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Member postings for KMP

Here is a list of all the postings KMP has made in our forums. Click on a thread name to jump to the thread.

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Thread: DRO Scales - BW Electronics
08/09/2011 21:59:07
Niloch Hi,
 
Our posts must have crossed, thanks for the pointer. I have in my sticky hand MEW 181 that the wife brought home this evening. I shall retire and read with interest.
 
Regards
 
Keith
08/09/2011 21:54:33
Ian Hi,
 
Yes I agree and have also already asked BW Electronics. I was pleasantly surprised to get an almost instant reply and they confirmed that they are able to reapair my old sensor or provide an interface for glass type scales at about £50. At the moment I'm not sure if that covers one scale or all three but it is obviously not just a plug adaptor.
 
With my "tight" streak to the fore I hoped that someone with the appropriate knowledge may have managed to "cobble" something together at a lower cost. It soon gets to the point where a new "budget" readout is almost as cheap although my poor old brain could do without having to get used to yet another system. Having said that, my larger mill has an Easson ES14 system which is superb, perhaps I should standardize on that.
 
I agree that leaving the BW system in the box would be a waste so at worst I would fit it with the two working scales onto my larger lathe. Unfortunately as an electronic numpty I didn't quite ask Bob at BW the "right" questions so I will need to wait for his clarification tomorrow.
 
Thanks for your help.
 
Keith
 
 
08/09/2011 14:45:55
Good afternoon all,
 
I have just obtained a small mill and am looking at fitting a DRO. I have an unused BW Electronics 3 axis system but never really liked the wire driven rotary sensors. Does anyone know if one can fit normal scales to this system, seems silly to leave it in the box if it can be retrofitted with modern scales.
 
Any help much appreciated.
 
Best regards
 
Keith
Thread: Myford online auction
27/08/2011 13:07:26

I guess that there are always winners and losers with this type of sale. I was a bit miffed to see the VM-E go at that price as that was what I offered for it several weeks ago and got turned down. I found them difficult to deal with as the price seemed to go up as you talked to them, then again I wasn’t offering what they priced things at so I expect I was put down as a plonker. I suppose the auctioneers did well from it anyway. I couldn’t believe the oil prices as I bought 5 litres last week and knew I was being screwed at £11 but it was close and available.

> >

As John mentioned before the whole sad story is intriguing to say the least, the lathe side of the business had obviously become the bridesmaid but of course I have no idea how many grinders they were producing. I have visited quite a number of manufacturing companies both good and bad in my career but I can’t think of one that had so much machinery and such a large inventory of spares compared to their apparent throughput and staff numbers. It certainly looks like the JIT and KanBan periods passed them by. I guess they had many machines set for one task and their batch size appears to match their once substantial output. Still, I don’t really know and conjecture is not productive, unfortunately the workforce amongst others have paid with their jobs. The closest model I can think of is a few family run businesses where they were running more as a hobby/pastime and out of loyalty to their long standing workforce – I have no idea if this applies to any extent here, but it is always sad to see such companies fold under modern business pressures.

Certainly a sad day though.

Keith
25/08/2011 20:40:42
John, I got transfixed watching it and spent much too much time "doing nothing". The Hitachi Seiki CNCs fetched £10K and £12K I think, and the Traub was over £7K as well. I started watching the Traub at about £1300 with 2 minutes to go and with the last minute bids adding 2 minutes to the end time it sold over an hour later.
 
Looking at what was going on I'm not sure there will be many real bargins, I was trying to guess why some lots didn't seem very popular and now you have explained why. I don't think I will be tempted to bid blind. I see the old twin head Archdale mill made what I thought was a fair price as well and the 540 grinders were popular. Perhaps I am just too tight. I don't know where these machines will end up but the market is more lively than I thought. Then again the Hitachi Seiki Twin Pallet CNC for that price was a bit of a steal if you have a job/customer for it.
 
The other thing that struck me was what did Myford do with all this machinery? With the small workforce towards the end they must have had several machines each. I have to say that my impression of them never investing in modern machinery was a bit off although they seemed to have stayed at the lower end of the market. I am left with the feeling that a few well chosen (and admitedly very expensive) machines would have produced more than the large quantity of older kit they seemed to have held on to. Then again I am no business man so what do I know.
 
Regards
 
Keith
Thread: Bristol Show
22/08/2011 13:41:29
I went on Saturday as I do every year and was not disappointed. As always there was a good range of interesting exhibits, some excellent models to look at and admire and a reasonable range of traders on hand to take my money. The Bugatti replica was interesting as were the machine tools and a couple of very impressive locomotives even to a non steam buff.
I was able to buy the last couple of genuine spares I needed for my Myford S7 even if the price made me swallow hard. I couldn’t find an ER32, R8 collet chuck but those are easy enough to find on the internet if I need it before Leamington Spa.
I particularly like the relaxed atmosphere and the friendly and enthusiastic guys who take the time to man the exhibits; for the wife and me the catering was quick and filled a hole as they say. She also likes the fact that she can sit and read and visit a couple of very good garden centres nearby. So all in all we had an excellent day and many thanks again to the Bristol club.
 
Regards
 
Keith
Thread: Myford online auction
15/08/2011 17:20:41
I've been watching these Myford sell off events with a mixture of interest and sadness. I guess that the lack of sales of new/rebuilt machines on the bay either reflects the difficulty of selling good machines at that price today or, the belief that one is going to get a "bargain" at the final sale. I guess we will find out next week. On the other hand anything with a Myford name on it seems to be listed (and bought) at a premium these days, particularly the stands which appear to be a much better investment than oil or stocks and shares. Sadly, I think it reflects the cost of good quality, small quantity manufacture in this country. So another area of choice is further limited, although they are very reasonable these days I would prefer more than picking a green, grey or blue one.
 
Regards
Keith (certified "old f**t)
Thread: `Outdoor storage -another approach
15/08/2011 16:56:48
Alan, what a fantastic idea. I must say as a belt and braces man I like the idea of keeping the worst of the rain off the wrapping and you couldn't ask for better ventilation. We used to use this type of temporary shelter when the kids raced their rc cars and they provided surprisingly good protection. I await your photos with great interest, many thanks.
 
Regards
Keith
Thread: Temporary Storage Workshop Contents
15/08/2011 15:28:18
Good afternoon all thanks for all the excellent advice and particularly the boost to my sagging confidence. It looks like it may not be the major expense I feared and SWMBO has already started clearing out the conservatory for the items that can be boxed.
John, thank you very much for taking the time to post with your experience it is much appreciated; I hope thinks are all OK. I have to say that I have read all of your posts that I can find and both enjoyed and learnt much from them. For some unknown reason (pure luck) I bought a fair amount of 3 x 2 from the local B&Q which was on offer a few weeks back so it looks like I have a use for it already. I have a fairly sheltered area of paving which is easy to access so will see what I can fit in there.
 
Nick, thanks for your comments – the weeds grow thick and fast round here, even through the gaps in the paving. I have a number of 4 inch fence posts so thought of them directly on the ground over some of that weed preventing fabric and the 3 x 2s on top.
 
Jon, I hope it doesn’t take as long as your project. I’m also not keen on moving the heaviest machines as I only have the engine hoist. I have just moved my Bridgeport (complete) but only lifted it far enough to get some rollers underneath and that caused some serious creaking. We must both be lucky as my SWMBO is a huge support in my mad schemes.
 
Gordon, thanks, I have plenty of odd sized wood to make up some sort of frame but no source of cheap ply. I was wondering if that cheap OSB would be OK for the short time it should take.
 
Peter, thanks, you have exposed my lack of detail in the original question. Unfortunately, it is not the roof but what is under it that is the problem. I am still waiting for the written report of the “bulk sampling” but from the experience of the analyst it looks like everything needs to be moved out or treated as contaminated hazardous waste after. It is also possible that I am “notifiable” but my wife says she has always known that. If I can find an honest contractor (yes I know), as the amount is relatively small I would hope to get an exemption from a full wet strip, then again I would not wish to put anyone at risk at all.
 
Wallace, I’m afraid that the arch formed by the trees lining the drive my wife likes so much precludes the use of a shipping container. I am looking at the possibility of the “flat packed” container but they seem to be sold rather than hired.
 
Apologies for the long winded reply but I am grateful for all the excellent ideas and comments, thanks again.
 
Best regards
Keith
14/08/2011 12:29:49

Hi, I need to empty my current workshop (double garage) to allow work to be done to the roof. The machinery will need to be out for 3-4 weeks and I currently have no other buildings that I can store it in. There are some 8 major machines with the heaviest being about 900Kg and the usual stack of small tooling; much of it is new and thus important to keep rust free. I have considered hiring a container but advice is that the large trees over the drive would preclude delivery and placement. The current start date is Oct/Nov so can’t assume good weather.

> >

I would appreciate any thoughts or experience of a suitable temporary method of storage that wouldn’t break the small bank I have available. I have considered moving it about 10 miles to “storage” but that in itself is a major undertaking and I have no fork lift available to load/unload at either end. How do new machines cope outside under tarpaulins? Has anyone experience of the “flat pack” containers that come for self assembly? Any ideas would be a great deal of help.
 
Best regards
Keith
Thread: Sheet Metal Folder
09/08/2011 22:27:53
Hi Guys,
 
Thank you all for a good ole dose of common sense and pragmatism. Dug out some bench shears that I had been "storing" and combined with a nibbler that fitted into my electric drill I was able to cut out the required shape with I must say little problem. Then up to the local industrial estate and found a chap working on his own who folded it for me in all of two minutes for the price of a couple of pints. Job done as they say, or it will be after I weld it up tomorrow. Not instant success though as the first "fabricator" I approached wanted a drawing (for 4 folds) and £40 +Vat to do it when he could fit it in.
 
So thanks again guys excellent advice and I think I have found a new friend; when we were talking he mentioned that he needed a couple of spacers for one of his machines - I'll deliver them tomorrow morning.
 
Best regards
Keith
04/08/2011 18:25:04
Keith Hi,
 
Thanks for that, actual experience is always better than reading the specifications. While the bending angle would just do the job, if the shearing capacity is close to your experience and to be fair to their stated capacity, I will need to look elsewhere. Much deeper into my pocket I fear but still better than wasting my money. Thanks very much for your post it's much appreciated.
 
Regards
Keith
 
PS We spent a great time in Montreal last year round Canada day, great city. We will as they say "be back".
03/08/2011 21:23:40
Hi, I need to do a little bit of sheet metal work using 1mm mild steel sheet a maximum of 750mm long. Having spent some time chasing secondhand box and pan folders without success I am now considering one of the "multi formers" that are sold. If anyone has one or has used one could you advise on their ability. I know the spec says 0.6mm but will they shear 1mm? Will they fold slightly over 90 degrees? Any advice experience would be much appreciated.
 
Regards
Keith
Thread: Two Speed Three Phase Motor From Single Phase
01/08/2011 08:53:28

Nick, Steve, Hi

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to post the additional information, it’s very useful to point me in the right direction for some more reading before I do any damage. You both make it sound straight forward and not quite the expensive exercise I was imagining. The extra clarity you have both provided certainly gives me some confidence to consider three phase machines that I had previously written off as too difficult. Perhaps a small surface grinder next, my wife believes that I am a hopeless case – addicted to lumps of old iron, surely not?

Anyway, thanks again your help is much appreciated.

Best regards
Keith

30/07/2011 20:55:41
Hi guys
 
Thanks for the ideas but our next door neighbours would be convinced that I was doing something illegal
 
Nick, thanks for your advice but I'm sorry to say that I fail completely on the "being comfortable with some electrics" part. I don't really understand what you are doing but will read it again (a few times) and see if I can grasp enough to at least not put the lights out.
 
At the moment I have taken the easy route and ordered one of the Warco special offers as an interim solution. In the longer term if all goes well I will look to convert that one to CNC and look for an 836 to keep my hand in as they say.
 
Thanks again for all your advice
 
Best regards
Keith
29/07/2011 12:39:36
Steve, John Hi,
 
Good guess Steve, the Chester 836 was one of the machines I looked at yesterday. Very well specified (Variable speed, DRO, Power feed and full Coolant) and (the one I looked at) very impressive build. My only drawback was the price at a little below £6K. I also looked at a more basic version of the 836 from another supplier that would have been about £4.5K. However, as I want a DRO, and to run it from single phase I guess I would need to put another £750 into it.
 
John is absolutely correct in that there are some very good deals out there for what look like excellent machines. Unfortunately, Warco do not currently have any WM20 (their 836 varient) machines and I understand the lead time is likely to be long. There is another excellent offer from Warco at the moment that might temp me for the interim.
 
Steve is also correct in the point that the Bridgeport is as good a machine as most model engineers will ever need (Sorry John), but my issue is that for medical reasons it and more importantly the tooling is too heavy for me at the moment. That might also be an issue for me with the 836 type if the future is less than kind to me. I'm 90% decided to go with the Warco offer as if things improve then I can always trade up again. Small mills seem to sell reasonably well so I might not loose too much and in fact SWMBO has just said "what's the matter with having two mills". I guess I'm lucky in some ways.
 
Best regards
Keith
28/07/2011 21:38:19
Steve, thanks for that it was as I feared. Having looked at the machine today I have decided not to go ahead with it so back to the search. I have been looking for a replacement for my Bridgeport for a few years now and still haven't found the right machine. I looked at a bunch of new mills without finding an excuse to break out the wallet. I seem to be in the gap between the hobby and small industrial markets, in one corner the VMC/RF45 clones and the other the 836 type. Price difference is significant but I must say the apparent quality of the imports was fairly impressive over what I was looking at 10 years ago. The 836 with DRO, power feed and variable speed was very tempting until we got to the nearly £6K price tag.
 
Anyway, thanks again for your help.
 
Best regards
Keith
27/07/2011 09:40:13
Hi, I'm contemplating a mill with a 3ph 2 speed motor and don't know if it is possible to run (in both speeds) from a 1ph supply and if so what is needed, VFD or Phase Converter? I guess I could replace the motor with a dual wound one with a VFD but it them gets to be a fairly expensive machine. Any help/advice would be much appreciated.
 
Regards
Keith
Thread: What happened to the Myford sale thread?
20/07/2011 13:32:12
Ian, I’m sure that the workforce would not have jumped at the prospect of major change, not many do without the right leadership and sense of involvement in the process.
The issue I’m sure is one of lack of foresight and major investment. Not in the last few years either, major investment in new tooling and a move to increase their production numbers was required 25 years ago at least. The sad thing to me is that a Myford with a couple of “improvements” and built on the modern production machinery could retain the quality and cost much less to produce. In fact he final workforce size (20 or so?) could be a major player with the right tooling even based in the UK. The reason I say that is the power of the Myford name before this last week; an updated S7 selling for £3 - 4K and with the possibility of a CNC retro fit pack, would still have sold very well in today’s market. Great pity but there we go. Hindsight is easy of course.
 
Best regards Keith
Thread: Best way to improve fit of main spindle quill in casting (long)
07/07/2011 17:45:19
Hi Ian,
 
Could you bore out a 0.5-0.75" wide groove in the quill housing casting to give some thickness for a lower bearing without taking all the strength out of the casting. If so then you can either cast in a Moglice bearing or even better cast a babbit bearing and machine back to the required size. I don't know what the minimum thickness for a bearing would be but I guess anything over 0.060" would be OK as there is no speed/heat involved in the quill movement. While it might be difficult to get the babbit to "stick" to the casting the annular form would provide support and stop the bearing moving with the quill. Although it is available in liquid form I'm not so sure about Moglice, it is either seen as the "best thing since sliced bread" or an impending disaster depending who you speak too, unfortunately I have no experience with it to guide you. That locking slit will compromise most possible repairs as to retain it any bearing material needs an element of spring, although babbit might survive small deformation I don't think Moglice would.
 
Regards
 
Keith
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