Member postings for Ron Laden

Thanks Bazyle and George,

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 19/06/2018 09:28:28

Thanks Jon,

I did suspect that the set was not too good, I dont have a green wheel for the grinder. I will get myself a HSS set as you suggest.

Many thanks

Ron

Good Morning

My minilathe came with a tool set, I suspect not the best quality but anyway I would appreciate help in identifying each tool and its application.

I,m new to this but I can recognise some of them but not all..?

Many thanks

Ron

Well at long last the minilathe is in situ, its the first time out of its box since it arrived. It was well packed and banded to a pallet and there are no signs of any damage.

I,ve had very little time today and apart from a quick start up to check it runs that was about it. Tomorrow I will clean off the protective gunge and check everything through.

I dont know how to to thicken gear oil but someone once showed me some Mobile 600W steam oil and you could just about pour it at room temperature, really thick oil.

Well its been a long hard day, started at 6.00am but the shed is almost built apart from fitting the door. I have built many a shed single handed over the years but this will certainly be the last one, I think its time to realise that I,m not as young as I was, I,m knackered.

Now to fit the shed out: a second layer of 12mm ply flooring screwed through to the bearers, the floor they supply is no where near strong enough, it never is. Polystyrene insulation, benches and electrics then I can move in.

Ron

The shed arrived today 6.00am the delivery driver set off from Lincoln for North Devon at 1.00am ... talk about dedication to your job.

The minilathe also arrived but I resisted the temptation as I spent the day weather sealing the shed panels ready for assembly tomorrow. Well ok..maybe I did open the box to have a little peep.

Ron

Well, I,m not strictly a brand new lathe user, its many moons ago but we had a small Myford in the fitting shot where I worked. We would use it now and then but it was very basic stuff i.e. shorten a spacer, open up a hole, a bit of tapping and reaming. One thing is for sure I am certainly no machinist so a beginner in that sense.

Edited By Ron Laden on 13/06/2018 10:04:55

Thanks guys, I am not suggesting I am using it but I noticed I have an old can on the shelf and wondered if it had any merits.

Ron

Morning,

Something I,ve been meaning to ask....does 3 in 1 oil have its uses in the workshop..?

I have heard good and bad things about it and just wondered, I have also heard that it is a mix of vegetable oils but dont know if thats true..?

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 13/06/2018 08:05:26

Thanks Brian and Ian, yes I will report back on the new lathe and let you know what I find straight out of the box..

From all I,ve read and the videos I,ve watched on youtube, mini lathes seem to be a bit of a mixed bag. It would seem that you can be lucky and the lathe will need very little adjustment or setting up whilst others need quite a lot of work to get the machine to its best.

I am quite prepared for slides out of adjustment, backlash and chuck run out etc, actually these are things I am quite looking forward to, setting up will help me get to know the machine. Obviously it would be nice to plug the lathe in and off you go but I suspect it wont be quite like that.

The shed is not a workshop just storage for his lawnmower etc

Ron

If the shed is for the lawnmower etc then I think the slabs will be fine, Bazyle,s idea sounds a good one. As long as you can keep the shed basically dry, thats all you need.

I ordered my mini lathe today (yippee)..... sorry, but I am a bit excited, its my first lathe.

I went with Amadeal and ordered the CJ18 7 x 14 with 4 inch chuck. I was going to go for a full package deal where you get all the extras but changed my mind. The lathe comes with a centre and I added a set of cutting tools and a tail stock chuck, Amadeal did me a very good deal. I know that the parts I need to produce for the 0-4-0 loco are quite simple turning jobs, so I should be covered for a while by what I,ve ordered.

I thought that as I progress (I,m a beginner) I could order the extras that jobs may require and that way I can spread the cost and gradually build up the tooling etc.

The new small shed/workshop arrives Thursday and I hope to have it mostly finished by the end of the weekend ready to house the lathe.

Really looking forward to it.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 12/06/2018 18:27:22

What are you going to use the shed for....storage..? workshop with machines..? is it a shed you will spend a lot of time in..? depending on the sheds purpose I would question using slabs for the floor...?

Well its a lovely morning here in North Devon and I was out in the garden at 7.00am painting the new shed base with weather treatment. I used an oil based product similar to the old creosote as it soaks into the timber whereas the modern water based products just seem to lay on top.

Its a pity I have to wait until Thursday for the shed to arrive, with the weather we are having at the moment I could be bashing on and once the shed is in place and fitted out I can order the mini lathe....

Thanks Nige for the link on the LED Batten fitting, good timing as once the shed is built I will need lighting and I was thinking a 5 foot long twin fitting.

Cheers

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 10/06/2018 08:55:42

I bought a new cordless drill/driver.

Now when I woke this morning I had no idea that buying a new drill/driver was something I would be doing.

Next Thursday I have a new shed arriving, I was going to try and repair the old shed but its too far gone. So today the job was to make a shed base using 4 x 2 timber fixed together with 6.7 x 100 hex head Timbascrews. Using my trusty old (10 years) driver I managed to fix one screw but on the second it gave up with smoke coming from the motor. I knew its days were numbered from the last time I used it so I decided to call it a day and replace it.

I went on to the Screwfix website thinking maybe Bosch, Makita, DeWalt when I noticed a Titan. I,ve never heard of them but it read well with good spec and had quite a lot of good reviews. The top makes (with offers) start around the £100 mark but the Titan which is obviously a budget brand was £49.99 so I took the plunge. It comes with 2 battery packs 18 volt - 1.5ah, a 60 minute charger and carry case. I am really taken with the drill, its quite a lot smaller and lighter than my old drill, its well balanced with a nice comfortable feel to the grip. The usual features, two speed, reverse, variable clutch, LED and keyless chuck.

Well I,ve been using it all the afternoon and the 6.7 x 100 screws take quite a bit of driving but the Titan coped with no problems. The batteries last well and they do charge quickly, I also think the drills power/torque figures must be on the higher side. I know I,ve only used it for one afternoon but if it continues like it did today then £49.99 is a snip.

Picture below

Small companies also.

I bought my set of 5 inch wheels and axles from 17D which are very nicely machined, although at first I couldnt fathom the wheel to axle fit. The wheels are a sliding fit up to 3-4mm from the axle shoulder which then needs pressing home. The problem is, my wheels have this fit but with the wheel flange outside instead of inside as if they have been machined from the wrong side.

I phoned 17D and spoke to a nice guy who couldnt understand how that had come about but said they would check another set to make sure they are correct and send them out asap. He told me to keep the originals as with a bit of a mod they could be useful for the future.

I dont mind receiving faulty parts, yes its annoying but its life, it happens. Its when you phone the supplier and speak to pleasant helpful people that will send replacements immediately, then their customer support rating goes way up with me.

Edited By Ron Laden on 08/06/2018 22:30:14

Edited By Ron Laden on 08/06/2018 22:32:19

Well at long last some of the parts are coming together, they still need further work but at least its jobs I can do. I have the chassis top plate, the chassis side frames, the axle boxes and the motor mount plates. The spur gears have had the gear boss reduced and the motor pinions have been shortened and machined ready for pressing on the motor shafts.

I was very lucky with the side frames and motor mounts, I asked a friend if I could buy some 3mm steel from the engineering company he works for and he asked me to give him the drawings and dimensions. To my complete surprise he turned up a week later with the parts all laser cut. He wouldnt let me pay for the parts but said I owed him a couple of pints....I think a very good friend indeed.