Greetings From The Back Woods Of Devon...

Good evening!

Please allow me to present the edited highlights of me and why I'm here. I am a panelbeater/fabricator by trade, mainly producing motorcycle parts such as fuel tanks, seat units and mudguards. I have, however, always had an interest in the machining side of things, an interest that has been intensified further by the possibility of doing my own machined fittings for my fabricated work. Finally, someone waved a Myford ML7 under my nose at a more than reasonable price and resistance became futile. Thus I now have a lathe to look after and learn about and find myself, perhaps a little like a new parent, experiencing a combination of elation and bafflement. Therefore I offer apologies advance for any stupid and obvious questions I post on here in the coming weeks and months.

S.M.

Welcome. The problem is this trade/hobby is a living thing. It just grows and expands faster than you can accumulate stuff. The first thing is making all the tools and attachments you need. AND for that you will probably need a mill or a bigger lathe and then a bigger workshop and so on ad infinitum. Hope you find it as enjoyable as most of us do.

regards

Hi Moose,

Welcome to the forum.

Neil

Welcome along, enjoy your new found hobby. Pre war bikes are what makes me tick so yes you will need to add a mill to the workshop one day. Personally as a tool maker by trade I am always in awe of the "Tinnies" skill level.

Where are you located ? There may be someone local to help out learning the lathe.

I know what you mean. This all started as just a bit of fun for the odd evening and weekend. Am very pleased to say it's all got completely out of hand!

S.M.

Thanks for the welcomes Chris and Neil. I am located in Crediton, near Exeter in Devon. I do know one or two people locally who will probably be able to help out, including one of my school teachers from years ago. I'm sure he might raise a wry smile at one of his little charges returning for further guidance a couple of decades down the line!

S.M.

The Tiverton Model Engineers club is nearby and would love to welcome you.

(I am a member of this excellent club).

John

Many thanks for that John. At the moment my machining is going to be almost exclusively in support of my fabrication work. Would imagine it's quite on the cards that there might be some model engineering going on in years to come though, once the business has settled down and I have a little more time for such things. As and when this happens I will certainly bear your kind offer in mind.

S.M.

There is also a club at Exeter meeting on the second Friday of the month. I understand Crediton is particularly lucky in having a steel stockist in town. Model Engineering clubs are not exclusively model making and normally have a range of people with an interest in engineering and science topics in general.

Yes we do have a steel stockist in Crediton. They're called Conibear Brothers. They're more into steel framed buildings and other similar "heavy metal" rather than precision engineering supplies. That said, whenever I have needed something that's within their remit, they've been very friendly and helpful, despite the fact I'll probably only be buying in quantities that must barely register compared to their usual work!

S.M.

Hello SM, welcome to the forum, I know someone down south that may be able to help you if you get stuck. Pm me and I'll send you details if interested.

I'm curious about your panel beating past, with a forum name as you have. It's likely to assume that you have an interest in the old cars of yester year?

Jon

Welcome Stirring Moose.

I just enjoyed a nice feed of moose steak and onions last week.

Lots of expertise and occasional mud slinging here. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do. You will find the Myford very handy for making up many useful tools and accessories for both shop and home.

Thanks for the further welcomes.

As to my "panel beating past" it's actually very much a present and hopefully a future as well. I started off shaping the odd bit of sheet metal just as a hobby. A friend saw what I was up to and suggested I made some bits to stick on eBay. After being initially sceptical about the possibility of actually selling anything, I gave in and listed a couple of things. These sold so I repeated the exercise and to cut a somewhat lengthy and involved story short, I now have my own business making sheet metal parts. Most of what I produce is for motorcycles; fuel tanks, seat units, mudguards etc., although I do sometimes make parts for cars and occasionally venture completely "off piste" into metal art and jewellery work. I am basically self taught, although the fact I did it in the era of YouTube means this has not been quite the mission it might once have been! If anyone has some time to waste and wants to see what I get up to, I can be found lurking in the following bits of social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dtrpp

Twitter and Instagram: @DTRMetalArt

As to question about whether I'm interested in old cars, the answer would be a definite "Yes!", although the reality is that any mechanical object that moves is likely to get my attention. Cars and motorcycles are the biggest draw, especially if they're of the racing variety. Also love aircraft, and a good steam locomotive always brightens the day! I could probably waffle on, adding more to the list but will take pity on you all now...

S.M.

Just checked out your Facebook page, some neat stuff your doing