Member postings for Clive Foster

That brad point sharpener technique looks pretty amenable to a jig or two to ensure the angles are equal and the grind central. I'd think a look at Howard Halls methods would be inspirational.

The presentation seems classic apprentice instructor style. Show and tell then walk round correcting the trainees technique as they try for themselves. I rather like the lack of flash but it doesn't really translate well to the modern YouTube age. If only thre were a way to link print out pictures to do the equivalent of teachers blackboard in a classroom.

Clive

Andrew

There are indeed glues for belt joining. Whether a more general purpose type suitable for that job among many others or a stickum stuff especially for the job. I imagine modern synthetic belt suppliers will advise on the best type for thier particular belt.

Here is what Messrs Smart & Brown advise as an appropriate technique for joining their belts, leather and composite in those days.

I imagine makers of more modern belts will advise a similar technique with their recommended adhesive

Making the joint in clear air above the headstock is clearly the best way of going about things.

If using a press like the Smart & Brown one I'd consider curving the tails to give a nicer support to the belt as it enters the press. It might well make life easier if some sort of rigid support for the press could be contrived so you have a solid base to work off. The Smart & Brown has a nice flat joint face, well clear of any pulleys, on which the headstock cover sits so its convenient to lay their press straight across it. From the pictures on www.Lathes.co it appears that the Cromwell layout is not so convenient so a support somewhat higher may work better.

Clive

Andrew

When making a glued up joint in a flat belt, especially a modern belt, its pretty much essential to use some sort of press to get the joint straight and ensure full contact at the glue line. Having to work inside the machine because the belt has to be passed through the headstock before joining makes things a bit harder.

This is the press design presented in the Smart & Brown instruction manual for use when joining belts on my 1024 VSL. Its pretty typical of the breed. Many DIY versions omit the long tail each side of the actual press area. Makes the device easier to handle but objectively something of a mistake as the long tail makes it easier to get the belt dead straight. The Smart & Brown design is deceptively large needing approaching 2 ft of clear, straight, belt length to use.

The rubber sheets help give an even pressure over the joint. No thickness is given but I imagine something over 1/8" is desirable. The polythene is essential to ensure the belt doesn't end up glued to the press. I often use Duck Tape or similar stuck to the face of things used to support a glueing job for similar purposes. Advantage of tape is that its one less loose component to fiddle with. A one hand clamp or two, such as the big plastic croc clip style or or smaller version of the cartridge gun style ones may help.

Its advisable to do several dry runs out on the bench first to nail the technique down. Do remember to orient things in the same way as you will be working on the machine. I'm not the first person to bench practice a technique that was unworkable in practice. Ooops!

Some sort of plaining guide is desirable to help get a straight, even scarf.

Old style scissors type car jacks can be useful when supporting motor and similar cumbersome weights in restricted places. Whether directly or operating on one end of a suitably long plank or similar whose other end supported by something solid on the other side of the object being moved. I grabbed 4 SAAB 900 ones for peanuts back in the day. Nice thing about those is that the actual lift plate is quite large and already drilled for bolting the object or an appropriately shaped support to it for extra security. The SAAB lift plate is bent giving two flats at an obtuse angle, 120° or so, which is an advantage about as often as it is a disadvantage.

It is not advisable to use loose levers held down by a temporarily unoccupied body part when using your hands to deal with nuts, bolts, fastenings and other stuff that is just in the way. Even an octopus is likely to run out of arms (and suckers) half way through such operations. Much less stressful to have a solid support with screw adjustment that will stay put whilst you contemplate your next move.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 23/07/2022 16:09:58

Allegedly Apple is working on adding decent "proper" hearing aid capabilities to the next generation of the iPods Pro. The current incarnation has some hearing assistance ability but its not a proper hearing aid.

If these rumours are true its likely to seriously put the cat among the hearing aid supplier pigeons.

It has to be accepted that a full day battery life is unlikely. But when two pairs of iPods Pro are significantly cheaper than a modern digital hearing aid with rapid charging via the case in your pocket the need for a one pair on / one pair charging use pattern becomes a pretty minor issue.

Whatever your views on Apple there is no doubt they pack a lot of serious technology into their products and, generally, the stuff just works doing what it says on the tin. I can't see the conventional hearing aid makers being able to keep up with the technology let alone price match. No expensive, and generally unimpressive "hearing consultants" to pay for either.

It is said that the issues are with US regulations due to hearing aids being classed as a medical device and requiring regulatory approval with sale via "qualified" people to make sure they suit the user. Ahem!

As someone who should, by official medical standards, have needed a hearing aid all my life, but learned to get along fine without, I reckon its way past time hearing aids got the SpecSavers et al price treatment. Yep. I know SpecSavers are moving into hearing aids but, having tried the current "service" Mr McEnroes famous "you cannot be serious" comment applies.

Clive

+1 to Daves comments on needing to get the two flat belt pulleys accurately aligned and parallel in both directions.

I've no experience with the Cromwell but, in other applications, I found it essential to have solid, shake free pivots if hinged plates are used for adjustment.

Ordinary hinges don't cut it. Nor do simple bolts in holes unless the pivot drilling is quite long and carefully finished. Best to do a properly fitted shoulder bolt assembly, more work but it should be possible to do all the critical stuff out on the bench where you can get at things for a straightforward job.

Fiddling about in situ to get a small bolt in large holes adjustment just so with neither space to work or a line of sight to see gets old fast. Once was quite enough for me.

You can get ball bearing hinges that are essentially shake free and well up to the loads. I got a pack of stainless steel EuroMax ones at a very attractive clearance price for a project. Very impressed with the quality. Details at :-

**LINK**          https://www.carlislebrass.com.

I imagine the proper price is "not cheap" but the £2.50 each I paid was excellent value!

I've found an effective way to get slack free, stiff but moveable, pivots is to force thick wall rubber hose into short sections of steel tube having ears welded on for fixing purposes. Car heater hose worked well for me. Inch or two long does the deed. Stiffness of the pivot depends on how tight the hose force fit in the tube is and the diameter of the inner shaft. Don't make the tube fit too tight or its near impossible to insert. Leave the rubber a bit overlong and add large washers to control side play.

Easy to get stiffness from gentle push to heave hard with no shake by varing the inner shaft diameter. Use red rubber grease.

Brucie bonus is a modest, but useful, vibration absorbtion capability.

I'd loose the plywood and do a proper "forever" job. Not something you want to revisit.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 22/07/2022 10:15:13

Glad your lift arrived and is satisfactory.

But riding the bike up onto it makes you a far braver man than I. I was always less than happy with the stability of a bike putting it onto the usual 7 or 8 + inches above floor level platform.

I eventually got one of the Souria (Ravaglioli?) X frame air over hydraulic ones feeling that 4 inches off the floor was going to be easier on the nerves than the usual type. Purchase only happened after failing dismally to make a copy using a "climb up a pole" farm jack to do the lifting. Having got the real thing its clear that I was over ambitious at the low end in expecting it to work from only 2 inches platform height. Maybe I'll finish it just to satisfy myself.

Even 4 inches off the floor was higher than I like with 560 lb or rotary Norton and 620 lb of Yamaha GTS to manhandle. A side platform to stand on whils heftin things onto the centre stand made me much happier but took up valuable floor room.

I've recently gotten tired of tripping over the bike lift and car lift platforms simply set on the floor. As both are near as dammit 4" high when parked a layer of concrete blocks topped with the interlocking garage floor tiles gives me a nice flat floor. Hefty rubber kerb ramps at the garage entrance are just shallow enough to roll a bike up. Had to replace the self dipping ramp on the bike lift with a platform extension with the usual rear wheel removal hatch. Which objectively I prefer because the standard set up always leave the back wheel hanging.

Finished and operational last week except for some final details. Should have done it years ago.

Blue platforms just creeping into shot are the car lift.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 20/07/2022 22:56:54

Probably!

The infant mortality rate of businesses is very high indeed. Especially those started as a one or two person suppliers into a market niche spotted by the originator.

Finding a niche that will allow you to build a sustainable business is hard enough. Most of them are only open for a short while before the situation changes or before a larger, more established outfit moves in to take the niche to expand their range. Established firms have the management and back up systems in place. New starts have to build the management and back up simultaneously with the business. Doesn't take long to hit the not enough hours ina day but not enough money to hire help crunch.

Building the niche filling start up into a proper, well established business is orders of magnitudes harder!

Your basic tradesman / cornershop et al "buying a job" type business supplying a known local demand is merely hard and within most folks ability if they really wan't to do it. And can manage on no sleep for ayear or two! But beyond that it gets complicated.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 15/07/2022 09:44:26

Its not a matter of spending a little more for better engineering or incremental improvements at fairly close price points. Incremental improvements being fairly irrelevant when you can't do side by side comparison. We can only spec compare and rely on seller descriptions. And what broad line pro-sumer catalogue supplier can afford to do proper testing and QC on what they supply.

Its a matter of making what you make properly. In this day and age there is no extra cost to siting the downfeed pinion bores correctly in relation to the quill and making both column and table adequately strong. Assuming a honestly and properly equipped factory.

My first pillar drill was something like the bench top Superior **LINK**

http://www.lathes.co.uk/superior-drills/

It had lost all the drive pulleys sometime in its long life before being dragged out of a next door to scrap tool emporium in 1976 for perhaps £5. The simple plain bores for quill and drive pinion were accurately placed when new, and despite wear making the drive shaft somewhat slack in its bore the mating between the rack cut on the quill was still decent with little play. The cast iron thrust surface under the two step pulely had well over 1/16" wear so it had seen lots of use. But the simple plain bore holding the pulley spigot was still good. Maybe being perhaps 3" deep by 2" bore helped. The cup and cone loose ball thrust races were coming to the end of their lives and the chuck was well past it but fitting taper roller bearings top an bottom of the quill stiffened everything up nicely. With a motor strapped on the back it gave excellent service for many years. Still going well in a friends and still has less play than any import I've seen. Frankly I only sold it because two speeds wasn't really enough and a Pollard arrived at the right price.

That drill was clearly a cheap, unbranded near the bottom of the range machine made by knife-n-fork methods in a lightly equipped factory. But it was accurate where it needed to be.

The whole point of modern production methods is to put the accuracy in the jigs and tooling so that things acn be made rapidly and cheaply. If you have the market its always cheaper to set up to do things properly "right first time" than muck around with slack fits so things can be forced together sort of. A factory not setting up so the quill and pinion bore alignment and the other simple things are correct is basically just coming the raw prawn.

Importers selling such things are, frankly, just conning their customers. Most of us have little real understanding of factory and mass production economics. If the importers insisted China Inc would darn soon up their game. Probably cheaper too!

I suspect most folk would be horrified to find out where their higher end engineering quality(?) drill presses are sold in the Chinese home market. Very back street, mon'n pop, open front workshops I think. Not proper factories.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 08/07/2022 09:12:17

Edited By Clive Foster on 08/07/2022 09:12:54

If only for occasional use would it be too much trouble to simply get a wind up reel of airline to run out when needed. I bought a 20 m, 1/4" nominal bore, one with connectors both ends from LiDL fot £ not very much some years back. I'd probably put connectors on the outside walls ov both outhouse an workshop. With suitable weather protection covers.

Maybe consider an auto retract one. Unfortunately most of the less expensive ones are too short but this one from OnBuy (whoo they!)

**LINK**

https://www.onbuy.com/gb/65ft-20m-retractable-auto-rewind-air-line-hose-reel-compressor-wall~c10574~p29835393/?exta=gshp&stat=eyJpcCI6IjUwLjU5MDAiLCJkcCI6MCwibGlkIjo0MDk1OTI3NCwicyI6MzcsInQiOjE2NTcxMDIyMjksImJtYyI6IjEuNSJ9&lid=40959274&exta=gshp&gclid=CjwKCAjwiJqWBhBdEiwAtESPaPyntR3DCEP7sp-WijWPu1yk0JyckKET_jWQvVG1XcUYW2Wf2OafXhoCFx4QAvD_BwE

gives you 20 m of 3/8" bore for just over £50. Which is remarkable value, usual suspects are £100 (ish) or more.

Making a totally reliable job of burying air hose so there is no chance of condensation and other water issues is rather more effort than it might seem. So-so and usually OK isn't too hard but if I'm going to that trouble I want always works with no moisture.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 07/07/2022 18:14:33

Michael

I think that is one of the bigger ones.

There are several different versions and sizes of these devices. From memory I'm fairly sure there are four different base designs and three, maybe four sizes.

Types 0, 1 and 2 certainly out there. I've seen a reference that type 2 is 5 1/2 inches , 140 mm jaw width. The common one seems to be 3 inches (nom), 70 mm, jaw width, allegedly size 0. I'd expect type 1 to be around 4 inches, 100 mm, jaw width. There may be a type 4 of 6 1/2 inches, 170 mm, jaw width but the data given was less than clear.

Opening always seems to be about 10 mm less than jaw width.

The bigger one(s) have four short mounting slots, one at each corner, pointing sideways.

The small ones have a single short slot at the front centre and either two long slots angled backwards from the middle(ish) giving a Y formation or two short sideways slots right at the rear.

Also a variant with the short sideways slots a little forward of the rear of the base. Only seen one picture with no size indication.

I got curious after finding mine and spent some quality Google time.

Clive

Agree with Brian, its definitely a SEVO.

Base casting on mine is a little different. The rear mounting slots come straight ot sideways rather than being at an angle.

Looks like you may be missing the locking screw actuating levers. Mine are about 3 1/2" on with short knurled sections at the end and screw into the heads of the lock screws. All quite cleverly arranged so they don't interfere with each other, probably!

Grabbed it about ten years back for £ not very much in decent workshop ready to use condition. Obviously a really useful device. Which I've yet to use.

Clive

Chris

Jasons pictures show the outer sleeve of the indicator holding part with its tapered end towards the split clamp, yours show the sleeve with its tapered end on the opposite side to the split clamp.

Could the issue be as simple as the cross holes not aligning due to the sleeve being the wrong way round relative to the inner part.

My, much older, one of similar but different design as in having no taper looks symmetrical but the holes will only line up one way round.

Generally these devices are made so the sleeve acts on the split clamp to compress it with clearance under the head of the threaded stud.

Clive

+1 for slotting a screwdriver. You have an extracted one as a pattern which makes it easier.

Single blade will be ample on self tappers in plastic but its a bit of a technique to keep the blade central and driving properly in a deep hole. I found going sideways was easier than going straight down.

Clve

There are various relatively simple ways of arranging sufficiently accurate indexing on a four way tool post that doesn't have the capability built in. A pin, preferably tapered, entering a matching hole is more than adequate for almost all purposes. A simple external ratchet device engaging in a suitable cut out on the base ought to be quicker but maybe not be quite as a accurate. Obviously the superb spring lifted multi-position face ratchet systems fitted to the four way posts on the better class of British lathes are more accurate and more versatile. But I seriously doubt whether the multiplicity of angles compared to the four easily selected using pins or external ratchet are of any general use beyond bragging rights. Most QC systems have only 2, 3 or 4 angles anyway.

If the block post is made so it can easily be changed and incorporates suitable indexing methods it has the same tool tip position repeatability as a QC system.

Indeed I've often wondered how the QC system became the approved way when its clearly considerably more expensive than a system based on interchangeable blocks. The components of a QC system must be hardened and accurately ground to size if it is to work well for any length of time. Basic machining on ordinary materials will produce entirely satisfactory blocks.

Clive

+1 for Andrews suggestion of using a 4-way or other species of block post on the original mount. Most especially if you propose to be a thoroughly modern machinist using insert tooling.

Todays prices for name brand inserts on special offer or (even cheaper) well chosen direct from China Inc make it questionable whether the lifetime financial saving at normal Model Engineer / Home Workshop guy/gal consumption rates are worth the cost and hassle of setting up to grind HSS tooling. As the tool tip height relative to holder base is, for all practical purposes, fixed a conventional QC post has no advantage over a block type. Whether single, two or four way.

The major advantage of a QC system is the ability to keep a number of tool holders pre-loaded with useful tools. Which is convenient but comes at considerable expense. It seems generally agreed that between 10 and 16 holders are needed to avoid running out of pre-loaded tools at in-opportune moments. Over the years I managed to obtain 16 or so Dickson T2 size to share between two lathes at merely "ouch" prices. Probably over £1,000 worth new now and, at best, half price for decent generic.

Effective block type posts can be made by gluing and screwing stock plate and bar sections together. There is no great difficulty in arranging for the bottom plate to be exactly the right thickness for your chosen insert holders. HSS stock still has to be shimmed to get the tip height right, which is not the issue its often claimed to be if done by measurement off the machine. Keeping the shim stack with the individual tool is a potential problem best dealt with by making several blocks and keeping them pre loaded as for QC holders. But much cheaper.

Your Atlas has a T slot in the top slide so a fixed post with a hole for holder registration is easily made. Here is the one I made for my P&W Model B.

The ring screws down using pin spanner holes to lock it into position.

The Tee nut could either be machined or made by screw'n glue from stock sections. That one is fully machined but I've used screw'n glue for Tee nuts on SouthBend machines as their Tee slots take stock imperial bar sizes so its all very easy.

That one is made for a Dickson post so having to undo the nut on the rare occasions I wish to change over to special purpose blocks is no great issue.

Spinning off a nut to swop between multiple blocks doesn't take long but if its annoying there are various ways of making a part turn release system. The one I'd favour is to make the stud in two parts with the upper parts free to turn and cross drilled to take tommy bar. The tool posts are held down via hollow nut screwed into the top with castellations sized to match the tommy bar. A partial turn of the tommy bar releases it enough for easy withdrawal allowing the post to be easily lifted off.

I'm partial to the Armstrong holders for HSS. On standard blocks the projection can be excessive but shop made versions can be cut away on the front third so it can be pulled back further. 1/4 bits in an Armstrong will handle all your Atlas needs to do. That's what it was designed for after all. Albeit via the never to be sufficiently cursed lantern post.

Clive

Reading down the comments it seems that he has developed his own transparent material that is much safer than a standard glass and additive mix in this sort of potentially dangerous shatter situation. He says he hasn't patented the mix because then he'd have to disclose it. Claims he knows what he is doing and fully understands how to create safe materials but ill advised copies could be very dangerous even though the mix is right. I guess its not just the mix but heat treatment and, possibly, pre-stressing involved.

Clive

Allegedly this practice reduces run out by helping balance the forces on the scroll so it moves closer to true centre.

It is said that any wear in the chuck allows the scroll to float slightly off centre causing run out.

I've never seen any figures of calculated run out associated with any degree of wear so am mor ethan a little skeptical. Maybe if a chuck is well worn.

A few brief tests showed no sensibly repeatable effects on the three jaws I use. But mine are in decent to very good condition with known history. I suspect supporting the work rather than relying on the lower jaw(s) to lift it onto centre helps control any imbalace. As does nip, rest, final tighten technique rather than simply pulling up in one go.

Life is too short to do proper, statistically significant tests backed up by wear measurements.

Any three jaw needing that level of playing to get decently acceptable results is, in my view, only fit for the bin. By its very nature a three jaw is of limited precision. Trying to do better than the concept allows is guilding the lilly in on uncertain terms. I understand the logic of a GripTrue and the various home brew equivalents but the faffing involved in setting up seems a vast waste of effort. Although certain limited circumstances can exploit such it doesn't alter the fact that you are trying to make an unsuitable tool work for the job in question.

Clive

Jak2G

For testing purposes simply connect the 440 volt motor to the 220 volt VFD. It will run just fine but power will be reduced to something between 1/2 and 2/3 rds of nominal nameplate output. Basically at 220 volts the motor enters its constant power region at 29 hz rather than 50 hz so it can't get up to full nameplate power.

As a surface grinder is more about free spinning than hard driving the reduced power may do just fine for you.

Inverter Drive Supermarket have a blog post explaining what is going on. Excellent, clear, information as usual from IDS. **LINK**

https://inverterdrive.com/HowTo/240V-Supply-to-a-400V-AC-Motor/

If you do decide to open up the motor to find the Star point and convert it you will find that NECO make a nice motor with the junction clearly accessible.

Clive

Big hose clips like that do just fine holding up chimney liners and the like so you should be OK.

The big ones are cheap from building supply places and very useful for strapping stuff together when doing the common temporary the becomes permanent job. Handy for welding positioning too 'cos they don't melt like the plastic zip ties.

Couple or four of the big hose clips and a packet of the big, lever release, zip ties are an essentail foundation of any self respecting bodgers workshop.

Clive

Rich

Start by rooting around the internet and downloading one, or more of the books from older lathe makers who made smaller lathes for the training market. "How to Run a Lathe" is from SouthBend but similar from Atlas, Boxford, Hercus and others are all pretty much equivalent. Fundamentally a question of what style reads best for you.

If you expect to grind your own tools then grab SouthBend Bulletin Number 35, How to Grind Lathe Tool Cutter Bits, which is the best and most comprehensively consistent introduction to things I've yet found. Only 16 pages so its viable to print your own. Can be found on the 'net. Mine came via Scribd, a site I subscribe to.

The SouthBend Cutting tools data sheet is as good an introduction to angles an speed et al as can be found on one piece of paper. Only source I can find is **LINK**

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=4834

Although the tools are shown mounted in Armstrong posts with built in rake the angles are correct for flat mount with the tip on centre height.

Bulletin 5910A on the use of the cutter bit grinding block is also interesting. Again Vintage machinery is the only source I can find **LINK**

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=4831

Internet search will find various descriptions of how to make the beast and lists of dimensions should you fancy one as an early project. Its been on my "I really should" list for, um, er , 40 years!".

A cuttings speed graph, chart or nomogram is very useful. Especially for beginners. I've had the American Machinist Cutting Speed Chart no 30 stuck on the wall pretty much forever. Somewhat obsolete but being a nomogram its easy to see relative variations for different materials. Calculators are fine but they only give one data point so its hard to see how things fit together.

Downloads are great for basic reading and for printing out specific advice. Get a ring binder and a box of transparent wallets so you can keep printouts of useful "stuff" in the workshop in oily finger proof condition. But nothing beats a good book for reference. I've got "lots" but there are a few I always return to and know my way round. Style, presentation and having things explained in a way that suits you are important. I have a few that are frankly a waste of space for me yet others love them. I can see why opinions differ. For me the Sparey book suggested above has about 3 marginally useful pages!

When looking for a book its worth rooting around sites like Scribd to electronically have a quick flip through and short read before buying just as you would in a bookshop. I appreciate the potential copyright issues but its been very useful to me in spending my £30 or so on the right book for me. Hoovering up from recommendations and catalogues back in the day means I have hundreds of pounds worth of paper (in todays money) that, in retrospect, I didn't get value out of.

Abe books is a good resource for hard to find / used / cheaper as can be E-Bay if you wait and can stand wading through lists with lots of repeats.

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 19/06/2022 09:45:35