The Home Machinist!

I use an ER32 collet chuck all the time. As far as tightening, I use a hook spanner with a piece of 1/2" conduit slipped over the handle as a cheater. Usually the spindle brake on me BP is adequate to hold against tightening torque. If I really need to lean on it, I hold the chuck body with a 3...

Just a hunch: 1 1/2" per foot is a common taper on automotive and industrial equipment. If that is your taper, reamers are readily available. Actually, I could loan you one. It is an old Craftsman repairman's reamer I have had for 40+ years.

You can use a square tool bit through the cross hole. Depending on the size of the bit you may need to chamfer the corners for it to fit the hole. Alternatively, you may want to start with a piece of 1/2" round with a piece of carbide brazed to the end.

Until you have verified the temperature controller works do not trust it. I had a bad experience with a borrowed furnace. I was annealing a piece of cast iron. I set the controller for the desired temp. I found out the controller did not work. Melted my cast iron part into the floor of the furnace. ...

With a workhead that accepts collets you can sharpen end mills, drills, countersinks.

Center the work on the RT. Bore the hole first. Then do the curves on the OD.

Check out annular cutters like Rotabroach.

The third character in the insert designation specifies the tolerance on the insert size. Cutter diameter can vary due to insert tolerance.

Bench dog holes don't need to be spaced very accurately. Tape measure and pencil is good enough. As mentioned the spacing has to be less than the max opening of the vise.

I think that only grade 80 chain is rated for lifting.

Those of us who have lathes with threaded spindles would be foolish to try this.

There will be a minimum speed needed to obtain a good finish, especially with negative rake inserts. You will probably need to experiment a bit.