Member postings for ChrisH

That's a good tip Martin, like the idea of the velour.

Wood can be corrosive, just think oak and steel (or iron as it was then) bolts in old boats, the bolts get wasted away within the wood. There may not be a condensation issue within the shed but there is always moisture in the air in varying degrees of humidity. Just suggesting!

Chris

You could also try Brasso

Rozalex Barrier Cream,

- if you can find it, Mole Valley sell it, or did, always used to be good. They do wet and dry versions. Used it for years when I was at sea in the MN in the engine room.

Chris

Dave, maybe where Richard was coming from is the 'elf n' safety has become such a dominant issue in life now that we all fret about something no-one would have thought twice about years ago?

We need the power of rational analysing thought these days, done for ourselves, but like common sense it isn't taught anymore it seems!

Chris

Windy - John, I screw cut keeping the half nuts in all the time and screwed up to a shoulder/undercut no worries, but my lathe stops pretty promptly (essential!) and I go very slowly, 30-40 rpm, and watch it like it was my wallet!

Chris

Vic - about 5 seconds, 14 years ago, soon as I opened the box and switched on! Never looked back.

Chris

When I had a Windows computer I had a version of AutoCad Lite which was quite good. However, I am now an Apple convert and detest Windows!

I now use TurboCad for Mac and have used it both on an iMac and currently on a 15" MacBook Pro, the screen is a tad small but I find it OK and have worked up both house plans and engine drawings with good results. Onto TurboCad for Mac Ver.7 now and like it, have got used to it and it does all that I want. The more you use it the more little tricks and shortcuts you learn I find. I think TC for Mac is now up to Ver.9 but I have not upgraded, can't justify the upgrade cost.

I tried Draftsight 2D for free but couldn't get on with it, probably because I was more used to TC, but I think if I was starting from scratch it would have been different.

I learnt Engineering Drawing at school and college and so tend to draw on CAD like it was a paper drawing. I'm 71 now and drawing in 2D is no problem but trying to get my head around drawing in 3D is a definite no-no, no way known! I have been told that if you start to learn in 3D it all comes easy and naturally and presumably 2D follows, I don't know. But others here have advised to go try and chose what comes easy for you, what's simple for one is hard for another and vice versa, and I think that's right and good advice.

Chris

Mike - you're talking proper Single Malt, as loved and appreciated, on it's own in the glass, not that rubbish: just feel sorry for the Yanks if all they have to put up with is JB and coke, of all things, that is simply not in the same league at all.

Chris

I think, like Neil, that Motorway Management does keep the traffic flowing, if a little slower, rather than stopping and starting. The real trouble is that the volume of traffic has risen to a huge amount and continues to do so as the months and years roll on. Not really surprising as the population of the country is rising so steeply. Everyman and his dog wants a car these days naturally, can't blame them for that, and with immigration soaring naturally traffic is getting denser and denser. So with ever more vehicles on the road and only a limited amount of road space as we are a small island traffic is always going to go slower and slower and so motorway management to keep traffic flowing is bound to increase. Traffic may not flow as quickly as one would like with Motorway Management, or even as fast as Motorway Management would suggest with their signs, but generally it does flow. The only solution is a drastic population reduction to reduce the volume of traffic, so if everybody else leaves the country pronto, right now, we few can drive about in peace and quiet at the speed we want! Simples!

Chris

My daughter has the Dacia Stepway - a version of the Sandero - with a 3 cylinder 0.9 turbo petrol engine and it's absolutely brilliant, excellent spec for such am inexpensive car, most of the parts are Renault, so please don't rubbish Dacia because of the perhaps the name, I don't know, Andrew.

Thanks Richard - that's brilliant!

Chris

Richard - thanks for that, I'm on the case!

Chris

Richard, may I ask, where did you get your welding helmet from and did it have a model name or other identifier?

I am sorry, but I am not sure where you detailed the item on here!

Chris

Yep, with you guys with Led Zepp, Pink Floyd, Stones, Cream, Moody Blues, Joe Cocker, Hendrix, Dylan, Travelling Wilburys, whatever, 60's mix, a bit of classical thrown in, but envy you being able to belt it out as it should be - I try it and get complaints from Senior Management worrying about noise for our neighbours - they might like it as well but they aren't allowed to sample it. Mind you, they are hitting their 90's, so I suppose it's fair doo's.

Chris

Quite right Andrew, your plan's a good 'un, let it all wash over you, providing the boss is happy with your work and the money comes in each month then let the other buggars bitch amongst themselves, there's more to life than that, your flying and workshop are far more important. Me, I'm retired and far too busy to go to work.......!

Chris

Well, it's just as well that I bought that box of 127 assorted shrink tubing yesterday - today whilst attacking the overgrown vegetation invading our garden from the wood behind, I managed to chop through the mains lead of the electric hedge trimmer I was using, so shortly I will have a couple less than 127 pieces in the box, that couple will be on the mains lead.

Chris

No, the tray is not magnetic, I'm not quite that daft, only the tray backing plate, which is at 90 degrees to the tray, has some magnets and they are at the top of the back plate, well out of harms way, and they allow the tray to hang onto the side of the lathe stand, and as they are just magnets, the tray is not permanently fixed but can be moved about if I require it. The magnets are not close enough tto anything to worry stuff much.

The tray works really well and now at least I know where I've put things, for now anyway.

It is actually called a "magnetic tool compartment", but in reality it is just a tray with a back that extends above and below the tray by a couple of inches or so each way. Well worth £4.99 ,if only for the convenience of it.

Chris

PS - How much cling film can you get for £18.59 a roll?, you must be able to wrap pallet loads with that amount.......

Please don't put comments like "Popped into Lidl this morning and used a whole £2.99 on a magnetic strip tool holder." on here, I'm the sort of simple soul that can get into serious bother with Senior Management when I go to check it out.

Because I looked, then decided that the magnetic tool tray at £4.99 would be far better to add to my lathe to hold things like the micrometer, digital calipers, odd tools and gauges I am forever putting down and losing while I work, then there was a set of chrome-vanadium steel sockets 6-20mm plus 3 short extensions for £7.99, then a bag of 250 cable ties in 4 or 5 assorted sizes for £1.99, then a box of 125 assorted sized rubber 'O' rings for £2.99, a box of 127 pieces assorted sized shrink tubing at £2.99 - how useful are they two to have handy? - and how could I pass up a digital radio controlled alarm clock at only £4.99?

So my intention to maybe, perhaps maybe, get a £2.99 magnetic strip tool holder ended costing me £25.94 - Talk about living dangerously. Luckily Senior Management was in a good mood today and not watching the pennys, even if there were my pennys she was watching.

Chris

Edited By ChrisH on 22/04/2017 15:20:51

Adrian - if you could add a temporary spindle underneath so as to be able to mount it vertically - assuming it would all stay together of course - you could then see if stuff mounted on the faceplate let it run true, i.e., the faceplate was balanced, before it went on the lathe. I like the idea very much, it has set me thinking........!

Chris

i would go on all that has been listed so far, starting with the 4 jaw independent chuck, the DTI and the 0-1" (or 0-25mm) micrometer - they are a 'must'.  The 4 jaw is my chuck of choice every time.

If you have the space and money, a tool high on my list is the metal cutting bandsaw. I have a small one that fits under the bench but can still cut as per the usual 6x4's. Unless you really like hacksawing and are very good at it, meaning quick and able to cut straight every time, no wandering off line, the bandsaw is worth it''s weight in gold - certainly has been in my shed! Be lost without it now!

Chris

Edited By ChrisH on 29/03/2017 22:52:37