Crap vee blocks and "Oxford Precision"?

That was me on both points but my stalker was first to mock.

No, that's not what I said. The decline started about 30 years ago.

Edited By Chris Trice on 28/06/2017 01:37:28

I agree but I think you have the timescale wrong. I was using newsgroups on Usenet 30 years or more ago.

There have always been c**p tools around. I remember buying a British screwdriver from Woolworths which turned into a corkscrew on first use.

Russell

I had just moved onto an Amstrad1512 from a Commodore Vic-20 in 1986/87, and was still on a knowledge of discovery with how to use a modem that year. Couldn't afford a telex machine so had to go to a telex bureau near Wembley Stadium to pick-up my telexes. So you were lucky to be using newsgroups on Usenet.

Ketan at ARC.

I've still got some of my dad's tools bought from a chain of stores called "Texas" anyone remember that?

Michael W

IIRC it led to a terminal (for the company) joke called 'The Texas Chain Store Massacre'. If they were financially shaky it could have led to the company going bust.

Regards,

Richard.

I think it was bought out by Sainsburys Homebase.

Gave me a chuckle, thanks

Michael W

I am a bit like you choochoo_baloo, I don't make anything for a living or for a profit as such, my current engineering projects are all for my own interests, in the last twelve months I have bought a new Chester Lathe that I am very pleased with, not as sturdy or heavy as the ward's or the old herbet's but they wouldn't meet my requirements now anyway as I have a small workshop not a factory floor. I have been lucky enough to get excellent advice and help from a well known model engineering forum and have bought mainly from Arc, also from Chronos and possibly RDG, all of the stuff I have bought has been as good (or bad) as it was described.

The only item I bought from ebay was a Myford mill, luckily it rune very sweet and pretty damn true and has made me glad I did buy it, but I did have concerns until I got it home and installed. In a nutshell I think the advice given on here could be summed up as buy from the well known and respected sources who would deal with any issues you should have and thus remove the risk element of buying tooling.

ATB,

Ian

I am not sure there ever was a golden age for tools. I have some of my fathers kit and I have also purchased old chisels and planes. Some of these items are extremely good. I have planes from the 30's that will sharpen up and keep their edge far better than some of the more modern, recognised, good plane. Chisels are a bit hit and miss from this period, ranging from superb to mediocre. I have some Bahco chisels that are 15 years old and every bit as good as anything I have pre war.

"As ever the poor are always with us" to misuse a phrase. I am sure that if you are prepared to pay the price then you can get as good a tool these days as you ever could in bygone times! It is simply that people have become used to cheap imports and are just not prepared to pay the very high price that is required for top quality.

Andrew.

P.S. you can probably get better tools these days than ever before. Modern metallurgy is simply streets ahead of yore! But will you pay the price?

Hi,

Yes, they did become Sainsbury's Homebase. Oh! and I remember the Texas Tom advert.

As far as two V blocks being a pair, I'll doubt that you'll find that they are exactly the same on all their dimensions, or truly accurate to each other, although they should be reasonably close. Like anything, the closer you want them to perfect, the more you will have to pay and the price will not be on a linier scale.

With respect to branding, you should not assume the brand name on products are always made by that company. In my day job, we have made tooling for one or two high end companies, that we have no connection with other than customers.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 29/06/2017 03:28:06

One comment from Ian above echo's my thoughts. " I have bought mainly from ARC/Chronos and possibly RDG" It is a case of use them or lose them, if to many people bypass these companies and buy from internet sources the UK based supplier will not be here. Many people would not be using workshop machinery and tools if there like's where not around.

Yep, Amstrad PC 1512 was my first home computer! Those were the days .

Theres a lot of truth in the old saying:

Easy buying cheap tools cheap but buying quality tools cheap is a "science".

I am with Chris Evan6 on his comments in that buying far eastern tools from UK suppliers is the way to go. Taking a chance on import duties and Quality by buying direct, just to save a few quid is dodgy to say the least. Price to return anything is a none starter.

I am pretty sure that the UK suppliers such as Chronos, ARC, RDG, Amadeal, Warco, Chester, ( to name just a few of the more known ones) do in fact carry full QA assessments on their suppliers before putting them on their approved supplier lists.

I know the OP made reference to ARC, but I dont think I read that in any sort of derogatory way, in fact like others, the stuff i have had from them has been spot on for me, in fact comparing to many others i have used both in industry and home, have to say they are up there in the top quartile.

In fact the only real problem i have had in the last 2 or 3 yrs or so were some backing plate raw castings that although looked visually perfect revealed large blow holes ln an important area when machining. These were from RDG being local to me. No problem returning for replacement, just lost time ( but who hadnt experienced this in industry ). No quible and easy. Direct from Asia I would have had to write off.

My first real home computer was a BBC B with a 2nd processor board running a Z80 and a CPN operating system; CPN being a ROM held lookalike of CPM.

I thought it wonderful when modems got up to the dizzy heights of 56k and I could access usenet groups.

The first internet at work was delivered via dumb TTY screens off the mainframe, and was 80 column text only; in colour if you were fortunate. It could take up to a minute or so for a page refresh, if it was at all busy. I can still remember the delights of reading about the Fainting Goat Association. (yes really)

We seem to take a lot for granted these days, but back on topic, the old Footprint screwdrivers with the yellow handles were superb (apart from the 'orrible taste of the plastic when you needed a third hand for something. Anything after them became a retrograde step, which really showed when the new modern generation of screws were hardened more than the screwdrivers.

Well the Fainting Goat Association's website is interesting in that the page that tells you about the breed is a dead link...

From their 'inverted goat' logo and the fact you have to send a photo of a goat in the 'down position' to get it registered, it appears something is up. Wikipedia reveals they are goats whose muscles 'freeze' when they are panicked and fall over. A great survival trait... a whole breed of goat that should be given a 'Darwin Award'.

Neil

Like the left- and right-handed sheep sub-species that are supposed to inhabit parts of very rural Wales. One only goes round the hills clockwise, the other anti-clockwise...of course they can't easily interbreed....

I've not looked at the web site for 20+ years, but from what I remember, they tried to keep the breed pure, even though it's a genetic defect.

The idea being that sheep or goat herders would add one to their flock. The goat, being more sensitive to danger than the human, would keel over if it sensed danger, such as a wolf was in the vicinity. This would then alert the shepherd to protect their flock.

If the goats fell over at the first fright, how did They avoid being breakfast right then and there, seems like not a long term good choice for a career.

If goats are as stupid as sheep, which from practical experience of keeping them I can say are genetically pre-programmed to commit suicide at every slightest opportunity, I'm not surprised.