Member postings for Oompa Lumpa

Buy Mild Steel bar from?

No, this is not a trick question, I have a reliable supplier of most everything else I need but where do I buy Mild Steel from - That is as advertised?

Plenty of sellers on "that auction site" but so far evey time I have asked what the material is specifically it has drawn a vague answer. Maybe I am asking the wrong sellers?

Thanks,

graham.

Thank you everyone for all of the great ideas.

I really must adjust my thinking a little, I think far too literally most days and not enough laterally. I am going to spend a little time using up a bit of Aluminium tomorrow and try some of these techniques.

If anything, the most important thing I have learned out of this is to always cut against the fixed jaw of the vice. This has explained a gret deal to me and answered a good number of questions I had from previous errors I had made - but couldn't understand why.

Thanks again.

graham.

These are all very good ideas and I thank you all for sharing them with me.

Jason, would the piece hold in the vice? bearing in mind that is is no more than 1.75mm thick?
Mike, flat on the table had occuured to me but you know, the table is unmarked. I get really tense when a cutter gets within half an inch Having said that, a sacrificial plate would work.

Clamping a bar across the middle is certainly something that would work and enable me to mill both sides with one setup.

Great ideas guys, thank you.

Sorry, that should read 12mm thick approx, not one

So, I need to machine this block and remove the black shaded bits so it is as thin as the long side - So now I have machined the long side, how do I hold it so that I can machine both sides? The piece is 35mm x 25mm x 1mm (approx).

Any help would be gratefully received and I have plenty of this material so starting again would be no issue at all. This is sort of the machineing equivalent of painting myself into a corner I guess)

It is for this very reason I quite simply do not - for any reason - grind anything in my workshop. I put my Workmate up outside, clamp the Grinder or Belt sander to it and crack on.

I have spent too much time rectifying the effects of grinding dust to want to have the same problems with my own machines.

graham.

Very funny, mafde me chuckle.

But yes, a sort of Aluminium OXO cube It was a very stress free way of getting to know the Mill
Love the project there, maybe when I have a spare week or two I will have a go at that. On second thoughts, maybe a bit premature, later perhaps

So, I have my "new" Mill. Today I spent most of the day playing with it, I machined a very nice lump of Aluminium into a very small piece of Aluminium

Time wasted? Not at all, More than anything I have been "learning" the machine. I have read with interest some of the advice on here about how to machine a particular part or how to set a Mill up to do a task.

What I have always done with any new machine is spend some time learning the machine, this usually means doing something with the machine that has no particular importance, what I am trying to say I suppose is that I use the machine, but not set out to make anything specific.

In tody's adventure I set out to mill a 2"x2"x1" piece of aluminium into a square. I learned that there is a little bit of backlash in the Quill fine feed. I learned that I can't hold stuff in the vice at the very bottom of the vice - not if I want to mill it square! I learned quite a lot really and all without the pressure of having to get it right or ruining the all important "part".

Just my way of getting to know my kit without putting unneeded pressure on myself. I finished up feeling quite pleased with myself. All six sides almost square to each other

I realise that it is only worth what you are prepared to pay for it, as applied to almost everything. In my experience when you want something the part is mind numbingly expensive and when you are trying to sell it, they are worth nowt!

Anyhow, now that I have finished pontificating, I was asked what thia would be worth, it is a Centec horizontal mill. (I think!) Table size is about 18" long, and it is single phase. The person who has it would like to know what it would be worth?
and anything else you might be able to tell me about it.

Thanks in advance as always

graham.

Ohhh No - I work to the principle 'Nothing Good ever happened quickly'
I will be placing the order at the end of the week because it will be the Rotary table, a Flycutter and a Boring Head.

And I haven't yet asked that question!

graham.

Well I called Chronos and spoke to Matt who was extremely helpful.
I am going to buy - bit at a time - the one I linked to above. It is not as smooth as the Vertex by all accounts but it works well. I apreciate you get what you pay for but this is a "big ticket purchase" and as I have said before, I cant buy everything at once. It will do the job and that is what is important to me, AND it gives me lots of versatility.

Thanks everyone for your invaluable bits of advice.

Hi Jason it is going on a Chester Century Mill. I have seen some (clearly Chinese) offerings from Chronos which look like they might fit the bill. This one in particular: **LINK**

Six inch does sound manageable, table is 180mm wide.

graham.

I would like to see it published.
And for the record I coulnt care less where as long as I can read it somehow.

graham.

Hi Jason, No is the short answer and after a bit of research I had thought this might be the thing to do but as I didn't know I thought it best to ask.
I have absolutely no clue as to which size to get either so I would ask for guidance in that too.

It is all very well buying stuff online, but often you have no idea as to how big (or small) the actual item is, unless you build one from cardboard first

graham.

Following on from my successful Slitting Saw question I thought I would ask around as to the viability of various Dividing Heads. I just need something simple and I had looked at the type PF70 5C collet indexer but after reading a review or two I am not sure.
I am fitting the Indexer/indexing head to the table on a Chester Century Mill.

Thanks in advance for your replies.
graham.

"One point not mentioned is Vermin"

Ah, this never occured to me, as you say Nigel, the OP seems to have everything covered - I have this well and truly under control. I have three very large dogs so they tend to take care of the two legged vermin and I have three cats, one of which is the size of a small dog himself, it is not unknown for him to bring rabbits in!

We do not have a rat or mouse problem )

I looked at a windmill to produce some power for background heat but I spent the money on a Milling machine instead. Well you can't buy everything, not all at once anyway.

Should say 0.8mm (oops!)

graham.

Some very talented people there, lovely engines too.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

So really, just buy the one that suits the job at hand and go from there! That's okay, I will buy the 22mm dia. shank and a 1.5 and 0.6mm saws as that will do the job at hand, nut shank as the job will be vice held.

There is no doubt whatsoever that I will need to buy a completely different setup for the next job, it's the nature of things Interesting that the saw may wander in bronze, I take it this also applies to brass?

Just my bit. The insulation, I found the person/company who is the official Kingspan Seconds dealer and ordered a wagon load of stuff for a third of the "Perfects" price, I will try to find the contact details.

The windows, double glazed of course but I had laminated glass units made up. Not for anything I might do but because if they are of a smallish size a reasonable sized hammer will bounce off = keeps the scroates out. They were not that much more expensive.
I read with interest this Dew Point and Rusting problem issue - There quite simply are none of these issues if you do the job properly. Most all North american houses are timber framed and I have never heard of any of the kitchen utensils rusting?
It is all in the construction. For a decent "shed" and I really do mean Shed - 3" x 2" pressure treated timber for the walls, 100mm insulation outside Flakeboard (DSB) with a layer of undertile felt on top and shiplap on top of that. Generally just 10mm plasterboard (sheetrock) for the inside - roof to suit ie. 4" or 6" joists with insulation stuffed in there.

Workshop needs good foundation - not just concrete pillars - and project the concrete up to floor level where the heavy machinery is so it sits straight on the plinth. The workshop walls need to be 4" x 2" and I always use Pressure Treated (personal preference, I build to last) always a Damp Proof Course between the footplate of the wall and the concrete and then the Walls - on the outside a layer of half inch flakeboard (DSB) tar undertile felt and shiplap (I wish Cedar Shakes were affordable in the UK ). Then stuff the walls with fibreglass THEN - on the inside - One layer of half inch Soundcheck (noise resistant) plasterboard AND a cross layer of Fire Resistant. Then tape and compound to suit - No Plastering, unnessessary.
This double layer of plasterboard will make the noise inside imperceptible to the passer by - or neighbour.

The ceiling - 6" x 2" rafters STUFFED with fibreglass then 2.5" Kingspan hard insulation which you can buy paper faced which accepts emulsion paint. Just stuff the ceiling and seal the Kingspan with tape and compound same as you would plasterboard. 2"x2" pressure treated joists, 2" kingspan and two layers of cross laid plywood for the floor. I go a bit overkill and two layers of half inch.

Now, for the single most simple modification - AND - this applies to those of you converting garages - especially those with asbestos roofs (I am quite simply not interested in hearing about the health hazards of asbestos for lots of reasons) - If you are smart, those of you with asbestos roofs, you will build a complete roof - rafters and all - underneath your existing roof. Then go find somebody dismantling an old tennis court. You are after the chain link fencing.

When you are building, iyt is simplicity itself to frame out your wall and then, before you put the external sheathing on, tack chain link fence to the whole or part of the framed wall prior to attaching the external sheathing - then the Tar paper then the Shiplap.

No, not a conspiract theory () this will stop anyone with a chainsaw in their tracks. And yes, I know we have really modern nice semi permeable membranes like Tyvek, but nothing stops a Stihlsaw faster than tar clogging the blade. I spent a bit of time making "armoured" cars. You don't think they are thick steel do you?

Okay, maybe I don't need all that sort of protection, but I sleep soundly with it. You can't stop them, but you can make life real difficult. I am not paranoid, just careful. You try getting the right level of insurance for all that kit. I just make it so they would go elsewhere.

I don't know much about engineering, just starting out, but for more years than I care to remember I have built every type of timber framed building and structure you can think of, from Bird Houses to log cabins and everything in between. You get stuck, just ask and I am more than happy to help.