Member postings for Steven Vine

I have nearly completed the workbenches for my new workshop and I want to cover the tops with steel sheets.

I always end up with deep scratches and chemical and oil stains on wooden tops, so I want to cover these new benches in steel. I know I can simply replace crapped out wooden tops, but that never happens. Besides, it would be a pain to replace these tops in the future.

The new bench frames are constructed from 94mmx44mm 4"x2" PSE Redwood. The frames are substantial, and fully support the bench tops with little or no chance of much sagging anywhere.
The bench tops are 18mm chipboard.
The bench tops are 500mm wide, and there is a total length of around 10.5m to cover.

I do not have to bend the steel sheets to cover the front edge of the worktops. I will be putting some wooden sacrificial edging on the front edges of the worktops.

I cannot decide on the thickness of steel to use?
I am unsure of how to adequately secure the steel sheets to the chipboard tops?

I don't have much in the way of steel sheet to test things out.
I have some small 1mm sheets, and these appear to be a bit on the thin size, and seem to lift and rattle easily.
I have a larger sheet of 2.5mm, and this seems ideal at the moment. It seems heavy enough to remain flat and does not appear to want to rattle too much.
I have a feeling that 2mm or 1.5mm maybe adequate, but am not too sure.
I would like to keep the weight and the cost down if I can, and so get the thinnest size I can get away with. I am trying to keep the weight down as much as I can, because the benches are sitting on a wooden floor. Perhaps I should forget cost and weight and just go large and be done with it?

I am thinking of using some type of glue to stick the sheets to the wooden tops, and then using countersunk screws to hold things down. I am worrying that if I end up using thin sheets then I may have problems screwing the sheets down, due to the thinness of the metal ( I don't want the screw heads standing proud of the surface). I have also thought of tack welding some short lengths of studding to the underside of the metal sheets, and securing the sheets to the wooden top via the studding, using nuts and washers on the underside. Again, I am unsure of how to proceed for the best, and really could do with some advice and suggestions here.

If any of you have had experience of securing steel sheets to wooden bench tops then I'd be very much grateful for your input on this.

Thanks.

Steve

Edited By Steven Vine on 22/08/2017 23:06:18

Unfortunately I only have the pictures of the Alexander and no other information, other than Aylesham (or maybe Deal) 16th July 2013.

I collect Perfecto Shaper information, and was attracted to the ebay listing for the Alexander, only because the seller included a picture of a Perfecto Shaper leaflet in the listing. I had not seen the leaflet before so I grabbed that image, along with the pictures of the Alexander.

I can't for the life of me remember if it sold, or what it went for.

Sorry I can't be of more help on this one.

Steve

Hi ndiy

I saw this shaper for sale, around 16-07-13. The machine was located in Aylesham, down Dover way. The seller's machine photos were accompanied by a picture of a Perfecto shaper leaflet, so I guess the seller did not know what it was.

Is it the one you have, or is it yet another unknown example

Steve

While looking around for a Meddings a year or so ago, I found this drill press for sale, on ebay I think.

In the description the seller commented 'it has the usual marks to the table'!!!!!!!

Edited By Steven Vine on 06/08/2017 00:28:47

Ok, a big stab in the dark here. The round thingy in the middle of the flat bar looks like some sort of pulley. Maybe a cable entered the housing through the hole at 12oclock, went round the pulley thingy, and exited the housing through the hole at 3 oclock.

I've seen quite a few 'dead' housings (made from plaster or wood)similar to that in the old houses I've worked on over the years, but no idea of the function.

Steve

I've missed all 18,000 odd episodes!

Steve

Phew. For a minute there I thought you meant the floor cleaner! Heaven forbid.

The other Flash, then yeah no problem.

Steve

Thought this may be of interest. I just found a page on the Model Engineering Website (modeleengineeringwebsite.com) that has a 13 minute video of Cherrys models. There are some frames of the engine depicted on the book cover.

Steve

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 13/07/2017 18:26:19

Great idea!

Now why did I not think of that?

Steve

Ian & Larry

I mounted the dial indicator stand on the column, and took a few readings off the table.

1 finger on table pushing down, light to moderate pressure = 0.05 - 0.1mm movement

1 finger on table pushing down, hard pressure = 0.2mm movement

2 hands on table pushing down, hard pressure = 0.6mm movement

I initially mounted the indicator in the chuck and got worse readings. This is due to some flex where the column is attached to the base and also to the head.

Whilst drilling and pushing down hard, I can often feel and see the table flexing. I'm pretty sure it is due to the insufficient small parallel ribs on the underside of the table casting. If the ribs were triangular, with the thick bit towards the column, then that would beef it up a bit and maybe stop it flexing so much. There is a mod to be had there!

In conclusion, only use very light pressure when drilling.

I have a Meddings MF4, a floor standing machine. I did the same test with the table, and again mounted the indicator stand on the column. I got less than 0.01mm of movement. Not a fair comparison I know.

Steve

I would be interested in reading that article. What is AME?

Steve

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party.

Here is a solution that worked for me some years ago. It is cheap, and requires minimal carpentry skills (I've moved on a bit since). The drawer bottoms have held up well with minimal sagging. The system provided quick and easy access to the drawer contents.

Here is the frame. The upright sheets are 15mm chipboard. The frame is made from 2x1 sawn, so no precision there!

Here are the drawers. The drawers are made from 2x1 sawn, which are joined together by butt joints, a screw, and some glue. The drawers are around 500mm square. The drawer bottoms are 6mm mdf, screwed to the drawer sides. The drawers (trays?) just slide on 2x1 sawn.

Here it is in use.

Steve

Edited By Steven Vine on 11/07/2017 12:54:08

I did the slit modification on a small Chio drill press. In the Chio head, there were two journals that carried the quill. There is absolutely zero play in the quill now, and the machine feels so much better with one less thing to worry about.

The two domed cap nuts are lightly tightened to close up the slit.

The test dial moves a mile if I press lightly on the table with my little finger! That's another problem I have to deal with sometime.

I had no qualms doing this modification on a cheap drill press; there was not much to lose. In fact I would go so far as to say that you can't really go wrong by doing it.

By cutting a slit in the two journals, the quill vertical alignment will be slightly altered and the quill will move out of the vertical by a thou as the head casting settles around the quill in a slightly different location. There was a couple of millimeter of play in the quill before it was modified, so the vertical alignment change is not really an issue to me.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the slot in the side of the quill, that the screw/lock nut bears on is just there to stop the quill from rotating, and not there to take up any play? Any thoughts anyone?

Steve

Edited By Steven Vine on 11/07/2017 12:26:33

I don't think there is a lid, just a handy storage tray that goes under.

I like the look of these ...

**LINK**

Hi Bob

As Tony says, £35 and 20 minutes work. It's a no brainer really. Give the guy some stress and maybe he will wake up and deal with you. He's giving you enough grief, give him some back. These low lifes get my goat.

Steve

Yeah, I have a busy day tomorrow.

On the agenda:-

1. Get in touch with the 18 year old Russian girl who is very much interested in me (she likes my photo and thinks I'm sexy).

2. Sort out my bank account. It will be closed if I don't confirm my details.

3. Have a chat with the African millionaire who needs my help getting money into the UK.

4. Sort out an Amazon order that has been cancelled. I'm sure I did not order anything through Amazon, but I must be mistaken.

5. Pass on my details so I can pick up the undelivered UPS parcel awaiting my collection.

6. Claim that £234.42 tax refund. It would be rude not to.

I'll do my best.

Steve

You are right.

Link to Hot Workshop topic. **LINK**

Steve

Edited By Steven Vine on 25/06/2017 00:23:47

Edited By Steven Vine on 25/06/2017 00:25:04

Well, I would go into my hot workshop, run around, and measure up for you, but I'm glued to an armchair at the moment!!

Steve

Edited By Steven Vine on 19/06/2017 15:02:53

John, that's the engine cooling system.

Steve