Member postings for Russell Eberhardt

A useful table showing these steels can be found here.

Unfortunately this numbering system (to BS.970) has been superceded by that in BS. EN. 10027 which I find very confusing and gives very little information as to what each grade is suitable for. It even gives two distinct systems of classification, a symbolic and a numeric one.

Here in France most suppliers stick to the old French system.

Russell.

Better safe than sorry but it is very unlikely to be a problem as these bench grinders use direct drive from a single phase induction motor. Depending on the number of poles the motors are rated at 1400 rpm or (usually) 2800 rpm. Six inch wheels should be rated at about 4000 rpm.

Yes a new grinder would be cheaper but the wheels are usually poor quality and wear quickly.

Russell.

When I started metalwork lessons at school (in 1961) we had to rub a few spots of oil onto our hands on entering the workshop to avoid rusty fingerprints on tools and machines. A practise I still stick to and I have very little problem with rust here.

Russell

One of these?

That and the four facet drill attachment have been my most used acessories. The slitting saw attachment was used once to sharpen all my slitting saws but hasn't been out of the drawer since.

Russell.

Yes, I have a few of those in my spacer drawer as well. Never throw anything away!

Russell

I have both a plunger type with 1 thou reolution and a lever type with 1/10 thou resolution. 99% of the time the lower resolution one is used in preference and the lever one stays in the drawer.

One point that nobody has mentioned so far is that the graduations on the plunger type are reasonably accurate while those on the lever type vary with the anlge the lever makes with the work.

Russell.

Depends what you are using the parallels for. I often use a single narrow one under work in the vaice. It has to be narrower than the work and you need a range of heights.

Sinver steel sections are however very useful. I also use a pair of old Rover 2000 gudgeon pins which are very accurately ground to 1" dia.

Russell.

On my Atlas lathe the locking pin is more fragile than the back gears, although of course it would be cheaper to replace!

Russell.

I do find reverse useful but only for unscrewing the die when making a long thread or removing a stuck chuck from the spindle with it in low backgear speed.

Russell

When I purchased my first mill I made my own set of parallels following the method outlined by Harold Hall in his book "Milling a complete course" and I've been using them ever since. Easy to make in whatever size you need and much cheaper than bought sets.

Russell.

Been there, done that, broken the drill!

Russell.

Ken,

Yes that's what I meant - perhaps Altzhimers is setting in

If you're feeling dated you may be interested in the lab I learned about electrical machines in:

No worries about health and Safety then!  Three phase supply on open brass terminals, open rotating machines.  It taught you respect

Russell.

Edited By Russell Eberhardt on 16/08/2012 15:52:58

If you want a day trip to Calais you could try these people: **LINK**

Russell

Mike,

To answer your original question, I have the Glanze tool and while it may not be the best it works for me. For smaller sizes I tend to stick to home made HSS tooling.

The difference between front and rear mounting isn't just rigidity but, due to the geometry, a rear mounted tool tends to move away from the work when it deflects while a front mounted one moves towards it which causes digging in. Thus , for a light or worn lathe the rear mounted one works best.

Russell.

I've been using Air Liquide for some time. In France you can buy the bottles and refils in most DIY stores. My last acetylene refil (1000 litres) cost about 70 euro.

I don't know the cost of new bottles but a complete welding kit can be bought for less than 500 euro.  Might be worth a day trip to Calais?

Russell.

Edited By Russell Eberhardt on 15/08/2012 16:51:58

It sounds as if the tailstock is set over. Put a centre in the tailstock, one in the headstock and bring them together. They should line up exactly. You can lightly pinch a razor blade between the two and adjust the tailstock untill it sits at right anles to the lathe axis.

If that doesn't work Google for "Rollie's Dad's Method" to get the lathe properly leveled

Russell

The age shouldn't be a problem I started with a lathe about 100 years old. If it's knackered you can fix it/get round it.

Your numbered points:

1. Fixed by asking here.

2. Try rubbing the cutting edge across the back of your fingernail. If it won't produce fine shavings sharpen it.

3. Make sure there isn't any play in the headstock bearings they should be tight enough so that without the drive connected if you spin the chuck by hand it won't do more than one or two revolutions before stopping. Make sure the gibs are tight enough. Is there any possibility of the tool movine in the toolpost or vibrating? Keep the tool tip as close to the toolpost as you can. Does the lathe vibrate much when in drive?

Hope that gives you something to look at as a start.

Russell.

As Ken said, the voltage depends on the speed you require. What is probably more important to consider is the power you require (proportional to torque x speed). At a given speed the current through the motor is proportional to the applied torque. Most of the heating power is caused by the current x the winding resistance squared.

If you don't want to do the measurements and calculations, Ken's finger test is the way to go.

Russell.

When I first started machining silver steel I used to get a rough finish but now can get a good finish. I don't know what I'm doing differently - just practise I guess. I use a sharp HSS tool, a bit of suds brushed on, andspeed slightly slower than for MS.

Russell.

Yes, you'll need to make the 40 tpi screw yourself. The complicated locking system, though elegant, isn't really necessary (IMHO). You can just fit a grub screw at right angles to the toolbit to lock it although you do have to be careful that it doesn't shift the toolbit.

Russell.