Member postings for Phil P

I was thinking about grafting one of those high speed units onto a BCA type jig borer instead of using the antiquated belt driven spindle.

One reason is lack of available resonably priced collets on the BCA, and lack of high spindle speed for small cutters.

My only worry is that for the odd times I want to use a flycutter or a boring head, would I still be able to use the high speed unit but running very slowly, or will it over heat ?

Is there an option of forced ventialtion on the motor, or does it have a direct coupled fan ?

Any thoughts ?

Phil

I too used Autocad for more years than I care to remember, then in 2005 I was let loose on Solidworks. Our company does mainly sheet metal, a lot of fabrication and a fair amount of machining.

There is NOTHING that I would even consider using Autocad for except the odd pneumatic schematic drawing perhaps.

Use Solidworks in the way it is intended and put your Autocad discs in the drawer with DOS etc.

Phil

Chris

I just looked in your photo album of workshop photo's. It looks like you have the same problem as me. ie way too much stuff in too small a space.

I am intrigued by your power saw stood vertically on the corner of the bench, do you use it that way up, or does it fold out somehow ?

Phil

Paul

Yes it is the one at Markham, and I have taken loads of photo's of it myself.

The award winning model at Bolton is one of two made by Peter Southworth and is identical to mine, in fact it uses the same patterns that were made by Peter, my late father bought Peters third set of spare castings and started to build the engine in the 1980's then sold it part completed when he became too ill to carry on with it.

Last year I traced it and bought it back in exactly the same state as he had sold it thirteen years previously, and am now working towards finishing it myself.

Peter Southworth never wanted the castings for this engine to be freely available, and gave the patterns to a friend to "BURN", thankfully he could not bring himself to burn them and unbeknown to anyone put them in his loft. Its a long story but they are now safely stored in my loft and will be displayed with my engine when it is finished.

Before anyone asks......I am respecting Peters wishes and not making them available for sets of castings.

I have also been very fortunate in being able to borrow Peters collection of black and white negatives, and am at this very moment scanning all the Pollit & Wigzell photo's that he took at various sites in the 1980's including Agnes at its original location in Washpit Mill.

Phil

I too would appreciate a heads up on this one.

I am making a model of a Pollit & Wigzell mill engine called Agnes, this engine was originally fitted with a Whitehead governor, but later in its working days it was changed to a Lumb governor and regulator.

I have full size original drawings for the Whitehead but not the Lumb, I do have lots of photo's though.

Phil

Chris

I bought one of those a couple of years ago, you might want to take it apart and clean the bits and then lubricate it. Mine worked a lot sweeter after I had done that.

You can also use it in the lathe chuck for re-setting your tailstock if you have ever moved it for taper turning. Or for setting up jobs on the cross slide etc.

Phil

Stew

I dont want this to sound picky, but I think you meant 1/4" WHITWORTH not BSF for the tripod thread.

It is amazing that after all these years even the most high tech brand new camera still has the good old 1/4 Whit thread it has had from all those years ago.

Phil

I still use the "Firkin" as a unit of measure.

It is very simple to use as its either two firkin long or two firkin short.

Phil

Edited By Phil P on 20/05/2013 19:39:44

That should read........... "I'm guessing that Harrogate in May SHOULD be nice"

Don't be too surprised if it's snowing when you get here in early May, it is not unknown in the North of the UK at that time of year.

Seriously you will enjoy the show whatever the weather, I have been to all 20 of them and do not intend to miss any in future.

Phil

Michael

You can see some more photo's of the micrometer here. The first picture is of the "other" existing one.

The same man now owns both in his collection in the USA.

**LINK**

I keep looking out for another one, but so far no luck.

Phil

Edited By Phil P on 19/05/2013 10:24:32

A few years ago I decided that I just had to have a digital micrometer, I just could not continue to live without one. I spent what was then quite a lot of money on buying a good quality one.

I used it about three times and hated every minute of it, I sold it at a considerable loss not long after.

It hurts to even think about it now.

Phil

PS.

I later bough a very rare mechanical digital micrometer at an antique fair for £20 and sold it on ebay for £2495.47, so the story did have a happy ending.

I did not realise at the time I bought it there was only one other example known about in the world.

Edited By Phil P on 18/05/2013 22:37:24

Edited By Phil P on 18/05/2013 22:48:17

Edited By Phil P on 18/05/2013 22:49:20

Edited By Phil P on 18/05/2013 22:50:06

Edited By Phil P on 18/05/2013 22:53:29

I usually listen to a walkie talkie, hoping the wife has made a cup of tea I need to go and collect from the house

Phil.

Bob

So is this a "sub contracted" commision job for a museum as well ?

If it is for yourself, you must want one "really badly" to contemplate paying what it wll cost to have it made.

Just curious really, I dont have any spare time on my hands either, but I do agree that you have probably under estimated how much you will need to pay someone.

Phil

Bob Potter is now running the business and can be contacted by phone or e-mail.

The website is as mentioned above:-

http://www.southworthengines.com/

Phil

I agree with most of the above apart from adding that the diamond is not much good for removal of a lot of metal, more as a finishing operation after using a conventional wheel to shape the tool.

If you try too hard with the diamond it just gets hot and burns the tool.

Phil

Thanks for the heads up.

I have just had a great half hour outside in the freezing cold with our telescope.

It must be one of the clearest nights we have had for months.

Phil

I have an Alexander Master Toolmaker milling machine, a few years ago I fitted it with a set of three cheap linear scales to give me a sort of poor mans digital readout system.

This has worked extremely well and served its purpose, but I am now wondering if I should go the whole hog and fit a full three axis or maybe just an XY axis digital readout system. I like the look of some of the features like bolt hole circles and co-ordinate curve milling etc. I think I could probably manage with a two axis DRO and retain the existing digital scale for the Z axis.

I have been looking at the ones on the Machine-DRO website who advertises on here.

My question is:-

Has anyone fitted a system to an Alexander or a Deckel FP1 which is essentially the same. Did you encounter any problems etc.

Thanks

Phil

Edited By Phil P on 13/02/2013 21:30:53

No I agree it should be M6, it all makes sense when you substitute that in the list at the top of the message.

It looks as though M6 scales to about the right diameter when looking at the other dimensions as well.

Phil

Power feed.............I take it all back, you are a wimp

Just kidding, are you doing your own bevel gears for the diff by the way ?

Phil

You have my sympathies winding that knee up and down for every tooth, maybe more than one pass for each.

Phil