Member postings for David T

It's not uncommon to see white rails in the U.K., but usually just around the pointwork. I always assumed this was just to make cracks in the rails more obvious, but I wonder if that is secondary the insulating benefits. Points can be easily affected by the heat due to the tolerances involved (certain designs are more susceptible than others). Certainly the casings of the point machines have been painted white to reflect the heat.

I've been meaning to venture out to see the Blenheim...... I've only seen it by accident, I was in the workshop and stuck my head out just in time to see it go over. At the time I didn't know there was one in flying condition, so it came as quite a surprise!

On Saturday we saw a Folland Gnat over Hanningfield Resevoir; didn't know there was any of those about either.

Ours were rather more agricultural! We were all assigned a number based on our locker number; corresponding tags were held in the storeroom. When something wasn't returned by the end of the day, the storeman would bellow across the workshop, "Number Sixty One! You have not returned your screwdriver!" Woe betide anyone who angered Brian the storeman.....

Several of our instructors were ex-BAE so no doubt that's where the practice stemmed from.

There was a similar system in use where I did my apprentiship...... to stop us herberts from losing / pinching the tools

Hardly any noise?! Last summer I heard what I thought was a Chinook over west London. Eventually I spotted a vaguely V-22 -shaped speck in the distance, it must have been several miles off. Would love to see one in flight a bit closer

I bought most of my woodworking kit from boot sales, never had much luck with engineering tools though. The best I've got is some Moore & Wright mics.

I learnt from the best

If only my engineering talents were as sharp.....

I do apologise for my poor form. I shall try again:

All of the running centres recommended thus far are, presumably, shipped in some kind of box and are certainly not engaged by "the workpiece". If a running centre is "live" by virtue of it being driven by the workpiece, then by definition it must be a "dead" centre until such time as the customer has received it and put it to use.

Once again I apologise for my earlier transgressance. I hope this satisfies the pedantic community

Edited By David T on 06/03/2018 18:30:08

Haha, touché

I must be the only person still using a solid (dead) centre. It's a half-centre at that. I've got a no-name running centre but I find more often than not it gets in the way.

I'm surprised the pedants haven't pointed out yet that a "live" centre is the one in the headstock. The centre in the tailstock is not driven, therefore it's the "dead" centre, regardless of whether it's rotating or not......

I am in Essex. Thanks but I am just reviewing my options at the moment. A new stand will only become necessary if I decide to reorganise the workshop; something which I am still mulling over at the moment.

Thank you all you the, erm..... broad range of opinions!

The experiences expressed regarding the store-bought benches are food for thought.

Trevor Drabble's suggestion of the Axminster lathe stand is certainly interesting; it is significantly cheaper than the Myford stand. They have neglected to state what gauge the steel is though, which is unfortunate.

KMP's fabricated stand is beautiful, and I suspect is much more rigid than any of the commercial benches. If I only I had the ability to weld!

With regards to timber vs metal, I am not convinced that a sheet metal stand (at least without serious reinforcement) is any more rigid or stable than a wooden one. Peak4's granite top sounds like the most stable option, irrespective of what bench is beneath it. I fear that working with granite is beyond my capabilities though. What type of bits do you drill granite with?

Morning all, thank you for your replies.

I am comfortable (happy, even) doing a bit of woodwork, so I can knock up a stand-alone bench if need be. I am trying to decide whether the cost of materials + the time required is worth it versus a store bought bench that's ready to go.

Naturally any bench will have to allow the lathe to be levelled and / or shimmed. My present bench is just over 3' high which is a comfortable height for me. I expect any bench I bought would be lower, so I'd need to use raising blocks anyway. Unfortunately I only have a small hatchback for transport, so any option I take either has to be delivered or dismantled / flatpacked.

On the other hand, I could just buy a bigger, floor-standing lathe.........

Thank you for the welcome!

Afternoon all,

Does anyone have any experience using a "mechanic" style commercially-available workbench as a lathe stand? Something like this:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/cwb1205p-5-drawer-workbench/

(not necessarily that one, just the first one I plucked from the internet. Also, no connection to the vendor etc etc)

My lathe (an ML7) is currently mounted on a wooyden bench that I built onto the wall of my workshop. It has served me well, but I am thinking about reorganising the workshop. A bench like the one above would allow me to move and re-mount the lathe with a minimum of fuss. And again in the future, should the need arise. The drawers would be useful too, of course.

Am I barking up the wrong tree? If one of these benches is viable, are there any brands I should look out for?

Thanks!

Edited By David T on 16/01/2018 16:20:58

Hi everyone,

Another new member here. I've been lurking for a while and I thought it was about time I signed up. I've had a lathe and mill for a number of years, but I don't think I can call myself a model engineer yet. I haven't got around to making any models! Hopefully that will change soon as I have a set of Unit Steam castings on the bench. Until now the lathe has been steadily employed in fixing things, or supporting the woodworking activities of the wife and I.

For what it's worth I hope to attend Ally Pally again this weekend, having been for the last few years. The dreaded man flu is threatening to torpedo that plan though.

Anyhow, I look forward to joining in with the forum!