Someone is Planning Ahead

I just changed the gear train on the SC4.

As well as the ubiquitous 5mm allen key, this also requires a 2.5mm one. Annoyingly it wasn't in the box of regularly used spanners and allen keys I keep near the lathe and mill. There was an imperial one that was just too big.

I didn't want to take one out of my proper sets so hunted around for one that fitted in my 'odds and sods' allen key box.

This was moderately annoying so I had the brilliant idea of leaving the allen key in the bottom of the gearbox cover

Fitting the middle cluster, the slotted washer dropped off and rolled along drip tray and ended up under the gear cover. I swang the gear cover wide open and what did I see tucked up at the far end... a little 2.5mm allen key, a perfect match for the one at the other end.

Someone must have been planning ahead!

I've decided to leave both a 5mm and 2.5mm allen key there now, in the hope that I can't miss the bigger one!

Neil

You mean to say that you don't keep all the tools that came with your lathe neatly laid out besides it and ready to use

A lot of my tools I keep attached to the machines with rare earth magnets even have steel rulers with each machine.

I often keep the tools needed for the lathe and milling machine close to hand. Trouble is that they then get buried under several inches of swarf.

I keep all my tools in the right place,for each machine ! Problem is,I can.t remember where exactly that place is/was at the time ! I do find them,just not always when I need them,so,just as well I have two of most things [three of some ]

I think it,s called "OLD AGE",or something like that.

My eldest daughter was a headmistress, when a new school was built I gained a unit with 24 handy trays in it, all the machine spares and accessories fit in it, apart from the 110mm rotary table, and the unit sits just underneath my milling machine! But I have no idea where my big box of assorted masonry nails are, 'sorted' out the workshop about 4 years ago, and never seen them since. Another vote for OLD AGE!

I used to keep all of my tooling in a double door storage cabinet on the opposite side of the workshop - it had everything in there , drills , taps cutters , measuring equipment , everything for the mill and lathe all sorted out on thier own shelf .

A few months ago i parted with my oldest lathe and X2 mill which both had some storage underneath so i had to find a new home for that stuff , i ended up buying a small mechanics type tool chest and split the top toolbox off from the lower cabinet . The upper box went to the spare room to store my electronics and 3D printer tools and the lower cabinet now sits between the mill and lathe that i have left , I managed to fit the tilting vise and angle plates in the bottom of the cabinet and this left two 500mm x 300mm drawers and they now hold the tooling i use most - things like collets , parralels , all of my cutters and drill chucks etc and the top serves as a tray for things like chuck keys , a shifter , ER collet spanners and of course a hammer ( just in case i get frustrated and feel the need to bludgeon something to death !) . This has made life so much easier as 90% of what i need when i'm using the mill or the lathe is litteraly at arms reach and i no longer have to go into the main storage cabinet on the other side of the workshop to dig something out . I really like when a tool serves more than one pupose so simple modification to the copper hammer i use to set jthe workpiece down in the mill vise has the ring off an old ring spanner welded to the end of the handle and this is used to loosen the drawbar on the mill then give it a wrap with the copper end of the hammer to free it .