Member postings for jann west

fold your own replacements? **LINK**

Probably possible, but not as straightforward as an older style "stupid" battery charger.

Hate to say it, but if you have to ask, you probably shouldn't do it - the internal smarts aren't your friend.

there are better low-cost bench power substitutes - e.g. older PC powersupplies

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/mandrels/6235662

what a strange old duck - looks shop made! likely either a piece of garbage OR a bargain for the right person who can inspect and has a specific need it meets. Can't see how to change the tool(holder) from the top! If it suits, this might be a better buy: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285132338165

We planted a few when we moved into our new house in 2018 (we are 44 fyi) ... bough the rhizomes from the local DIY/Hardware/Nursery. Most lived (boggy ground) - going to lift them this spring into raised beds.

I can't recall the post, but I imagine it would be with a few steppers and a rotary table assembly.

Something like this for small gears, with a tailstock, to hold the blank, driven by a stepper and an ardiuino to move to the next tooth:

https://www.shars.com/5c-spin-index-fixture

(true craftspeople might also include a lock for each indexing activity, to secure the milling activity - perhaps pneumatic?)

And something else to traverse the table? perhaps another (stepper or conventional) motor with two limit switches?

Probably also some coolant.

Doesn't seem like rocket surgery.

Edited By jann west on 23/11/2022 17:48:13

Edited By jann west on 23/11/2022 17:50:41

Some newer smart chargers don't handle very flat batteries well ... I recently experienced a totally flat battery (left the car door ajar ... my newer "smart" battery charger wouldn't touch it (too dead!), but my older "dumb" charger (which just pumps 13-whatever volts into it without thinking) worked and brought it back to life.

If you knew someone in the Netherlands they might be kind enough to take delivery, place the charts in a document envelope, and post (or courier) them to you as documents. No Vat, no admin, quite quick.

I live in Amsterdam - you can msg me if you want.

Also, not sure where you are going, but you can download openCPN and cmaps (via bittorrent) for a worldwide mapping solution on your laptop - got me from the French Mediterranean to Amsterdam via the UK. Even works with an AIS receiver if you have one.

If memory serves me Youtube's thisoldtony built an overarm support for his Schaublin 13.

You might find the video informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw7Mwd6ey6g

Good Luck.

"The workpiece in the question is just 45 mm long / wide."

DingDingDing we have a winner - for the single most essential piece of information, which took 15 comments before it was disclosed.

See Hopper's answer - mini hacksaw and file.

seems like there's more ways to cut sheet steel than with a end mill ... Plasma cutter, water jet, laser ... google suggests that there are metal nibblers available from amazon that will do 2mm sheet steel.

Dismantling - a combination of heat, penetrating fluid, light percussion, and patience tends to work.

To reassemble use the "yellow paste" (Duralac) liberally. You might also consider alternative thread inserts like helicoils or rivetnuts.

(Used) automatic transmission fluid is a superior penetrating fluid.

Source - I own an aluminium boat.

If you are looking for the smaller end - go for the Chinese kit - it's surprisingly capable, and can be had 2nd hand from ebay and gumtree with some patience and a car.

My personal issue was ability to move things myself, in an estate car, with a engine hoist. I ended up with a 10x22 lathe and a 30x8 mill. I spent about £2k inc. a reasonable selection of far-east tooling.

My wish list looked very different, but this was a good compromise for me.

Memory lane reminds me of a few other things - the rapidographs on drafting film required special edges on their drawing tools (rulers, set squares, etc.) which had a step ... essentially so that the ink wouldn't smudge underneath the ruler edge - which occurred if the pen nib was against a flush ruler edge.

Also - really fine/small drawings were typically drawn oversize and reduced in the aforementioned calibrated photocopier.

Source: Family business was drafting patent drawings.

This is kinda antiquated technology - but ...

The pen you need is a rapidograph. Rotring (used to? probably still do) make them, also faber castell. You can probably get them on ebay 2nd hand.

The pens are finicky.

The "paper" you need I can't recall the name of, but it is plastic, matt, and opaque with a fine texture. On this material the ink from the pen can be erased. try googling drafting film.

To get the drawing onto paper one photocopies the line drawing. If precision is important, a special photocopier is used, which is calibrated by hand for accurate reproduction.

As much fun as making your own tools is, this will almost certainly be better, quicker, and cheaper purchased (and probably hardened to boot!).

And, as others have said, ER is specifically designed to hold cutters.

For a single job your best bet would probably be to fit up the work and take it to someone who has the gear and does it regularly. It'll be cheaper than buying a poor setup, quicker than learning a new process, and better quality overall.

Alternatively - you can purchase a cheap oxy acetylene setup with small consumer bottles - but the learning curve is steep. Tig or mig both require you to have a shielding gas and a new rig. Gasless mig isn't really a fit here for various reasons. MMA with small electrodes and a steady hand might be possible (but I've never tried it and probably will look a little rough)

If you're in London you could sign up for a welding course at CNWL, and bring the work with you to do in addition to the course - they used to be fine with that within reason, and the instructors would advise/help on personal projects. Other technical colleges might do similar. The gear is good, and you learn a new process.

College of North West London (CNWL) also used to have a metalwork program - lathes, mills welding and sheet metal fabrication, etc.

Tip for new players: Carbide insert parting tools which are not held perfectly perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the piece will shatter after a certain amount of infeed with 100% regularity.

Ask me how I know this!

I think my toolpost was left a degree off after cutting some threads - and I wasted 4 inserts before I worked it out. Never making that mistake again!

College of north west london https://cnwl.ac.uk/ offers various courses (starting from zero experience) in metalwork (either using a lathe and mill or welding and fabrication). They aren't perfect, but they are relatively inexpensive and worthwhile.