Member postings for Cornish Jack

Thank you to all replies. Much there to check and try. The original (an Oxford Standaid) was operated via a pendant control and powered from a rechargeable battery. The point made about 'fail-safes' certainly needs checking.

rgds

Bill

Brian and John, thank you.

The column does extend/retract mechanically on the screwed drive shaft when it's rotated by hand. I'm assuming that if I can get the motor to reverse and install a chonge over switch,, it will offer two-way movement.

rgds

Bill

The photos below show a 'recovered' part of an invalid mobility lift which I was hoping to adapt as a power lift for the mill or similar. It is intended to operate on 24v DC and I have tried it successfully on a 12v power supply - but only in one direction. Reversing the live and neutral inputs just produces a low 'buzz' with no movement. Any pointers to how to connect it for selectable rotation, please?

TIA

rgds

Bill

A hazardous venture into the workshop undergrowth eventually found the hand tapper. It seems to be made by 'ROFMILL' and the photos below showit with the drill chuck key fitted in the tap holder. The handle is adjustable for swing.

rgds

Bill

Several years ago I bought a dedicated cast iron tapping jig. I'll try to find it and take a photo. It has never been used for its proper purpose.

rgds

Bill

Some of us may recollect a (Panorama?) TV programme coverfing the 'rip-off' operations of Britain's spectacle industry before they became 'optometrists' It was a total racket!. The mark-ups on standard reading glasses were ridiculous and 'specials' were beyond belief. A specialist eye surgeon from Moorfields was asked where he bought his glasses - " Morocco (or similar) at £1.85" One pays one's money and makes one's choices. My only prescription glasses were produced after 3 attempts by an R.A.F. employed, Harley Street 'specialist', the final pair of 'half-eyes' being made up to a 'prescription', copied from my Hong Kong sourced similar, which cost £1.30. That was 35 years ago, so I suppose another visit might be worth considering.

Nick Clarke 3 - in your last, you noted that the TriLeva 7 was recommended for 3/4 HP. I have such a machine but I haven't seen that previously. Could you say what the source is, please? (and does it say why?)

rgds

Bill

Cardington rings two bells for me - Joined the RAF there in '53 and spent a day at a RAFMAA Indoor model meet in the 80s. Everything very impressive ... impressively awful in the '50s and impressive for hangar size and model quality in the '80s.

rgds

Bill

"elegant simplicity"

Umm ... yes, indeed! However given the 'ad infinitum' nature of pi calculations. anything beyond 22/7 makes my head hurt and my eyeballs fall out!!

rgds

Bill

Nigel G 2 and others - I get the feeling that I am not alone in still being 'adrift' in an 'imperial' (as distinct from Imperial) sea! Thankfully most vendors suffer my "pound of ... and a pint of ..."   requests, but even they might baulk at my childhood potato-buying in 'gallons' ... 10lbs.

Youngsters, like Andrew J probably take to the metric thing quite readily, but my calculations still operate aitomatically in £sd and I have to 'convert'. It didn't help that the UK changeover happened when I started a 3 year stint in Cyprus. Coming back to UK was a shock.

All I have managed in auto-conversions, so far, is a cm is about 1/2"! Given my tolerance standards, that's probably close enough!

rgds

Bill

Edited By Cornish Jack on 04/07/2020 10:15:16

Don't use my Perfecto much, but the only 'odd' tooling I've used is a 'swan's neck' which, supposedly, has the advantage of 'spring' to ease the cut impact. Got mine ready made, but forging ones from bar stock HSS might be an 'interesting' exercise.

rgds

Bill

Thank you, Jason - looks to be what's needed. Don't understand why I didn't pick that up in the Zeus.

rgds

Bill

On topic, I hope.

I have recently unearthed a 'Rotozip' drill/sander/polisher W.H.Y. kit and the collet closing 'nut' is missing. Difficult to measure, but the thread appears to be 28 tpi and diameter 1/2". Zeus doesn't list anything matching. Does anybody know what it would be ?

rgds

Bill

Too late now to edit my post re. the 'crane' but, as no doubt realised, the quoted jib length of 50mm should have been 50 cm!! ... (Bloody new-fangled meaurements! What was wrong with the groat and bushel?)

rgds

Bill

Edited By Cornish Jack on 30/06/2020 09:35:12

Hi Paul - thanks for the query. The 'crane' started life as a mobility scooter or wheelchair car lift. Capacity about 160 kgs? I bought the basic, non-working motor, base and jib. It's mounted on a 6 mm steel rectangular tube welded to a 170mm, 6mm thick sqare base plate. I 'fixed' the motor and wired in a vari-speed RS transformer to give the 12volt power. The jib is about 50mm long, slightly extendable and swings through 270 degrees. I use g-clamps to secure it so that I can use it on other caster-based benches. I'll take a few more piccies and put them up here.

Let me know if any further needed.

rgds

Bill

Andrew - good to hear you were successful on spares. No problems with the workshop rummage - well overdue and it's amazing what you find - things long since faded from memory!!

Your grandchildren are very lucky!

rgds

Bill

Just finished a fitting on my mill. Slightly more complete bits but instructions needed a magnifying glass and deep searching to find the right reference. Your question about read head clearance - my instructions suggest between 0.1 and 0.9 mm, so reasonable latitude. Most of our members seem to find it quite straightforward - my skill set meant much head scratching!!

rgds

Bill

Andrew (got the name right this time!!) - Back from the 'jungle' and located the Wilesco. Mine is the D 141 Steam Plant. Haven't seen it for a while but I would have thought the boiler/steam plant would be common across the range. If you think this is suitable for the dimensions you want, let me know what is required.

rgds

Bill

Recently had the same problem but realised that mounting options were the answer.

With the preferred direct drive vertical mounting, the rotation was wrong, but by mounting the motor horizontally and driving via jockey pulleys, the spindle output was correct. Don't have piccies at the moment but can produce if wished.

rgds

Bill

" This was my first effort at building an engine"

Not sure whether to comment on that statement or the result ... either way, please stop it. The usual standard of build on this forum makes me feel inadequate, that just makes me want to give up!!! Far too many plusses - ambition, planning, innovation, fine workmanship, persistence ... the list goes on. A natural entry to Sir John's Trophy, I would have thought.

Oh, did I mention, I'm quite impressed! +++

rgds

Bill