned and re-adjusted the carriage gibs (a ROYAL pain, I might add) I got them pretty snug, but the carriage can still crawl a thousandth or two if the tool angles are putting sideways pressure on it, such as if there's too much top relief angle when doing a facing cut, or if facing with the front edge ground at an angle to center-line, and especially when parting using an angle on the parting tool.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
My carriage liock is a ~3/8" allen bolt drilled and tapped into the carriage where it goes
over the bed. I wonder if you could drill and tap a hole that would bear on a non-precision
part of the bed should work to add a lock.

Actually, if there is no non-precision surface, put a short brass rod in the
hole and then screw down on it with the allen bolt, won't harm the surface
it bears on.

Bill
 

Ian

Notorious member
Bill, there are a couple of good places to do that, but I didn't think it was a good idea to put a friction lock screw in a place that would pull up against the gibs, particularly when doing heavy-load operations such as parting. Don't we want our carriage pulled down flat, solid, and square against the bed ways to promote rigidity? I studied a bit about how it would be possible to actually lock it with the gib plate on just one end (probably the left side behind the apron), but it would be a little bit tough to do since the carriage gib plates mount against fulcrum screws and clamping screws. The fulcrum screw would have to be backed off and clamping screw tightened to pinch the plate hard against the underside of the bed.
 

Ian

Notorious member
OK, I just went and took a quick look and found the obvious solution. Follow me here, Gary. Duplicate the locking shoe part that the tailstock uses for a clamp, and mount it under the carriage, probably on the tailstock side of the carriage just so there's room to operate it via a bolt run straight down through the carriage. A simple cam lock handle could be used, or just a socket-head screw through a close-fit hole and into a threaded hole in the locking shoe.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
Ok, so you will have a bar spanning the gap between front and back rails, down low, and a bolt down
through the middle of the carriage to it. Will pull the carriage down hard onto the ways.

Sounds good. Is it just flat or is the shape needed complex?

Here is a shot from my owner's manual on the locks. Not at home now, can't go
and look at how it actually works.

carriage.jpg

Bill
 
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Gary

SE Kansas
Please post pics when you get it done Ian. I spent a good bit of time looking through the manual and on line and couldn't find a reference to a Carriage Lock; thanks for clearing that up for me Ian.
 
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Pistolero

Well-Known Member
If you look at my picture, I think I can see the end of the bolt and a plate down below,
so maybe this lock pulls the carriage down, too. Here is the pic with an arrow to what
I think may be the bottom of the bolt on the lock.

carriage2.jpg

Bill
 

KeithB

Resident Half Fast Machinist
My Clausing has about the same mechanical arrangement. It pulls up a plate against a flat bottomed section of the casting under the bedways. Pulls the carriage down on the V way. Nothing bears against a precision surface. Look right above the projecting part of the screw end with the up arrow, that looks like the lock plate.
 

Gary

SE Kansas
2977.480.jpg

This is pictured on LMS's site this morning. Said to be for miniLathes but not listed as compatible with the G0765.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Bill, that is not the lathe we have, but you understand the concept.. Gary, that gizmo might work but looks too complex and bulky. Also, there would not be room to swing the lockhandle, it would need to be a cam lock or a screw accessible with a T-handle allen wrench or hex socket and extension. Keith, that's exactly what I'm talking about, walked out last night to glance at the issue and felt really stupid that I never thought of that before, after all the clamp plate under the ways is how the steady rest and tailstock lock down.