By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more

Member postings for Calum Galleitch

Here is a list of all the postings Calum Galleitch has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.

Thread: Install & commission of a Chester Cub 630 (Warco GH750)
11/06/2021 14:37:09

While I wait for delivery and electrics to be sorted out, I'm looking at what else I need to do before I can press the on button.

One thing that I am havering about a little is that there is a D1-5 4 jaw chuck on eBay for £170 with delivery at the moment, and looking at the prices of D1-5 accessories I am half thinking I should just snap it up, even though the 4 jaw is less immediately necessary to get things up and running.

Onto the shopping list. I'm ignoring small items that are easily got via eBay - centre drills and the like.

  • Centres: a live, dead, and half centre (MT3)
  • A set of 12mm HSS turning tools
  • Measuring: micrometer, dial indicator, dial test indicator, magnetic stand
  • Oiler (recommendations welcome!)

Oils. The GH750 manual I have, written in slightly broken English, states "machine oil" and "machine oil no. 20". From what I gather, I want ISO32 oil for gearboxes, and ISO 68 for ways and everything else.

  • I see both these being sold under various use names (eg ISO68 as slideway, hydraulic, vacuum pump, air compressor, etc). Does this matter or is it all the same stuff?
  • What quantity of oil will the gearboxes need (headstock, feed, and apron)?
  • How much way oil/ISO68 do people get through? Warco sells it in 500ml bottles which feels a bit stingy.

Also on oil - what's the right way to dispose of it? Will recycling centres that take motor oil take it? I'm guessing the oil in it has never been changed so I expect one of the first things to do will be a complete oil change (tips welcome!)

Thread: Into the darkness
09/06/2021 17:53:27

I'm all in favour of switching to LED where possible, and believe it will be a good thing, but I would like to see LED bulbs properly guaranteed. I object to paying ten times the cost for something that often lasts no longer. I bought three LED bayonet fitting bulbs last summer and all three have since met their demise.

Thread: Harrison M250 single phase to 3 phase power supply
08/06/2021 13:43:34

Malcolm, having just been through the research for a similar project, the basic bottom line (as I understand it) is this:

- A box that plugs into the wall and into which you plug your lathe is *possible*, but to be of adequate quality to not damage your machine and supply sufficient juice means well into four figures. The Clarke type boxes are electrically noisy and don't supply enough startup current under heavy load.

- The cheapest approach is a digital inverter (as per your Amazon link) which powers *only* your motor. If you have pump, lights, etc, these need rewired as necessary separately. The M250 is new enough that the motor will almost certainly be able to do this easily (don't be intimidated by talk of star and delta wiring, it's a matter of a few screws).

- Check your electrics! A surprising number of houses, especially older ones, have three phase right to the meter. If this is the case, it may be cheaper than you think to get it up and running.

Thread: Install & commission of a Chester Cub 630 (Warco GH750)
23/05/2021 17:11:22

Thanks all for your replies, some really helpful ideas, and my apologies for not responding to them all individually. I've just a couple of quick questions arising:

John, Raymond: can you tell me roughly what size tube/rod the lifting holes can take? Scaffold tube is a smidge under 50mm, which to me looks awfully tight from the photos. Also, can you get at the inside of the stand from the sides?

I've been out and walked the ground again and the more I look at it, the less keen I am on trying to roll it on poles; the ground is uneven enough than I can see the poles getting stuck very easily, and there is the odd dip/pothole, in particular a gutter runs in front of the door. While I hope to have some useful bodies on hand to assist, it may potentially be just me.

I am thinking back to my plan A. These dollies:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unibos-Trolley-Furniture-Moving-Platform/dp/B07Z6H1KVK/

look like the two cabinet feet should sit on them pretty solidly, and handily, they are just under the pallet size, so it should be easy enough to block, wedge and prybar them onto the dollies, pull out the pallet, then put one end up on blocks to get most of the dolly under it, and repeat at the other end. Then bolt or clamp them to the lathe, and then very carefully steer it to its new home. And as Jason and John say, getting the tailstock and other gubbins off will hopefully make it a little less easy to tip. I did ride horses for many years which have similar problems, so the issue isn't entirely new to me...

22/05/2021 18:27:39

> One, use scaffold poles and plenty of them.

One of the problems I have is I don't have a chance to see this thing before it turns up, or get much more information about it. Scaffold poles is definitely one option but my worry is what's going on underneath the footbrake - I can see there's a bar of some sort but I'm not sure if it's there on both sides or how much weight it can handle should it accidentally end up supporting half the weight of the lathe.

> borrow a JCB

I did think about this, and yes, I don't think it would be a problem, but they can still only get me as far as the door, I think - that space in front of the workshop is big enough to get a vehicle reversed into but not for a JCB to do anything but drop the pallet in front of the door - which would still be a bonus, for sure! And I need a plan B anyway as there's any number of reasons I might not be able to get help for a day or three - apart from anything else it's still lambing up here.

In terms of lifting, it has holes to run lifting poles through (the small covers at the top of the legs of the stand), though helpfully the manual doesn't recommend a size.

> Can you take the splashback off

I hope so, and will if I can, but I don't know!

> Once in the workshop

Yes, this is the bit that's worrying me least at the moment - it's fairly level concrete and while it's tight it's manageable.

> I've also found it in a 2002 catalogue...so it may give you a clue on it's age

Thanks Nicholas - that's in line with what I thought. I suspect it was sold by both the hobby and professional sides of Chester, perhaps with different paint jobs - I can't find much on it on the net (and actually, I can't find anything of the alleged Warcop GH750). One thing I'm hoping is that the school that bought it originally didn't specify a smaller motor than spec, which sometimes happens.

> used some 40mm steel bar tapped m12 each end, to make four feet with adjustable swivel soles

I like the look of that, it makes a lot of sense. I'll have quite a bit of time once it arrives and I get it in, as I need an electrician to run a 3 phase spur (I'm lucky enough to have three phase on site, which came as a pleasant surprise) and replace the wiring in the rest of the workshop.

22/05/2021 15:57:14

Thanks for the scan Nick, the list of accessories is interesting to see - that milling slide would certainly come in handy. I am hoping that the machine will take fairly standard sized accessories - though mind you, the D1-5 camlock seems to be relatively uncommon, so I suspect my first machining project is going to be an adapter plate for a 4-jaw chuck!

22/05/2021 15:52:41

So my first problem is getting it in place. It is being delivered by Palletline, so there's no telling how helpful the driver will (be able to) be. This is the entrance to my workshop:

img_20210522_134457414.jpg

and this is the view from the road:

img_20210522_134348687_hdr.jpg

There is a large area of hard standing to the left, not pictured. Palletline normally only guarantee a pallet jack on delivery, and while it is possible to get over the ground to the door - it's concrete underneath the moss, and we've done it before - I'm a bit leary about doing so with a 500 kilo lathe balanced on a Euro pallet. At the same time, I really don't fancy rolling it on scaffold poles over that ground.

Then the next problem is getting it through the door. I've measured: the gap in the door is 690mm with the door on; if I took it off, it's about 740mm. I don't want to take it off, but, 5mm clearance (width is 680mm) is hardly generous! Finally, once I am inside, I have a space that looks like this:

plan.jpg

The external door is at the top left hand corner and the lathe is to go in front of the window (the 1830 dimension is for a previous lathe I didn't go ahead with). The rectangle at the top right is a concrete shelf, the 3000mm is my bench and the smaller rectangle is my wood lathe:

img_20210522_134527357.jpg

img_20210522_134541260.jpg

At the moment, I am thinking: I need to get it on wheels to cover the ground outside, BUT ideally those wheels don't protrude out the sides to make it possible to get through the door. In addition, my turning space inside the workshop is limited.

Would it be sensible therefore to consider getting the lathe up on some dollies:

dolly.jpg

I am thinking that something like that, though higher weight capacity than this! Is it safe/feasible to do something like this? Would it be wise to bolt the lathe to the platform? Amazon have a 400kg dolly L590 x W290 x H140mm

Then, getting it off the pallet onto the dollies: Presumably I can get the lathe lifted up with blocks, wedges and a pry bar enough to get a round bar under it to roll it onto a dolly. Is there anything I should be careful about here?

Any and all other thoughts and suggestions very welcome!

22/05/2021 15:03:23

After more hours poring over machinery adverts than I would care to admit, I have finally purchased one of these machines via Warco's used machines sales. It comes with very little equipment, sadly, but it is big enough to be bigger than I can imagine needing for my purposes - and so with any luck hopefully big enough! It has come from a school and has I am told sat pretty much untouched for most of its life so far. Little of the standard equipment - steadies, chucks, etc, seem to have migrated with it. There may not even be a chuck key.

I'll have in the fullness of time lots of questions to ask, beginning with getting it in place, but first, some useful info/links. The machine is a Chester Cub 630; I am not sure how old it is, but Chester deny all knowledge of it, from what Google tells me. Apparently Warco sold a GH750 which was essentially the same machine - at the moment, I don't know what "essentially" means. The lathe was manufactured in three sizes, 500, 750, and 1000mm between centres. Note that it's a quite different machine to the present Warco GH600.

TPH have a copy of the specifications here:

https://www.tphmachinetools.co.uk/products/1410-new-chester-cub630

300mm swing, 750mm between centres, 38mm spindle bore, D1-5(!) camlock, MT3 tailstock, overall length 1650mm, width 680mm, height 1200mm. Overall weight: 500kg. Three phase.

I have a copy of the GH750 manual (thanks Gavin!) which is not hugely helpful, particularly in regard to particulars of oiling and maintenance, but the wiring diagrams and so forth are worth having.

And here is how it looks: 2355.jpg

So that's the lathe itself - I'll do a separate post about planning the move.

Thread: New member in the Scottish Borders
21/05/2021 10:56:27

If it's of any interest, Warco have just repopulated their page of used machines - one has already gone [waggles eyebrows] but there are a few Warco gearhead machines of various sizes at prices that might be worth not hanging around for!

20/05/2021 21:10:53

Posted by Jonny Rock on 20/05/2021 14:50:06:

based in the Scottish Borders

two of us! two of us!

Welcome, from the hills of Westruther.

Thread: Phone Caller ID does not work
03/05/2021 21:00:20

The problem is that as long as Plain Old Telephone Service still exists, the protocols underlying it cannot be upgraded, because they have to work internationally and also do all the tedious stuff like getting calls to the right place and make sure the right person gets billed, and an upgrade means the entire world must upgrade at once. Once POTS ceases to exist, and phones become entirely VOIP, the protocols to fix this already exist.

At a national level there are a few things that are being done: one is to block caller ID from numbers that are guaranteed never to originate phone calls, though how effective this will be I'm not sure. Banks and the like have no interest in solving the problem of identifying themselves to customers: last time I got a call from them, I picked up the phone to someone who asked "Is this Calum? What's the first line of your address? And the postcode?"

Thread: Club Constitution
10/04/2021 22:13:00

An Asset Lock is simply a term in your constitution that specifies what will happen to the assets of your organisation in the event it is wound up. Depending on whether you are a charity, CIC, standard limited company or a private member's organisation, you may already have some language around this. If you do, all you really need to do is make it clear exactly how assets would be disposed of: the "lock" means that the receiving organisation must carry on similar aims to your own organisation. No specific wording is necessary, just clear plain English!

Thread: There may be a delay in some deliveries ...
24/03/2021 22:50:55

> Evergreen Marine is the operator and the ships name is Ever Given, that’s always going to be confusing, what were they thinking?

Well, how often do people not in the trade need to worry about the names of Suezmax vessels?

>I wonder how they managed to go aground in the first place.

Very good question, and I wouldn't believe any of the explanations proposed so far. Basically, big ships are incredibly tricky to steer in narrow channels - Suez is tidal, there are weird hydrodynamic effects at play, there is wind, and the guy steering is some underpaid, undertrained dude who may not speak the boss's language very well. Once something goes wrong, 160,000 tons of boat takes a while to arrive wherever it's going.

Winds and breakdown are very plausible explanations, but the thing is: the owners are right now looking at an extraordinary set of liabilities that will keep lawyers in fine wine for years. They will not be admitting that someone was asleep at the wheel any time soon, whatever the truth.

Thread: Was Draw Filing ever a chargeable offence in the RAF?
24/03/2021 22:38:14

I suspect Old Mart has it quite right. The other thing that occurs to me is that the military inevitably adopts different terminology to the rest of us mere mortals, so maybe some quite different operation was meant.

Thread: Brazing silver steel: any caveats/recommendations?
07/03/2021 19:19:23

Dave, yes, they're very happy to get their manufacturer (they don't grind themselves, which came as a surprise) to make it up for me, if I can commit to taking around five hundred metres of it. Bit much for my little operation.

06/03/2021 22:10:49

Thanks all, and sorry for the slow reply. Epoxy does make sense (I neglected to mention I'm drilling wood).

1m lengths would be ideal, and what I normally use, but 11/64" is according to my supplier "obsolete", which rather has me scratching my head, but never mind.

Gun drills would be ideal, but very much in the future!

Thread: Locating a copy of a CDROM for a C Compiler
06/03/2021 22:07:11

It can be surprisingly difficult to locate the necessary tools to run on obsolete systems. I do not think anyone provides gcc binaries for XP, and indeed I'd be a bit wary of thing that said they did. An install CD for an IDE like Visual Studio might be easiest to procure.

What you might want to investigate is "cross-compiling", compiling code on one machine for a different machine. It's obviously more difficult to set up, as you have to know the details of the target, but in this case I suspect it might be easier than trying to make an XP machine learn to code at its stage of life. There are lawyers younger than your laptop

Thread: Brazing silver steel: any caveats/recommendations?
04/03/2021 10:32:21

I'm doing some long hole boring with unusual diameters. I can get short lengths of silver steel, but not long enough, so I'm wondering about brazing them onto a suitable shaft. Has anyone had any experiences of this? The shaft would have to be "pretty straight" but not "machinist straight", as the bit will centre and direct itself.

Thread: Looking to learn CAD
19/02/2021 17:14:22

I was wondering when someone would mention OnShape! My last experience of CAD software was AutoCad, back in the late 1990s, and I've tried nothing else since, but my experience with OnShape has been very good: it works well, seems bug free, and the documentation is excellent. I was a bit suspicious of having an entire CAD package running in the browser but it feels effortless, and my desktop machine is not that up-to-date, either.

The designs being saved publicly will obviously be offputting to some, but I find it easy enough to make up nonsense names for anything I feel proprietary about!

Thread: New member
09/02/2021 22:33:48
Posted by Paul Timothy on 09/02/2021 18:12:51:

nearly at my wit's end and thinking it may be easier to scrap the lot.

Much as I am tempted to agree and turn up with a trailer and helpfully take it all off your hands for a very modest fee, I suppose we should be honest and admit that in the grand scheme of things electrics are a relatively minor, if necessary, part of the whole business. Even if you had no motors or wires or other electrical stuff you'd still be better off than many of us!

Magazine Locator

Want the latest issue of Model Engineer or Model Engineers' Workshop? Use our magazine locator links to find your nearest stockist!

Find Model Engineer & Model Engineers' Workshop

Sign up to our Newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter and get a free digital issue.

You can unsubscribe at anytime. View our privacy policy at www.mortons.co.uk/privacy

Latest Forum Posts
Support Our Partners
cowells
Sarik
MERIDIENNE EXHIBITIONS LTD
Subscription Offer

Latest "For Sale" Ads
Latest "Wanted" Ads
Get In Touch!

Do you want to contact the Model Engineer and Model Engineers' Workshop team?

You can contact us by phone, mail or email about the magazines including becoming a contributor, submitting reader's letters or making queries about articles. You can also get in touch about this website, advertising or other general issues.

Click THIS LINK for full contact details.

For subscription issues please see THIS LINK.

Digital Back Issues

Social Media online

'Like' us on Facebook
Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
 Twitter Logo

Pin us on Pinterest

 

Donate

donate