Member postings for Mike Poole

I have a Shardlow vernier height gauge a contempory of the Rabone gauges, they were both supplied with a setting piece to check the calibration. The scribers are made to a specified height which is usually engraved on the side, the top and bottom faces should never be ground the only part that should be ground is the top of the chisel point. The attachment finger has a specified height so the scribers can be fixed above or below but only the top face is direct reading to the scale, any other mounting will require a clear head to cope with the calculation of the actual height. The dropped point scribers are useful to reach down to scribe lines below the normal range of the standard scriber but require some calculation. The height gauge can also be used with other devices like vernier protractors and dial gauges.

Mike

If you have access to a dividing head or rotary table I would think it would be quite easy to use a single point tool to Cut each spline one at a time.

Mike

Common sense does not exist in America so Mcdonalds warn us on the cup that coffee is hot, I think I knew that before I could read.

Mike

Hard chrome plating is often used to reclaim worn shafts, I had the fork tubes of my motorcycle reclaimed by this process and it is cheaper than buying new parts link to Philpots of luton who did my forks. They grind the damage away then build up with hard chrome and then grind to size and concentricity.

Mike

Just got back from the pub, watching John Bishop, hilarious!

Mike

As an apprentice we had a standard chuck key, the spring loaded ones were for anyone caught leaving a key in the chuck. Hats and hairnets were mandatory for us long haired class of 1972 apprentices. After feeling a slight pulling sensation on my hair while using a lathe at tech where the hair nets were not required I pulled back quickly and escaped a scalping, was much more careful after that.

Mike

Definately feel a bit jittery after a large Costa cappuccino, I think that gets about three shots of espresso, might be a bit too much in one sitting.

Mike

£1 coin works for me!

Mike

Ketan from Arceurotrade explained on this forum why he has withdrawn exhibitions and I expect thing are much the same for the other trade suppliers to our hobby. Just as the High Street and Pubs are dieing the suppliers to our hobby are changing. I bought my Myford on eBay and was more than happy with the price and condition, I bought a VMC mill from Warco after research on the Internet viewing at shows and finally visiting their showroom and discussing with Mr Warren my requirements in a less frantic situation than a show. With specialist forums available there is a vast pool of knowledge and experience to help make a good decision. I think supply of tools and materials is better now than it ever has been, without leaving my seat I can view good quality photos of my next purchase, order from my chosen supplier and it arrives in a few days. In the last ten years I have attended most of the model engineering shows in London the midland show most years and abou six Harrogate shows and one Bristol show. I think the model aspect of the shows has held up very well but there is no doubt traders are not there in the force they used to be. I went to Sandown on the Saturday this year and it felt quiet this year, definitely not the crush around stands and stalls. It is nice to see the models as it brings the drawings to life if you are building something that is being displayed.

I would think the Internet has had no small part to play in the changes to the hobby but the future generations of model engineers are going to grow up with the Internet and have no fear of forums or online purchasing. The Internet is perfect for male shopping as we know what we want before we shop so to not have to get in the car and drive to an extortionate car park and queue to buy what you want, a few clicks and its on its way.

Mike

Click on classifieds,click on wanted top left corner, click link on top right 'place wanted ad'

Mike

Edited By Michael Poole on 21/12/2014 22:13:53

The 1978 Model Engineer show combined the Woodworker show and areas for aircraft flying,RC cars,gem craft and war gaming. As many people on this forum have wide ranging model interests maybe a super model show would increase footfall and the traders would come as they would only have to come to one show instead of three or four. The model engineer show has become quite narrow in its focus, although engines are displayed for boats and aircraft they are not shown in their final application. Boating lakes and flying areas used to feature at shows in the past but now we only have traction engines and locos. Sandown has plenty of open space for outdoor flying weather permitting.

Mike

The British squaddy may be able to strip and reassemble his gun in the dark, but I think I could strip and rebuild a Trident engine in the dark, riding it hard without a good warm up caused oil leaks also due to narrow gasket faces on the rocker boxes. Since the introduction of zinc coated steel fo car bodies it is the mechanicals that send the cars to the scrapyard now. I scrapped my Nissan that had done 177,000 miles and gone straight through every MOT because the alternator cam chain and water pump all needed replacing, my enthusiasm for fixing cars has waned and I have come to view them as disposable. Maintainability seems not to be a consideration on so much equipment now, in fact many things will not come apart without breaking something.

Mike

I worked on a Chevrolet Camero once and you could stand beside the engine in the engine bay (it was a straight six). I have never seen anything so agricultural that was not on a farm. It was jokingly said that the last check on the Rover 800 V8 was to throw a handfull of rice into the engine bay and if any fell through to the ground then something had been left off.

It would be very interesting to know the total energy consumption of equipment, from manufacturing the item,it's useful life and the recycling it. I suspect the cost of manufacturing a product that has low energy consumption during its working life may offset some of the savings from it's low energy useful life. I think we maybe being conned as most of this low energy stuff carries a premium purchase price.

Mike

ES lamps are not immune from the cap soldering itself into the holder, I have had many 300W ES lamps break away from the cap, not so bad when lamping from the catwalk on top of a travelling crane, but a bit scary when a 400W mercury vapour lamp leaves its cap in the holder and you are trying to get the cap out with a pair of pliers and hang on to the near vertical last section of a triple extension ladder a good 30ft above some very nasty to land on machinery.

Mike

The Colchesters I have used (Bantam, Student and Triumph) all take off the diameter, I have just looked at a DSG type 15 and Herbert capstan, and the cross slide on both take off the radius. It looks you have to get used to what you have got as there is no standard.

Mike

My ML7R has the pre PCF super 7 saddle fitted with the ML7 cross slide, as far as I know the super 7 cross slide fits straight on so the saddle dovetail must be the same although the design and width of the cross slides is different.

Mike

A friend of mine buys cheap power tools for site work as expensive ones get stolen before they wear out,if he breaks the tool they are guaranteed so he gets a years use at least and if it gets stolen it's not the end of the world.

Mike

Running a tap through will cut away any damaged threads but the cut material used to be a thread, screwing a bolt through will tend to reform the damaged threads to the places the deformation came from so no material is lost. A helicoil is likely to make the strongest repair as it is effectively a larger bolt. I have helicoiled quite a few threads on motorcycle engine cases as even though I do not regard myself as ham fisted, threads in aluminium castings tend to fail after being dismantled a few times, as the owner of a Triumph Trident a strip down was not uncommon and using steel bolts to hold aluminium parts together put the threads under a lot of stress from the differing expansion rates.

Mike

Chris, you may have inadvertently earned some brownie points, I don't know what the rules are for earning these points but they can be awarded for simple things that you are unaware of, they can also disappear in a trice also for things that you are unaware of. After 28 years I still can't work the system out.

Mike

Get one of these! and a bigger shed.

Mike