Member postings for Bikepete

Yup and there are some good videos on the Onshape site too.

Not had long to play with it so far, but am reasonably impressed with what I've seen. The interface is pretty clean and 'sparse' so it's not immediately obvious sometimes how things work (no reassuring texty menu to delve into) but after watching some of the tutorials it becomes clear and is actually quite elegant. I think organising the parts and sub-assemblies within each 'document' will take some getting used to, to keep everything manageable and clear and not ending up with a gazillion tabs. I've also yet to get my head around how its assembly constraints ('mates' ) work - it's not like Alibre in that respect (but otherwise the modelling process seems very similar really).

The graphics all work fine, and I'm using it on a pretty bog standard Windows 7 office computer without any fancy graphics cards or excessive RAM (4Gb) and a quite high res screen (1680x1050). Even the most complex sample models (e.g. the lightweight CNC router) can be rotated/zoomed etc without noticeable lag. Only if moving some of the parts within that assembly did the display lag seriously. Then again my old Alibre CAD works fine too on the same machine.

The system is a bit slow sometimes to load up models, but once they're up it's fine.

I don't think the 'five active document' limitation on free accounts will be a serious one at all - each can contain unlimited parts and sub-assemblies. There is a file size limit (5Gb) for free accounts too of course - but can't be sure if that might eventually be an issue... my initial test doc has only used 1.5 Mb so far...

They are still adding features quite rapidly - think an update just went through and when I logged on just now there are now 'gear mates' for assembling working gear mechanisms .

Edited By Bikepete on 13/03/2015 22:00:45

Best part of a day - applied yesterday afternoon, got the 'accepted' email lunchtime today. Think I got in quite early after they announced the public beta, though, so the wait might even be longer now. Not had a chance to try it yet but they've already sent two more emails full of links to 'get started' guides etc.!

Could you post some more pics please? As you suggest the underside might be useful, also perhaps of the plates at the bottom of the moving jaw block on each side. Unless the block holding the fixed jaw is removable it looks as if the moving block must have been assembled from above, and the retaining plates then secured to it somehow.

Re collaboration, there's a good video showing how it works if you scroll down a bit here. And as far as I can tell yes, it is completely online, so will run on just about anything that can run a reasonably modern web browser.

Just got an email saying they've activated my account so I'll have a play with it later

Yup I'm not concerned about the rights issue at all. More of a possible concern is reliability of the internet connection - it only works online - but it's improved a lot here in the last few years, so I'm willing to give the cloud a try.

Thanks for that - looks awesome, especially for £0

Looks like there's a new free, cloud-based 3D CAD package called Onshape, apparently from the same people who originally made SolidWorks: see: **LINK**

Seems very impressive at first glance - needs an internet connection of course but the free account looks completely uncrippled for features. You are limited to five active 'Documents' but as far as I can tell each of those can contain as many parts and/or assemblies as you like!

Just tried signing up but their 'early adopter program is full'.

Anyone managed to try it?

Might be just the thing to tempt me off my now ancient £99 version of Alibre, which I'm keeping an XP computer running for!

Well I agree with everyone else that it isn't really necessary, but I'm going to swim against the tide and say go for it if you want. Extra mass and rigidity cannot do any harm especially on a small lathe. If it does crack, just unbolt the lathe from the slate and start again with something else. Don't see cracking as likely, as Neil has already mentioned using e.g. lead washers, but even better might be to epoxy the studding into the slate.

Personally I'd probably just find a (free or cheap from small ads) offcut of 38mm (or thicker if you can find it) laminate kitchen worktop. Make sure it's fairly new or has been kept dry - it can warp otherwise, but if you seal any exposed chipboard it will be pretty stable. Gives a good wipe-clean surface which stands up well to swarf. Much easier to drill and handle than a slate slab, but heavy and rigid enough to be going on with. Get a nice light colour to keep the workplace bright - that's the main downside I can see with slate, it generally being black...

Yes, dual voltage it is! Changes the picture a bit - now your motor can be hooked straight up, and with the additional help on hand too I'd say go for it

Mmm, despite having initially suggested it and despite the many benefits of inverters (very efficient BTW, high nineties percent - you may have been thinking of static or rotary converters which are less so) IMO there may be a good argument here to come to an arrangement with John who has a suitable single phase motor to swap.

First, if your motor is 380/440V, it won't run properly off a straightforward mains-powered (240V in, 240V out) inverter. There are ways round this from the complex (inverters with built-in voltage step-up exist, or you could use a step-up transformer then a 380V in, 380V out inverter, or even fiddle around with the motor's internal wiring to reconfigure it for 240V) to the simple (get a replacement 240V three phase motor) but either way it is hundreds of pounds of expense more than just swapping to a single phase motor.

Secondly, if you're not at home with electrics but go the inverter route anyway you could be fiddling around a fair bit before you have a working drill...could be a fun challenge/project of course if you're up for it.

Otherwise, unless the cost of a three phase package (various suppliers do them, safely pre-wired) isn't an obstacle, I'd consider going single phase initially, get the thing going, but read up on inverters etc and watch Ebay for motor and inverter bargains, with a view to converting to three phase yourself in due course.

We may wax lyrical about the benefits of three phase but a single phase drill is perfectly serviceable and the Fobco should be a joy to use however it's powered IMO.

Congrats on the drill. Does the original 3 phase motor nameplate say something like 240/380V on it anywhere? If so powering it by inverter is the way to go for smoothness... with the bonus of variable speed so fewer belt changes...

Hi Neil, while we're on the subject of 226 and the drill restoration article - unless I'm mistaken the figure numbering seems to have gone awry - worth perhaps checking it's all back in synch when it continues in 227. Interesting article anyway and a good issue IMO. Cheers Pete

Edited By Bikepete on 02/03/2015 11:12:59

It's probably all moot anyway if going the plate/grind route, but if considering rolling bearings, is there a reason the preload must necessarily 'bridge' the two headstock ends? Far better surely to have two bearings in the 'working' end back to back, preloaded against each other, plus a 'floating' bearing at the other end. Rather as per Figure 2 here.

Edited By Bikepete on 24/02/2015 16:55:58

Looks like the prominent scientist was Yakov Perelman and the original statement of the problem is possibly here (with maths!).

Edited By Bikepete on 09/02/2015 16:05:39

Richard, the URL 'Uniform Resource Locator' is just the web address, also known as the link - what appears in the address bar of your web browser when you view a page. So for your ebay item it is this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vertical-Alignment-Jig-/151572271639?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item234a695217

You can copy it from your web browser and paste it into the post you're composing. Let me know if you need step by step instructions for this.

It can be made into an active link by using the button which looks like a few links of chain with what is presumably meant to be a globe above it (world wide web), in the editor you use to post on this forum. It is best to just write some text first like

Vertical Alignment Jig

Then highlight it (with the mouse - hold left button down and drag over the text, then release) and click that button. Then paste the URL into the box that appears, and click OK, which gives:

Vertical Alignment Jig

The reason people are getting upset is that by not giving a link, you are forcing everyone who might be willing to answer your question helpfully to 'mess around with computers' themselves, to work out what it is you are asking about, when they too would rather be doing something more interesting.

Right or wrong, the judgement is that if you can't be bothered to do this little, easy thing to make it easier for people to answer, which it is obvious would be helpful, why should they be helpful and bother tracking down the item and answering?

Edited By Bikepete on 01/02/2015 13:30:19

"British second hand models carry prices which are just like buying a Myford as opposed to a Yingtong lathe."

Depends how fussy and/or patient doing Ebay you are I guess - this search shows bargains are to be had under £100 with skill/luck, and that's just for the ones with the brand name in the title. Condition a lucky dip of course. Sorry if this is teaching granny etc.

Re the SB1009 - I'd guess just a copy, like the Feeler or Sharp - see e.g. lathes.co.uk. For the curious the price is USD 32,250 plus shipping as per here via Grizzly - so around £21,500 at current rates!!

For comparison:

• the 10k SB1002 is USD 5135 plus shipping - £3400ish
• the 8k SB1001 is USD 1965 or around £1300

Edited By Bikepete on 25/01/2015 12:37:32

Dream lathe? Think you got the wrong link Neil - try this one!

http://www.southbendlathe.com/products/lathes/SB1009

Presumably just 0.189 of an inch, i.e. just under 1/5 of an inch. So just the decimal way, rather than fractional, of expressing the size in inches.

A quick lookup e.g. here suggests a 4.8mm or No. 12 drill would be used to make that size of hole.