Well I really think the discussions are suffering from TMI.
The purpose of this thread is to assist the introduction of unskilled people into the hobby. That does not mean people are uneducated and it really means that some people are inexperienced in the field of Machining. As an engineer and toolmaker I have no knowledge of foundry work because that is a field I have never tried or had any experience in.
I like the mention of using coconut oil and I am going to try that.
Andrew I like you cylindrical grinder.
I suggested buying screw presses and that was to encourage new people setting up there workshop to consider what can be done with them. No reply !
I have been getting some good laughs at some of the comments but with all the TMI we may be scaring away the very people we are trying to encourage.
I still think Mr Gates has a lot to answer for, I have no hair because of him. 
One thing worth mentioning is I believe Garden Island dock yard has been shut down and I think Cockatoo is also. Most of the big industry in Australia like AWA, WRE ( Weapons Research Establishment in SA ) Phillips and a lot of Hawker factories have vanished.
One thing that is worth noting is, In the seventies I visited a plywood factory in the Sydney western suburbs called Ralph Simons Plywood and inside the factory tucked up into the roof was the molds for the WW2 Mosquito which was manufactured in Aust for the war. A complete ply aircraft.
My how things have changed.
Larry
Edited By Larry Coleman 1 on 15/01/2015 14:39:04