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Member postings for Carl Wilson 4

Here is a list of all the postings Carl Wilson 4 has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.

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Thread: If I can find the extra funds would they be welt spent ?
10/11/2017 10:36:36
Good points made by Dave. I known my cost that spares from 600 group are expensive. It's one reason why I started 3d printing change wheels on a Form Labs machine.

I've changed my own views as a result of reading these posts. I'd still buy British if I had to again, but I know what to look for from using lathes at work and home. My first home lathe was Chinese and was no good; I now know that the likes of Warco etc are decent bits of kit. So I'd now say buy Chinese from them or similar unless you know what to look for and are prepared to dig around for a decent second hander. It's likely to be the trouble free option.
09/11/2017 22:31:32
Not a problem. My wife and I live in the Highlands, near Inverness, but we visit her parents a few times a year.

If I was about at the right time then it'd be a pleasure to assist.

09/11/2017 22:27:05
David your Myford 254 looked really nice once you cleaned it. It is a shame to see nice machines like that so poorly looked after.

Doubleboost on YouTube has a friend who does wood carving. This fellow also does machining and he has a Harrison L5 that is immaculate. You ought to see the photos of it when he bought it though. Basically the whole thing was orange, encrusted with rust!

Edited By Carl Wilson 4 on 09/11/2017 22:28:50

09/11/2017 19:50:39
Indeed you can't. By the way, my wife is from Norfolk. I'll be around that area nearer to Christmas if you still want someone to go with you to look at something.

I don't pretend to know it all but what I do know has been learned the hard way.

Edited By Carl Wilson 4 on 09/11/2017 19:51:57

09/11/2017 19:43:28
Which of the comments have you not appreciated?
09/11/2017 17:00:39
It's quite a difficult question to answer. Older British made machines can be a good buy if they are in good condition and well tooled. By that I mean that they have all the extra bits - 3 and 4 jaw chuck, catch plate, face plate steadies etc - otherwise you will spend time looking for these essential bits on eBay or whatever. So in decent nick and with all the bits then good.

So this means you either have to buy from a reputable dealer or go visit the machine and check it. Ideally both. Get a manual for the machine you are buying, maybe from lathes.co.uk or a mate who has one. Harrison lathes have a Yahoo group where you can get things like that. Other makes do to.

If you are careful then you can get a great machine at a decent price.

On the other hand, buying a new machine from Warco is kind of guaranteed to work out for you, you get all the bits and you know it'll be ok. I'm told this by people that I trust - that Warco carefully check quality at the production stage then do extra checks in the UK once imported from China.

Other Chinese made machines may well be of variable quality. I was bitten initially when I bought a lathe/mill combo from a well known importer. It was junk. I ended up getting a Harrison M250 from Quillstar. It's a beauty.

Lastly. I've tried to be as even handed as I can, but I'll end on this. I worked on a ship which had a Warco lathe in the engine room and a similar sized Harrison in the deck workshop. The engine room machine was hardly ever used. The deck shop machine was used often and was nobodies baby especially. The Harrison was in far better condition than the Warco. The Warco was clapped out after maybe 10 years of light use.

That said, in a home workshop I'm sure it would be spot on. Personally I would buy the biggest British machine I could afford.

Edited By Carl Wilson 4 on 09/11/2017 17:01:49

Thread: Suggestions for a good ind 100mm 4 jaw for mini lathe
02/11/2017 13:02:51

Who was the supplier? So we can all avoid...
Thread: Buying a mill - What basic Toolkit?
30/10/2017 12:36:21
Point taken about buying tools over making them. But at least if you make the basic bits and bobs you get experience straight off using the machine.

I thought the op was asking for basic kit to get started so rotary tables,Box cubes and the like are out.
29/10/2017 13:33:01
Everyone will say different things. Before I recommend tools I'm going to recommend a book.

It's called Milling, a complete course, by Harold Hall.

In this book Mr Hall shows how to make T nuts and a basic set of clamps. The assumptions are that you have a collet chuck and a set of cutters, plus a lathe so will have a clock gauge and stand and can make a cylindrical square.

As you go through the book you make a useful kit up using the pieces you make as you progress.

In terms of tools I'd say those mentioned above plus a decent machine vice sized to your mill. The book above shows that you don't necessarily need a vice to begin with though.

Thread: Tool Owners Ghosts
28/10/2017 20:43:30
This is a very nice thread.

I have some hand tools and an oilstone that belonged to my late Grandad.

He was like a Dad to me and when I use them I feel that he is with me.

Thread: Pennsy PRR S2 Turbine Locomotive
23/10/2017 00:01:33
Astonishing.
Thread: New chinese lathe or old Myford lathe
20/10/2017 09:54:40
I'm glad my opinionated ramblings helped you in some way Ian! Whatever lathe you buy I wish you well with it and I'm sure you'll enjoy making plenty of bedding for the stainless steel hamster, as my wife says to me!

There is no appreciable wear on my Harrison that I have been able to detect, either through using it or measuring. Maybe I just got lucky. I got burned when I bought a Chinese lathe and so did members of my family, such that I would never deal with Chester again. I hear Warco are much better.
Thread: price of aluminium
20/10/2017 00:07:29
Very good. I don't buy tonnes either. They only seem to do flat bar and extrusions though. No round bar or anything else.
Thread: Thick walled pipe
19/10/2017 23:19:40
Stuff like that is called hollow bar I think.

I bought some stainless hollow bar from Schoeller Bleckman. They were ok.
Thread: price of aluminium
19/10/2017 23:04:43
Sorry to be a pedantic git. T6 is a heat treatment code. I take it this was 6082?
Thread: New chinese lathe or old Myford lathe
19/10/2017 18:21:34
Just for the sake of fairness I've also got a Drummond B type that's in bits in plastic crates...
19/10/2017 18:19:02
Let's just put this idea to bed:-

Buying an "old" British machine is a labour of love and is akin to getting a classic car - you have to nurture it and restore it to get any use from it...

Chinese machines are shiny examples of glittering modernity that work straight out the box...

I bought a second hand Harrison M250 from Quillstar. It came with all the bits and is a quality, professional well made machine tool.

Prior to that I had a Chester model B super. It was horrendous. Never felt right from the outset. Poor finish on everything, sand in the headstock gearbox..could go on.

Edited By Carl Wilson 4 on 19/10/2017 18:19:42

Edited By Carl Wilson 4 on 19/10/2017 18:20:56

19/10/2017 16:42:06
For want of a decent bit of advice a big pile of Chinese junk was bought and hard saved money was totally wasted.

That's my take on the old proverb.
Thread: Tig
19/10/2017 12:52:16
That one from screwfix looks quite good. Dc only but if that's OK for you then fine. I think it has Hf start because it says hf in the description or product name.

19/10/2017 10:24:34
Hf start is high frequency start. A high frequency current is fed to the torch (usually by means of a device similar to a current transformer)

This high frequency starts the arc without the need to touch the tungsten in the torch to the work; so called lift or scratch start.

Scratch/lift start runs the risk of giving a tungsten inclusion in the weld. Hf start obviates this.

Edited By Carl Wilson 4 on 19/10/2017 10:25:17

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