Member postings for I.M. OUTAHERE

You could make a TCT hole saw out of some 60nb pipe with carbide tips and bore it on a decent mill then part off ?

i would personally hand it back and get them to do the rough machining !

Ian

If you buy a set of either number or metric fractional drills buy a known brand as i have two sets that are a bit dodgy from the eastern provinces .

Can't complain really for the price as 90 % are ok but i was looking through my metric set that is .1 divisioned and stumbled upon the 9.6 and 9.8 drills that are both stamped 9.8 and measure the same !

Have the same issue with number drills from 40 up but so far the bigger drills have been fine .

Suppose you get what ya pay for !

Most you will never use so maybe just buy what you need ?

Ian

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 14/06/2013 07:24:29

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 14/06/2013 07:26:15

Hi Rob ,

From your post i would guess that you have wound the cross slide in until the feed screw has disengaged from the feedscrew nut ?
Not knowing what machine you have makes things a little difficult as there are a few differing designs.
How far back in will it go ?
If you can wind say 5 or 6 turns before it locks it could be the gib strip being displaced .
What ever you do don't force it !
By the way welcome to the Forum and i'm sure there will be some one who either knows about or owns the same machine as you so help is not far away .

Ian

Hi John,

It can be a little difficult for some one to recomend a type of model to make as they have no way of gauging your experience with your lathe .

If you have little experience on the machine i would recomend the Workshop Practice Series of books as they a lot of projects in them that you can make and learn to use the machine .

As for a model itself , maybe something fairly simple like an oscillating engine that will run on compressed air ?

Ian

For more accuracy i would try using a set of scales that measure in GRAINS and then convert it .
50 GRAMS = 771.9 GRAINS.

You can get a set of cheap( price - not quality ) scales like the ones made by MTM and paint a piece of the same material a the hull and measure the difference .

Have a look at a gun shop or places like Sinclairs in the USA - I don't think you will don't need a licence for these items but check anyhow and as usuall no relation or anything with this seller just a customer .

You can get a set of beam sales cheap too and also very accurate but will not convert the weight for you like a digital set .

I wonder how much difference changing between a gloss to a matt finish would make to the drag on the hull ?

Ian.

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 27/05/2013 07:11:35

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 27/05/2013 07:12:43

I agree the USB Microscope could be very usefull in the Workshop, it would be great or checking out the cutting edges on all sorts of tools especially very small drill bits .
I don't know about the rest of you but i hate it when i get one of those really fine metal splinters in a finger as you can feel it but not see it to remove it - wonder if this would help ?

Ian

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies and valuable info !

It would seem that taking some photos of a part you are making is oddly enough similar to making that part as it is all about the set up and not the size or quality of the machine you are using to machine it .
If the set up is not correct it won't matter one bit if you are using a Bridgeport or an X2 to mill it as long as it fits on the machine that is !

I have to purchase a new camera and i am relieved to know i don't need to spend a couple of grand on one when a unit costing a few hundred will do .

Screens , diffisers and lighting is something i will have to play around with as my workshop is a pretty old fibro shed and none too pretty to lok at !

Once again thanks to all who have taken the time to reply as it has given me a starting point and a direction to go in .

Ian

I don't see why we shouldn't be able to download and print this as we have paid for it -if it is an issue that was published after your subscription started .
Maybe there could be a print the whole issue link if you want a hard copy .
I have just printed the article from Neil Wyatt about his quick change tool post and it was a pain in the Ar*e as i had to do a page at a time and i should be able to download it and print the lot in one go .

Ian

Hi all m,

I was looking at some of the back issues of ME,MEW etc and was wondering how the Authors of articles in these Magazines acheive such clarity with thier photos .
I'm sure there are others out there who would like to submit articles or photos but may not own any decent photographic equipement or may feel thier skills are not up to the task .
I know there are a lot of books one can read on the subject but given that metal is reflective etc it may need some innovation to acheive the perfect photo or at least one that is good enough to publish .
With the never ending progress of technology cameras today have many gadgets , settings and gizmo's that one may never need or use , so where does a newby start ?
Obviously there are many parameters but i think the basics would help like :
Pixel count
type of lense
Lighting
Background etc .

I did do a search on this site as usuall but the ORACLE OF NO RESULTS FOUND took over and destroyed any hope i had of finding an answer .
I'm sure that Harold Hall did an article on this ?
I had a look at his website and picked up a few ideas but i'm sure there are more out there .

Just as an aside there are the varying indexes of ME & MEW that seem to be produced by readers and not the publishers to cover all of the issues available on the archive .
Why is it that i cannot go to say the first page of the digital editions and look at an updated index for all issues ?
Or it could be placed under the the link to the digital subscription you are subscribed to so you could search the index then go to the appropriate issue to read the article you are interested in .

Ian

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 25/05/2013 09:05:44

Hi Rebekah,

Nice work !

Will it be electric powered - maybe RC ?

Sure makes a welcome break from trains and well more trains - not that i don't love trains but it is good to see some one doing something different .

Model engineering is only limited by ones imagination !

You have some interesting jobs coming up with the hydraulics and pipe work !

Keep us updated and maybe you can do a you tube video when it's finished .

Ian

Wait until you try welding aluminium with OXY -ACETYLENE !

That sorts the men from the boys !

The problems with welding aluminium are many and varied .

I have seen something as simple as a dirty wire brush cause all sorts of havoc and this was one of the first things my Tig teacher at Tafe stipulated : a clean stainlesss steel wire brush that never gets used on anything else other than clean aluminium is what you should be using to remove the oxide layer before welding .

This is because plain steel brushes can leave iron oxide behind or some of what ever it was the brush was used to clean last time you used it .

Even something simple like a draught can cause problems as i plays havoc with the shielding gas .

I suppose there are people who write SHARP on the side of a knife as well but my thoughts are if it is a knife it will probably be sharp if it is physically large it will probably be heavy but unless it is glowing red you have no way of knowing how hot a peice of metal is until you touch it !

Considering one generally has to look at something to pick it up if they see Hot written on it and still wrap thier grubby mitts around it then it is thier own stupid fault !

And chalk is cheaper thas new welding gloves .

Ian

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 17/05/2013 05:39:00

I am going to build the ACTO T&C .

I found the plans for sale on ebay (cd rom)and require no castings but the plans cost $70

I would recmmend you have a look at Harold Halls book (WPS) on tool and cutter sharpening as it has plans for a simple but effective T&C unit that won't cost the earth or take a year to make .

Ian

Hi all,

I have a little over 25yrs experience as a welder and have used similar cheap machines in the past and my thoughts are :

For the price even though the amperage is a little low it will still be fine with smaller diameter rods for the odd light duty welding job that a model engineer may have and you could weld up to 6mm material with multiple passes to build up the size of the weld fillet .

I'm not sure if you can get 1.5mm rods where you are as here in OZ 2mm is the smallest i have seen for a long time and 2mm will run on 80A although running a vertical down weld may be a bit more difficult on 3mm material.

The duty cycle will be low as it won't have a cooling fan but if you have a compressor a small air hose poked through the air vent will aid cooling and increase run time . I have only had issues with this when doing long runs or vertical up welds .

There is not much to a transformer type welding machine like this and they are usually very reliable unlike cheap inverter machines that have electronic circuits to control the welding current , the transformer machine has a mechanical choke to change the amps so not much to go wrong there .

Yes inverters are smaller , lighter and more expensive but if you have to lug a welder up 10 floors then they pay for themselves and if you were doing this every day for a job you would buy a top end machine as they are more reliable than the cheap inverters .

Small Mig welders are usefull especially for welding sheet metal but you have to pay for gas as well.

I'm hoping my brother will empty my gas bottle this weekend so i can take it back to BOC and then i won't have to pay for the rental of the bottle that usually just sits there as it gets very little use these days !

If you are new to arc welding get a book on it (workshop practice series has one ) and have a good read as it will make the whole experience easier and safer .

The helmet you will get is good to lend to others so they don't use your good one !

Buy an auto darkening one that does not need batteries and start on the darkest setting then lighten one step at a time it until you can see the weld pool clearly but not so bright that it make you squint .

Wear overalls or a cotton /denim jacket , dust coat - not anything nylon or flannelette as you will burn to the ground !

Wear boots - not runners or thongs as slag will burn a hole straight through them or your feet !

Proper welding gloves are a must unless you like serious burns or skin cancer !

One trick i always use is when i have welded something is to use some chalk to write HOT on it as you or some one else may try to pick up the recently welded item and burn the skin off thier fingers .

Finally remember that practice makes perfect so the more you do the better you will become .

Ian

I modified a cheap router to accept a flexi drive and found this does all i need and with more grunt than i will ever need but not the same rpm as a dremel .

Cost about the same a dremel and you get a router as well !

Ian

Hi Dave ,

I purchased a 1200w unit from monster scooters thru ebay and fitted it to a golf trike for my nephews little one and it has been fine for near 12 months .

This unit did not have reverse but a relay fixed this .

I think they sell units with this feature but shop around .

They use a twist grip throttle but im not sure if they are a variable resistor or some form of rotary encoder as i bought the throttle unit at the same time and didn't bother to play with it .

I payed around $100 au delivered and this was at least 1/3 the cost of the original unit so i was happy !

No connection to them just a happy customer and for lower powered units i have a local supplier that is also good value .

Ian

I used to listen to the radio but have grown tired of the program format on just about every station and as i listen to it in the truck all week the last thing i want is to listen to a replay of the crappy jokes from the morning show all day .

I bought a transmitter / receiver unit for the TV that sends my foxtel to the shed and usually have it going as i record a lot of shows during the week and i would rather listen to a decent history show or maybe the V8 supercars than a replay of last weeks radio jokes .

Time team is a favourite along with anything to do with fishing , trains, planes , cars , bikes ,steam engines , science and how thing are made .

I usually only listen but make a mental note of anything interesting and can go back and replay anything of interest .

If i wish i can also play a dvd etc and i have a few from swarfrat , jfr etc that i enjoy .

When all else fails there is always star trek

Ian

Thanks for the replies all.

That is another thing the mechanical switch won't do and that is switch off if the power goes out so a contactor set up may do although the spring loaded foot switch would do the same as it cuts power until you stick your foot in it and push down .

My machine is single phase so no speed control of the motor .

I was thinking of the foot switch being purely to start the machine when i commence drilling and not as a sefety cut out although lifting your foot off the swich will cause it to stop and i would also have the standard red button style emergency cut off mounted on the drill head as a back up should the foot switch ever jam .

What if you modified an old foot switch from a sewing machine to get your speed control ?

You would have to rip out the Nichrome wire and make up something to mount a slider pot in there and you could mount a micro switch to turn the motor on /off .

It would be finnicky to make but possible .

Looks like i have found another new project to distract me !

Ian

Hi Bob,

You could try placing an ad in MEW and ME as there are many readers who don't use the forum .

Maybe send David Clarke a message to discuss this as i have little idea of cost etc .

You could also try some ME clubs as they may know of some one who can do this job.

Got any photos of your Tigers ?

The only thing i like more than Tanks are Spitfires !

Put them in your album and we can check them out .

Ian

Hi Clive ,

Type inverted dovetail cutter into Ebay  (search the world option) and you may see what you want and also try countersink cutter.

It depends on what you want it for - if it is a true dovetail shape you need then the countersink cutter won't do as it has a shoulder above the cutting teeth but if it is to cut a bevel then maybe it could work.

Ian

Edited By SLOTDRILLER on 17/04/2013 06:59:28

Hi all ,

The power switch on my asian built bench drill has finally given up the ghost and i need to replace it .

A new switch will cost around $30 AU and considering i never liked it anyway i would like to look at another option and i would like to draw on the experience of other forum users .

I want an emergency cut out switch either way as this unit didn't come with one .

My options are :

Make a new switch up using a rocker switch in series with the emergency switch or:

Make a switch up using momentary on / off switches with a relay so the relay latches in and have the emergency in series with the relay coil or:

Set up a foot switch system ( i would still have the emergency mounted on the drill head also) I could drop the voltage down to 12v for the pendulum for safety and use a relay mounted behind the emergency switch to switch the mains for the motor .

I have used a foot control for punch and shear machines and found them very handy but what about a drill ?

I'm sure i have read about using foot controls on a bench drill some where before - maybe it was in MEW or ME ?

What sayeth ye ?

Ian