Member postings for John Shepherd

Clive

Unless someone can come up with a definitive reason I don't see why it should be pure copper.

The bits in electric soldering irons are coated, so copper purity at the soldering end can't be an issue. The copper is just a medium for transmitting the heat to the work so providing there is nothing in it that reacts with the flame I don't see a problem.

I've used soldering irons heated in town gas flames and coal fires without any problems, now if the bits were pure copper I don' t know but I am sure they would have become contaminated with the dirty flames.

Regards

Thanks for pointing out free postage - CPC here I come!

You would have to order about 10 to get free P&P from CPC, otherwise it costs £5.95. Postage is free for orders over £45.00 ex VAT.

Mike

Just some thoughts on what I visualise your bench will look like :

How will you make sure a top of this type of construction is flat with no twist either when installed and over time.

Will you have facilities to level the lathe?

Are you providing a tray to catch swarf and/or coolant?

Will the two columns be attached to a wall and tied together other than by the top ?

Personally I would go for something deeper than 18 inches if you have the space.

Hope that helps.

I have seen reference to a set of drawings to make a two speed belt conversion on a Yahoo group but have not been able to find them. You may not wish to make your own but it might be good to see what is involved if any one can tell us where they can be found.

There are also some kits listed on Ebay at the moment.

Jim

If you are going to fit DROs I would forget about modifying the nuts and don't get too hung up about the lack of end support for the lead screws. On both lathes and and milling tables (of this size at least) it seems common practice for the end of the lead screw to be free or to be a very loose fit in a support that can hardly be described as a bearing from what I have seen. I suspect that a close fitting bearing at the free end would create more alignment problems if you consider the lateral movement when adjusting the gib strips for example.

Jim

If you want to save some money on the air spring conversion have a look at the following :**LINK**

Geoff

I have had a C4 for a while now and I do not regret buying it.

1. The variable speed is very useful. You can easily adjust the speed to suit the tool and material, I find this far better method of determining the right speed than the cutting speed charts I have.

2. The powered cross feed is a mixed blessing. It is a nice to have rather than a must have I think. The downside is that it is operated by the same lever as the traverse and without practice, it is easy to select the wrong position or if you are not careful, inadvertently put it in cross feed mode when turning the traverse off.

3. It fitted in the space available and it has the advantage of being able to handle many projects that have been published for machining on a Myford ML7 etc.

4. If you buy one do not be tempted to get the rotary digital readouts. I did but have since taken them off in favour of a linear type.

5. The push buttons for speed selection are OK but I would prefer something a bit more positive for the stop button. Although there is an emergency stop, the instinct is to go for the normal stop button in a hurry and I may look into modifying this.

6. The gears are a bit noisy and a bit fiddly to change but I do not do much screw cutting so it is not a big problem for me and the noise can be reduced with proper lubrication and set up.

7. Mine worked OK as delivered but did benefit from the usual clean and adjustments recommended for this type of machine. I have never been fully happy with the compound slide though. It has a reasonable length but the gib strips are only in contact with a short length of the body at any one time. Mine spends most of its time locked in position.

8. I am not averse to doing modifications but other than fitting a quick change tool post, replacing some screws for better quality ones and making a carriage stop, I have not felt the need to do more.

Regards

John

David

My aversion to matchstick modelling is that it used to be a popular hobby in prisons. Wrongly, I know but my first reaction to a matchstick model is an association with prison. (Yes I did some time in prison many years ago but I had a key and could go home every day). On the plus side I saw some incredibly detailed models, ingeniously made with the most basic tools and materials. The best ones in my opinion where the ones that used matches with the burnt ends left on. Plain matches without a head could be bought in and although this allowed bigger models to be made because of availability of raw materials, they lacked character.

Lee

Before you spend any money may I suggest (if you have not already done so) that you check to make sure the chuck body itself is running true.

It is a good idea to remove the chuck and give the back plate and the chuck a good clean.

When refitting the chuck make sure it seats well on the backplate, you may find that it runs 'more true' in one of the three (or four) positions dictated by the mounting screws. If so mark the backplate and the chuck with a centre dot for future reference.

Once you are sure the body is running reasonably true then you can check the jaws. Check the jaws using a piece of silver steel or at least something with a good finish and don't let it protrude too far from the chuck for starters. If you don't have a DTI your eye will give you a good idea how true it is, alternatively, turn the chuck by hand with a tool just touching the bar. If you can get it somewhere near for your immediate needs, worrying about exact run out can wait a bit.

Bob

If you say which make and model of lathe and the markings on the MOSFETs I might have a chance at helping you.

Alan

I know what you mean about lack of feedback. I had an article on making a laser centre finder published in MEW and I had no feedback from either readers or from the magazine. The first I knew that it had been accepted was when it was mentioned in the ‘what’s in the next issue’ Sometime after publication I went on the web site of the company who supplied the laser module and was surprised to see the cover of MEW with my picture of the device on their front page.

I contacted the editor to make sure he was aware and it transpired that there had been some interest and the company asked permission to use the front cover. His reply was curt, suggested it was nothing to do with me and pointed out that I had no copy right (which I understood and made a point of when I contacted him). It would have been nice to have been in the loop even if it was just a quick email or press of the cc button.

As you say the financial reward for articles is not great but I thought it would be nice to share something, particularly as our hobby can be a solitary one for a lot of the time. I dont think I will submit to MEW again, I would rather share things freely via the internet.

John

In the past I have always accepted that some issues may not be of too much interest to me but even then I have usually found something worth reading. Recently though the less interesting issues are becoming the norm and the reading less enjoyable.

The editor may defend his position by telling us it is the quality of material submitted but he and the publishers should remember that we are paying for a commercial magazine and not for voluntary contributions, yes I know payment is made for articles but are any actually commissioned?

After subscribing from issue 3, I am seriously considering saving my money and buying the odd copy when (and if) there is something that interests me. Not only has this latest edition made me think this, but some of the strange things that have been said and done by the editor and the publishers on this forum have given me cause for concern for the future of MEW.

John

I have had no problem with taps and dies etc from Tracy tools but beware if you buy a set (or indeed several individual ones) they may not be all the same make.

I have never had a problem with Chronos orders but some of their products are not the best quality in my experience.

I made a mistake on my last order, realised just after I sent it and it was corrected prior to delivery via email without any problem.

I used to be able to visit their shop and always found the staff to be helpful and friendly. The downside was I always spent more than I intended!

I wear Varifocals and agree with most of the comments so far. Although generally I get on well with them there are times when I wish I had a single vision pair of glasses. My problem is that I have one eye that is different to the other so non prescription glasses are useless for me. I am intrigued by these adjustable focus glasses **LINK**

Has anyone tried them? At £25.00 they may be worth a try?

David

Tubal Cain recommends 65% engagement up to 3/8 and 70 - 75% thereafter in the Model Engineers Handbook but that is not specific to boiler fittings. There is also a table for the % engagement for different materials that ranges from 50% to 75%. The only mention of a figure above this is 85% when tapping sheet steel when the thickness is less than the core dia of the thread. (I believe these are recommendations for use in the home workshop and not those used in production engineering).

Hope that helps

Some time ago I did a bulk buy of rare earth magnets for use in the workshop and thought of lots of uses for them. Although I still find them useful for some things, I now use them only temporarily on machines. The problem is they magnetise tools and things you don't want to be magnetic and collect swarf which is difficult to get rid of.
My own solution for chuck keys etc is a shadow board near the lathe in an attempt to overcome my otherwise untidy working habits.

Regards John

Me to. In fact I have posted about an article soon after receiving my printed copy before and no one knew what I was referring to and the post dropped off the bottom of the home page list!

I agree with the comments about the readable (and interesting) content in MEW 203 except for the article ' Every Day Engineering for Absolute Beginners'. The series has not been my favourite so far but I hardly understood a word of this issues instalment and wouldn't consider it does anything to encourage a beginner.

John Shepherd