What Did You Do Today (2017)

[John CParticipant @johnc47954]

Got round to making a better system for storing files. Some 40mm waste pipe and hot glue later:

The next step is to code the various holes for file type, turning it into a true 'filing system'!

[mark smith 20Participant @marksmith20]

I decided to hack up a broken epson r1800 a3 printer, all i ened up with which could be of use to me was a precision bar , 3 smaller diamter pieces of steel and a heap of useful looking felt. What type of steel is it likely to be?

Surprised by how i ended up with scrap that filled 3 small bin bags when the printer itself would have probably fitted in one.

Ive heard people using the main bar as a lathe test bar, but how.? Its rather long at 54cms and exactly 14.94mm diameter but doesnt have centre holes on the ends.

Any other uses?

Edited By mark smith 20 on 03/01/2017 16:33:47

Edited By mark smith 20 on 03/01/2017 16:34:29

Edited By mark smith 20 on 03/01/2017 16:36:59

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

the felt is there to mop up the ink ‘wasted’ during the clearing of print nozzles and gets everywhere!
There should be 2 or 3 small motors (usually 20V for Epson) – there is also a small power supply (tho usually I think 40V in Epson) but also a rotary optical disc + also an optical linear scale but both these need you to sort out the read mechanism

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Posted by John Flack on 03/01/2017 13:22:18:

Thanks Phil…………… If there was a local club I would be a member, out on a limb in the colonial South west peninsular.

Thanks for the post…………..john

is that UK south west? Perranporth MES is only 25 miles from Penzance so hard to get out of range of a club. If anything the locals will be even more eager to find a source of engineering kit.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by John Flack on 03/01/2017 11:31:11:

Going into reverse. My new year project is how to dispose of my workshop contents.Having survived three medical/Surgical mishaps I am now not safe to be left alone in my retirement custom built workshop. I have via local advts. sold a mill lathe and half a ton of metal stock, local secondhand dealers have made derisory offers for the tooling and hand tools. Has the forum any sensible ideas on how such items can be recycled. My difficulty is to avoid the need to create a packaging industry due the physical difficulties involved . Any helpful advice would be welcome. Sorry if this is gloomy post but 'stuff' like this happens in life.

Hello John,

Sorry to hear you have to give up the workshop – why not keep a small chest of favourite tools, you can do a lot at a table without powered machines.

You might find this article by Roger Backhouse useful: Disposing of a Workshop

There are also free classifieds on this website and in both ME and MEW – you can specify buyer colletcs.

Neil.

[FumblefingersParticipant @fumblefingers]

I see that there are a few "New Year" resolutions. Mine is to finish Bridget which has had an unbelievable long gestation period, and try to get rid of the workshop gremlins that know what you need next and hide it

And the New Year revolution is one turn at a time!!

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Gutted 3 defunct printers; got a couple of shafts, kept 3 motors, numerous springs, & small torx head screws. Don't know what I'm going to do with the motors… yet? but the shafts are nice quality steel so they went into the 'special' box, I too would be interested to know what grade of steel these would be?. Removed the hard drive & ram memory card from daughters u/s computer & gave it back to use as ext. HDD, all the remains went into a skip just up the road; along with a couple of off cut ends of CI window weights … with permission of the home owner of course.

George.

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Had Christmas and New Years day in York Hospital just released yesterday for a few days at home then back again for two or three weeks treatment seems it's a not too common Birkitts lymphoma a bit like me a rare breed.

A friend has sent me a photo of a home built machine has any body any idea what it is I have my suspicians but might be wrong also some other bits..

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Fumblefingers on 03/01/2017 20:53:25:

I see that there are a few "New Year" resolutions. Mine is to finish Bridget which has had an unbelievable long gestation period, and try to get rid of the workshop gremlins that know what you need next and hide it

And the New Year revolution is one turn at a time!!

Welcome to the forum, Fumblefingers

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by mechman48 on 04/01/2017 10:25:49:

all the remains went into a skip just up the road; along with a couple of off cut ends of CI window weights … with permission of the home owner of course.

George.

Careful George, putting cast iron into a skip is frowned on in these parts

Neil

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Sent a few more pictures of what I think is a variable speed?

What do you think

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Windy on 04/01/2017 16:19:36:

Had Christmas and New Years day in York Hospital just released yesterday for a few days at home then back again for two or three weeks treatment seems it's a not too common Birkitts lymphoma a bit like me a rare breed.

A friend has sent me a photo of a home built machine has any body any idea what it is I have my suspicians but might be wrong also some other bits..

.

Welcome back, Windy … and best wishes for the next phase.

The 'machine' looks like some sort of variable-speed device [adjustable pulleys ?], but I have no idea about the sprocketed components … unless they are a chopper for some exotic ignition system.

MichaelG.

[post interrupted by food … hadn't seen your additional photos]

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 04/01/2017 19:06:40

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 04/01/2017 16:34:58:

Posted by mechman48 on 04/01/2017 10:25:49:

all the remains went into a skip just up the road; along with a couple of off cut ends of CI window weights … with permission of the home owner of course.

George.

Careful George, putting cast iron into a skip is frowned on in these parts

Neil

​Yeah know what you mean Neil; same here in smoggieland, but these were the ends with the holes for the sash cord to tie in to & the weight figures cast in… of no use to me that I could think of … cut up & kept the rest for future.

G.

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Posted by Windy on 04/01/2017 16:19:36:

A friend has sent me a photo of a home built machine has any body any idea what it is I have my suspicians but might be wrong also some other bits.

G'day Windy, get better. As for the device it could be a dynamometer for small engines.

* Danny M *

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

John Flack,

PM sent

Martin

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Managed to get my Walking Beam Engine to run for the first time. Still a bit more work to do.

Thor

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

Just engraved a scale on the angular slide on the compound slide of my lathe. The printed degree scale wore off a few years ago, and I scratched a few marks just before the last of the printing came off. This afternoon I dismantled the thing, fitted it to the rotary table and used a boring bar in the tailstock chuck to cut different length grooves. Worked surprisingly well. Also extended the angular range of the scale a bit.

Regards

Richard

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Phew!

Well 3D printing has taught me an awful lot about 3D design in Turbocad!

Currently watching a test piece that virtually fills the bed, it's operating in 'fine' mode and even with just 15% fill the estimated time is over 24 hours! That said it seems to over-estimate by a fair bit so I reckon nearer 18-20 hours. Much of it is a large flat plate with rivets on, which will be interesting to see made, if the top prints before bedtime. There are also some really challenging overhangs with minimal support so it will be a good test.

Also had some fun in the workshop, making bushes and shortening bolts to make axles.

It's model engineering, Jim. But not as we know it!

Tomorrow evening, fun with springs!

Neil

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Hving several hours machine minding in the workshop as the CNC mill carved out some nameplates, I thought I'd make a small height gauge for which I bought a digital scale and lump of CI a couple of years back. Having bought them, I yielded to temptation and bought a Wixey one from Allendale, but though that's very useful its the wrong hand for measuring workpiece height on the mill and I'm forever having to crane over to look at the scale from teh "back". So put together the new one having spied the scale in a drawer and the CI block still in College Engineering's newspaper wrapping on the floor.

This is the finished item…

….compared with Mr Wixey's. It's deliberately shorter too so it doesn't foul the milling head so easily.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Today I'm recovering from core drilling three 4" holes through a red brick cavity wall for 2 fans (just below gutter height) and a soil pipe (near ground level). The core drill itself didn't struggle, although progress was slow, not least due to the fact that the brickie had carefully positioned the adjacent Catnic window lintel so that its end overlapped both of the fan holes (this is the part finished lower hole). The diamond core drill ate through it in the end but this didn't speed matters up.

The local shiny Lancashire red bricks are damned hard and blunt normal drills quickly. I ended up off-hand sharpening the 6mm masonry drill (for the grilles) several times with the angle grinder (diamond disk). Doesn't look much like a drill now but got the job done.

Given the rate at which the masonry drill blunted, I removed the pilot drill from the core drill and instead used a piece of wood to start the core. That required a couple of 6mm screw holes but they were surely easier than drilling right through with an 8mm drill.

Murray

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

osted by John Haine on 09/01/2017 12:28:21:

Hving several hours machine minding in the workshop as the CNC mill carved out some nameplates, I thought I'd make a small height gauge for which I bought a digital scale and lump of CI a couple of years back. Having bought them, I yielded to temptation and bought a Wixey one from Allendale, but though that's very useful its the wrong hand for measuring workpiece height on the mill and I'm forever having to crane over to look at the scale from teh "back". So put together the new one having spied the scale in a drawer and the CI block still in College Engineering's newspaper wrapping on the

….compared with Mr Wixey's. It's deliberately shorter too so it doesn't foul the milling head so easily.

Good job, John. I have one of those wixey height gauges and they are good value for money for what they do. But the aluminium base is a little annoying for a sturdy base and the iron makes for a much better choice.

Might have to "accidently" break it so I can make a new iron base for mine 😛

Michael W

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Having drilled a toilet waste pipe hole by making a circle of 6mm holes and finishing off with a cold chisel, I think you got the easy job!

Neil

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 09/01/2017 13:27:58:

Having drilled a toilet waste pipe hole by making a circle of 6mm holes and finishing off with a cold chisel, I think you got the easy job!

Neil

That's very naughty Neil, cold chisels are for use on metal, you should have used a masonry chisel.

Dave

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 08/01/2017 22:01:36:

Well 3D printing has taught me an awful lot about 3D design in Turbocad!

Currently watching a test piece that virtually fills the bed, it's operating in 'fine' mode and even with just 15% fill the estimated time is over 24 hours! That said it seems to over-estimate by a fair bit so I reckon nearer 18-20 hours. Much of it is a large flat plate with rivets on, which will be interesting to see made, if the top prints before bedtime. There are also some really challenging overhangs with minimal support so it will be a good test.

I'll be interested to see how that goes. I find a problem with large flat plates is shrinkage as it cools causing distortion and sometimes detatching from the bed. Better with PLA than ABS though.

Russell.

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Will be back to my plumbing at Hospital for Chemo

Over the Xmas period there a friend brought me an article on reconditioning Lucas PI injection systems so next time I saw him told him I had reconditioned my personal injection lines(Hickman line).

My classic bike friend has loaned me a laptop while there so got my drawing program  on it plus my drawings and other speed related bits and pieces.

WiFi is iffy in my ward as other patients tried to connect to it last time I was in at least I can do something instead of watching boring TV.

Still have the competition spirit while there it's a race to the Bog I just win by a short arse.

One of the previous patients repaired tipped tool holders some for certain clients had to be to fine tolerances apart from building the damaged holder with weld would have liked to know how he finished the aperture for the tips he said burrs are used.

Have someone at home and all alarmed plus booby traps for them that don't know the scum that rob people they deserve all they get never mind protecting the criminals from being hurt.

Elderly family member and friends have had frightening encounters with burglars they have encountered so bugger the PC brigade. 

 

Edited By Windy on 11/01/2017 17:18:48

Edited By Windy on 11/01/2017 17:21:27

Edited By Windy on 11/01/2017 17:40:19

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