Member postings for Nick Wheeler

Dave, you've missed out Option C: Just how bad can it get?

You write that as if they're really expensive. Anyone who has bought Snap-on tools knows better.

I only have a couple of Wera tools; the #2 Phillips screwdriver was worth every penny of the tenner I paid, when depanelling aeroplanes.

You write that as if they're really expensive. Anyone who has bought Snap-on tools knows better.

I only have a couple of Wera tools; the #2 Phillips screwdriver was worth every penny of the tenner I paid, when depanelling aeroplanes.

Yes, I'm surprised at how often a bigger bore would make a job much easier. A big bore and a convenient way to screwcut(proper gearbox or ELS) would be the requirements after deciding what size machine I want.

Most of my work is for car parts, often in steel, so I found the CL300 limited in both size and material removal. I would have preferred a Craftsman or BH600, but it had to fit on a bench after being carried down some narrow cellar steps. That bench space was also limited, so I filled it with a WM250. I would have bought a 290 for the extra capacity if there was space for it.

The lathe immediately improved my productivity and work quality - parting-off under power is just one step forward. Things I like; the large for its size spindle bore, decent work envelope, variable speed(I wouldn't buy a machine without), quick chuck changes and low noise. The not so good; thread cutting still means faffing about with change wheels, while the machine is reasonably well made the detail finish could be better(trivial for a tool really), and most of the fasteners used are made from an engineering grade of cheese reminiscent of British Leyland. That last is easily fixed for a couple of quid as they're basic metric. After about five years use, I had to make new change gear studs and loctite the tailstock spindle back in place. While that was apart I spent a few minutes with a scraper knocking down the couple of high spots, which make it much nicer to use.

I transferred the Myford size Dickson QCTP to the new machine, and fitted the ER32 collet chuck to an adapter delivered with the lathe. I then sold the CL300 with both 3&4 jaw chucks, centres, both steadies(I've still never used a travelling steady) and the metric thread conversion for what I had originally paid for the lathe.

Me too.

If the available stud screws into the lathe, fits inside the tool post and projects from the top, then use a nut that fits the stud with a couple of washers to spread the load.

The post won't be centred on the stud which isn't ideal.

But you can now use the lathe to make a stepped washer that fits inside the bore of the post and you're done. M8 stud inside a 14mm bore - think that's what you have - gives plenty of space for this.

That's a couple of minutes work, but could be better; I would make a complete new nut with a permanently attached handle so the post can be loosened without the use of a spanner. Like this:

That's how the Myford size Dickson toolpost is fitted to my WM250

Delivery is important for any presentation. Don't be the presenter that kills all interest in the subject just by opening their mouth.

The only place for showing every cut on a piece of stock is for the I've just a bought a brand new lathe and have never even seen one before market. Every body else knows it's tedious standing in front of a machine twiddling handles to make a piece of material smaller. Watching somebody else do it is torture, unless there's something important about it - a new tool, better workholding, why using/not using power feed is important etc. Images that aren't clearly lit and in focus don't belong in your video. And put the camera on a rigid stand.

Think about what you're going to say before you even touch the camera. Have a list of the points you want to make so you don't repeat or yourself, ummm and aaah all the time. If your piece is complicated then write a script, and do a voice over. Do a voice over for all your action shots, so you can be understood.

Gimmicks are what make the best most watchable You-tubers. The viewers decide what is a good gimmick, NOT you! And the 45 second montage, with your cousin's granddaughter killing a violin over top, that you put at the start of each film? Delete it, along with the lists of your subscribers, donors and begging requests for new ones.

A hyphen would eliminate any potential confusion. Although I'm not sure why anyone would want to measure instrument-storage....

Joneses in that phrase is a plural, not possessive.

It could be James' or James's depending on what you would say. The apostrophe is necessary.

What most of us find annoying is when there is a verb that already does that job. One that doesn't sound like it was made up by a drunk American middle-manager trying to sound clever.

Is pull out a suitable phrase when talking about threads?

Traditional mechanics metal tool cabinets work for me.

The Halfords Professional are good value, and are available in several styles. The Industrial ones are better still, but probably aren't necessary for your needs.

When a language is used daily by millions of people, then changes are inevitable. English has always been a bizarre mongrel, so many of those changes will make about as much sense as commonly accepted spelling. Fighting them is a waste of effort.

The lack of proof reading in publishing is nothing to do with linguistics but is purely down to business practice.

Well, he did spell grammar correctly and capitalise Nazi......

Radiusiastions

Pete is partly right about using ER collets for workholding because they were already bought for holding cutters.

For me, the availability of hex and square collet blocks is a major reason for fitting the collect chuck to the lathe. Their use makes creating various flats, cross holes and the like much simpler.

Make a new stud that's a tight fit in the counter bore, and drill a new hole for the anti-rotation pin. That could be a cap head screw.

Or you could move into the twentieth century and loctite the new stud in place.

You don't need the ratchet for the toolpost.

Edited By Nick Wheeler on 15/09/2023 22:40:26

+2

We already have spindle speed control from twisting a knob, and electronic dividing so it's about time the carriage drive, whether for feed or screw cutting, was the same.

It's to make the thread that wears out on an easily replaceable, consumable part. Wouldn't you rather buy a new stud than make the repair you now have to do?