Member postings for larry Phelan

Thanks Clogs,

Will check that out at my electrical supplier. Need to get something sorted out with it,not getting any younger !

Yes I know Join the club !

Your lathe is very similar to mine,our conditions are also similar and we were both thinking along the same lines,but you beat me to it ! Those chucks are heavy,at least,at my age,they seem to be,so a hoist of any kind is a great help.I am still thinking along the lines of the elevating barrow built by Dave Fenner some time ago,since you could use this anywhere around the shop. You would need to be careful with the winch,which is intended for pulling,not for lifting.

Still, it,s food for thought.I found it difficult to find U section of the correct size,although I,m told it,s around.

A write up on this subject might be well received.

Before some one jumps down my neck,let me say that I did not look at the date of that thread [seems I was not the only one ]

I simply commented on the issue

the above makes sad reading indeed. I would have expected something better coming from Germany,but then,perhaps it only passed through Germany on its way to you. Who knows where it was made. For that kind of money,I would expect something better,a lot better. My Chinese lathe [Craftsman ] cost a lot less and while it is not tool room quality,it does not have an Ali or Lead bedway. Although the quality of the cast iron is not top class,it is hardened and has never marked or dented. I find the cast iron is somewhat sandy compared to other old cast iron items I have. There are a few rough issues,but nothing major considering the price,the only fault I find with it is that it could do with a much bigger and better top slide. I think it,s a bit light.

I know we are not talking like-for-like,but neither cost-for-cost and while I often thought about upgrading to a better EU made machine,this gives me food for thought. I agree that sellers/suppliers often seem to know very little about the stuff they sell,and in some cases,care less. To end up with something like that is a sickening experience but at least you were able to get rid of it. Perhaps I was lucky in that my machine seems to be able to cope with all I throw at it,and that,s some !

I would like to see how much a good quality Chinese lathe would cost compared to an EU model. I,m sure they make them.

Anyone else got views on this subject ?

I bought a Canon printer two years ago which worked for a while then began to have problems taking in the paper.It became a pain-in-the-butt,was not worth the cost of repair and the ink costs more than the printer itself.

Looked it up on GOOGLE to see if anyone else had similar problems. Do they Hell ! It seems that Cannon printers are well known for this [look it up,check it out ]

Not much point in bringing these things back to a chain store,they know nothing about them and will just fob you off onto someone else. Next time I think about buying a printer,I will go to a proper outlet,with some kind of backup and service.

For what it,s worth,

I,ve been reading books for as long as I can remember and I dont want to stop now. I love the feel of books,the smell of books,even if not always the contents. Just to handle them,browse through them [even put up with the dust ]

I too lost a lot of my stock due to house moves and damp and mice ! Like others I have a wide range and when it comes to having a clearing out,the problem is,which ones should I get rid of? So the result is,they all go back on the shelves and I just make more shelves ! Problem solved ! At least for now.

I have no time for these E readers,it,s just not the same.

Dave,Who said either of these is a bad thing? I try both when I get the chance,not often enough though.

Some one there mentioned "Brand Names", in my experience you can take them with a large pinch of salt,they mean NOTHING ! As Bill Shakspoke said,"What,s in a name ? junk by any other name is still junk" I have several "Brand Name" tools which are nothing but rubbish,these were bought before I learned that good names were being sold on to makers of crap tools [of which I have a few ] I have also bought some stuff in good faith which left much to be desired,to put it mildly . The best advice here is not to buy from the same supplier again,I never did.

No-one expects Grade A when paying Grade C prices,but there should be some standards,sadly this is not always the case.Some of the stuff supplied is little better than junk,or as they used to say "Mutton dressed as lamb "

Our friend will just have to live in the real world and remember the advice given by Herod to Cladius when he said "Trust no-one,and when Claudius asked ,not even you,my friend ? Herod replied Trust no-one".

Still good advice after all those years !

You cut your cloth according to your measure Old Chinese saying.

Just thinking afterwards,since those swarftrays are little more than tinfoil,I dont think you need worry too much about it. They dont supply cast iron trays anymore.

Just a thought ,are you sure the benches are not in twist ? In my experience,welding does not help in a situation like that. I would be inclined to check with a spirit level,in all directions,before thinking about spacers. You might be surprised !

Seems like you can,t trust anyone these days.

I,ve done the same thing,using 1/16th brazing rod,and it worked fine.

Take it slow [hand brace] and anneal before and during twisting.

On my cheap Chineese lathe,I never have a problem with the top slide rotating .I just lock it in place and that,s it.

Maybe I,m just lucky ?

As an aside,I can cut a wide range of threads,both Whitworth and Metric,more than enough to meet my needs,together with a few UNF,from time to time. Lucky me.

Regarding Sparey, you wont go too far wrong with him ! his book is never too far away from my lathe. Might be an old book,but still delivers the goods and in simple terms.

Camlock.

Good driver ?

Perhaps it was intended for woodwork use.

Came across that once before,speeds much too fast for metalwork.

David,

I think it,s best just to learn from these experiences and move on. Life is too short,at least at my stage it is !

I stand corrected,in sackcloth and ashes,for Lo and Behold I am the guilty one,and as Jason B said,"He/it has been sorted"

I must say,I found some of the old posts much better than some of the new ones ! Some stuff there I never came across before,but I think I went about it in the wrong way.

Good question Dave ! No idea.