Dutchman in Wiltshire

Hi everyone,

A bit of background. I was born and raised in Holland and moved Wiltshire mid 2018. I went to uni back in Holland for mechanical engineering, but never finished this and now work as a software developer.

Me and my partner moved out of our flat and into a house with a large shed in 2020. I've been doing a number of projects around the house, and have been practicing my welding and small metal work. Other than software I very much enjoy tinkering around with all sorts of things, wood is accessible but metal is more fun.

I have a 3D printer and a small cnc engraver (it is sold as a miny mill, but is primarily useful to engrave PCBs.)

This year I finally have room in the budget to upgrade the shed to a proper little workshop and get some machines in, and I am doing just that. So far this year I have insulated and clad the inside of the shed. I have designed the workbenches I'll be building, and building them is the next step.

I enjoyed machining very much in uni, and missing it is the main motivation for this project. After moving here I discovered the rich tradtiion in model engineering which is absolutely brilliant. It is a shame that with the whole Covid thing I haven't been able to visit a fair, but that will come in the future.

In the meantime I'm looking at machines that will fit the space I have available (and can be manoeuvred through the house as I have no direct access.)

I adored turning, so I will most likely start off with just a lathe (I have my eye on the Warco WM290V which seems a very capable machine, and about as much Lathe as I can possibly fit). A Mill will probably follow, although if a good opportunity presents itself I will jump on that.

In the meantime I'm hoping to get my workshop ready to receive some machinery mid-march.

Hoping to learn a lot from you all!

Welcome to the forum - lots of friendly advice and useful info on here. Your mechanical engineering background and current software knowledge may well offer you opportunities to provide help to other members in the future.

Best of luck getting things set up.

Regards Mike

Welcome to the forum. I have a Chinese 290 lathe, different paintwork compared to the Warco though, and I'm very happy with my lathe. I have had the lathe for about a decade without any problems.

Thor

Welcome to the party Dan ! All you will ever need to know will be here just ask, someone will be able to answer your questions. I have 2 questions, (A where in Wiltshire ? B) where in the Netherlands ? Why do I ask, )A I grew up in N dorset ! B) I have friends in the Netherlands, Alphen a/d Rijn. Best wishes Noel.

Thanks everyone.

Mike, if ever I get to help anyone that'd be great.

Thor, good to hear you're happy with it. it seems like a capable machine. The larger spindle bore is especially attractive as I remember using the bore quite a lot back in the day.

Noel, we're currently in Swindon. Lucky to have found a house with a large backyard 9which seems to be getting rarer and rarer nowadays!) but hoping to move out of the city in the next decade or so.

I grew up in Zoetermeer, but have lived in Delft for some time as well. Actually worked in Alphen a/d Rijn for a few years. Good to see you spell it correctly haha.

Do a search of this site for "Warco" and you will see some background on the company and their products that might be helpful.

Hallo Dan and welcome. My wife and me are huge fans of anything Dutch and already have 2 holidays booked for 2022, one of them being is Schagen in the North.

My lathe is an old Boxford (Imperial and I have a Tom Senior milling machine that is metric but has a DRO so I can work in either.

If you have any questions you have only to ask them on here and you will get answers.

Tot ziens,

Brian

Hi Dan Welcome to the forum. Have a look at other makes as well. Chester have a good few lathes, but I would suggest you have a look at the machine before you buy it. Also have a look at Arcurotrade for smaller tooling and cutting and turning tools. JB cutting tools is also a good place to look for cutting tools.

David

Hi Dan,

Welcome to this useful forum!
I have a combined lathe/mill: An old Emcomat 7 with milling attachment.
See this section of my website (in Dutch): **LINK**

Best regards from Delft and good luck! Gep

I have an old British lathe, but the Warco seems to be a popular machine for many, and very good too. Not sure if it is badged up as Grisly in the states. Good look with your search.

Steve.

Thanks for the warm welcomes everyone.

Hopper, I've been looking around these forums quite a bit and generally it seems to me that both Warco and ArcEuro are reliable suppliers. I've dealt with ArcEuro for some small bits and bobs which was always fine.

Brian, I hope you have a lovely time! It's been a while since I've been back due to the circumstances. I've never used imperial in any capacity so I'll stick to metric myself.

David, I did see JB cutting tools mentioned several times (I've been browsing these forums for some time now) but it appears they are closed until spring 2022. I'm looking to start with HSS tooling as the consensus seems to be that it is more forgiving, and then getting a nicer set of indexable tooling at some other point. I've read some good things about Sumitomo? I've been looking at the Chester site as well, it seems quite a bit more industrial level, no prices on the website either.

Gep, nice to see a fellow Dutchie. Do you have anything to do with the TU or just happen to be a technically inclined person living in Delft?

Stevie, I do believe Grizzly sells these machines in the US. I think harbor freight may as well?

FWIW

My advice would be to buy the largest lathe that you can fit into the shop.

Your expectations will expand, so unless your hobby includes changing machines, do one installation and spend time using the lathe.

You can do small work on a big lathe,but it gets a bit difficult the other way round!

My shop is a little smaller than yours, 3M x 2M internal, but it contains a 12 " x 24" lathe.

Small work? Thinning the heads of 10 BA bolts in a 6" 3 jaw chuck.

Largest so far, boring / reaming a 1" dia hole an inch in from the edge of a 6.125 inch diameter piece of cast iron, after it had been faced on both sides.

Your other post tells me that you are going the right way about things to my mind.

Howard,

Hi there!

So many Dutchies here I feel like I should break out the bitterballen and frikandel!

Amanda

Howard, that is pretty much what I'm going for. I've had enough times in the past where cheaping out on something I knew I knew I'd be using for a long time bit me, so now I get what fits.

Amanda, I haven't had any for years now, although I did make oliebollen, kruidnoten, appeltaart and boterkoek myself. I may have to try my hand at kroketten because I do miss those! For the non-dutch: these are all typically Dutch food items that are impossible to find here in the UK. If you ever visit holland I recommend you try them!

Dan & Amanda, it is possible to buy Dutch food in the UK although the prices can be a little high, OK for a special treat though.

This is just one (I have no connection with this company)

https://www.artfoodshop.co.uk/frozen.html**LINK**

Brian

Crikey Brian, they must be importing them by private jet at that rate!

I do enjoy a bit of cooking, so I'll have to try my hand at kroketten.

There you go Dan - sounds like you may be better off getting in the kitchen making Dutch treats, start a thriving business and make your fortune! (Think how many millionairs have started off in such a simple way)

all the best, Mike

Ah Yes ! Stay ing with friends near Antwerp and try ing to be polte at the dinner table, we were offered Kroketten so only took a few ! Constantly urged to take more I did ! It transpired that my friends father work in the factory that made them, it appeared to be their staple diet, mum, dad and son were portly, they had a freezer full of the things ! Noel.

Kroketten are delicious. My husband has a fondness (weakness) for kip sate too. Dutch junk food is amazing stuff.