What did you do Today 2018

Mike, my condition is not so dramatic with its heredity element as there is only a 50% chance of transmission to children, just unlucky all 3 of my daughters inherited. It seems we both have a couple of things in common, red wine and I see from your profile you are connected to Sporting Gun Magazine, about three years ago I took up clay pigeon shooting, during 22 years in the Air Force I used to shoot for my station in competitions but it wasn’t until three years ago I took up shooting clays and really enjoy it, bit different and took some getting used to with the targets moving.

Dave W

The DRO and scales look pretty much like mine ie fairly generic Chinese product. Been very happy with mine - it transformed my machine - and the accuracy and speed of my work.

I don't know if you got a manual for yours but if the Chinglish is too strong to make sense of, there are various other manuals out there that will do the trick.

Beyond using the zero and "1/2" functions, I have rarely used any of the functions. However, the array and circular hole pattern functions could be useful in some situations.

Murray

I agree with Muzzer about the usefulness of DRO. My work is now first time accurate and repeatable, having installed it on my Super 7, and I wouldn't be without it now. So much so that I have now put DRO on to my Dore Westbury mill that I built very many years ago. It is transformed and I surprised myself as to how accurate the machine remains.

Kind regards

John B

i made a thread protector for my 1923  drummond round bed spindle nose out of a cut off of delrin

and a couple of delrin buddy bottle protectors today.

using the said drummond

Edited By keith wedgwood on 18/05/2018 21:43:28

Consider a bit of threadlock when fitting your DRO

Neil

Thanks Neil, for the threadlock reminder.

I used to have a large milling machine with 3 axis DRO which was magic but I had to downsize when moving house.

My present machine is a mill/drill and I've just bought a M-DRO 2 axis system that was delivered yesterday (Friday 18 May 2018) and needs fitting BUT; I'm away for a few days! Still, it'll get done later in the week.

Brian

I don't know if you got a manual for yours but if the Chinglish is too strong to make sense of, there are various other manuals out there that will do the trick.

Certainly not the easiest translation to understand ! A copy can be found at the link below, if anyone feels like a challenge. Might get a more accurate / readable translation by finding a Chinese copy & cut and paste the text into Google Translate - I doubt it could be much less intelligable.

**LINK**

Presumably you had your scales come loose, Neil ? A bit of Screwlock woon't go amiss, thanks for the reminder.

Nigel B

St Albans DMES had its portable track at the Stockwood Park Luton steam fair Discovery Centre. It's quite a nice place even when nothing special is on and they have a few permanent displays of several engines and machines, a museum of horse drawn carriages, and a bit of archaeology, farm tools etc. We weren't charging for the rides as the idea is just publicity for our own show in September, possible new members, and goodwill. Next Bank Holiday it's Redbourn Museum, and the weekend after Oaklands St Albans steam fair.
The catch with these events is that a few of us have to start and end two hours before and after for loading and unloading the track.

Bazle,

Were you the gentleman with a blue boiler suit tide around your waist and the St Albans crest on his shirt, I think also walking with his good lady, who came and looked at the three stationary engines running in the yard. I was sat behind the left hand engine as you faced us. I never left the yard to see what else was there.

Martin P

Two days ago went into the shed and was surprised to see a blooming great hornet sitting on the window blind. He looked as if he was of the 'if he says it's Tuesday, it's Tuesday" variety. So I was all kind and considerate, captured him, took him outside and let him fly off.

Today I went in the shed and he's back in there, looking all mean and stroppy. Well, it might be a him, it might be a her, it might be him or it might be one of his mates. Whatever way, I was none to thrilled at the thought hornets might be considering my shed to be a good place to hang out in, so this time he came to an untimely end. I hear they eat bees so was OK doing that - I like bees.

Just hope there's not a hornets nest nearby; hornets I can do without.

Chris

Edited By ChrisH on 20/05/2018 21:30:51

I have been steam cultivating today with a pair of 1917 Fowlers. Perfect day, no onlookers to bother with, just among friends in the glorious Sussex countryside.

John B

Hi Martin, sorry I missed you. I think you were in the process of starting up when I went round there and I mostly spoke to Dave with the traction engine. I hadn't expected to meet any forum members. Perhaps next year we could put it on Neil's list on the other thread.

"I have been steam cultivating today with a pair of 1917 Fowlers"

Farmer near me still uses horses and flail cutter for harvesting wheat into stooks so would have loved to have seen your steam cultivating today - but then I would have been an onlooker

Rik

Edited By Windy on 21/05/2018 00:12:41

Are you sure it wasn't a queen wasp looking for somewhere to start a nest? - in a shed it is more likely to be a queen wasp than a hornet, which tend to nest in hollow trees.

Never seen so many wasps/hornets this year, early for the north. May well be Queens, but They are the last thing I need, think I prefer a single hornet.

Hornets are actually fairly uncommon in the UK - much more likely to be a queen wasp. There's a guide to the differences here:

http://nearbywild.org.uk/quick-guides-%E2%96%BE/wasp-or-hornet/

Main diff seems to be that the hornet has brown rather than black body markings.

Last time I saw a hornet was in a fishing hut near Invergarry, over15 years ago. I get a lot of queen wasps in a somewhat dilapidated wooden garage next to my workshop on the Moray Firth. Could it be that they are attracted by rotting wood for nest building? Anyway, they get swatted as soon as they appear, but haven't seen any so far this year. One year, when I forgot to check, I had a big paper nest nearly as big as a football hanging from the rafters.

The queen wasps hibernate over winter (the rest of the colony dies off in the autumn) so it may be that they like to hibernate in your garage.

Not here! - I estimate that I have had 3-4 hornets per queen wasp over the years.

Here's the most recent: