The biggest time-wasters in your workshop?

[Robin KingParticipant @robinking15611]

Chris that's good advice, but our experience is that having signed up with TPS some ten years ago we find it doesn't stop cold calls by any means – even more irritating when it's an ex directory number (and no, their complaints procedure isn't effective, either!). Since adopting my tactic the number of repeat calls has dropped significantlly – good enough for me.

Robin

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

“Detective Chief Inspector xxx xxx, computer fraud squad, how may I help you?”

That often deals with the last remaining international ones.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

This website….

Neil

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Trolls……………..

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Moderating this forum! Roll on Friday!

[MICHAEL WILLIAMSParticipant @michaelwilliams41215]

Not specifically in my workshop but in various places that I have visited or worked in :

The ' Inventor ' .

About three times in my experience one of these has turned up and requested assistance .

Anyway after describing their brainchild for a few hours they get down to the nitty gritty – they want masses of free work in return for which you are to get a small share of the riches to come . Further hours go by while you say a flat NO and they try to wear you down . Always ends in acrimony and you being called a time waster , a Luddite , a moron and many similar things .

They have such a consistent way of dressing ( best described as designer eccentric clothing ) that I can now see them coming . Usually they have a little business card with ' INVENTOR' on it which helps .

Anyone else met an ' inventor ' ????

Michael Williams .

PS: I have actually met several genuine inventors and have always been glad to help but those described above are a different breed altogether !

[FalcoParticipant @falco]

Hi All,

I enjoyed reading all the replies. Comforting to think that I'm not the only one who can't find things. Nobody mentioned finding your glasses. I now have six+ pairs strategically placed but then they often mysteriously migrate into the house at times…

I've sorted my sharpening problems with bits etc. like Springbok and others. I converted an Aldi grinder with new white and diamond wheel. With the HH attachments. It works very well.

The only reason I havn't got a QCTP yet is down to dithering about which one to make. Thanks for the pointer to the Norman/ Drummond one. I have looked at many of the designs but not that one.

I found that the causes of timewasting change as you slowly built up a basic collection of "essential kit". Ian, my metal press has only added to the problem. You see the shelves are a bit deep and things play hide and seek in the dark in there.

Oh yes, I've a fine collection of future projects filed away….all collected from this Forum and others over many hours spent online, when the time could maybe be better spent in the workshop actually making some of them.

Another afliction is when word gets out that you're a bit handy at things. You know the job that nobody else could fix. How we vainly rise to the challenge every time, even though you promised yourself after the last one that "never again".

Still though, its not as bad as being like the "inventors" mentioned above. At least I could have a bash at actually making some of my bright ideas myself. That is, whenever I can find the calipers I had just yesterday….

John

[TakeawayParticipant @takeaway]

My biggest time wasters are large lumps of metal that I need to get smaller lumps from. I have just started a 50% larger than normal Paddleduck so I am having to use the Armstrong special to go through a bar (at least four times) of 40 x 50mm MS to get the bits I need. At my age its sweaty, mind numbingly boring, painful, exhausting work even with a brand new Rothenberger blade fitted.

So there is my candidate for Room 101 – big bloody unyielding lumps of stubborn, sullen, sodding steel!!!!!

Pass the tea vicar

ATB

Stuart

[merlinParticipant @merlin98989]

I sympathise S Chesher but what is a Rothenburger blade?

[TakeawayParticipant @takeaway]

Hello Merlin – Rothenberger make what I consider to be the best hacksaw blades money can buy. They retain their sharpness on all materials far longer than any other blades that I have used over the last 50 years. In addition they are so tough that it is very difficult to snap them.

Having made one last for a year (and it is still sharp) I have eleven left that I paid a quid for at a car boot sale (yard sale if you are across the pond from the UK) and I reckon at this rate I'll never have to buy another blade for the rest of my natural.

My blade details:

They are white in colour and are marked:

HSSE 4 PLUS biFLEX

300 x 13 x 0.65

24 Z/1" No. 7.1213

ATB

Stuart

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Starrett hacksaw blades are excellent. They last even longer when you have a bandsaw

Neil

[TakeawayParticipant @takeaway]

I hate you Neil !

[merlinParticipant @merlin98989]

Thanks Stuart C – found them on Ebay.

Years ago when I made my 12 Dickson-style toolholders I hand sawed each one from a block of about 2" x 3" mild steel. Then the main block had to be made.

No choice, at the time.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

After I hand cut all the steel for the bench for my lathe, mostly 50 x50 x6mm angel iron, and 4" x 2" x3/8" channel, I built myself a power hack saw, had to cut all the steel for that by hand too. Ian S C

[merlinParticipant @merlin98989]

I made a mechanical 12" hacksaw from a design in Model Eng, I think it was, but although it had a dashpot it didn't lift at the end of each stroke so it needed constanr nursing to avoid jamming.

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

Biggest timewaster ! ME! Oh and i did mention losing my glasses in another thread somewhere.

Cheers Derek.

[SpringbokParticipant @springbok]

David,

Please do not edit this thread it is a bit of harmless fun and good luck in your new venture.
We may meet up on the Bristol SMEE club stand this year.
Glasses, my wife has a spare pare hidden well away from me and produces them when I say "cannot find my glasses" now put these on and go find them. Ah well she was one of the old fashioned matrons at Guyes. If anyone is mildly interested the tunnels are still there where patients were taken from one building to the other under the road. saw it again a few years ago at a reunion and was amazed at the interesting graphiti that young nurses can come up with. We used to dash through at great speed and never looked at the walls.

Bob

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Merlin, my machine just grew from a pile of scrap, and in the 4 or 5 years I had it, I broke one blade, and that became my first parting tool for my new lathe. I needed to part off 16 slices of 2" dia bronze to make radiator nuts for a Lanz Bulldog tractor. Ian S C     PS: Bob, I was going to ask which thread you thought you left them on, so I could go and look for them!

Edited By Ian S C on 31/01/2013 10:49:39

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi Springbok

Why would I edit it?

regards David

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Perhaps nothing to do ?

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

Ian, It was me who lost my specs in a thread . Lost the dammed things everywhere else but losing them in a thread is somthing new, do'nt think the wife could help me find them there.

Cheers Derek.

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Picking up a left hand tap and try to cut a right hand thread. I did this on a 5Ba. Where on earth did the LH tap come from ? When I was an apprentice, a mate of mine proudly said he had knicked a full set of drills when on night shift in the auto machine shop. Problem was – They were all LH as well!

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