Member postings for Francis Sykes

Hi Alan,

I'm afraid I'll not be delivering the masterclass as requested. There are plenty of books that do a better job of explaining Chinese culture (which is as complex as any culture, perhaps more so with 1.3 billion people to cover), and I don't think I'd do it justice even putting my own experiencesinto words.

All I will say, is the range and quality of items that can be supplied from China is far greater than you have indicated. Mostly cost effective, but if you want better quality/performance, you will tend to pay more for it. I can't help but believe where a Western supplier has asked for a $2 part, they've got a $2 part. We don't get something for nothing anywhere alas.

Here's a link!

http://www.lathes.co.uk/bridgeport/

I've got a friend who's got a lovely Bridgeport in his garage. They're a medium duty machine, it'll be more rigid and capable than a bench top machine, the disadvantage is that second hand you'll need to carefully check the machine for its condition, as many have lead hard lives in an industrial situation.

Many are three phase motor equipped, so either a phase converter is needed for these machines or going for inverter drive may be necessary if, like the majority of us, you only have single phase (240v) supply available.

The machines had various options too as far as I can tell, and you may get ones with/without power feed, coolant pumps (agian could be three or single phase) - I think they could have different heads too. I expect Lathes.co.uk would probably supply more info on the variants.

If you're going to look at a machine, take a friend who'd know what to look for in miling machine condition?

Firstly I'll apologies in advance, I think the conclusions reached on teh original question are pretty much correct - for me I've distilled it down to:

1) You pretty much get what you pay for, so either:

2) Make up the difference in purchase price to the performance that you require by putting in the time to modify it/fettle it. You'll balance this based on how much you price your time at vs money you're willing to spend

3) Don't bother - if it clamps strongly enough, just set the job up properly every time with suitable measuring equipment.

Interestingly for me, I think it's No.3 that I see most commonly by the professionals I know - I guess perhaps because the hammering these items take in industrial use (not series production by the way, more making up of one off spares/reverse engineering)

Alan, I feel the need to give you some feedback on your view of equipment manufactured from the East. Your views seem apparent for someone who has only a very small proportion of knowledge over the Chinese manufacturing and engineering capability, range and culture, I'd suggest you bear this in mind when making your suppositions and assumptions relating to sourcing of items over there.

I think David should be given a break. 99% (okay, slight exaggeration) of the other forums in the world practice a no negative comments policy - legally there is room I believe for libel to be brought against the hosting site. I think the ME forums have actually tended to be surprisingly lenient when it comes to this, perhaps that's why it seems odd when it is enforced.

If there are problematic experiences to be talked about, to potential customers, often it's been handled in private messaging.

We have to remember that the internet is not always a cosy chat room, it's a record of peoples comments and views in the public domain.

I think he got fed up with the whole thing and took up cross stitch.

Congratulations Gary! I welded up a bench for mine, taking too many months to finish it! Anyway finally getting bored of using the machine on the now sagging pallet it was on, I borrowed a Clarke engine crane and suitable lifting strop to get it in position.

It made the job easy, a one person job as well as above all, safe for me and the precious mill!

Alan, I'm afraid I may be relatively new round here, so let me tell you my first impression, of your hounding responses to Ketan's responses, and yours to mine also, is that you are in fact a trouble maker.

Ketan - I think your responses have been frank and honest, it looks like the balance of opinion sways a long way to satisfied customers. I would consider doing business with yourself and Arc Euro Trade.

It goes a long way that a supplier is prepared to stand here and air their balanced views, ,many forums will not allow a true no holds barred naming/shaming of suppliers at all.

Time to draw a line under this? I'm an engineer and I'd rather just talk engineering?

My goodness, I thought this was a forum of mature adults!

For what it's worth, I went with a WM18 clone from SPG tools, but would have happily gone with many of the others on here, SPG at the time were the right price for me. It's an R8 machine, I haven't found anything particularly awry with it in the 12 months I've had it.

Lots of R8 tooling available, and with a friend with a Bridgeport it made even more sense for me.

I bought a collect set, so use that for holding end mills. No problem with ejecting the collects, probably quarter turn to tighten and only a light tap with the side of the spanner to release.

On Chinese tools generally the price is excellent, enabling many of us to have significantly better equipped workshops these days than otherwise. I've got a few other Chinese sourced items, none let me down. Best via a UK importer who ensures quality control and support.

Depends where you are, but I find Mackays of Cambridge very very good for cut to size.

You do pay a bit more than the cost per area vs a sheet, and I've found long cutting lists add to the price than if you rationalised things down to a few longer, practical to handle lengths - but I've saved a bit since as I've now got a 6X4 bandsaw and plasma cutter...

Other than that, you're probably onto online stockists. I haven't found one yet that is straightforward on pricing - it looks good until you get to the checkout and then they normally kill you on delivery costs.

Um, may be best not messing about with people and the risks that brings - can you borrow an engine crane from a friend?

Great idea. I wonder what sort of a job my plasma cutter would have made of it.

other item that might work, although I suspect still requiring some support, a jigsaw with a metal blade. That was my weapon of choice on up to 3mm steel.

Yes, I believe they did. The Vulcan itself used non afterburning versions of the Olympus engines.

It'll be an issue with belt tracking, often this is adjust by slight changes in the angle of one or both shafts (effectively adjusting how parallel tir axes are in relation to one another). If the machine has had a lot of use check that the crowning hasn't worn off too.

Mike, thanks for the response and the great link.

I had heard about the issue with getting all the cutters working, most sensible suggestion I'd seen was a chap who used a piece of glass on the table of his mill to level them.

Like your cutter, I might have to look at making one. I can think of situatons where I'd like to face up close to a vertical step, do you think the cutter would be as effective if the horizontal angle of the cutter was changed to the other way round, so the tool steel is toed out rather than in?

Hello all,

I'd done some experimentation recently with fly cutting a brake disc, but couldn't get either a particularly satisfactory finish or metal removal rate.

I'd like to get a face cutter, I have an R8 WM18 clone mill, I don't think I want to go to the expense of an inserted cutter and arbor. Has anyone any experience of the HSS face cutters, that have 4 vertical pieces of HSS blank clamped into them? are they any good?

I don't need production removal rates, but more than a fly cutter and better finish on material like cast iron.

Thanks in advance!