Member postings for ChrisB

I found this video on youtube **LINK** where the collet chuck is made adjustable through 4 screws. Another way to do it.

And that as well.

Good point there Henry. Glad I asked before I started on my own!

The lathe has an mt4 taper on the spindle so I could go with an ER32 MT4 collet chuck. My concern of going that way is ''precision tooling" at cheap ebay prices. The probability is there will be some degree of runout in the collet chuck, there might be some in the spindle taper as well (have not checked it) and there will be no way of correcting that. With a backplate mounted chuck I will be able to do some slight adjustment.

I guess they still sell them, but I placed my order elsewhere. Besides that I can use my money better, I'm better off machining a backplate myself rather than buying one and having it delivered.

Sounds like a good plan Ian. The collet chuck will take a couple of weeks to be delivered, so in the meantime I'll try transforming the weight plate into a backplate and see how it machines.

I have ordered a 125mm ER32 collet chuck from ARC **LINK** for my WM280 lathe. I did not get a backplate as I could not find one which fits on the spindle nose - so I will have to make one. From what I gathered reading some of the related posts the backplate is normally made from cast iron, some make it from steel.

I have a couple of weight plates I rarely used for their intended purpose which I was contemplating using for a backplate. They are cast iron and about the right dimensions I think. Is this a good idea?

Another question is about machining the backplate register. Some say tight tolerance for the fit of the chuck on the backplate, others say loose. For a collet chuck I would prefer to have minimal runout.

Chris

I would use seamless tube for something like that, chrome moly as mentioned or BS4T45 - both seamless and used for roll cages etc. T45 can be welded and will not require heat treatment post welding.

I know what you mean Jason, and I understand it would be impractical for moderators to check every posted link for compliance with the COC. I was guilty in the past for such links, but nowadays, out of respect for the work you guys do I refrain from posting such links (even tho I still disagree with the COC )

Although I'm not based in the UK I have purchased my lathe and mill from Warco, placed orders for tools from ARC, won bids on ebay and ordered from Banggood. I hate sweeping statements such as this or that chinese company sell only crap and junk... some items may be, but not everything is. I'm happy with most my purchases, I do my homework well before.

Jason, a large chunk of the stuff sold on ebay is probably worse than the stuff sold on " that company" aka Banggood..just saying...

The Parkside soldering station I have came with replaceable screw on tips, they are made from brass with some type of coating, once the coating wore off solder would not stick to the tip so I replaced it with a copper tip...a much much better improvement over the original ones. So if the tip of the soldering iron is copper I see no problem in filing it and re tinning it.

I think it depends on which country you come from and tradition of branch of engineering subject.

The OP mentioned he worked in aviation, some countries will call Cat A personnel as technicians, others will call them mechanics. Cat B are called certifying staff or support staff by some countries while others will call them engineers. It's tradition, in Malta where I come from, I'm an aircraft engineer, that's what our company and similar companies in this field refer to us. But a university graduated engineer will not take kindly me calling myself an engineer without having a degree!

Glad to know I was of help to you Martin. Reading through Italian metalworking forums it seems like the Nebes and Femi are their preferred brands.

I also like your bargain Lee, likewise I do trawl ebay from time to time and when I do get a good deal it's like winning a lottery!

You will not be disappointed! I have the similar but smaller Nebes TM101Plus for a couple of years now and it's a joy to work with. Silent and smooth running, can use oil/coolant, and cuts straight. Not cheap tho, but similarly priced to a Femi.

Edited By ChrisB on 22/11/2020 17:00:40

I get my tooling from all over the world - mainly I try to get the best value for my money. I had purchased branded carbide endmills and inserts from APT and Cutwel in the UK expensive when compared to prices on the censored Chinese auction site. I mostly use the Chinese endmills for most of the roughing out and the branded ones for finishing...I would much rather break a cheap one which cost me 30Euro for a set of 8, rather than a single branded one costing 39£.

I'm also always on the look out for good stuff on Ebay. I made good deals on a rotary table (sold by ARC), slip gauges, GMT boring head, etc...mostly used branded tooling I could not afford to buy new.

I don't think that will happen any time soon! Modifications on aircraft do take some years to implement! Really, I would not worry much about the quality of the air onboard the aircraft, I would be more concerned that everyone one wears a mask. I would definitely not eat anything on board, and not touch anything as practically possible, and avoid moving around such as going to the lavatories.

Hope by the time you fly we'll be vaccinated and the world will be back for a recovery.

I use TNMG1604 on 16mm tooling which I then milled down to 12mm to accommodate for centre height, works fine on the WM280.

TNMG inserts worked very well for me. Having 6 usable tips is the main advantage, also their geometry makes them less prone to chipping. There are also polished inserts of the same shape for aluminium, I have not used these yet as I get good results with what I have.

A young genius with golden hands from Vietnam : Cà Lem Restorer of old machines, building tools from scrap etc, his videos are an inspiration and very well produced.

What's the fancy tech in a stepper motor power feed? It's ok if you prefer to recycle a wiper motor and adapt it to yours, but there's nothong to wonder about people using alternate more up to date methods...each to their own I suppose?

At work we use cobalt drills for removing titanium screw heads - one drill will not last more than for a hand full of screws. What I found works best are Dormer stub drills A123 meant for sheet metal use. As long as you do not drill deep you will be ok and the hole you get is a very good finish and round.

From Cromwell tools: **LINK**