What did you do today (2015)

[JESParticipant @jes]

Looks like a young kestel. We had one sitting on our patio looking all confused after all the sparrows went away.

JES

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Just parted off a couple of bits of tough 1/2" stainless. An unusual rumbling sound… I guessed the bearings may have drifted a bit loose, about 1/12 of a turn on the adjuster and all is well.

Making some caps for spring loaded screws, would have been so much nicer to use brass but nothing of vaguely the right size in sight!

Neil

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Definitely a kestrel. We have kestrels and buzzards here in the North of Scotland, and the buzzards are very big birds.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I've seen two pairs of buzzards and a smaller bird of prey all at the same time while mowing the cricket field. Wish they'd come up to my garden to grab a rabbit dinner. Thought my problem was solved when I saw a stoat from the kitchen window but he wasn't hungry either. Are there any rabbit trap designs coming up in MEW?

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Went to Warco today to order a new mill – a VMC with x-axis powerfeed. I really wanted their 3-axis DRO setup as well but it would have added getting on for £1000 to the bill! Imagine my surprise and delight to find out that they are now supplying a cheaper (glass scale) generic version which comes in at a shade over £300! The domestic auditor was impressed, too! Watch out for them to be added to the Warco web site soon. Snapped 'em up and brought them home to play with while I wait for the mill to be delivered – about 2 weeks.

Hoping to borrow an engine hoist locally to lift the mill onto its stand and put the lathe back on its perch following our relocation to the UK.

John

(One happy Bunny!)

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Spent two hours in the workshop today sorting out tools. Should be done by Monday if weather stays fine. I found a few bits I thought had been stolen following a burglary about 18 months ago. Quite enjoying sitting in the workshop sorting it out. I sold the remaining two toolboxes after the burglary so they have nothing to put the tools in if they ever come back. Everything is going into workbenches with drawers in the them.

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Completed the job searching and applications for today, then popped out to turn some hinge pivots. The metal was some inexpensive MS 1000mm long x ~25mm dia' (from Ebay) unknown grade. Not very nice to turn, drill or bore but it should do the job and will be welded in place. It seemed to have hard deposits running through it.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I don't normally highlight things in the classifieds, but take a look at this!

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/classifieds/view_ad.asp?ad=11525

Not your everyday multi-purpose machine! It seems to have a horizontal mill at the back of the headstock And a vertical mill head over the saddle – there's apparently three tons of it…

Neil

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I was going to mention this machine but did not want to be seen promoting the advert as it might start a trend.

I have searched quite a bit but cannot see a machine like that anywhere, it is most unusual and if as heavy as mentioned must be a quality product. Only downside fro the home workshop point of view is its overall length limits where it can be located and still retain access to the three side of the mill.

I still want one!

Ian P

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

One of these possible, but does the white coat come with it?

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 05/08/2015 19:45:36:

Not your everyday multi-purpose machine! It seems to have a horizontal mill at the back of the headstock And a vertical mill head over the saddle – there's apparently three tons of it…

Neil

Hard to tell from the one picture but it does not look like a mill over the saddle, more like a machine in the background.

Ian P

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by JasonB on 05/08/2015 20:13:18:

One of these possible, but does the white coat come with it?

I'm sure you are right Jason, almost certainly one of those by Adcock and Shipley

Ian P

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Got round to inspecting the new lathe.

Are wizards considered boat anchors too? Never actually seen them mentioned on here.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Well I did actually do a few things today – I finished an abandoned mount for a secondary scope – I had been thinking of it as a potential finder, but it lacks the field of view, but it seems a good candidate for a guide scope. The basic thing is two circles of plastic, each with two adjusting screws and a 'sprung' plastic plug/piston, joined by an aluminium bar that fits on one of the scope rings. There are several degrees of adjustment, the idea being you can find a suitably bright 'guide star' then a webcam and some clever software sends signals to adjust the tracking of the mount.

This means making a declination access drive to complement the RA drive – I've found a suitable stepper and gear train, yesterday I made a fitting for the final gear out of stainless. Due to space constraints an cross-pin for the final drive gear was impractical so I was quite please with my solution – a special nut like a thick washer, with two 1/16" pegs that engage in the slots in the gear Not too simple as the nut is M6 and the gear is 8mm bore so everything needed to be more or less spot-on. Finally locked with a neat M6 acorn nut (I love finding I've saved the right bit – just like finding two springs just right for the guide scope rings!)

Still need to make a bracket for the stepper – this one will also need two intermediate gears instead of 3, as there is much less space, even after shifting the RA drive down a bit – about 1/8" clearance!

If all this burst of activity isn't enough, turned a 1.250" hole in a no-longer-needed temporary pulley and epoxied a length of aluminium tube it. This will be finished off with either an M42 or a T-mount thread so I can use it with a canon adaptor for using a camera with my smaller scope – that hasn't got a built in t-adaptor.

Of course the real challenge will be making the drive electronics, but I've found one of my early computer experiments with a green 64×128 display, an interface for an Amstrad emailer keyboard and lots of I/O that should be able to do the job.. Brilliant things microprocessor projects – you can turn them into something completely different!

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Rainbows on 05/08/2015 21:01:01:

Are wizards considered boat anchors too? Never actually seen them mentioned on here.

Well JS says "Personally more of these lathes like the Winfield, Pooles, Randa, Zyto and Sooper Adept need saving"

I think they can be safely classed with those*

Neil

*What they all have in common is absolutely nothing to do with Brian Perris…

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 05/08/2015 21:10:30:

Posted by Rainbows on 05/08/2015 21:01:01:

Are wizards considered boat anchors too? Never actually seen them mentioned on here.

Well JS says "Personally more of these lathes like the Winfield, Pooles, Randa, Zyto and Sooper Adept need saving"

I think they can be safely classed with those*

Neil

*What they all have in common is absolutely nothing to do with Brian Perris…

I believe only one of our lathes has a tailstock with a proper morse taper in it ;^)

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 05/08/2015 21:10:30:

*What they all have in common is absolutely nothing to do with Brian Perris…

.

… a real Hero

MichaelG.

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Today I booked onto a Tormach workshop in October.

Do you want a write up Niel?

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

Spent a happy hour digging through a box of junk treasure I've had donated. Several lead screws+nuts, a longish ball screw, some MT3 centres, a mini slotted table (just what I need), some thick brass gears and various lengths of brass pinion stock.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Bob Rodgerson on 05/08/2015 23:37:07:

Today I booked onto a Tormach workshop in October.

Do you want a write up Niel?

Depends… email me details on [email protected]

Thanks

Neil

 

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 06/08/2015 11:31:08

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Anyone happen to know what the colours the wizard lathe are? I am thinking emerald green and crimson red but my artistic ability is really not that good.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

This morning did the last bit of 'fine tuning' to the Singer sewing machine, so now ready to sew leather, but only scraps to start with.

Singer thread updated.

Geoff – iMovie '11 quite easy to use, with no steep learning curve.

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

>>Anyone happen to know what the colours the wizard lathe are? <<

Octarine?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Rick Parry on 01/01/2015 14:30:14:

Made an adaptor plate for my collet chuck today. Tested when finnished and found the it to be 4 thou out. Do I need to to do it again?

Short answer … yes, if you want to benefit from the increased accuracy collets offer.

Neil

[Gas_mantle.Participant @gas_mantle]

Bought myself a small bench drill ( a Chester D13R) so been assembling that and having a few practice goes on off cuts.

So far so good, seems to run nicely with no noticeable play

Peter.

[Author]

Posts