Member postings for Nick Wheeler

It's not going to be a long thread is it?

Use the mandrel handle that is commonly recommended here, or a spanner on one of the chuck jaws like I use. It will be a bit tedious, but much quicker than scrounging the use of another lathe. And if you're going to do that, surely it would make more sense to use a machine that could handle the job easily?

That's not the same thing as the pump centre in the first post though

I have made extra T-nuts for the lathe cross slide, and what I learnt was that I'm not going to make what I can buy.

Making them is barely any cheaper and a huge drain on time. Which is true of a lot of tooling that is better bought so the actual work can be done.

I bought an M10 set for my mini-mill when I got it. They fit the T-slots perfectly, but are far too big and always get in the way. M10 is massive overkill for clamping too.

I keep telling myself that I should make some that use M6 fasteners(studding really) and strap clamps from 20x6 steel bar. The same parts would also be useful for the lathe faceplate which I don't have any tooling for.

Having rung at three different churches(village, town and cathedral) on Remembrance Sunday, I think Bazyle would be surprised at just how many people attend them compared to how small the normal congregations are.

You can have Christmas. All of it. Forever. That would be worth a pandemic.

Here's mine, based on articles in MEW some years ago:

That's the motor and linkage from an MGF( which comes complete with Rose joints), and the base out of my scrap bin. It's not fast, but that time can be spent doing other things

Finally booked mine online this morning.

All of the local centres(I don't consider those on the other side of the Thames to be local) had appointments starting from 13th December. So I'm going to the closest, that I can walk to, on the 15th.

I don't have a guillotine or a decent brake, because like you, I don't have any space for them. Most of my projects are cars(1936 Morris 8 hotrod in the planning stage) so those and sliprolls would be high on my list of wants if I did acquire space for them. I must finish the benchtop wheeling machine I started several years ago.

My plasma cutter is handy, but requires a compressor and that is dying.

Air tools like grinders, drills, sanders etc are horrible to use even with a large and powerful compressor.

Nibblers are an abomination.

I also have rusty uPVC sills, and one of the doors has Caspian Blue overspray.....

Edited By Nicholas Wheeler 1 on 10/11/2021 14:00:18

Downsides: slow, noisy, expensive, dirty, horrible burrs, long straight cuts require extra finishing etc, etc. I'd much rather straighten any distortion from a guillotine if one is available.

I agree completely.

That's all the lock for my top slide is: the original screw with an aluminium head pressed over it. Well, hammered over it, as I didn't bother to remove the screw. I modified the carriage lock screw while I was at it. Now I can lock the slides without using a tool, which is how it should have been supplied.

I would only ever make knobs, thumbscrews etc by inserting a separate male thread into them. That's because it's quicker, easier, stronger and less wasteful of material.

Make one that way, and another in one piece and you'll see what I mean.

A length of decent quality studding in suitable sizes - M5/6/8 for me - should be in everybody's material stash.

The remaining ones are. How many were used up doing the jobs they were bought for?

Brass is perfectly adequate for a thumbscrew. Looks good too if that matters to you.

The presenter is being paid. The craftsman, meerkat or whatever isn't.

That's what they were aiming for. My new ones do. But the original studs weren't very well made, and eventually failed after several years use.

Most of the hardware is low quality which is a peculiar place to save money, as good quality nuts/bolts/etc are dirt cheap even when bought in small quantities. That said, if the compromise is to replace easy, small parts after a few years use or have to fix the actual machine(which is more than good enough for its intended use) I know which I prefer.

You might want to check how much thread engages when the studs are screwed in place. Mine often unscrewed, because only 3 or 4 threads did anything, and eventually stripped after about 5 years use. I made new ones, better finished and with slightly longer threads, from an aircraft bolt. They actually fit properly and I don't worry about them coming loose part way through a job.

I should make new keyed spacers at some point, as they're the next weak link.

I don't consider these to be real problems, as they only became apparent after several years use.

The whole point of a QCTP is to able to adjust the height.

Is it? Really? Wouldn't that be called a Height Adjustable Tool Holder?

The point of a QCTP is to make swapping tools as quick and easy as possible. That proves to be very useful(essential really) when even a simple part can need 3 tools to produce its features.

The height adjustment is a bonus from how most designs achieve that speed.