Member postings for Gordon Tarling

Martin - noted, many thanks for that.

Gordon

Len - the display should show all zeros if you just connect a power supply to it - if it doesn't do that, then I'm sorry to say that it's probably a duffer. However, it's certainly worth letting the seller know, as they may not want you to return the duff one.

EdH - very helpful, thanks.

Thanks for the help chaps. I'm pleased to say that John's connections appear to work - the display is live, there's a small red light visible in the back of the sensor and waving a magnet about in front of the sensor produces some numbers on the display. I now need to find a way to fix the magnet on the shaft in the lathe and fit all the other bits in place.

Len - have you connected yours as per John's details?

Has anyone here fitted one of these tachos to one of their machines? I received one recently, but the connections on the display are labelled in Chinese and the seller isn't being very helpful.

Edited By Gordon Tarling 1 on 13/11/2015 12:10:51

Brian - That very same 6mm boring bar is available on the RDG Tools website for £16.68, which equates to 35.5 Australian Dollars, so paying almost 62 dollars for it seems a bit of a ripoff to me, even with the postage from the UK added. I have noticed on many occasions that the same company appears to inflate their Ebay prices substantially on many items, so I always buy direct from their website.

Edited By Gordon Tarling 1 on 13/11/2015 11:51:30

Try the 4D modelshop - **LINK**

Those of you who have a VW or similar engine that's affected by the problems and subsequent recall should contact a reputable tuning company who ought to be able to re-map the ECU for either performance, economy or a blend of both. Cost is likely to be £200 - £300, so might be covered by your compensation payout. Check any company's credentials thoroughly, particularly to ensure that the MOT emissions test requirements will be met. Sorry, I can't recommend any particular company right now, but I have used Celtic Tuning in the past for a remap on a Mercedes, so probably worth a call to them.

Gordon

John - I had to get help to lift my Compact 8 onto its stand, but I have a back problem and daren't risk injury.

I picked up my Compact 8 for less than I paid for my previous lathe, a Hobbymat. I certainly know which one I prefer!

I have owned a Sherline, with lots of accessories, but while it's a very capable little lathe, it does have its limitations.

I'd suggest you also keep a lookout for Emco lathes, either the Compact 5 or Compact 8. Whilst the modern ones are made in China, there are older ones around that were made in Austria. I bought a Compact 8 for less money than I received when I sold my Hobbymat MD65 - it's a much better lathe and seems to have had very little use. I wouldn't personally recommend a Hobbymat, as many of them are badly worn. The Compact 8 is just about liftable by one person, so shouldn't be a problem if you have to get it upstairs. If you are installing a lathe in an upstairs bedroom, transmitted noise to the room below will be your biggest problem. I bought a bungalow for a reason!

I recently bought an Emco Compact 8 lathe which just had the standard Fwd/Off/Rev switch, so I added an NVR switch AND a big red emergency stop button before the standard switch. Cheap enough to do and makes me feel happier when using the machine.  Here's a simple way of doing it - http://www.warco.co.uk/accessories/346-nvr-switch.html

Edited By Gordon Tarling 1 on 13/08/2015 08:31:59

From personal experience, have you locked the lathe saddle?

4mm to 6mm of insulation - why bother? Insulation and lots of it! I'd have thought at least 50mm and preferably 75mm or more of 'Kingspan' insulation or similar and then lined with foil-backed plasterboard. If there's no structural timbers inside, then it can all be fixed with modern building adhesives such as 'No More Nails'.

My 2p worth -

1 - Selling as one lot will be much easier, but you'll probably realise less money overall than selling parts separately. If you do decide to split it, it's going to take a lot longer to sell and you may get left with some pieces that are difficult to sell or not sell at all.

2 - Try WD40 or light oil on a rag for the staining - others may have better suggestions.

3 - Take a look at lathes.co.uk and homeworkshop.org.uk to get an idea of that they sell for. I'd have thought around £1500 for the lot, but something is only worth what someone's willing to pay.

4 - Classifieds on this site, the aforementioned two websites or there's always 'the Bay'.

Gordon

JB Weld - not the 1/2 hour stuff though.

Bri - I've often used my woodcutting bandsaw(s) to cut thin brass and aluminium sheet. I have to say that my current Scheppach is much better at this than my previous Axminster one. I have cut material up to 2mm thick, which they do quite well with the correct blade. I've never tried them on thicker metals.

Edited By Gordon Tarling 1 on 24/06/2015 13:54:17

I've been to several shows where I've seen 'special prices'. Normally on the demo machines that they'd rather not take back at the end of the show, but not always. Last year, at Alexander Palace, I enquired of a certain company that resides in a town in Devon where carpets are made and was told that a discount of 'about 10%' ought to be achievable by asking - more likely if other stuff is bought at the same time. So, my motto is 'ask' - they can only say no and might very well say yes.

In cases like this, where the cause is not immediately apparent, I usually try the old trick of following my nose. If something has been overheating or smoking, it will have that distinctive smell for a long time after the event. Try to have a sniff round all the components and wiring to see if anything smells. For areas that are difficult to access with your nose, just use a suitably-sized piece of tubing.

If, as you say, there's 'copious smoke' when operating, could you not just run the motor with the cover removed from the control board to see where the smoke is coming from?

Thanks again chaps!

Yes, I suppose you could call my hobbies as part of the Model Engineering hobby. I have actually built a steam engine or two in the past and might well do so again.

As founder member of the (now defunct) British Electric Flight Association, I'm very well aware of the advantages of brushless motors. However, brushed motors served us very well until they came along and the extra motor weight on a lathe is really of little consequence. As for the controllers, I used to build my own, so repairs should be no problem should the need ever arise.

In view of the large price difference I'm seeing between approximately equal brushed and brushless lathes, I'm willing to take a chance with brushed motors. Should the need ever arise, I ought to be able to convert either machine to brushless without too much trouble.

Thanks for your helpful remarks chaps. Model engineering is not my main hobby and the machines will be mainly used to produce parts for model aircraft and maybe the occasional boat. I certainly won't be using the machines on a daily basis, so I think buying the brushed motor versions will serve me adequately and save me a few bob into the bargain. I guess I could always upgrade to brushless at a later date if I felt the need.