Member postings for larry phelan 1

Great Post ! Such a change from "I have a problem with my Myford cross slide/ chuck /motor/ ect,ect !

Keep them coming!

Dave, your post brought back "Happy Memories" of being put to operating a pressbrake, with a "guard" which did not work at the tender age of 16.. This thing would suck you in and blow you out in bubbles, I wonder what the H&S shower would make of it these days !

We also had degreesing baths using something called Tricoetheleane [excuse the spelling, 50 years on ], this stuff would send you on a trip, no bother !

And yet, we are still around ! Who needs guards, ear defenders. facemasks ect ? These things are for wimps !

So what if you end up with being half deaf, half blind, with rotten lungs and minus a few fingers ?

Do you think the "Company" cared ? Did they hell !

Been there ,done that ect,ect.

Looking back, I ask, how did they ever get away with it ?

These days, it,s gone the other way, you can,t switch on a machine unless you have a "Cert"

Excuse me while I go and pour a strong drink, I need one !

Even getting stuff from England to this quaint little land is becoming a no-go.

You buy a lathe

You buy a good book

You give it a try

Works every time !

You make a cock-up ?

Welcome to the club !

There are no short cuts, you just get stuck in and when you run into a problem, just ask here !

Be assured, someone will come to your aid ! How do I know ? Ask me !

Hi Br

I thought you made it perfectly clear.

Must be missing something ?

I have a cheap 6" bench grinder, bough some 30 years ago, Nu Tool make, still going strong, never knew it to overheat. I simply grind, dip then grind again. When my fingers object, I dip again I never allow the HSS to change to blue, since I dont believe it,s a good idea. I dont think I have had any issues with cracking, or if I have had, I never noticed.

All very crude, like most of my efforts, but it seems to work !

Then, of course, I dont make parts for spaceships.

Over here, we are allowed to share the path with cyclists/shooters/scateboards ect as long as we dont get in their way or slow them down too much.

I do my best, but I always seem to get my walking aid in the way. Silly me !

We were "advised " some time ago that our Smart Meters would be getting installed "soon", I dont remember being asked did I want one or not.

Seems like they are being fitted, full stop !

PS What would you want to run at night ? Dishwashers, Washing machines ? No way ,highly dangerous to leave these things unattended.

I suppose we could use our lathes, mills, saws ect at night, but I,m not sure the nabours would like it !

When the cutting edge has become too small to grind, I just cut it off with a thin cutting disc and then shape the blank roughly with the disc before grinding to correct shape.

Quick/simple and it works. No need for "Exact" angles, we are not making rocket parts.

As Andrew say,s "What,s in a name" ?

Pity my poor lathe, which is lucky to get a brush-down, never mind a fancy cover.

Even my dogs dont get that !

Cruel World !

Forgot to add that boring bars are so easy to make, that except in the smaller sizes, I dont understand why anyone buys them.

Hi Colin,

Glad to see you are getting there [wherever that is ]

A You dont need a Q C T P, the one which comes with the lathe is perfectly good enough, I have been using mine for the last 20 years or so.

B A Dial indicator I would consider to be a "must have"

C I use blank HSS tool bits from1/8" to 1/2" ,no problem.

D As others have advised, no need to spend money on stuff you might never use, buy a few pieces of HSS steel, 1/2" or 3/8" and grind your own tools [not difficult, since even I can do it ]

E A good chuck to use in the tailstock is about all you will need, forget all about the hype, you dont need it.

Above should read 3.5mm 30 mm, slip of the fingers or the mind !

Had a look around for faceplates, nothing to suit Craftsman anywhere, strange !

Perhaps Grizzly ?, but postage from America ??????

Just thinking, How about trying Home And Workshop Machinery for a faceplate ?

BTW, I also got gears, 30, 32, 40, 46.

The 46 comes in handy for cutting both 3mm and 1.75mm threads, neither of which are listed on the chart.

1.75 is 12mm, one I use a lot.

Hi Colin,

Yes, sad to say, Chester service is a bit "iffy" at best but the Craftsman lathe is OK.

I have one, long bed model, for the past 20 years or so and am happy enough with it

They are built to a price so are not Tool Room quality, but good enough for your needs, I would think.

I have used mine for much the same type of work, with no real problems.

There is a good range of speeds and screwcutting in both Metric and Whit, and being belt driven is not a problem.

I feel that the topslide and toolpost could do with a bit more meat on them, just a bit light, I feel.

I bought the longbed as I had no idea what I would need to work on.

One of the items I made for it was a rear toolpost for parting off, crude but effective, well worth making.

Mine came with two chucks ,faceplate ,steadies, centres, ect, not sure they do now, faceplates seem to be extra.

If I can help anymore, please feel free to ask.

I have a Clarke wood lathe [seldom used ] which has a motor like that, and they clearly advise to reduce speed to zero when stopping or starting.

Dont like motors like that, but that,s the way it came !

Might be a P-I-T-A, but might be cheaper too.

Empty beer cans are ideal, since first off, they need to be emptied, always an enjoyable job.

Next, they need to be cut into strips ect, this is a somewhat thirsty operation, so more cans need to be opened.

After a while, you will find yourself cutting up strips to make cans and not sure what the Hell you are doing, or why.

But who cares, it,s still metal bashing !

Happy New Year all !

As in my Chinese lathe, still, it works well enough with 12 speeds.

Put the job in the oven with the turkey !

Both results should be interesting. !

Many years ago, I recall using standard spray paint on a job, put it in the gas oven for a short time, no idea how long, low heat ,and the result was good. Worth a try.