Member postings for Chris Heapy

Hard to believe but I used 10litres of paint for that - painting breeze block and brick is a bit like trying to paint Brighton beach

Chris

It's taken a few weeks but I've just about completed a re-fit of my workshop with new cupboards for storage space and a paint job to brighten things up.

I even included a re-work of the 'domestic end' of the workshop in with the deal so everyone is happy

Chris

I use a cleaning kit meant for a 12g shotgun (for 2MT).

Chris

Tool Rack Porn. Need pictures Clive.

I took delivery of three 1" shank endmills today, and promptly sliced my finger with one. Damn but these things are sharp. All my old ones you can handle with impunity but these things are like razors.

Chris

Well today I made... another tool rack. Yes, another one. Why? Oh, I bought some new cutters and have no place to put them (most haven't been delivered yet). I figure one of these days I'll get around to using these tools to actually make something more challenging than tool racks...

That motor should put some new life into your X3

Chris

The Lidl offering is probably good quality (Aldi/Lidl stuff usually is) although it is not as powerful as the Ryobi (vacuum is 190mbar as opposed to 235mbar on the Ryobi), and the hose looks to be smaller diameter. Still, worth considering at the price.

Chris

Sounds like an archeological dig in your workshop might prove fruitful

Impressed by the cleanup of those gears though - just straight patio/brick cleaner you say?

Chris

After many years of not using it, I decided it was time to dismantle my belt-driven lathe overhead drive, I couldn't envisage a use for it these days with compact toolpost-mounted motors so easily available. In its place I put another box-section tool rack, this time for 2MT tooling, and using the timber side arms from the overhead as support.

Chris

Good job the glove didn't get caught on anything.

Chris

Wow. How useful is that? This forum is so full of useful features (except one that takes you to the last post in a thread).

Chris

I dimly recall having a Vax at some point years ago, my only memory of it was it sounded like a Jumbo Jet starting up! One thing about the Ryobi - it is reasonbly quiet in operation. For the stinky thing, there are a variety of chmicals you can add to kill the smell.

Chris

No smell from the suds I use, some are better than others though (low odour should be on the container) and it should also have an inhibitor to stop fungal growths. I find suds gives a easier cutting and better finish, cooling isn't really a problem for me.

Chris

Well I was feeling fairly chuffed having snagged a few large endmills/slotdrills on that auction site for a couple of quid each. All unused too. That was until I reached for my trusty ER32 collet chuck only to find it doesn't actually hold a 25mm cutter... Doh. My only method so far has been to use a small 4" 4-jaw chuck attached to an R8/Myford-nose adapter. Not ideal, however good enough to prove these rip through alloy without throwing chips everywhere (like a flycutter does). So wanting to find a better solution I looked for any sort of R8 chuck that will hold these threaded shank cutters and didn't find anything suitable other than the larger ER40 chuck (I don't like side-lock chucks), so that's what I'm aiming to get unless someone has a better idea. The 4 largest cutters all have 1" dia threaded shanks.

Chris

Edited By Chris Heapy on 27/06/2013 17:54:33

Edited By Chris Heapy on 27/06/2013 17:55:23

This is not something most worry about - unless like me you are subject to endless grief should swarf find its way onto the living room carpet!

However, another complication is the use of flood coolant and the resultant pile of soggy swarf, and how to dispose of it. I had reverted to the jam-jar of cutting fluid and paintbrush method which wasn't too difficult to clean up with an ordinary domestic vacuum cleaner, albeit the small capacity bags needed frequent changing (at no little cost), but having reinstated my flood coolant on the mill the small domestic cleaner simply can't cut it any more.

So today I took delivery of a larger wet and dry vacuum cleaner which I thought was pretty good value at around £100 ( **LINK** ) and it seems to do the job nicely. No more worry about a dust bag getting soggy or swarf being sucked into the motor, this thing is designed for sucking up wet stuff. Much more powerful at sucking swarf out of crevices too - provided you don't let it suck up stray drills and taps etc., at the same time. The 30Ltr capacity is also a bonus. I wish I had it a couple days ago when I accidentally released a half gallon of coolant onto the workshop floor!

Chris

Using some 6" tube and putting groove + some decorative rivets in would be easier

Other than that, a couple of vices 24" apart with a length of barstock between them would give you a solid dolly to hammer on.

Chris

Are the structural qualities of the available 'printing' plastics suitable for things like that? I thought they were all LMP thermoplastics - any sort of heat you end up with a puddle of plastic.

Chris

I've only sliced 1" aluminium with them so far and that was a clean cut with no burr. They should be OK on bronze as long as they can keep their edge - if the castings are sandy they won't stay sharp very long though. Biggest advantage of these blades are they can cut deep(er) and clear the swarf more effectively.

Chris

Well I probably bought the wrong stuff, but it was cheap enough to take a punt anyway... and it will come in useful for something else if not for making sanding belts. **LINK**

Chris

I had thought of that and nearly mentioned it, but I don't make my own castings or mouldings so it didn't apply to me. I agree that is a useful function if you can make use of it.

Chris