Member postings for Ajohnw

I would check if the blade is obviously bending each side of the work due to alignment of the guides or blade too loose and wondering around. On mine it isn't good idea to have the final guides too close to the work but I've never broken a blade in it.

I usually use a lubricant - what ever is about even motor cycle chain spray left over from running a 1200 Bandit. WD40 or what ever, even a few drops of 3 in 1. Part down to the saw being in a damp messy place.

The first time I looked at buying a normal bandsaw I asked were the grinder and welder was. The person feel about laughing. However some might find out what goes on with those useful. The kit is built into the side of the bandsaw. 2 types. One sort of spot welds the ends together and the other type simply pushes them together and passes a current so that it gets red hot at the joint - a bit of brazing rod is then applied. There is also a small grinding wheel on both types built in to flatten the joint. The brazing type joint could be made with a micro torch and a very simple jig. Lengths of blade work out a lot cheaper than buying ready joined one and offer a bigger range if needed.

LOL I hoped to find a small one done properly.

John

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Look on the bright side - you did right marking the divisions rather than cutting the gear.

John

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Sony did something along that the same lines Michael. I became rather excited till I looked into it a bit more.

150 million and 7.5 stops ! I thought we see in stops as near as dam it. Interesting though many people who are into cameras are well aware that ever increasing pixel counts relate to more noise and less dynamic range and much higher max iso as the buckets fill up more quickly and in real terms it's often a bad trade off - hence until recently most full frame cameras usually having a real greater dynamic range and lower noise figures and higher usable iso's.

I do a lot of photography at times and have switched to m 4/3. With decent pp software it's surprising what can be done with it. I also bought a Nikon V2, step too far but handy in good conditions and oh so easy to carry a number of lenses about as is m 4/3 really but Oly's best lenses are touch expensive and often a bit heavy too.

John

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They might have the same problem with any of them David and as they get bigger they may be better - who knows, Odd ones might be duff, most might be duff. There is no way of knowing until it's bought.

The problem for a beginner is spotting what is actually wrong and often having no idea at all what to expect generally. I'd guess no one on here thought that the lead screw was running out that much. They might have if they had been there and turned the handle but still wouldn't expect that sort of problem and initially put it down to something else.

John

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I know I have mentioned that people shouldn't get sucked in by the superior quality associated with .de. Like any country there are the good the bad and the ugly. Actually much of the reputation in this respect is a fiction that has been actively encouraged for a long time.

However people will continue to believe it no matter what they come across during life and it's true to some extent in some cases but oddly maybe I wouldn't include BMW in that area.

John

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Put it all together and Warco aught to provide you with a free collection and another lathe. They have been reasonable about a part I need to send back to them as it's nvg - a free post number. Lemons will crop up from time to time although in my case I suspect it will be evident in all of them to some degree so I don't want a replacement.

The head might be out because there are some bits under it but then a check from my memory of the tests should have shown that up.

Michael could well be correct about the key and that might explain the back lash. If it's in the nut that is way way too much but as you are aware from the other lathe there will be some.

The gib setting is a tricky business. On some lathes it can make big difference to finish and will help even out eventual wear more if they were very loose but it really is best to do it with the lead screw out which on most lathes is a pretty easy thing to do. It's then easy to pull the slide off and really oil it as well. There was a time when this sort of thing was a good idea anyway as sharp corners might need a bit of relief as they fouled on the mating part of the slide. I bought a small chinese miller once. Owner couldn't use it. All down to that and gib settings. Miller heads tend to be a bit heavy and setting the gibs on those is a real pain.

John

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It sounds like the handle might be slipping so include and exploded view of that in the photo as well.

If you are setting the gibs by adjusting and using the handle it's very easy to over tighten them and in any case the slides must be oiled with something suitable. It's best to remove the lead screw and push the slide by hand especially if you haven't done something like this several times before. That way you will detect when there is a slight drag and if the oil film is breaking down. Otherwise a beginner is probably better off leaving things as is.

Suitable oil? Forget 3 in 1 etc. It needs something heavier. Slideway oil is ideal. Some use motor oil but I don't like the smell and don't think it is so effective either.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 03/11/2015 11:36:12

Sounds like it's another thing to check along with can the lathe turn up to a centre with the tool in the normal position.

I took a work friend up to chester m/c to help him choose a lathe and also look for myself. The centre aspect ruled out all of the machines they had which looked sensible and were the size I wanted. What people seem to be unaware of is that once they have sold a few retailers are fully aware of any problems with them. Probably earlier on actually.

Friend - I said no not a baby lathe. For what he wanted to do a mini would be minimum. What did he do? Buy a baby and then complained about it a few months later. He concluded that it was ok on plastics with some buts. A warco 180 would have done but he would probably have come to the conclusion that a 240 would have been a better option later given what he wanted to do with it.

John

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I sometimes wonder if the quote should really be and more thoroughly checked if it's going to some one with a bit of fame such as say Jason or some one who will review it. On the other hand reviews don't usually give adequate information that could avoid the possibility of buying something that always tends to be a bit of a lemon or the true state of a machine that is being reviewed.

John

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See what you mean on the steady. I would have made a lot of noise about that. In some way warco have people by the short and curlies when they sell something like that. People may need a travelling steady at some point and probably wont find out until they come to use it. Warco will know about it so should organise replacements.

There is an answer to that sort of thing when it can be corrected. Small claims court for the work you had to put into it. This sort of thing could also result in more honesty relating to lathes - not much in the improvement line though as costs could only be pushed up so far before they wouldn't sell any. Small claims court? They wouldn't stand an earthly of winning a case like that.

Really steadies with flat blades are much better. Then people can do what I do. Every time I use one I think must get round to fitting ball races to the end and never get round to doing it. Some do and it results in a considerable improvement in usability.plus a reduction in capacity. I've only ever used one lathe where this had been done - probably when it was manufactured. There would be a need to think about threads on the travelling steady - maybe more than just one size of bearing.

John

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I have some heavy duty shelving and needed to mount a work light over one of the shelves. I fitted one of these

**LINK**

It gives a pretty good even light from a distance of 250mm or so. They are intended for under wall cupboard lighting so should work well over longer distances as well. It comes with screw fitting clips but I've stuck it in place with doubles sides foam tape.

If you don't want to fit a plug or don't have one etc then buy from B&Q but it will cost £3 more. The one from Screwfix just comes with bare wires but they have stripped the ends.

John

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I would if I were you. It's not difficult just fiddly when the od is being turned initially.

There is a decent video on use that shows setting up better than this one - but notice the comment about bulging in the middle on this without one - even on 12mm

**LINK**

This one shows screw cutting with one - where you really are likely to need it

**LINK**

Doubleboost is usually pretty good. On that one I would be inclined to work away from the chuck with a centre a bit loosely set. The reason being that the bar is being pulled throughout the cut - not pushed which might cause it to bend if there is any lathe misalignment. If the centre is well out of alignment it will have to be used to just stop the bar whipping about and not really be in contact with the work at all. Strange things can happen if it is. The centre will be trying to keep the work in one place and the steady in another. On that basis it could be argued that it's always best to work away from the chuck. You'd best have a play around as you might find best results are obtained when the slides are a little loose - depends on how precise the lathe is. When the same principle is used on a well worn capstan lathe I have seen both the chuck and the saddle move when the work went into the cutter box - good accurate parts came out as what the machine does hardly matters.

They give a rounder and more consistent size plus a better finish with sensible cuts that force the work up against the steady - this is also why the work comes out round and the same size all along if done correctly.

Boxford never updated their steady for modern tool posts. It's for a lantern type but I reckon it could be used with a qctp by using the side away from the chuck or angling it etc but the steady jaws ideally need to very close to the cutter.

John

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I'd hope the video's mention a travelling steady as you might need to use one.

John

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I suspect that pdf is well out of date and doesn't relate to off hand tool bit grinding. The industrial catalogue does have a bench / pedestal grinding section but doesn't have much of a selection. It can be found here

**LINK**

Where oh where have the wonderful designations gone ? Replaced by n digit numbers. I had wondered why info on RS was scant - one of the few Norton stockists I am aware of.

No luck finding the catalogue but did find a Reeves 23 edition. On wheels they list green grit and standard grit. On slip stones though they list carborundum for HSS and silicon for carbide. Grey wheel = carborundum just like the stones. There choice of slip stone surprises me the best were india stone, a reddy brown fine natural source of al ox.

I had a giggle when I saw that the new Reeves intended to stock as much as the old one.

John

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If it's cut with one tool it's best to set the compound slide to the half angle as some one once said to me that way one of the sides can be close to the correct angle. It also reduces the cutting load a lot especially on acme types.

For truly accurate work a shadow graph or microscope is needed to check the size of tools made from hss however tips can be bought these days so it's a lot earier, maybe even making your own holder.

These types of tips can often be bought in 1 offs eg

**LINK**

I often mention them. No connection etc but I find them to be a good reliable supplier that also sell good tips at reasonable prices as well.

John

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The term friable doesn't seem to be used much these days Rod. Maybe that's the problem. I'm 100% sure it was used to describe the bond where I come from - the ability for the bond to break down to expose fresh grit. Maybe a miss use. That wheel I mentioned used during training was described as more friable. In other respect the grit grade and type was 100% identical to what Lucas used in tool rooms. Probably for reason of economy. They had even standardised on toilet paper type and size plus hand drying tissues etc that resulted in min cost - Any thinner, lighter, smaller and people just used more. LOL I'm reminded of that when I go to many places and grin when I have to use stacks of it.

I may have an old Graham Engineering catalogue about. It would be interesting to see what type of grit but my recollection is that grey = carborundum. I did use white al ox on a tool grinder. Only for really tiny cuts. Fortunately I was never presented with 1/2 a dust bin full of end mills to sharpen all over, One colleague wasn't so lucky. Having seen that going on it leaves me wondering why people round here just sharpen the ends. If the cutter is blunt it seems like a waste of time to me.

John

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That's contrary to the green grit wheel I have Rod and to what I believe. Wheels are made less friable for grinding harder materials and various grades of hardness are available even in aluminium oxide. As it's not used that often I did try using the green grit wheel to touch up hss and it doesn't work well at all because it was incapable of breaking down the wheel. The wheel is probably over 20 years old now but I'd be surprised if things have changed. The hss wheel is too - regular resharpening with a stone means it doesn't get used very often. That wheel isn't aluminium oxide. Just the usual old style grey stuff which from memory is plain carborundum. It's a long time since I bought one. Both on a Newtool 8" grinder bought from Graham Engineering. No wobble or vibration to speak of, it just sits loose on a bench and the wheels only needed very light dressing from new.

I only went into a 6" wheel and aluminium oxide out of curiosity as some were using them and not too happy about the results they were getting. I found that it was pretty useless with the original woolworth wheels on so fitted Axminster aluminium oxide and found that it's ok, slow but not generating too much heat. It doesn't produce such sharp edges as other wheels I have used though. I'd guess Axminster mostly sell wheels for carbon steel woodworking tools hence the mess they make in use. However they still tend to get black in places due to HSS build up. That may be down to quality.

John

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I used quantum theory Michael not involving the cat by utilising certain aspects of string theory.

Can't correct that typo now.

The test certificate did load up when I posted. Here it is

When I had the lathe the bearings were loose causing around 0.002" taper over 6". There is also very slight oval wear in the bearings now so this time when the head is stripped I am going to bite the bullet and replace them. Hope it doesn't mess things up.

John

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I have an unused 10" solar filter. It came with a newtonian I bought a long time ago. Meade. 2ndy mirror too small to use the entire main mirror even on axis and something of a mistake in 2ndry position calculations. I intend to get on making a slightly slower mirror and use some of the bits from it at some point.

I was just curious what lens / telescope Neil used?

John

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John

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