Member postings for Andrew Tinsley

A short time ago, there was a thread discussing lino material as a work bench covering

I am now unable to locate it. I am just erecting a bench and would like to cover the thick plywood top with a lino type material as was done in the past.

Especially where can you buy this type of covering?

Andrew.

I had a nasty suspicion that I might have some of these fixings somewhere. Not realising what they were, a quick search in the odds and sods cupboard revealed two packets of said fixings. Job now done, very worrying that I had to ask here, when the solution was in the damn cupboard.

I claim a very senior moment, the alternative is ......... now what was I going to say? Forgotten already!

Thanks everyone,

Andrew,

Hello,

Thanks everyone for enlightening me. I do seem to remember this type of "rivet" from the distant past. It took everyone here, to get that surfacing in the brain!

I have no idea what size the originals were, so some judicious measuring is needed! Thanks for the offer Dallas, I will get back to you once I have measured up the holes!

Super gluing sounds a good way to cheat, but the rivets have disappeared long ago before I got the items, so no go with that idea.

Probably be accused of being finicky, but a makers plate hanging on one fixing does annoy me! I suppose I have more than enough to do without fiddling about with such things. But it would remove a constant niggle!

Thanks everyone for being so helpful!

Andrew.

I have several items where the makers plate / specification are coming adrift. These plates are held on by some kind of rivet.

I assume these rivets are made to dead length and after they are inserted into a hole of a critical depth, one gives them a good tap to expand them.

I am not sure about this as it means the depth of the holes and plate thickness are critical. If hole is too deep then the rivet cannot expand radially and if too shallow then the plate will be loose.

So how do they work and can they be purchased? They are a bit on the small side to turn. It would mean getting my watchmakers lathe sorted!

Andrew.

I remember going around Chance's as a boy on a school visit! Fascinating place and processes, good to know someone is carrying on the lighthouse tradition!

Andrew.

A friend of mine purchased a 4 jaw SC chuck for his big Warco. He has the usual 3 jaw SC and independent 4 Jaw chucks. I was somewhat scathing about his new purchase. In retrospect it is a damn useful chuck and hardly ever comes off the lathe.

I have a 6 jaw Burnered grip tru which has been used a couple of times for thin walled tubing. It now gets far more use since I have used my friends lathe with the 4 jaw SC chuck!

As an aside, this chuck came new to me and has 7 sets of jaws all told. I still don't know what they are all for, two sets have flimsy finger like extensions on them. I would love to know what they are used for!

Andrew.

Several of the well known Gurus, blithely talk of screw cutting threads presumably large (greater than 5mm). They then have a throwaway line about finishing off the thread with a die!

So it would seem that some of our revered experts (no names, but anyone who have read their published work , know who they are!) are not overly good at screw cutting threads.

Or am I missing something here?

Andrew.

Yes another thread sinking into the sands!

I really don't care what standards people choose to adopt, or not, as the case maybe. I do get a bit fed up with the chopping and changes that go on. I learnt Imperial measures. Then as a scientist I had to learn cgs (remember them?). Then it became MKS units and now it is SI Units. So that is 4 different systems in my lifetime.

I have tooling in both metric and Imperial so I really don't care. Each system has its good and bad points. I truly get fed up with one group knocking the others measurement units!

No one is asking anyone to use units that they don't like! I hope Jimmy B now understands the basis of the BA system . Can we just leave it at that and stop this pointless bickering?

Andrew.

Jimmy,

It is perfectly logical, in fact if you care to research, you will find that BA is a superior thread standard than the Metric ones.

I appreciate that your comfort zone is Metric. I matured on Imperial measurements and then had to use Metric for my scientific career. So I am ambidextrous as it were. Please don't knock what is a perfectly logical imperial system, just because you are not comfortable with it!

Each to his own and I would not dream of knocking the metric system, so give Imperial people the same courtesy. each system evolved to accommodate specific problems and they both work.

Andrew.

Hello Clive,

I am not advocating single phase VFDs, quite the contrary! if you look at my initial response, I strongly recommended changing motors to a 3 phase unit and using an ordinary single phase to three phase inverter!

John Haine, said that you can't use an inverter on a single phase motor. I was just pointing out that there are inverters which will drive a single phase motor. My ABB inverter isn't particularly good at starting under much load and does appear to have a fault, as the set speed varies somewhat. So they do exist, but really NOT recommended!

Andrew.

Single phase VDFs do exist and operate in exactly the same way as a 3 phase VDF. There is no theoretical or practical reason for them not to work!

The problem is finding one at a reasonable price, They are a rare bird, as there is little call for them. That they exist is not in doubt. In fact I have one that I use on a single phase Parvalux induction motor. It is an old device and it appears to have been made by ABB, at least that is the name on it.

It isn't the greatest of VDFs as the speed stability is a bit dodgy. I found it in the scrap bin when I was working for a large company, so that might be the reason for the poorish speed stability, i.e. it has a fault.

Andrew.

R8 seems to becoming a standard these days. A friend has an international 30 taper and I find this to be superior to R8, but this seems to be largely confined to professional gear. So R8 would seem to be a logical choice.

Andrew.

Look on the plate and see if it says 1 P(hase) or £3 P(hase). If it says 3 Phase then you can probably fit a VFD if 1 Phase then you can still fit a VFD, but these are rare beasts and probably expensive. Better to swop the motor for a 3 phase one and then you will have lots of VFDs to choose from.

Interesting that the motor appears to be dual voltage, not all that common in single phase motors. I presume you change the voltage by connecting to a different terminal in the connection box?

Andrew.

Thank you all gents, as always, first class help.

Andrew.

OK Neil,

I bow to your knowledge of C4s. I am not too convinced that a C4 has all the available kit. Raising block for the saddle, Myford style dividing kit for example? As for the M2 taper limitation, I have never suffered any problems here, a drawbar fixes any doubts in this area. What does the C4 have as a taper?

Despite my niggling doubts, the C4 sounds a good deal and I would probably buy one if I could not find a decent Myford. The fact that it is sold by Arc is a real plus. They are just about tops when it comes to dealers!

Andrew.

Wow! This has degenerated into a bit of a mess. New Chinese or old Myford was I think the question! This implies that the Chinese lathe is the same size as the Myford.

In my limited opinion, then IF you can get a good Myford at the RIGHT price go for a Myford. If not go for a Chinese lathe. If you want real versatility then a Myford wins, so much stuff available. If you want just simple turning, then go Chinese lathe.

Be very careful which supplier of Chinese lathes you go to. There a lot that offer similar lathes and they are not ALL to the same quality. For a slighty smaller lathe than the Myford. Then go to Arc Eurotrade. for a Myford equivalent, I would use Warco.

Ignore all the B/S about the Myford being flimsy, a similar sized Chinese lathe won't be much better! People are talking Colchester and Harrison etc. Sure, these a much bigger lathes and built for industrial use. They are much sturdier than a Myford or similar sized Chinese lathe. BUT they are much bigger so you would expect them to be sturdier! More to the point they are NOT the size you want!

There are a lot of clapped out Myfords around at a premium prices. Don't buy a Myford unless you can use it before buying and more to the point know what you are looking for. If you don't, then take someone with you who does! If this isn't possible, then buy Chinese. Simple isn't it?

Andrew.

Hello Muzzer,

I don't have a clue if the cheapo VFDs are Huanyang or not. It would be interesting to hear your take on the reputable Chinese makers. Who are they and how do they compare with "European" (?) brands, assuming they are not made in China.

Like you, I have been to a good few parts of China and seen good and bad manufacturing setups, so I don't have any problem per se about buying Chinese gear.

Regards,

Andrew.

As Professor Joad said "it all depends on....." New Chinese lathes are not all that good and neither are Myfords! They are both built down to a price. I would rather have a Chinese lathe than a clapped out Myford. But if you can find a good Myford at the right price then the Myford wins out. If you are patient and know what you are about, then a good Myford can be had. An ML7 is usually a better buy than a Super 7, as far as value for money goes.

I have Myfords not because I think they are wonderful (they are not!), but because the range of accessories is far better than just about any lathe used by amateurs. Although the accessories are getting expensive too!

My friend has a big Chinese lathe, he had a crash up on the topslide and ruined the gib strip. He wasn't into making his own. It took 5 months to arrive and then had to be scraped in! A Myford is simply buy and fit, or just modify some ground flat stock. Suppliers of Chinese kit do not always have spares in stock and it can take some time to get them!

As ever, it is swings and roundabouts. What do you want a lathe for, Is a question to ask? If you want to produce large items, then a larger Chinese lathe is the answer. If only small items then an ML10 should be on your list. They can be had cheaply. I Paid £500 for an excellent one, on a Myford stand, complete with the usual 3 and 4 jaw chuck, faceplate and dogs. A huge range of HSS cutting tools and a set of dead centre completed the list. I even got the scrap bin. The contents of which would have set me back by a few hundred pounds. Lots of brass rod and aluminium rod and bars, plus a huge range of steel stock of various (marked) grades.

Andrew.

Hello Both,

I want the arbours for a Centec 2B so very much like the ones for a Tom Senior, for size. I would guess about 8 inches long, excluding the taper. I wold like to use the common metric bores applicable to a small mill. Hope that helps.

Andrew.

Edited By Andrew Tinsley on 18/10/2017 17:46:58

I shall need to make or purchase some 2MT milling arbours. So a few questions.

I presume that they should be one piece construction, so what type of steel should I use?

I don't much like turning MT2 tapers. I always takes me ages to get the exact taper. So any tips would be welcome.

I am very tempted to buy commercial tapers and somehow graft on the shaft. It might be difficult to get the items concentric and then how would one do the joining? Probably extremely bad practice and to be avoided. But if you don't ask, then one may be missing a trick.

I assume that horizontal (and vertical) milling arbours can be purchased. One can always turn the overarm support diameter on the end. Is it cost effective to buy commercial items, considering the usual hassle that I have with turning Morse tapers accurately and the cost of raw material?

Andrew.