Member postings for larry phelan 1

Much useful info there,but does anyone know what size section I should use,even if I go for two towers,rather than one unit ? I,m thinking about moving this alone,on grass,that,s the reason for the wheels.

I, want to make a mobile access platform to use for cutting my hedges and reaching my gutters [single story house ]

I am considering using semi bright box tubing to make up four frames, each frame being welded up as a separate unit,so that it could be taken apart for storage,and bolted together as required.

The size I have in mind is something about 8 or ten feet long x 2 ft wide x 4 ft high. I think I may need struts to brace it on the outer side.

Having looked up to see what is available,I found two sizes which might suit :

50 x 25 x1.5 or x 2mm

40 x 40 x 1.5 or x 2 mm

Anything bigger would be too difficult to move even though the unit will be fitted with wheels at one end and handles at the other.

Any advice, suggestions,comments,good,bad,or indifferent,welcome !

It it is considered to be a No-No,feel free to say so,it,s just that ladders and I ,do not see eye-eye anymore.

Thanks for any ideas,

Larry.

I made two simple gauges for setting my top slide for screw cutting,one for 55*,one for 60*,since I found it difficult to read the scale. They were made from off cuts of Ali sheet,nothing fancy,but they are fast and they work.

There are pictures of them in my album. Would be easy to make a few for the angles you use most.

Of course you must keep the leadscrew engaged while threading,otherwise you will lose position,but that does not prevent you from stopping the machine and winding out the cross slide when you reach the end of your thread.

Then you just reverse,back towards the tailstock,set the cross slide back to zero and bring in the topslide to increase the dept of thread. A low speed is a great help,dont know what your,s is but when I,m cutting course threads,I find that even 50 RPM is a bit fast ! It,s great for most other threads.

Never seen a lathe like that,with only shaft,must take some getting used to !

Perhaps it would help if you cut a groove just short of the bolt head and get ready to reverse as you approach it.

You would need to be threading very near to the chuck to be in any danger of running into it,no thread goes right up to the chuck.

I leave the leadscrew/halfnuts engaged all the time,while threading,using the angled top slide to set the dept and the cross slide to put on the cut. When you reach the end of your cut,wind out the cross slide and reverse the lathe back to the starting point,while bringing in the top slide a bit deeper. You get into the habit of using both of them together,and it works a dream.

Sparey was using this approach back in his day,and it still works.

The only time I have to watch it,is when I,m cutting large threads like 21/4"x 8 as on my lathe spindle,since the carrage is really moving and while I might not hit the chuck,I could run out of road,so to speak. Result is much the same. Chips might not be blue but the air sure is !

Lathes do not like things like that.

I use the sizes given in the Zeus book,unless I find it a bit tight,then I go a little bit bigger,since taps are not a throw-away item,not with me,anyway.

Or China ?

I have had mixed reaction from Chester,some good some not so good.

First I would like to say that I found Tony to be very helpful,also a man named Mark. The problem seems to be that things get shifted around between different people and you dont always get to talk to the same guy twice. This causes misunderstandings and annoyance along with delays.

It,s a strange thing but this seems to happen more when small companies expand and tend to lose touch with their customer base [this appears to happen in most companies,not just Chester ]. My first dealings with Chester was some 18/19 years ago when they were quite small,we walked in there one Saturday morning,no-one to be seen anywhere. We walked all around the place,still no-one !,we could have filled our bags with everything lying around !

Then,out of the blue,a man called Chris appeared,offered us a cup of tea and showed us around,all very low key,very different to what it is now,it seems. Chris was/is a gentleman,met him several times afterwards,always a pleasure to deal with him [is he still around ? ] Also a man named John,another gentleman,ever helpful.

So it seems that big is not always best, eye contact is all-important in sales ask any car sales man.

Another thing is that when trying to order spares,they want you to fill out an order form about two yards long with this number and that number,make,model, colour ect, and you with a machine 20 years old and covered in muck and with no idea where any number might be ! That,s OK for big operators,but not for small guys like us [who put them on their feet ]

Perhaps it just needs a new approach,maybe one guy to look after things like this?

Yes Howard,

I have found so many "Errors" with my 6" table that I no longer pay any heed to the "so-called-chart ",I tend to work it out instead. I dont know why they bother to supply these charts when they are not accurate,there is no excuse for it in this day and age. They are making these things long enough,at this stage to get it right.

There was a time when cars were simple ! Is there anyone out there old enough to remember when that was ?

HSS blanks are cheap enough to play around with and easy to grind for thread cutting 55* and 60* [Even I can do it ]

With a sharp tool,low speed and plenty of lube,you cant go too far wrong.

Give it a try,you might be surprised !

Saw something like that on Ali Express,very useful when walking alone,and I think you can even use it as a torch as well !

Worth checking out.

I was lucky enough to win either 4 or 5 million Euro [not sure which,as I get these things all the time ] on the Spanish Lottery. This surprised me since I dont even buy tickets for the Irish Lottery

Last year,I won the Mexican Lottery,can,t recall how many millions that was. For some reason payment seems to be delayed but as soon as both of them arrive,we,ll have a party,everyone is invited [just dont hold your breath ! ]

Hate the sound of that last one Neil ! ouch !!

Not only has the cost of brass gone mad,so has the price of beer,diesel and almost anything else you might be bothered with ! I think they call it "Inflation" or something like that !

I used to buy silver solder some years ago,in order to buy it now,I,d need to get a Bank Loan. Many suppliers dont even sell it any more.

That,s what happens when you drop off the bandwagon.

As you said John, it is a long Post ! I,m afraid you lost me a long way back !

To put it mildly,this is WAY ABOVE my pay grade ! Never heard of machine bases being made like this,but then,I still have a lot to learn.

Funny that you mention about threaded rod being cheap over your way,I bought some here recently and I dont know how they can produce it for the price.. It,s one of the most useful things I buy,[I use it for everything ],and still dirt cheap.

500 RPM sounds about for 1/2" drill in Mild Steel

1000 about right for 1/4"

Works OK in my "Chinese -drill-of-the-day" [drills need to be sharp to cut at any speed ! ]

I do not have a QCTP,nor do I want one.I do have a few homemade tool posts and a collection of shims from 1/8" down to drink can thickness.There is no shortage of material to use for shims,and they work [and they,re cheap !}

Dont get too excited about QCTP,s,a lot of good work was done before they ever came along.

Buy a can of beer,drink it,then cut up the can !

Cheers !

Larry.

Thanks John,

Just got that message now. Will check that out tomorrow,as you say,they are a nice little motor.

Again,many thanks.

I got caught that way once with a number I did not know. Rang back,thinking it might be from a consultant I was attending at the time. No reply,so called back a few times,still nothing.

When I got my Mobile bill,I found that these calls had come from some dump in Somalia,the arsehole of God-knows-where. Ended up costing me BOMB.I have no idea how they got my Mobile No,but now I do not answer any numbers I do not know.

Once bitten----------!