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Member postings for Gray62

Here is a list of all the postings Gray62 has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.

<< First < Prev 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Next > Last >>
Thread: Another 'What Mill' Question
06/09/2010 20:39:51
Beware of the mini mill, whether it be Warco, or other supplier, it is almost guaranteeed that the gear system employs nylon or some other 'plastic' gear train. I have a mini mill clone and stripped the gears within a few weeks. Since then I have converted it to belt drive and CNC for small parts such as clock wheels etc.
Which mill you choose depends very much on what you want to machine. I have achieved a great deal of milling operations on my 6" swing lathe with a vertical slide, similar to the Myford type although a 'homebrew' equivalent. 
I have subsequently purchased a huge Ajax AJT4 which far exceeds my needs but is stable and extremely efficient at everything it does.
 
So, evaluate your requirements and then evaluate what is available, both new and second hand (fleabay).
 If you are considering a Warco offering, then I would heartily recommend a visit to their open day next weekend. Roger and his team are very helpful and knowledgeable and will give good advice based on your requirements.
 
 I have no personal alliegience to Warco but my past experience with them has far exceeded my expectations and I have no hesitation in recommending them as a supplier.
Thread: Where's the digital edition?
03/09/2010 22:59:48
I always used to receive my subscription copy 4 or 5 days before it was in the shops, now it seems to arrive the day before or on the day of sale.
I don't mind if the digital edition is released a few days after the publishing date but s a subscription copy should arrive earlier than that!
What's going on??
 
I appreciate that David has had health/injury issues recently and that the deputy editor is moving on but this has been an ongoing issue for some months now.
Thread: Phase Converter Which Type?
23/08/2010 23:52:19
HI Aidan, I also have an AJt4, I fitted it with 2 inverters from Direct drives, one to run the spindle and the other to run the feed motor.
I utilised the existing control ppod and aded some relays to do the switching. If anyone is interested I will produce a wiring diagram of how to achieve this.
The suds pump is currently unused as I use an air powered fog free coolant spray system of my own design however, as the suds pump motor is only 1/8 hp, it can easily be run on a single phase supply with a phase capacitor supplying the 'dummy' 3rd phase, again, if anyone needs detailse let me know and I will provide the necessary info
 
regards
 
coalburner
 
 
 
 
 

Thread: Sterling engine piston matl.
23/08/2010 22:29:00
For those of you who use Internet explorer,
http://www.iespell.com/
 
for firefox, look here,
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/language-tools/


there are many others to support other browsers, the forum should not be relied upon to spil chok ower mistuks!!


regards


coalburner
 
 

Thread: Motor oil as lubricant - corrosion?
23/08/2010 21:57:18
Old engine oil contains many by-products of the combustion process, these being carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulpher dioxide and other particulates. Much of these are ejected through the engine exhaust system however as engine wear increases, some of these elements will inevitably be absorbed into the engine oil due to blow by of the piston rings etc - this among other factors determines the reason and frequency for oil changes.
 
So, to sum up, old engine oil is a dirty contaminated substance which should not be used as a substitute for good quality lubricants, after all, the purpose of a lubricant is to prolong bearing surface life and not to introduce unwanted contaminents.
 
\if you are using new fresh oil, then there should be no problem, but do not be tempted to use the oild you just drained ou of your sump !
 
regards
 
coalburner
Thread: Clarkson Chuck - removing the centre
23/08/2010 18:49:30
HI guys,
thanks for the advice, but I have already tried both methods, my son put them in a 50T press in his workshop and failed to remove the centres!!, so a hefty blow wiht a 14Lb sledge was really a gratifying but in realiity a uneventive attempt  at removing the centre. These centre have been in place for a very long time and I suspect will be very difficult to remove without some extreme persuasion.
 
I think it is time for extreme measures, I've got nothing to lose as I have a number of other chucks ( very fortunate to acquire several in a workshop clearance deal) so brutality may prevail, but thanks for the suggestions.
 
cheers
 
Graeme
Thread: David Clark
23/08/2010 17:41:02
l would like to echo the comments made by both Richard Parsons and John Coleman, David, you do a great (and often thankless) task. It is often a difficult task moderating forums and as a support engineer for a web hosting company, I sympathise with you when customers expectations are greater than the service level you have advertised to provide. That said, there was never any SLA stated for this forum and, as with any new service, there will be teething problems and ongoing improvements.

There are ways in which the site and forum could be improved. There is already a Website Questions, Comments, and Suggestions area where comments for improvements and grips can be posted without detracting from the predominant reason for this forum's existence.
 
Regards
 
Graeme
 
 
 

Edited By Kelvin Barber on 23/08/2010 18:31:46

Thread: Clarkson Chuck - removing the centre
20/08/2010 15:26:19
   I have a couple of Clarkson autolock chucks which have fairly mangled centres, I have tried various methods to remove these to no avail.

Does anyone have any advice for removing the centres?

thanks in anticipation.
Thread: In search of Peter Rawlinson
13/08/2010 22:54:07
John, beware, CTS occurs in varying degrees and in some cases has varying complications, such as diabetes and arthritis which can preclude efective treatment.
Early diagnosis is also key to effective treatment of CTS. If not detected early enough, permanent damage to the median nerve will preclude effective treatment of the condition.
To make such a bland and overarching statement as you have will only serve to inflame the feelings of suffers of this debilitating condition!! And I speak from experience on this.
 

Thread: Lathe Drive Motors, 1ph or 3ph?
13/08/2010 22:14:46
Having run my lathe (a Warco WMT300) on both single and 3 phase motors, I can quite confidently say that there is absolutely no difference in the quality of surface finish.
 
The advantage of running a 3 phase motor on a a VFD is quite simply the ability to adjust speed at the touch of a button, although, I do change drive belst settings to get really low speeds as running any motor at low speed will cause overheating issues. I also have an auxilliary cooling fan on the motor to cover such eventualities.
 
Unless your motor is very badly mounted, there should be no difference in surface finish between single and 3 phase motor drive.
 
Be very wary of the temptation to run any 3 phase motor at increased frequency unless specifically rated for such operation. Most 'common' 3 phase motors will not run well at higher frequencies.
Thread: Workshop Electrics
05/08/2010 09:50:16
Part P can be read here
 
http://www.theiet.org/publishing/wiring-regulations/part-p/

Thread: The story behind logging in...
04/07/2010 20:07:29
Slightly off topic but, fpor those ot you experiencing problems with cutting and pasting from MS Word, try installing Notepad++
http://sourceforge.net/projects/notepad-plus/
This is a verycomprehensive, feature rich replacement for notepad, witho0ut the overheads of a 'Word processor'. i.e. its output is still raw text. It is also sensitive to many scripting languages, such as xml, java vbscript etc etc.
We use it heavily on all of our hosting servers (I work for an ISP), and find it both lightweight and user friendly.
On a more thread based note, I have never experienced a problem logging in nor do I get the page not found type of errors.
I do occasionally get logged out and a feature that the sys admins could incorporate is a check box on login to say 'keep me logged in until I log out'. This could be set to expire after a 'reasonable' time of inactivity.
 
Cutting and pasting usernames and passwords is not a practice I would recommend or condone, as, as many have said, it is so easy to introduce spurious characters.
 
regards

Coalburner  

 

 
 


 
 
 

Thread: Measuring tool accuracy
02/07/2010 21:21:31
Let's face it, we are model engineers, we are chasing fit and finish not supreme accuracy.
Many years ago, when I worked in the steel industry, we chased 10 thou accuracy as acceptable for a plate to roll out of the mill. and 1 thou accuracy for a machined part.
In modern industry such as aerospace or motor racing, they aspire to 1/10 thou or greater accuracy (or the equivalent in metric!!).  Well, when you are building a traction engine or locomotive, that level of accuracy is far from achievable o necessary. In most cases. What we want to achieve is comparative accuracy, so If the bore of the cylinder is measured with a guage of similar accuracy to the tool that is used to measure the OD of the piston, then comparative accuracy is sufficient.
To precisely guage accuracy of a measuring instrument, it needs to be compared to a precision standard which is held at a constant temperature.
We are not working to these levels of accuracy and have no need to. We need to compare and be aware of the degree of accuracy required to achieve the end result - a model that runs, is as efficient as it can be and represents the design from which it is scaled.
 
Supreme accuracy is extremely difficult to achieve!!
 
Graeme
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 

Thread: Cover Change
02/07/2010 21:00:38
I agree, I haven't been a subscriber for long, however, I do feel that the change in finish is detrimental to the longevitly of the magazine. If it slides off the bench, then make a magazine stand - it's not rocket science. I've used one for years, both in the workshop and in the kitchen, to support magazines, printed documents and cookery books, and htey work very well.
To all those who have complained about the finish of the magazine - stop whinging and get on with engineering, if you whine about trivialities, then I think you have too much time on your hands!!!
 
My last comment may be controversial and I apologise if it offends however, I have been in the engineering industry most of my life and I get wound up by those who complain and do not do!
 
 

 

Thread: ME Issue 4381 - 02 July - Subscription Copy Delivery ?
01/07/2010 19:42:09
nope mine hasn't arrived either
 
Graeme
Thread: Micrometer ratchet stop
30/06/2010 17:48:07
Thanks for your replies,
Terry, understand where you're coming from but I am against the current trend of a throw away society, if it can be repaired, then it should be. The sentimental or intrinsic value is of no consequence, nor is the ultimate value, the fact is that these are well made measuring instruments and have a value to me. I see any repair as a challenge, having repaired a number of clocks that were deemed by my local clockmaker as Beyond economic repair I value the challenge of repairing anything, and am merely seeking any advice from anyone who has undertaken similar repairs. \the machining of the components presents no challenge whatsoever.
 
Keith, I understand what you are saying and I must admit, I don't often use the ratchet as feel can be just as accurate, depending on how well the ratchet is set up. The point is. I want to restore these Mic's to as near original condition as possible, thats most of the fun in engineering.
 
So, lets forget all the negatives, and throw aways and concentrate on the engineering aspect of this post.
 
with all due respect
 
Graeme
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Thread: Supplier for shaft seals, lip seals
29/06/2010 19:44:41
Try http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/, very reasonable and very helpful

regards


Graeme
Thread: Micrometer ratchet stop
28/06/2010 15:27:07
   I have a couple of Moore & Wright micrometers that need the ratchet mechanism repaired/replaced. One has the ratchet disk and knob intact but is missing the pawl and spring. The other is missing most of the mechanism.
Does anyone know if parts are available from any source that might effect a useable repair on these, or have any suggestions as to a way forward.
I accept that calibration will be affected no matter what I do however, these are generally used for comparative testing and supreme accuracy is not essential. Once I can repair, I wil then invcestigate a suitable calibration method
Thread: Lathes??
15/06/2010 20:35:34
If you are considering the 'chinese' option, have a look at both warco http://warco.co.uk and chester http://chesteruk.net. They both offer small lathes at exeptionally good value. I have experience of bothe companies and can vouch for their after sales service and sound advice. If you are looking for something in the Myford series 7 size, then the warco 918 or BV20 are good options as are the chester 920 or DB10.
 
It all depends on what you want to do and what you expect of the machine. there is not a lot to beat an original Myford for quality and robustness but you get what you pay for.
I have had both Chester and Warco lathes for many years and have been more than happy with their capabilities, but I still desire an original ML7 with the Tri Leva system as that is what I first used as an apprentice and it has a nostalgic appeal.
 
 
Thread: Milling Machine
11/06/2010 23:17:42
I would strongly recommend you do NOT consider the X1 or X2 type mills or any of their clones. Don't buy a milling attachment for your lathe!! Having owned an X2 type, I can testify to the weakness inherent in the plastic gear set, I eventually built my own belt drive replacement. That said, I then upgraded to a much heavier bench mill and then to a fully industrial turret mill. I can only say that anything that is bench mounted is going to be limited by its mounting. Milling is a process which induces a significant amount of vibration and the greater mass you have in the machine, the less will be transmitted to the tool and the workpiece.
With that in mind, you then need to take into consideration the type and size of work you will undertake. The X3 and machines of a similar size are very capable of very good results provided the limitations of the machine are understood.
 
I machine parts for engines rangiing from small aero engines up to medium size traction engines and all of this is catered for in my Ajax AJT4 - a big mill but extremely sturdy and accurate. Choose a machine that is capable of at least twice the size that you intend to make and you will have the rigidity you desire. If you go for a bridgeport or similar, yolu will not regret your choice.
<< First < Prev 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Next > Last >>
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