Member postings for Stephen Follows

Apologies, I was initially trying UNF which is 24 tpi. Drilled a new hole After tap ruined and tried BSF.

It’s described as bright mild steel. No numbers.

Hand cut ok with hacksaw. Milled ok but seemed to be a bit harder than usual to drill.

The steel is definitely not stainless. I was trying to tap 5/16" BSF, 24tpi.

I have bought some bright steel to make tool makers clamps. Problem is I can't cut a thread in the stuff. Good quality taps used, correct size holes and even tried oversized holes but no joy. Years of cutting threads but not had this problem before. Steel is dulling new, unused taps.

Anyone had this problem? I have read another post where it was suggested that the holes were the wrong size r the taps were blunt. No so in my case.

The lathe is in decent condition and big enough. Just unsure if a motor upgrade is worth the money and suitable. Heard many stories of white metal bearings not being good enough on faster speeds.

I have a Myford ML7 lathe on which I have spent a decent amount over the last few years. I am now thinking about a new motor and controller. Also, fitting a DRO.

Probably cost in the region of £650.

Would you do this or move it on and buy a new lathe?

I had a water leak in my shop which went unnoticed for a few days. The table rusted. Cleaned the rust but some very minor pitting. Watched videos where people finished surfaces with a stone but don’t know what stone. Looked very like oil stone used for sharpening.

Can anyone. Recommend the best type of stone for grinding machined surfaces true? I need to true my milling table.

I am also thinking of buying an ultrasonic cleaner. All the ones on Amazon have bad reviews as well as good ones. I believe bad ones.

I’ve looked at Allendale recommended above. Like what I see, probably going for the six litre. More expensive but you get what you pay for.

I have gone through two Dremel grinders and a cheapo lookalike in three years. The Dremels failed due to speed control burning out and the motor burning out on the second. The cheapo gearbox fell to bits.

I don't use them heavily and only occasionally. Thought I'd treat myself to a Proxon, read a lot of very good reviews, not seen a bad one.

Having got one and used it for light sanding it suffers the problem of over heat. Gets very hot very quickly. Too hot to hold in a matter of minutes. Don't know how long this one will last. I've come to the conclusion that there isn't a good make out there.

Thank you for the replies. I would like to sandblast, ( maybe I should say grit blast), rust and old paint from small bits and pieces occasionally. I don't want to buy a new compressor, not so much the cost but a lack of space, the present one just squeezes in.

Looks like I'l have to stick to a wire brush!

Does anyone know if I could get away with running a sand blasting cabinet on a 9 cfm 50 litre compressor?

Looking at them again I think they're probably AF. I have a mixed set with some missing. Think a previous owner must have used the box for a lot of loose sockets he had! I have BSW, metric and AF in one box.

I have some sockets that were given to me. I thought they were AF sizes but they're not. The 7/16" fits a 1/4" whitworth nut. (This is the only nut size I have that fits one of the sockets). I cannot find any charts that gives 1/4"Whit = 7/16" something. Any Ideas?

I have a Myford ML7 lathe. It’s week point, imho, is the bushes with drip feed oil.
Has anyone ever replaced the bushes with ball bearings? Is it even possible?

A local or even not too far away club may sill be a better bet than clearance firm. You may not get as much as selling individually over time but any clearance firm will give you far less than the actual value.

Search on line for model engineering clubs.

I'm shortly going to upgrade the motor on my Myford ML7 lathe, probably NewtonTesla.

Question is: half horse power or one horse power? Anyone gone for half and wished they'd gone for more or gone for one and found it too big?

I’ve gone through three Dremel mini drills in two years, not used a lot either. Top money for junk.

I’m restoring an old vice. The screw looks like an Acme in all respects. Problem is I can’t find it in tables. It’s 7tpi x 0.54 inch diameter.

Tables go from 6 tpi to 8 tpi, no 7.

I need to make a new spindle and have no idea what change gears to use on the lathe. Anyone come across this thread before? It’s Swiss made BTW.