Member postings for Neil Wyatt

Interesting comments, thanks for the feedback.

I think poly-v is probably best when you have good access to the belts. 'Traditional' v-belts are better when you have to work by feel.

Neil

Hi folks,

Thanks for the bumps and the 'sticky'. I can only collect 100 responses with a 'free survey' and so far we're on 45 with 27 more or less complete surveys. With luck that will be about 60 completions by the end.

I won't say anything that could bias responses, but today I've been through the CAHW index. I've done a fair bit of reclassification to help me get an idea of what has been covered by MEW over the years and what hasn't.

I have grouped some topics (e.g. reaming with drilling and broaching, but boring with turning).

I can now reveal that the topic least covered in the first 212 issues of Model Engineers' Workshop is:

CLEANING!

Now what does that tell me?

I hope the online survey provides some equally meaningful insights

Neil

I'm having a minor problem with keeping track of different machines, especially the Asian machines where there are various near equivalents. The issue is where I get offered articles that appear to be machine-specific, but may have been covered already for another very similar machine to the same basic design.

The 7x12 mini-lathes are, of course, the classic example, but it's equally true of benchtop mills.

Differences such as hardened bedways, beariong specs, tachometers, paint colour or motor type are largely irrelevant when looking at fitting a digital readout, for example.

It would be helpful if those with experience of different machines could offer their thoughts on this. I'd liek to get a list of near-equivalents.

I'd like to avoid this becoming a discussion of the pro and cons of different machines, that can be discussed (again) elsewhere if folks want to!

Regards

Neil

This is EN1A, so it should cut nicely enough. I have been 'forcing' the cuts a bit in proportion to my lathe, but the cut depth is nothing for 1/4" HSS on a bigger machine - it went on 30-40 thou cut last night, admittedly an interrupted facing cut.

Neil

> Good to see Chuck again

Indeed, he might pop up from time to time, but the cartoon was so apt for the accompanying article I had to use it

Neil

or

(c) how easy it is to get much bigger ratios simply and in a small space

The smallest pulley size can be as little as 19mm, indeed tumble driers usually use one around a very small motor mounted pulley and then taken around the drum.

Neil

I have some 1/4" square HSS that seems to have a propensity to chip on the leading edge when taking heavy cuts (using it in a tangential holder). I have only done this very rarely before but the edge has just broken away on me four times on this one piece.

I am working the tools much harder now I have a hefty motor behind my lathe, but even so I'm surprised to chip HSS so easily. is this unusual?

Neil

Yes, and the Wikipedia article is a little more sanguine about the ride quality than the 'unbiased' Autocar review!

Neil

Hi Les, I'm well chuffed about that

What did I do today? Well I finally grabbed the bull by the horns and remachined the dovetails on my cross-slide. the DTI in the chuck and bar in the dovetail trick confirmed the magnitude of the error, so I pulled all apart again.

To set up on the mill took several attempts at finding a solution. It appears the inverted-V is where the error is, as unlike the top dovetails it isn't square to the machined faces of the slide - so I had to find a way of clocking true to the inverted V itself.

In the end I superglued a bit of ground square stock (from a dot matrix printer) to the mill with the assistance of a decent sized square on the bed. At the second attempt it clocked true. I then superglued a 1/2" or 5/8" silver steel bar in the inverted V and was able to align it up against the square guide. A clock on the dovetail showed it was 7-thou out over 6", which was of the same order as the errors I have been getting (and in the same direction!) Clamping was easy with a standard clap kit from each end.

I set a dovetail cutter to 2.5 thou above the horizontal bearing surfaces and fed in until it just cut at the narrowest part of the dovetail and running at a good speed I hand fed along the dovetails taking about 5 1/2 minutes each side. Final finish looked pretty good (the cutter is still fairly new) better than an unused slide I have seen but no better than the 'worn-in' finish I had before.

After deburring corners and cleaning off superglue I repeated the test cuts on a 2 3/4" EN1A disc. This time the result was as flat as a ruler could show me, better than when new and MUCH better than of late, so I call that an improvement.

What I can't understand is how the error appeared to have got significantly worse. 15 years not to heavy use and wear had only put a polish on the slides, surely not enough to cause such a big error. (For those who haven't seen the other thread I have checked and the spindle is within a thou of parallel over 8".

Neil

Hi Chris,

I see you have the same subscriber number entered against both ME and MEW, which is incorrect.

Can you check that you haven't entered one wrong by mistake?

Neil

Hi Les,

I have something that looks remarkably similar, right down to a switch on the end. The planetary gearbox is now housed inside a bit of steel bar and the plastic end cover is an old spice pot. Great minds eh?

Neat work, Julian.

Neil

I have seen aluminium filters with the inner partly separated with two slots around the tube. Two short cuts at 90-degrees to the uncut sections leave four 'fingers' that wrap around the lens. the fingers can be slightly bent to get an appropriate level of grip.

Neil

My brother used to have one that resembled a pen, it had a rubber band inside with a red mark that ran along a scale behind a window. I think you could change the scale (which was on a sheet of paper) by turning a knob.

I got a digital one many years later - it didn't work!

Neil

FACEPALM!

Someone should proof read my posts...

Neil

Issue 215 has been available as a digital edition for a few days, and should soon be landing on doormats across the land, followed by arriving in the shops at the end of the week.

I'd like to get a flavour of what people think about issue 215, so I've put together a short online survey. The results are just to guide me in the future - it's my personal survey.

It asks for your basic details at the end, but I will keep all responses anonymous. You don't even have to fill them in for the survey to be valid, but please don't fill in more than one!

Finally,. PLEASE don't fill it in until you've finished reading issue 215!

It's HERE

thanks

Neil

Of course, 1/8, being a ratio of two integers, is 0.25000r which is more precise than either 250 or .250000000000000000

Neil

> Trojan Utility vehicle

Not exactly the 'Sports Utility Vehicle' of its day - cheap as chips with tiny engine and pressed steel wheels. It was my favourite car in the Brooke Bond card collection!

Neil

Hi Henry,

Why not post a wanted ad (see to the right and down a bit) or email me the form at the bottom of THIS page to place an ad in ME and MEW.. All free.

Neil

One of those would be a good boot-sale find. That transformer would make the basis of a decent high-amp bench supply, especially driving something like a 12V milling attachment..

Neil

Hmm. I have an outrunner motor. It's less than an inch diameter...

Neil