Paul newbie from Lichfield

Hi- I’m Paul a retired builder from Lichfield. Recent ill health has prevented me from building which I have done and loved all my life. My father was a precision engineer and I inherited his tool box so last year I purchased a metal lathe as I like to keep myself busy! I’ve self taught myself by watching videos etc on YouTube. I’m getting on ok but could really use some practical advice/ assistance if there is anybody close to Lichfield Staffs that would be willing to spare a few hours and a bit of their knowledge to help me please? Thank you!

Hello Paul,

I'm sure someone will be happy to help.

I live in North Yorkshire and have had to hand in my driving licence as a result of eyesight deficiences [ my choice in trying to meet increasingly demanding driving conditions] , but if you wish to travel "Oop Norf" instead I would be glad to pass on the kind of stuff you are looking for.

Regards

Brian

Welcome Paul. Unfortunately I'm not close enough geographically to offer help, but I will be surprised if someone doesn't step up.

Learning from videos is fine, but there are some out there where people without real skill or knowledge may mislead you. The difficulty for beginners is knowing which ones to avoid!

Don't be afraid to ask even the most basic questions - members of the forum are a helpful bunch, but be aware that the vast majority of beginners questions have been asked & answered many times before, so get used to the search facility first (note: use the search half way down the home page, not the one at the top of the posts)

Nice to have you onboard, regards Mike

What do you want to make?

I think that the driver should be (round) things that you want to make. Then you need to figure out how to do it and just get on with it. Try to make your mistakes early in the process. We all make them and have to start again, but it is easier to do so near the beginning.

Hi Paul

You might want to consider Sutton Coalfield MES they are a nice bunch of guys and have their own workshop maybe that's not what your looking for but a visit may find someone who could spare the time and help you out

H

The problem with learning from videos is that a lot of them are just plain wrong, some are dangerous. For a complete beginner, the SMEE courses are a good start, but not cheap, especially as they are held in London. When I were a lad you could go to night school and learn about machine tools, but since successive governments have decided that making things is not the thing to do school and tech college workshops have been disposed of. You might be very lucky and find a course near you, but I'm not holding my breath

LHSparey books are a good start and anything by Stan Bray, Neil Wyatt etc. The Sparey one is a bit long in the tooth and won't cover tip tools, but real men use High Speed Steel (dons tin hat and heads for shelter!)