Member postings for larry phelan 1

Beautiful machines ,alas I will never get to own one.

I have taken my Chinese chuck apart many times and never found any grease inside ,even from day one.

It,s no big deal and it does help to remove the little bits of swarf which find their way in there..

Just make a note of which jaw goes where, too easy to mix them up.

Never thought about drilling left hand holes !!!

True,you learn something new every day.

Keep them coming.

The biggest thread I have cut was 8tpi and things were moving pretty fast at that.

At 5tpi,I think I might keep the toilet paper to hand !!

I don't think a little dirt and fresh air will do any body any great harm.

Kids these days spend most of their time indoors, when is the last time you saw kids playing outside ,apart from football ect ? They don't play street games any more, dont even play with their dogs anymore ! We played with everyones kids and their dogs [difficult to tell the difference sometimes ],got everything that was going ,and are still around. My GP agrees that kids spend too much time in overheated homes ,schools ,and cars.

We never had to worry about such things ,our school was freezing, house not much better, and we never had a car.

I think they were what they called "The Good Old DAYS". I ,d say this rings a bell with many of you !

With sound advice from Brian Woods, I made a pair of gears from Aluminium ,just for the experience.

They worked out perfectly, now all I need is to find a use for them !!

Still ,my aim was not "What for " but "How to ".

My thanks again to Brian .

Hi Morty,

At 60 you are no more than a young fella, don't let anyone tell you otherwise !

My GP keeps telling me to remember my age when I ask him about anything. I don't know what he,s on about since I,m only 80 plus. My Mother lived to be 97 and could still give out stick, so you have a long way to go.

The next few years will pass quick enough and then you can do all the things you really want to do. Also, you will wonder how you ever had time to work in the first place. I,m not sure what I do all day, but it takes me all day to do it.

It,s great ,you can stop any time you feel like it, no starting time ,no clock to watch, what more could you want ?

Set your shop up, and when the time comes ,just ENJOY !!

Hi Morty,

As others have pointed out, a full with door is very useful for moving stuff in or out. I would say keep it ,since it,s better to be looking at it than looking for it Just imagine trying to get a lathe through a narrow doorway ! I have been there, done that, never again. I would leave it in place and build a shelving system which could be removed quickly if needed ,something on wheels perhaps.

This is exactly the question I was about to ask about ,since it is something I will need to do soon.

Thanks to all for having offered advice.

Regarding packing for tool height,I use whatever is to hand

Old saw blades

Beer cans [empty ]

Offcuts of sheet steel or Ali.

Sometimes even "Proper "shim !

The list is endless and everyone does it,since not. everyone has QCTP,s

It,s been around for years,it,s cheap and it works,

I seem to remember that someone in "Aliice in wonderland"said of some word,"It means what I want it to mean,neither more nor less"

Seems like a very simple answer ,and suits all situations,something like our "Leaders" like to use.

Once saw big bandsaw topple sideways off a pallet. It was Scary and it did not improve the machine either,so I can imagine what it did for the Bridgeport.

Dont like narrow bases on any machines,so I would think about increasing its footprint.

My Lux mill is bolted to a solid box tubing stand,but I still fixed a retaining strap from the top of the column to the back wall. Something like "Belt,braces,and safety pin "

When I read this post,I blinked,shook my old grey head,and thought,this must be a miss-print !

From my experience [all of which could be written on the back of a stamp ],I would have to say that this is not the brightest idea I have come across,for two reasons.

A It will not do much for your machine,may even do harm,as others have pointed out.

B I would not even attempt to clean up old discs,or indeed attempt to "repair" anything to do with the brakes on my car/van.. These parts are made to last X miles,no more. Like tires,your life depends on them,so,forget it. New discs are cheaper than a wooden box.

Am now going to make a cup of STRONG tea,while I get over this "idea".

Old friend of mine,with a very untidy shop,always maintained that he had no trouble finding things [which surprised me,somewhat ]

He said "Ti,s simply a question of remembering where you last dropped it "

But,therein lies the problem !!

I am not hard to please,as long as I get what I want,I,m happy.

If I get it for nothing,all the better.!

Again,sounds like most of us !!.

That workshop looks exactly like mine,a place for everything and everything in its place. Neat and tidy,clean floor [plus brush ],good lighting ect.

To me that would be just like a home-from-home,well,more or less. [maybe less ]

Must have cost quite a few Marks/Euros to set it up Sour grapes ? Yes of course,but then, I like grapes !

No,really,it,s a fine set up and I wish him luck and a long life to enjoy it.

Meanwhile,back at the ranch---------------- now where did I drop that Allen key? must be here somewhere !

I have a 10hp R/c to power my workshop.

I mounted it on an angle iron frame,screwed to the wall,one to cut down on the noise by being mounted on a shelf [this was a no-go,too noisy ] The second reason was to save floor space.. There was still some noise from it,not a lot,but this was solved by fitting a plywood cover,open at the bottom. To date this has worked well,noise is very little,damp is not a problem. I would say,keep it inside,too easy to have it knocked off,and they dont come cheap.

If you intend to use your lathe,rather than just look at it,you might save yourself a great deal of trouble.

The drip tray on my lathe was finished in a nice shade of dark blue as new. In no time flat,between cutting oil and swarf there was very little left of the paint finish. I touched it up a few times,but then gave it up as a waste of time. Strange to say,it has not rusted,so I leave it alone and just get on with the job.

Machines are there to be used,not admired.,so if the paintwork on my lathe is not the"correct" shade,so what ?,the machine still works.

I always thought piano wire was something used in piano making,seems like I was wrong..

Can anyone tell me what exactly is it and what is it used for ? [apart from pianos ] 5/32" seems very thick for wire ?

One learns something new every day,no doubt about it !

I too have a black hole,into which everything I want to use seems to vanish,sometimes never to be seen again.

Ex A box full of 6mm nuts,never taken out of the workshop, where did they go ??? Where indeed,that was six months ago.. Spanners,magnetic pick-ups 6 " rule ----------ect,ect.

All ideas welcome !