Member postings for jann west

The general comment on these additions is that they are disappointing - they lack sufficient rigidity ... However the reason I didn't buy one, and instead opted to get the separate version with base, is that the effective x space on the combination machine is very small - that little tee-slot table on the cross slide is tiny compared to a typical mill table, (and the reconfiguration to use it is annoying). Thus the effective workholding envelope is, to my mind, insufficient to be worth the effort - however if you only intend to occasionally work on small items this may not be such an issue for you.

I think there are better ways to spend £615

so ... stupid question time. I understand what the issues are in the original post, but this has me confused: "All operatives will keep one hand in their pocket at all time when working on open switchgear. BTH/AEI/GEC-Machines Rugby safety book."

Why one hand in their pocket? Is it so you can't form an earth to something you are touching with your other hand?

J A Radford has an elevating head for the Myford in "improvements and accessories for your lathe" TEE Publishing 1998 (from p 57)

It's not a small job, though!

Kinda depends on whether you want to mill or drill, doesn't it.

Drill chuck is adequate for drilling. Collets for any any all milling - if for no other reason than safety. But you can use a collet chuck to hold drills also, so there's that!

Unless your milling wood ... you can probably do that with a drill chuck in reasonable safety - but I wouldn't.

John you really should consider the helium bagpipe solution i suggested back in early april.

might be cheaper to just buy a 5c spin indexer and a 5c - er25 adapter

**LINK**

and a 5c - er25 adapter

Although not nearly as much fun

Missing the point - he doesn't want to use Argon ... I get it ... Argon is a PITA - you need to go to the welding supply to buy it, and the bottles are expensive to rent.

A quick peruse of the periodic table of the elements suggests Helium might also be a viable alternative ... you can buy it from your local party supply shop in balloons - you just need to fabricate up an adapter - change out your balloon every few inches of bead, and Bob's your auntie

If you do a lot of welding your could fix up a multi-balloon supply with on old set of bagpipes ... you just need to give the bag a small squeeze every few times you dip your filler

also worth noting that this setup would allow the easy integration of a depth stop through the back-end of the headstock spindle ... something typically considered an advantage of the 5c over the ER collet.

well ... since you now have a copy, why don't you upload a link to it so other people can benefit, rather than having to pay the other side of £50 for something which is, essentially, free, from someone who is, in the nicest possible way (because I do value the lathes.co.uk site), a copyright opportunist.

To be fair, JS was mig welding with a known quality of filler wire ... I assume he was choosing a filler wire which would turn, given the face he did this more than occasionally.

on the topic of parting off ... parting off tools can be very finnicky about being 100% dead on perpendicular ... even a little out and the deeper you go the more you rub on the side. Also, topslide rigidity is a concern in minilathes!

much like the above comments - seems expensive unless it's particularly well kitted out. Even then the machine itself is not a particularly great example of far east engineering. For not much more and a little patience on eBay or Gumtree you can get a more recent and well specified Sieg lathe, or something older from Emco.

Those record auto vices come up semi-frequently on ebay in all three sizes (imp, 74, and 75) ... I've bought a few for various tasks through the site.

also ... your timeframe is semi-charmed ... 20 years ago it was almost unknown for a hobbiest to have a milling machine at home ... most milled in a lathe with a vertical workpiece holder ... let alone all the other neat dodads we can buy for not much from ebay (TIG, etc.)

All this stuff I used to salivate over I can now order for mao's tool emporium, and it arrives on my doorstep in a week.

I would say a sieg x2.x would be the best bet ... available from arceurotrade/axminster/chester/warco/ebay/all the usual suspects.

Easy to CNC, good work envelope for people unsure of their use, can be lifted by one person, lotsa mods.

Have fun!

If you converted a lathe you would not bother attempting to get the change wheels correct or turn the headstock by hand ... you would just add a 3rd axis to the headstock.

Either way, you will require 3 axis CNC control ... whether it's a lathe with a headstock control or a mill with a rigid 3rd axis is kinda the same destination, just a different path.

You don't mention the size of the spiral turning project, but a dremmel might well be underpowered ... you could consider something a little more powerful ...

There is more info online on converting mills than lathes to CNC, so that might be the path of least resistance ... CNC mills also seem to be a bit more general purpose.

If you already have a air compressor you can pick up a chinese plasma cutter on ebay for £150-ish.

Kinda depends on what the loctite was doing.

If it was locking a thread - then "thread-locked" would seem to be the appropriate past-tense verb - "I use a thread-locking compound to secure my nuts when I don't want them shifting around"

If it was performing a chemical bonding process which is not meant to be reversed - then chemically-bonded - "I was somewhat upset when I inadvertently chemically-bonded my fingers to my little willie (model)

I imagine that Mr Loctite might also have some ideas - perhaps you should ask their brand department ... as brand genericisation is generally considered an undesirable thing for companies with such well known products.

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Edited By jann west on 14/05/2018 09:47:42