Member postings for Chris Evans 6

I used Deckel and Alexander machines for 50 years at work. Both had the red dot as a setting aid for single lip cutters. Reality is that after a while I just set by eye with the barrel graduations at zero. Lovely machines to operate and can do much more than you think with a bit of thought, wish I had one at home now.

Could well be BeCu or Colisbro. I have used both in my working life as an injection mould toolmaker, BeCu was precipitate (age) hardened when required.

I did read that some fire service brigades have a special vehicle with a cover like an upside down skip to drop over an electric car and contain the fire, to dangerous to attempt to extinguish.

Welcome along Mark.

Try and get hold of some EN1A (modern speak gives it a different number) then you are working with a known grade of easy machining steel. Some steels and unknown offcuts are not easy to machine and you will not know it it is the steel or your efforts that are wrong. Good luck and enjoy the lathe.

I always shorten the "Tit" on a centre drill to lessen the chance of breakage. My understanding of sizes is Number 1 is 1/8" 2 is 3/16" 3 is 1/4" 4 is 5/16" Rarely have the need for anything bigger.

I am loving this thread having owned several vintage cars in the past including an Austin Seven.

Learnt to drive on a Swift, my first car was a 1929 Lea Francis and I once went to view a Sunbeam Harrington LeMans. I really wanted the Sunbeam but after three visits to view where the owner could not find the key I lost interest. Old pre war bikes are my passion now

Just think how many years a grinding wheel lasts, I doubt if it equates to a £ a year.

Somewhere I have my wheel mounting qualification from a course "Abrasive wheels regulations 1971" (date ?) some of the horrific results shown on the course from incorrectly mounted wheels scared me.

I have a cheap bench grinder that required me to turn new flange washers to get it running true and safe, the pressed washers are dangerous.

Plus one for the "GT" inserts.

Welcome along, what are your interests ?

Some I have come across have a smaller radius than the ball, say 5/64" for a 3/16" diameter ball. For motorcycle use I bin the cup and cone and fit sealed ball races with suitable spindle and spacer although this sometimes means altering the hubs.

I can't help being up in the midlands but are we looking at car or motorcycle application ?

Welcome along Phil, what sort of things do you want to do on the lathe ? I do not do model making but tinker around with old motorcycles which dictates a bigger lathe. Enjoy the forum and the lathe when you get one.

First decide what you want to make on the lathe.

Are the advertised back plates just showing a generic picture of a cam lock and not the actual article ?

I had a 10" Hoffman rotary table for many year's, an excellent piece of kit. I sold it and bought a Vertex 10" rotary table because I thought the horizontal and vertical clamping feature of the Vertex would be useful. Reality is I have only used the vertical clamping a couple of times and I regret letting the Hoffman go. A 10" rotary is ideal for my Bridgeport and is about as much as I can lift, I have a 14" rotary used every now and again but that required making a wheeled bench to get on the machine.

Go grab the Hoffman at £150 a real steal.

Try a sample offcut in the dishwasher to see what it does to the finish. Maybe all you need ?

Hi Leon, Your Rovers are nice cars. I have had a 90 and a 95 P4 Rover as well as driving series Land Rover's for 40 years. Could not afford to keep them and my motorcycles on retirement an the bikes won . Enjoy the forum.

I can offer no help other than to point you to the "Leather Museum" Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom. Leather work is (was ?) a local trade.