Member postings for Mike Poole

I would reserve a substantial chunk of your budget to tool up the lathe and mill. People often say they finish up spending as much again on accessories and tooling. Milling accessories can consume quite a lot of money for dividing head, rotary table, vices of various types and clamping systems, chucks and collet systems and much more. Lathes probably have a smaller accessory shopping list but consider a DRO on both machines, I have never heard anyone regret purchasing a DRO.

Mike

I suspect that you need to have had close to too many beers to enjoy an elephants leg kebab but they are most enjoyable. The trouble with the beer munches is that they occur when your judgment is impaired.

Mike

I use a file for tidying up flat screwdrivers. A correctly tempered screwdriver should be able to be filed with a correctly tempered file. A chrome vanadium blade may be a bit harder. Probably best not to expect the file to be effective on brass after though.

Mike

A ride with that shaker is going to be quite a tough time. One of the tests that a car was put through was a 500mile pavé test, the body shell was measured the measured again after being thrashed for 500miles on a pavé test track. The Princess prototype developed a droop and was reengineered to survive the test.
Mike

Our factory had a torque tools calibration department so I thought I would get my Norbar torque wrenches checked. The lads who checked them were able to get consistent results but I discovered that I was the biggest variable in the process. The tools are accurate but using them consistently certainly requires some practice. Hoppers real experience is exactly what I have observed in a motor industry tool room but only from the position of an interested sparky. One of the most brutal demonstrations of the power of hydraulics was demonstrated when the sensor failed that checked the safety chocks were retracted. The chocks would take the weight of the press slide on a 1000 ton press. The slide probably weighed 50tons but the press powered straight through snapping about a dozen 30mm diameter cap screws. An awesome demonstration of hydraulic power. Just wondering if aluminium would have a tendency to yield under the reduced area that cap screws apply their clamping force over.

Mike

I would try and keep it that way Bill, the trouble with junk food is that it does taste good, like drugs it is probably easier not start than give up.

Mike

Chronos list these displays for the C3 type lathes. You may be stuck with the feedscrew pitch of the C3 lathe though.**LINK**

Mike

The patent number led me to BSA No. 9 aperture sight. The pictures are somewhat similar.

Mike

I suppose the Warco and Chester versions may have the same gears but there have been many small changes made over the years and I believe some machines were made in Taiwan and some in China so it could be a real lottery whether the gears would fit from any other source. I doubt that Myford of today carry spares for the mills but it might be worth a phone call.

Mike

I have found that parts that can be put in a dishwasher become much easier to clean after a cycle through the dishwasher, although they don’t come out clean they are very easy to clean compared to the wretched scrubbing and scraping without the dishwasher pretreatment. Mr muscle is effective but is a truly disgusting smell and unpleasant on the skin.

Mike

Noel is at the show today. Thankyou Noel for making the extra effort. I have not seen a Brierly in action before, it has a very nice action once it it set up.

Mike

I think the bolt on the top row second from left would be just what is needed for this job. I think the cap screw suggested above would be worth a try.

Mike

A practical solution to your problem. It has occurred to me that the workshop could be made a safer place with a hoist to lift those items that get increasingly heavy as our strength desserts us. I have one of the cheap electric hoists but as it is under the bench on the stuff to do list so not earning its keep yet.

Mike

3 phase 110V 200Hz power was generated on site with a motor generator set to supply portable tools that were safer and faster for drilling grinding and discing. A static inverter was investigated as the motor generator was costly to run and air and battery tools were increasingly popular. After 60years of use the system was abandoned and the inverter system was never installed. The supplier of the static inverter must have been confident that it could have done the job of supplying multiple tools with variable loads. In another situation we installed a 10KW UPS to supply a monorail which again had multiple motors running with variable loading. There is not a problem creating a 3 phase supply but a VFD is a device that is usually more sophisticated than just supplying 3 phases and will not be happy with multiple devices and load switching. One situation where a VFD was used with two motor was a special case when two identical motors were mechanically coupled to work in place of a large motor. As the unit to be powered was a scissor lift and the lowered position needed to be as low profile as possible the two slim motors were used. The manufacturer specified that the motors used must be factory built units as a rewound motor could be 10% different from a OEM unit. Supplying 415V 3 phase from a single phase supply is not really practical. VFD units are available that output 415V but a complex input stage is required to charge the DC link of the VFD to a voltage high enough for 415V to be output. I suppose it would be possible to use a transformer to step up a single phase 240V supply to a high votage and rectify it and smooth it to provide a DC link equivalent voltage but that would be a very expensive transformer rectifier supply. What is theoretically possible and what is cost effective are often poles apart. The very reasonable price of VFD units will often make them a winning solution even if the machine controls will require modifying. At some point the expense of installing a 3 phase supply may be economical but a machine equipped with a VFD can be better than having a fixed speed motor.
Mike

My Nest was defeated by my wife, she is incapable of regulating her temperature it would seem so the Nest finished up with hundreds of learned points. I took it out of learn mode as it is impossible for any machine to learn what temperature my wife requires. Even with driver and passenger zones in the car she fiddles with the set point constantly.

Mike

Dedshete self adhesive bituminous pads are used for anti drum sound deadening in automotive and other applications.

Mike

**LINK**
this thread covered some uses of hockey pucks

Mike

The Midland Show is not all that far from London and is not far from Leamington Spa train station. A shuttle bus service has been available in the past from the station but I don’t know if it will operate this year. Abundant free parking is available at the show ground.

Mike

Small motors are often wound for 415V star and 230V delta. When motors get large enough for star delta starting to be useful they will be wound for 415V delta and around 690V in star. A motor large enough to require star delta starting is unlikely to be encountered in the average home workshop. Always read the plate on the motor to be sure of what you have. A plate that only states 415V may not have the star point readily available and require some delicate digging to access it and rewire in delta. I am sure there will be a small motor somewhere that is wound for 415V delta which will be unsuitable for a typical single phase input VFD although single phase input with 415v output VFD units are available.

Mike

I will rewrite that line so that it says what I meant.

They will require a refund if payments are made for a period after the date of death.

Mike