Member postings for Roger Best

Super!

The first piccie shows that the light goes where its needed - ace!

?? So the clever chappie loses his company and a few years later wins a million with a fantastic and highly marketable product that clearly competes with his old company but with additional world-beating innovation!!

Maybe they should have kept him on?

Real dragon's den stuff, but with some super tech.

More references:

https://www.carbonblacksystem.com/

https://www.phoenix-i-wheelchair.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-55315442

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-9064243/Scot-vowed-revolutionise-wheelchair-wins-one-million-dollar-backing.html

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pioneering-wheelchair-designer-wins-1m-prize-c226kdcsn

Well I am glad I am not alone with my problems with Warco Products, its good for my sanity, bad news for you lot though.

My e-mail to Roger Warren about my 16B had a section about CE marking in it, but I deleted that as anyone who has sold equipment for so long without worrying about doing that properly isn't going to appreciate a wise-arse.

I never did get the advice about the ticking noise as it rotates or any advice as to the best solution for the safety interlock that conspicuously didn't work when the machine was delivered, but after a week or so of silence I chased up the staff who where very glad to have the extra stuff back that had found its way into my crate and were very helpful about the further issues.

I still consider them a good company to deal with, they do try to make it an easy process, its just that they can't deliver the technical expertise that the world has got used to in other fields because they don't have the design engineers as part of their staff. That said what was your experience last time your car broke down? Most of the times it happens to me the mains dealers are hopeless, they usually have to wait for the "master mechanic" to come in and phone for help.

The 16B is a wonderful machine, I will do a video when I have everything as it should be and I can find all the lubrication points, I think one is under the long-axis DRO scale. I also need to move the short axis scale because it collides with the wall. You get the gist, lots of things to set up and get sorted, little mods to do etc.

ta for all the links

Yes, do so. Its always fun.

You must be right Robert, I guess there is a market.

Interesting that the Warco and Ajax are obviously by the same manufacturer.

My experience was that power hacksaws were being replaced by bandsaws as bandsaws are at least twice as fast for most sections. Even my previous employer, 17 years ago, had moved to bandsaws.

Looking at the Cromwell site bandsaws are a lot cheaper for a similar capacity, but I wonder if they last as long?

Hi Me.

I am surprised that there isn't any Morse collets hidden in the tool collection.

In any event a quick sort and survey will help guide your choice of investment. If the majority of tools have standardised diameters then the choice gets easier. Equally if you know you are only going to do small stuff.

I will be looking hard at them when I am sure the heat resistance is where I need it, and that means stability not just melting temperature. I know that materials with 150-170C are out there now so its pretty close.

Off course metal additive manufacture is available but that costs money as the machines are very expensive.

Generally I am waiting for the technology to make live steam, detailed models fast, for example printing a traction engine wheel set in a weekend rather than slaving for weeks. Those awkward little brackets that you can't see from a couple of feet away etc.

This is an interesting thread as reciprocating mechanical saws are museum pieces now.

As well as lifting the blade on the return stoke some machines have the crank offset to give a quicker return stroke and more power on the cut. I don't know why I think that but I am sure I have noticed it on a real machine somewhere. (Real as opposed to my collection of toy saws.)

It might be fun to experiment with Lego and see how it works.

I have has Covid-brain all summer to add to my advancing age. I would tell you all the funny anecdotes but I have forgotten them.

I do like those toe clamps.

I have a large turntable, (missing its worm gear, which is why I have it), that has two featureless pads sticking out the side. I think its simply a clamp-down job. It does seem bizarre. It won't be out for a while, far too much to do.

No I was right first time.

Yet another case of the Warco website being wrong about what they ship, in this case not a problem as such, I just need to get something for holes below 3mm for Christmas.

At least type B16 chucks are a common standard.

13mm!

My new milling machine came with a whopping great chuck, 16mm I think, but it has a very short key, only a couple of inches long, so there is very little leverage and it won't hold a 6mm drill tight enough to stop it slipping. - Useless!

Obviously turning up a handle is the next job, but I suspect that a longer shaft/whatnot will help get the turned handle clear of the chuck.

A warm workshop means less sore joints so mine is insulated better than the house. Neither have central heating, so an electric heater will be used this winter. Last winter there was no machinery installed so no heat was required, yet it kept pretty warm due to heat coming through the wall from the house. I will probably set the thermostat to 18C and lower it as I get used to how warm my smock coat is.

How about using a couple of parallels? Should be accurate enough.

Hi Steve, great thread.

It looks like you would have a good selection of lathes from Warco, Chester and them guys in Leicester for your 2 grand.

My two-peneth is that old lathes should be viewed as old cars, they have issues with spares and wear that can affect their usability, but if you consider that as part of your hobby it can be more enjoyable than a new machine that just does the job.

I follow a few Facebook site and the [email protected] and the hard-core restorers would laugh at you for paying so much, but then they spend a few hundred hours making their latest wreck good.

Bottom line is that your original post shows your are happy with your compromise and that is what matters.

The simple answer is change the spindle speed, so that the cut is of appropriate size.

Modern electronic controls have 25:1 speed adjustment, its not difficult.

How many speeds do you use Jason, which are the most useful?

None whatsoever, I am only worried about surface speed, which is determined by the spindle, and gives surface finish along the grooves, and the pitch of the surface finish across the grooves, within the power limits of the machine obviously. I am not worried about reducing machining time by a few minutes, but that is just my, simple world view.

What we are discussing is the requirements and specification for any drive, which informs the decision to make or buy.

How important is total flexibility? If traverse rate is so important why don't drives for manual mills have speedometers?

Obviously Chris you are right about steppers being controllable and readily available, and easy for those who understand the drivers.

I will admit to an unpleasant formative experience building a 5-axis CNC that blew up the drivers every time I made a goof in the programming, they where less sophisticated in those days.

My interest in wiper motors is firstly that I have one in the loft and secondly that I feel we only need two or three speeds for most use; fast traverse, stock removal and finish milling/flycutting. The other parameter, spindle speed, is usually readily and accurately adjustable to fit the application. So a simple drive does the job.

What do people think?