Neil

"My only excuse is that I still had a lot to learn…" does that include working links

Thanks for posting this Neil. I do have a little X2 mill which should help a bit with the flycutting and T-slots.

Your drawings saved me a bit of measuring though I shall make smaller T-slots as you alluded to.

* Danny M *

Impressive work Neil, especially when considering you made it on a Mini-Lathe. I have made a new top slide for my Compact 8, but I did use a Mini-Mill, made things a lot easier.

Thor

Brilliant. .the hoops jumped through ..but good demonstration of how we can make parts to an “adequate” accuracy.

One thing..couldn’t you have made it in two parts (each say at the limit of machining throw)..and then join the two halves…dowels and loctite?.

Excellent article Neil. I would be too embarrassed to publish some of my earliest projects. Fortunately I didn't photograph them

Russell.

Might I make a comment about warts and all articles.

Although we all like to think we are able to produce first class jobs first time every time, the reality is that a lot of us cannot because a) we may not have the experience to do it; b) we may not know how to do it; and c) it may be more than our equipment (and ourselves) can do. Furthermore, we must realise that even the experts started at rock bottom and will have made mistakes.

I actually think that articles which include notes on cockups, the realization that a different way would be better, poor finish etc probably do more to encourage beginners and those struggling to achieve better results, than some of the "perfect" articles that do tend to appear.

To give an example, some time ago, I had an article published. Ok it looked reasonable, but only because the paint masked the poor finish! Now it seems to me, that really I should have shown both the unfinished ugly article as well as the finished, painted article.

So please, let's have more articles showing cockups, mistakes, and how to recover from them. After all, is there any real shame in filling an unfortunate gouge with something like Milliput and then paint? Because, lets face it, that's what we do when decorating the house, isn't it.

Regards,

Peter G. Shaw

Thick red-oxide primer has improved my welding no end.

After doing some electric welding, I am always grateful for the Angle Grinder to smooth it done, and remove the ugly lumps!

Howard

Neil,

Well done using that small lathe! Swinging that lump of CI made my eyes pop.

However, I think you should publish the photos you decided to remove, stating quite clearly why the set-ups are iffy.

Newcomers to the hobby need to be shown just what constitutes a dodgy/dangerous set-up to forewarn them NOT to do so, and that no doubt applies to some of us hobby oldies as well.

It may well prevent someone from doing a nasty to themselves and/or whoever is with them, apart from ruining a part.

It behoves us 'learned hobbiests' to pass on our experience/s, good and bad, for the benefit of others especially those new to the hobby.

I remember my first "Oh sh1t" moment using my V10P, when the long bar sticking out the end of the spindle decided to flail everything it could reach. That was a lesson never forgotten, as was leaving the chuck key in place and it went whizzing past my ear. Another lesson learned.

Geoff – been back in the Workshop this week at last.

.

Should probably have used 0BA.

MichaelG.

Been there, done that

Russell.

Which is the same size, but you knew that didn't you ?

Glad this post has come up on the same page as the MEX judges post as it's interesting to compare the two and another mark for the warts and all over the polish it until it dazzles end result.

In a contemporary magazine there has just been published an article where the engineering is superb, possible too superb in that many of the parts were being shown cylindrically ground.

Why I have no idea other than the author could and ego, because the fit didn't warrant sub micron accuracy and the parts were just soft mild steel anyway. Not many have the facility to cylindrical grind parts. It would have been a better article if the drawings had as much effort put into them as the polish on the finished parts.

However this backfired and the article went unnoticed and uncommented on possibly because it made it far more complex than it needed to be and it just put people off.

Neil's article breathes a breath of fresh air into the subject as it's always easier to improve on something than to try to equal or better perfection. More like a working man's version of George Thomas.

In fact if we take it a step further a modern day version of Jack Radford.

Now for anyone not familiar with Radford's work he was a brilliant engineer and an innovator. Thomas could and did add the bling but Radford was a designer and engineer first and a showman second.

Now I will stand back for incoming flames, bricks and the odd five pound note.

[Edit] English is not my fore fingers first language.

Edited By John Stevenson on 07/02/2015 16:22:51