Member postings for Greensands

I have in my collection of screws some black 6mm cap heads which instead of being provided with the expected 5mm socket head can only be used with a 7/32" A/F key. A 5mm allen key is definitely to large and will not enter into the head of these screws whereas the 7/32 provides a good fit. Has anyone else met this unusual combination of standards? One other aspect relating to these screws is the O/D. When miked, the diameter is very close to the nominal 6mm leading to a tight fit when used with a standard nut in contrast to most commercially available screws which come out somewhat under size.

Forgot to add that the size of tool steel in question is 1/4" x 1/4"

It has been suggested that this type of hobby saw can be used for cutting (or at least nicking) tool steel to length prior to breaking off using the hammer & vice technique but my experience has not been a happy one. This I think is because I am not using the right type or size of saw blade. Can anyone recommend a suitable choice of cutting off blade and from where they may be obtained. The Maplin hobby saw itself appears to meet the requirements although I feel it does requires a lot of patience and the use of very light loads to make any serious progress.

A couple of recent postings give details of how to make up a tangential tool having a rhombus shaped shank set at 12 degrees. How critical is this setting and on what basis is it derived?

IMHO you cannot better - "The Amateurs’ Lathe" by L H Sparey, admittedly written around the Myford Series 7 but none the less an excellent all round guide to the use of the lathe.

I eventually found that batch conversion of DraftSight files to AutoCAD2000 compatible could be carried out using AutoCAD DRW Trueview - all quite painless.

I am currently running a 2017 edition of the 'free' Draftsight 2D software package but does anyone know whether it will still be accessible after Dec 31 2019?

Hi - Anticipating the worst, I am considering having to conver all my current .dwg Draftsight files into an older version of Autocad e.g. ACAD 2000-2002. Is there a quick (or batch) way of making the conversion of the 50 or so files I have or do I have to go through the individual Save-as routine for each individual file?

Hello Wilf - I do not know if you have been able to resolve your problem relating to the top feed casing on the Black five but if it is any help I do have a copy of the Tony Allcock drawings for the 5" gauge Jubilee which i would be happy to scan for you. Reg