Another new member in Dorset.

Good evening all. I have built cars, motorcycles,light aircraft and boats as well as restored old watches so I am old enough to know better. As I am still very keen on making things, I have just bought an Amadeal 8x16 to go with the Clarke micro mill that I converted to CNC a couple of years ago. The day job allows me access to a Bridgeport and a nice Hardinge lathe but I retire in three years time and will not be allowed to sit around the house!

Hi Tom, welcome to the forum. Excellent range of interests! Start dropping hints now and on the big day your employer might present the Bridgeport and Hardinge rather than a Gold Watch. (One can always dream...)

Dave

No three phase to the Garage and a distinct absence of headroom for the mill, alas!

Hello Tom, I'm in North Dorset (north of Shaftesbury), good to know there are other model engineers nearby.

No problems are insurmountable Tom. A phase converter and a hole in the floor come to mind.

regards

Hello Tom and welcome. Sounds like you are gearing up for some serious home work. I think that cnc is the shape of things to come and I'm taking an interest in it. Mind you, I'm 75 so learning is not as easy as it once was.

Brian

Truth be told, I find the process of writing G code pretty onerous so am considering replacing the mill with a manual one. I work as an electronics engineer and bashing wood and metal are predominantly recreational activities. Programming isn't for me and I would sooner be working the tools myself. I could write an electronic leadscrew, for example but I'd far rather design a tumble reverse. The hole in the ground for the mill would be a great idea but my part of Poole is so near to sea level that the garage floor sometimes floods from below! The garage is in a block, 100 metres of extension lead from the flat. despite that limitation, the place has turned out a watchmaker's bench, three or four motorbike restorations, the complete ground lighting system for a decently large airfield, four car restorations and a lot of go faster bits for an aeroplane in the last five years.Where there's a will... The other half often asks "What do you need all those tools for?"

Welcome to the forum

H

Welcome to the forum Tom, I am in Weymouth having just moved house.

I cannot believe how long it takes to re-establish the workshop and trying to thin out non essentials as I have far less space in the new workshop. Storage is at a premium so all those ' hard to find, may be useful one day' items really must go.

( things like Triumph Herald / spitfire engines and worse still a couple of 3 litre jag engines which weigh a ton!)

Welcome , Tom.

Another Weymouth resident here , indeed member of the local model-engineering society.

Welcome Tom,

Another Dorset member here, Broadmayne, 3 miles out from Dorchester. When all this nonsense is over how about we all get together for a Sunday BBQ? Happy to host it here, we have nice views over the countryside!

Regards, Martin

Sounds good. John, I sympathise. A friend with 14 of his three permitted motorbikes has a saying: " It will come in useful, even if we never need it."

Welcome, Tom.

You look forward to an enjoyable, and we hope, a long retirement.

All sorts of things will become possible, once the shop is set up.. (Insulate it if not already, and make it secure! )

Being an unreconstructed hoarder, don't throw it out, it WILL come in handy one day

(One of my "attention seekers" at local shows (WHEN they happen again ) started life as a an Aluminium candlestick. Bought purel as a likely source of raw material!

With a bit of luck there will be ME Club not too far away where you will, one lovely day, be able to mix with like minded enthusiasts. Find and join would be my advice.

Our Club keeps in touch by the website, with news of members activities, and E mails.

Howard

There are two ME societies in Dorset: one in Bournemouth, and the other in Weymouth.

Obviously certain events rather restrict things at the moment for all social organisations, but both are long-established clubs. .