Member postings for Jon Lawes

It's possible to get some amazing results from filing, with practise. I don't have a mill so I do things like that on a vertical slide, but if I ever get the space and cash I'll be first in line for a mill.

I have installed another switch inline with my dewhurst and only use it for reversing. I got bored of cleaning nadgered contacts.

Consider that rather than lacking in common sense it might be that beginners such as myself has less mentoring available. Although its fairly obvious you should take the chuck key out before starting the lathe I suspect many experienced people (and myself) have done it anyway by mistake. The Dewhurst switch looks like it should do the job but doesn't; common sense didn't help me with that. I just assumed it was fit for purpose (wrongly).

Common Sense isn't dead. But you get knowledge through being taught or learning yourself. One of the guys I used to work with refused to have an apprentice as he said he would probably take his job one day. Blame people like that if there is a decline in young skills.

It's a bit of a cliche but a nice pen is a good thing to make; I used brass and its got a real weighty, quality feel. I recessed some neodymium magnets into the body and made the cap out of Martensitic stainless steel so it would be retained by the tiny magnets. I used a fisher space pen refill for the interest of using a pressurised ballpoint.

With your woodworking skills you could make a spalted walnut finger grip for the pen barrel, or similar.

This is running again tomorrow, and a lovely show is lined up with good weather scheduled. The show is at the White Horse Country Park, Westbury, Wiltshire, BA13 4LX.

I think the "smart-ass" comment was intended in a friendly manner. It was a very tame and light hearted bit of welcoming chat by the person who posted it. Whilst I agree a forum should be welcoming and not overly critical I think it is possible to have a slightly too thin skin, or we would only want to converse with sycophantic robots.

You are very welcome, and I am interested in your posts. Teething troubles with posting on forums are to be expected especially as there are so many different types of forum out there!

The other day I saw a scrap built go-kart that used an interesting bodge as a rack and pinion; a straight piece of square rod for the rack with a short length of chain tack welded to the top. It certainly made me think.

When posted on to Harriers a rite of passage was to drink a glass of the de-ionised water used for injection into the engine when hovering. It might have just been water but you'd spend the day in the toilet.

Another recommendation for Model Engineers Laser, they have helped me out on two projects now with excellent results.

Thats a great engine to start with, you may find this website useful.

**LINK**

Loads of aircraft engineers on this forum, I think we gravitate to this hobby.

The internet isolates people from the conversation. I try (but don't always succeed) to stick to the rule of "Would I say this to that persons face if we were having a pint in the pub?".

It's very easy to forget that at every one of these keyboards is a person. The nature of connecting so many people, even in a small field like this, is that you are going to find a lot of people you disagree with.

That's a great idea, I'm sure they would be very grateful.

Somebody at a model engineering show I attended was showing some nicely made Stuart engines made from their castings. I asked him about them and apparently he had made them onboard a serving Submarine. The only problem he has was having to ask permission to turn it on in case they needed silence for listening or not being heard!

Red October's Captain: "So what is it, Resolution class? Oberon class sub?"

Hydrophone operator: "....I think...it's an ML7 Captain...."

I do it myself, with care. Luckily my chucks are never that tight. If I got to the stage where I was hitting things with mallets I might change my mind, or hide my mallet.

Which part of Somerset Chris? I work that way, but live over the border in Dorset.

I use both depending on what I've doing, especially useful for cutting through the skin of cast iron.

I'm building a 3.5 inch gauge britannia in a shed with no problems. It's snug but if you are organised it isn't an issue.

Mick, who makes that spanner please, I've been forgetting to buy one for a while!

Tools are very theraputic. For me its the old machine tools. At the end of a rubbish day using the lathe keeps me sane and leaves me tired and content.

Very elegant.

I started with a Stuart 10H, I learned a lot and gained confidence, not to mention a nice looking model at the end of it. Worth a look.