Member postings for KenL

Having gone through this sort of migration on forums before whilst being a member of staff I strongly advise all mods and admins to get a good nights sleep tomorrow night as you're not likely to get another one for a few weeks.

Good luck with the migration, see you on the other side.

Many thanks for that offer Ian.

Maybe you could message me with a price?

In the meantime the bimetal blade has arrived and performs much better than the carbon ones at the lowest speed. Only time will tell if these blades last a reasonable amount of time, they are substantially more expensive than the standard metal cutting blade supplied by the manufacturer of the saw (Elu/Dewalt).

Precisely my reason for posting here - thanks for your contribution, well informed advice is often advisable when considering propositions from sources such as U-tube.

I haven't yet dismantled the motor so can't be certain of its construction but it doesn't sound like a brush motor and although it's only what I would describe as partially integrated (custom flange fitted) it would involve quite a lot of work to fit a different unit.

I've ordered a bimetal blade to try which should withstand a higher cutting speed so I'll see how that performs and then investigate the motor more closely if needs be.

Any further observations would be welcome.

KenL

Hi All

I'm sure this subject must already be covered somewhere but can I find it????

Basically what I want to do is reduce the speed of a recently acquired bandsaw

It's fitted with a small 0.7kw 2 pole single phase motor and runs far too fast (even on slow speed) for cutting mild steel. There doesn't appear to be a start capacitor fitted and a mechanical solution or change of motor would be quite difficult.

Looking on Google and U-tube it appears that it should be possible to run a single phase motor from a 220v 3 phase output VFD by splitting the start/run windings across the three output phases. Has anyone tried this and can offer some advice?

Are you sure? Have you used one?

Back in the 1970s I did some very demanding work using one on thin stainless and brass sheet with good accuracy and nil distortion, The main requisite for good results is that the cutter plates are very sharp and carefully adjusted to suit the material being cut.

Am I being naive or is there really any need for complex solutions for cutting thin sheet without distorsion?

I can't believe that no-one has suggested a Monodex cutter (search on Ebay).

I haven't used one for years but ISTR that they did not distort the metal at all.

The drawback side is that you need some stamina to use them for all but the thinnest sheet.

The process of blueing/browning as practised for hundreds of years by gunsmiths is very simple, I've done it many times on shotgun barrels in the distant past. It can produce a fabuous finish but takes time and patience.

Browning and blueing is exactly the same process except for the boiling of the final product to change the colour. The item to be treated is first degreased then covered in a rust promoting liquid. This liquid can vary considerably and there are many old recipes that claim to be the best, most of them containing ingredients that would be very hard to obtain these days. the most common ingredient used would usually be copper sulphate along with various acids/nitrates/phosphates (and usually urine). In truth the same result can be obtained with plain old water - but it takes much longer. After coating with the rust promoter the item is placed aside in a damp environment for a few days to develop a coating of rust, most of which is then removed with wire wool. The process is then repeated numerous times until a deep and even coating of rust remains. If a brown finish is required it would then be washed, waxed and polished. If a blue or black finish is required then the item would be immersed in boiling water until the rust turns the required shade of blue, followed by waxing and polishing.

This old process can produce a superb and durable finish if properly done - but it can take weeks or months to develop a deep satin blue sheen.

You may well have a short circuit in one of the rotor windings, this usually leads to sparking between brushes and commutator, impossible to repair economically. If you have a motor rewind shop nearby they might be willing to drop test the windings for you to detect any short circuits. Another sign of shorted windings is when the solder joints between winding and segments start to melt out due to heat buildup, you'll usually see spots of solder on the inside of the casing where it's spattered out as the rotor spins.

The first thing I would try though is to skim and undercut the commutator. As it's the lathe motor you probably won't be able to skim it unless you have access to another lathe. You could however just clean it off with some fine emery cloth and then undercut it by hand using a piece of broken off hacksaw blade whilst the rotor is mounted between centres. Pay particular attention to any areas of blackening between segments and make sure you cut the insulator down to clean material with no burning or blackening in the bottom of the slots between the segments.

There are videos on U-tube on how to do the job if you search.

For preventing corrosion on machined surfaces I've always found Loctite sf 7803 to be most effective. Not often stocked by most UK suppliers these days unfortunately.

Good luck with the surgery.

The most common cause is simply the needle fouling the dial or the glass, easily fixed if the bezel will come off.

Thanks for the advice evryone, much appreciated and keep it coming.

Indeed I can Ketan - and I will.

The SX3 looks a nice machine (as do many others) and I don't really need too many "bells and whistles" at this stage, just a nice sturdy handle twiddler will do fine as a starter. I'm looking at the used market first and not finding a lot on offer as yet. I have a couple worth looking at so maybe I'll get out and about to suss them out next week.

PS: The last mill I owned was an old ex lease-lend horizontal jobbie that I spent weeks on end making a vertical drive for - I won't be doing that again!

Thanks for that tip Oldiron, I've just sent that seller a message.

Seems like Sieg machines are popular?

Thanks for the welcome Hopper.

I'll take a look at that one but the car restoration isn't a factor any more, I got too many aches & pains these days to crawl around under cars.

Hi Baz

Yes they seem to be the local choices, just looking for some personal recommendations from you guys. I don't want to travel too far and there don't seem to be any others nearby.

Hi everyone, I'm Ken

I'm returning to the hobby after 40 years absence - I hope!

I have a couple of unfinished projects that were started in the 1970s and 1980s so plenty to do but first job is to rebuild the workshop and find a society to join, I'm on theSurrey/Hant's border so let me know if you can recommend a friendly local group.

I already have an aged Boxford that I've used on car restorations that's in quite good nick so that's a start but I need a small bench milling machine so does anyone have any recommendations as to which ones are a good buy?