Member postings for Journeyman

You are welcome to see photos of *** my workshop *** it is already on-line and has been for some time so I doubt it will count towards any competition, not that it is in any way out of the ordinary.

John

If Morton's wish ideas for new forum software they need look no further than the thread from 2021 which runs to some 16 pages. All possibilities have been covered (probably) .

*** Forum Software 2021 ***

Strange that many consider the current software absolutely adequate!

John

I use 6 x 5' LED tubes in my 18' x 9' workshop. Warm white as I find the others a bit too blue and glaring. Most important paint the ceiling white to reflect the light. With LED tubes you do not even need fittings just find a way to fix them up. Pipe clips, conduit clips or make some. I 3D printed ends for mine which have the advantage of holding them up and covering the wiring.

Longer bracket and cover at the wiring end and short one for the non-live end. Unlike fluorescent tubes the LED types only need a connection at one end. You can make a connection using a suitably sized 'choc-block'. I find the LED lighting to be very good, clear and even, no buzzing and instant on.

John

I would indeed start with the 4-way tool-post. 2screws for each tool is plenty to keep it firmly in place. If the top-slide is similar to the one on my old WM250 then fitting a QCTP isn't always straightforward. See *** Fitting QCTP *** two pages.

John

Warco did not attend the last Midlands Exhibition so don't expect them to be at this years. Their showroom is in Chiddingfold, Surrey if that's near you. You may be able to see similar machines (different colour) at some of the other dealer locations.

John

I have been using a WM250 since 2007. A basic but good lathe not too pricey for the beginner. The original (may still be available) was fitted with a brushed DC motor and control board. More up to date is the version with brushless DC motor and controller and the latest (most expensive) has an AC motor with VFD controller. The VFD machines would appear to be a better bet than my old DC controller machine. More reliable electronics (basically in a separate box) an easier job to replace than the DC control boards. Better low speed torque and good speed control.

The mechanics of all the lathes in this series (made by Weiss) are pretty similar but variations across retailers will exist. The latest Warco offering has power cross-feed, a most desirable addition. Older models don't have this.

For more info on the original WM250 have a look at my website Journeyman's Workshop there are a few pages devoted to just the lathe and some mods and additions that could apply to a newer model. I think the WM250V would be a great starting point. Not too big but heavy enough for some serious work. Don't forget that within reason you can make small things on a large lathe but not vice versa.

John

As a cyclist I would ban the bloke at the local council who designates cycle paths. My local authority keep designating new cycle paths only problem is they are 1m wide footways to be shared with pedestrians. Apparently it will work if you put up the blue 'Hang On To Children - Beware Of Low Flying Bikes' sign... I think not

John

Can't post it here yet but if you wish to share you could put it on Thingiverse home to a million useful 3D printed objects.

John

I don't think an EP oil will be a problem with these gearboxes. They are crude low tech cast iron and steel things.

I can't remember seeing any brass or copper in there. They rotate very slowly at very low power so not mission critical. I think you could put golden syrup in it and have no problem.

John

I changed the oil in my similar WM 250 some tim ago. Like yours the manual says to use Mobilgear 627 but this is no longer available so I got some "gear oil" from Halfords reasoning that if it says it′s for gears and it′s going in a gear box, then it will most likely work. The oil in question is "EP 80W90 GL-4" this is marginally less viscous than the recommended oil but should still do the job, especially with the light use my lathe gets.

Might be something in my Maintenance page that is of interest. 

John

Edited By Journeyman on 19/07/2022 13:36:34

I am not sure that I would want the hassle of running my own web server at home. Hosting provided by one of the already mentioned companies takes away a lot of the strain.

Firstly from home you need a dedicated PC it doesn't need to be particularly powerful but needs a reasonable amount of memory. It needs to run 24/7 preferably with a UPS to protect against power loss. Most modern servers use SSD's for storage.

You need to choose a server software regime - ISS for Windows, Apache, Lighttpd or NGINX for Linux. Most used server system is probably Linux running Apache. You ideally need, as mentioned, a fixed IP address from your ISP and you need a good and reliable upload speed. If you are relying on a telephone line connection it is likely to be low and variable. I have fibre to the cabinet and usually mange 18Mb/s upload which is probably OK.

Configuring Apache is neither simple or quick and security settings are paramount (and way beyond my knowledge). You need to configure server DNS to allocate your new webspace to your domain.

There are quite a few sets of instructions about the interweb that will tell you how, they make it sound easy, it probably isn't. Alternatively you could go the Weebly or Wix route to set up web space. or of course for blogging Wordpress.com. None of these require domain name or web-space as such.

My own choice was to get a basic web hosting package which provides, space, security, 24/7 uptime and of course e-mail which you don't get with DIY version.

John

The sight glass on my WM250 leaked and on inspection seemed to be held in by some form of putty. Scraped around the sight glass about 2mm deep, gave it a wipe with some meths. Applied clear silicone sealant to fill the groove smoothed with wet finger and this is still working fine with no leakage a few years on.

John

Probably the easiest way to get going at home is to install WAMP, MAMP or LAMP depending on your O/S of choice (Windows, MacOS,Linux). This gives you Apache, MySQL and PHP in a self contained environment on your local machine. You are not putting anything on the internet and can freely develop and test your webpages without getting involved with ISP's, hosting companies or domain names.

Once your website is up and running you can then transfer it to the real world at a hosting company of your choice. The e-mail side of things wont of course come into play until you select a domain and link your e-mail to it. You can normally have as many e-mail addresses as you need provided they just use the one domain. ie [email protected], [email protected] etc..

I have found that transferring from localhost to a live website can be a little fraught and care needs to be taken with the test site to avoid fully fledged HTTPS links otherwise you need to edit them all at upload time. Sticking to relative links makes things a bit easier. Also when going live it is a good idea to check carefully the .htaccess file as this can lead to problems if not properly formulated. That said I find .htaccess files extremely confusing and generally stick to copying bits from Apache,

John

Edited By Journeyman on 17/07/2022 13:54:48

I use Ionos (1&1) for both my domain name registrar and as a web host. Journeyman's Workshop has been running without any hosting problems for quite a few years now. I have a few domains registered through Ionos including 'journeymans-workshop.uk' they handle renewals automatically without any hassle.

You need to get through the advertising blurb to choose a suitable hosting package *** this page *** lists the available packages. Unless you need anything complicated the basic £5 per year package is probably OK, that will give you one domain name and an SSL certificate included in the price. The SSL certificate is pretty much a necessity these days to enable running an HTTPS site otherwise you wont get a good Google ranking.

The basic package includes plenty of storage space and gives you up to 10 databases if you want to run Wordpress. The domain is only included for the first year and thereafter will need renewing separately, renewal cost will depend on type ie .com is pricey but .co.uk is cheaper.

Hope that helped a bit

John

Edit: Change link

Edited By Journeyman on 15/07/2022 09:00:09

The HBM 250-550 is badge engineered by Weiss. It is similar to many lathes offered by Warco, Chester, Amadeal etc. I have a WM250, same lathe different colour, I find that I tend mainly to use 12mm insert tooling which works well with my QCTP. I also use old 3/8" HSS tooling. Basically provided it fits in the toolpost and can be adjusted to centre height it will work. For a bit more info on the lathe have a look at my website - Journeyman's Workshop - there are quite a few pages on the WM250 including fitting QCTP and other mods and additions.

John

Would agree that the top-slide is not a necessity. Nice to have but decreases rigidity. Quite easy to add a cross-slide tool-post and screw cutting is probably easier as you don't have to faff about with angles or add a bit to cut on one side of the tool. Increased stiffness in the setup makes straight in-feed simple.

This is the cross-slide tool-post I made for my WM250.

As to the problem screws: Remove the top-slide and work on the bench or hold it in the vice. Don't try to do it in-situ. If you have, or can borrow, an electric impact driver with a suitable bit removal should be straightforward.

John

Edited By Journeyman on 09/07/2022 21:18:39

Apparently the fence posts are only 6' high...

Unless of course it was the old ones at 14m and the new one is taller... That doesn't help much, sorry

John

Edited By Journeyman on 09/07/2022 13:34:15

It's about 8 fence posts high so about 8' x 8 64' in old money

John

Yes, foxes will do it. This blighter kept digging up my flowerpots. Don't know what could have made a tasty morsel in them though!

This is from the CCTV in the early hours.

John

I have a Prusa i3 Mk3S (there is now an S+) which I find eminently usable. For more info have a look at my website *** Journeyman's Workshop *** where I explain a bit about why I chose this model as an upgrade over my original 3D printer.

John