Ideas for Beginners’ Articles

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

As far as beginners just bear in mind the largest group of model engineers seem to be of the elder generation.

Some of their workshops are heaven to behold but many starters to this hobby have old and basic machines.

To some a worn out lathe and maybe a drill is all they have.

I think beginner’s articles should be based on using these basic tools many of the younger enthusiasts don’t have the spare money to spend on milling machines etc. yet.

I think of Professor Chaddock and how he started.

Professor D.H. Chaddock, C.B.E., M.Sc. Eng, F.I.Mech.E. (July 28, 1908—September 18, 1992) was considerably more than a simple model engineer. Given a treadle driven lathe in 1922 for his 14th birthday, he set about constructing a model IC engine using material at hand and castings made in the kitchen coal-fired stove. The engine may have been fitful and uncertain in operation, but it did run, establishing a life-long passion for things mechanical and their design and construction.

[Dod MoleParticipant @georgeclarihew]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 01/10/2017 09:16:51:

With a budget of £1,000 I would decide on a project and buy tools as I needed them rather than buy things a might need.

But other than the lathe: a nice solid bench, a bench drill, decent set of drills in 0.1mm steps, a bench vice, hacksaw, some files (large and small), small hammer, soft-face hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, Allen keys, modelling knife, little spanners, a square, digital calipers, a couple of nice rules, a slab of something hard and reasonably flat and a bench grinder will accomplish a fair bit.

Neil

After I'm done working on a heavy solid bench ( 120mm x50mm pine with a 40 mm oak on top so a 160mm thick top with 120x1100mm legs) ought to do it. A lathe, soft 'ammer and a flat slab would complete your list so all it seems is to decide on a project – and steam engines and trains have absolutely no effect on me.

Thought, what to make with that list could nearly be a beginners article starting point.

Edited By George Clarihew on 02/10/2017 22:07:26

[BWParticipant @bw]

Could I suggest an article that broadly discusses the use of CBN wheels, Diamond wheels, Alox wheels, Silicon Carbide wheels and even sanding belts.

For a newb its a tad confusing seeing forum notes by experienced people where one chap says he uses a diamond wheel to sharpen HSS tools whilst another says no way just use diamond to polish them whilst another says no way hss is bad for diamond wheels.

Have been doing some googling and have seen all of the above examples in various forums.

The sharpening book in the Workshop Practice Series is now 11 years old, if it were written today would HH still be recommending white Alox WA60KV1 ?

Or alternately is there any good existing threads or web pages ? I found these

**LINK**

**LINK**

and these on ebay FsAAOxyY3ZRptbf

 

Edited By Bill Wood 2 on 18/10/2017 03:00:25

[jann westParticipant @jannwest71382]

A beginners series on shop-made "apprentice tools" … the tool pieces that you make as an apprentice which get gradually more difficult and require progressively more advanced skills … would be a good way to give beginners regular small achievable projects and provide a platform to discuss the techniques required to complete them.

The South bend machine shop course for apprentice training (book 39B) has 12 simple projects along those lines which only require a lathe and some hand tools … progressing from a nail punch, to an adjustable tap wrench, and including a machinist hammer and a small bench vice.

Further ideas:

It would perhaps also be an opportunity to provide a on online video supplement to the magazine for each project, emphasising learning along the lines of "hear it, see it, do it"

A thread could be started on this site each month to discuss any problems beginners are having with the project, and to display the results of their work.

Perhaps it would even be possible to arrange with a metal supplier to each month ship the required materials in appropriate lengths for the projects to interested subscribers for an appropriate fee.

It may well even be something fun for the more experienced among us.

just my 2c.

J

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Bill Wood 2 on 18/10/2017 02:56:24:

Could I suggest an article that broadly discusses the use of CBN wheels, Diamond wheels, Alox wheels, Silicon Carbide wheels and even sanding belts.

For a newb its a tad confusing seeing forum notes by experienced people where one chap says he uses a diamond wheel to sharpen HSS tools whilst another says no way just use diamond to polish them whilst another says no way hss is bad for diamond wheels.

Hello Bill,

I have been offered an article on CBN wheels.

The issue with diamond wheels and HSS is that whether or not you have problems seems to depends on how you actually use the wheel. As industry would always use CBN instead of diamond for HSS there are no guidelines for using it with HSS. It's clear that diamond works OK with occasional use in a hobby context, but that's very different from industrial sharpening where wheels will be driven hard for extended periods.

Neil

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

This is not an idea for any particular topic but more of a genre.

Any machining or process to achieve an objective where the ideal equipment is not available. This is interesting because it demonstrates flexibility of mind and shows that there are more than one way of skinning a cat. Even those with extensive workshop facilities still arrive at the 'how on earth am I going to do that' moment more often than one would think.

regards Martin

[Carl Wilson 4Participant @carlwilson4]

Alternatively just subscribe to Doubleboosts You tube channel.

Despite being in engineering since I was 16, I’ve learned more in a few months by watching him than I could have gained from a far longer period of reading magazines.

[Carl Wilson 4Participant @carlwilson4]

I’m trying to quote from Jan West’s post but I doubt it has worked…

All good ideas but Mew would not have the resources to do any of this. The editor is part time and everything is done to a budget.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

The "tool" I now use most frequently is an Optivisor. It goes on my head upon entering the workshop. I've not had it that long (relatively) but wish I had thought to get one much sooner.

Problem with "Beginners" articles is that once you get past the very basic stuff (which is widely available already) much of what you need to know starts to become quite specialised – as can the tools and tooling you need to do it. An obvious example would be clock making and repair. So to a large extent the type of work that interests a particular reader will influence what sort of tools and equipment they will need – and the knowledge required to use them well.

We are also fortunate to live at a time when the combination of cheap imports and relatively high disposable incomes (for some, not all) have made much of the old type of ME 'tool building' article a bit redundant because we have access to lathes, drills, mills – and their all accessories – such that few would bother to make them these days.

But if I was writing for the beginner – I think some of the following would still be useful;

– what to buy, why (& in what order) to buy it and how to best use it.

– what not to buy, why not and what are the possible better/cheaper/short-term alternatives

– how to manage (work around) when first starting out – without CNC, DROs or the latest thing in QCTPs etc.

– simple accessories to make, how to modify them for your particular use/needs – including simple projects based on readily available components – for instance incorporating ER blocks or spindles (that helps to simplify things) in your tooling.

Beyond that I think peoples needs probably become specialised and they will reach a level where they can begin to see their own ways forward…

Regards,

IanT

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

I have had my work shed now two years and have built up a large amount of stuff in that time.One of the most useful is my set of imperial 1964 Bailey slip gauges that I brought on e-bay for around £40.00, they are not inspection condition. I've used them for stops on the lathe, parallels etc no end of uses. Also a hight gauge, my surface plate which is a 12×1/4 inch square glass and a sine bar, with the use of the gauges can mark up any angle. The Optivisor looks interesting as I use a eye glass a lot,but the focal length must be correct if using the Optivisor,I would like to try one first.

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I'd go down the route of making something better than what's on offer from the commercial side; a decent automatic centre punch.

Michael W

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Posted by IanT on 18/10/2017 11:00:11:

– how to manage (work around) when first starting out – without CNC, DROs or the latest thing in QCTPs etc.

Regards,

IanT

This is exactly how I had to start, you don't appreciate the skill and working of the lathe/mill until you do it like this.

[JuddyParticipant @juddy]

Some information on essential safety items such as eye protection would be a good place to start otherwise it could be a very short introduction to the nearest A&E, machine tools bite if not used correctly

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Judging by the questions on this website an (unbiased) article regarding re; 'Purchasing One's First Lathe' could be of use to a beginner.

Telling the neophyte what accessories to seek (and avoid) would also be quite useful.

The biggest problem would be to avoid treading on the toes of the advertisers as most of them have pretty reasonable kit so such an article would have to be pretty generic.

"Such is Life" (Quote from an infamous Aussie as the trapdoor opened).

* Danny M *

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