What Did You Do Today (2017)

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Made an 8mm collet / chuck adaptor for my watchmakers lathe. Now looking for a chuck to fit – see WANTED section please.

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Chuck sorted now.  Thanks for the interest.
BobH
 

Edited By Speedy Builder5 on 11/01/2017 18:05:31

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

BobH

check your mailbox on the top menu.

Emgee

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Gross apologies – I tried to correct things without going out on a cold wet night BUT, the drawbar thread is 7mm by 40tpi. (not 9/16 x 40 as shown on sketch) Please ignore the previous couple of attempts to put things right.
I guess its the problem of making things to fit as opposed to making things to drawing !!

As an aside, I looked on the Lathes site, but did not find 'my collets' there. The lathe in question doesn't have a makers name or serial number etc, just a number on all 'matched' parts.
BobH

[JAParticipant @ja]

BobH

Being pedantic and given what is being written on the "Gas" Threads thread you should state whether the thread form is Metric or Whitworth.

I will now duck and try to avoid the bricks.

JA

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by daveb on 09/01/2017 15:19:53:

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

Only depends what angle you grind on the end

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Russell Eberhardt on 09/01/2017 16:37:38:

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.

There's a bit of curl once released, not a lot though, about 2mm over 220mm length on the long thin side, the other edge has a bulky 'upstand' and no noticeable distortion. I think gently clamping it on a flat surface and pouring hot water over it very carefully should get rid of the set. I've had more issues with small 'lozenge' shapes. One answer seems to be to hollow out shapes as much as possible.

Interesting one going now, a little 'cottage', which will just be white walls with no detail and a black roof with a couple of chimneys. the 45-degree roof should print without supports which will be interesting to try.

Neil

[Adrian GilesParticipant @adriangiles39248]

Thought I'd fettle my second engine, to take some photos to put in an album. I'ts a simple reciprocator, and I've been some time finishing it, due to getting impatient and starting on my Stuart Beam!

Anyway, started stripping it apart, only for the tension spring to launch itself into space! Even after fifteen minutes of searching, I still don't know which bit of space it's occupying! So, search my "resources " boxes, and eventually find a replacement, albeit slightly stronger. Finish off cleaning and polishing and start to re-assemble, struggle slightly to fit the new spring, but it goes on OK. All together, looking good, just connect up the air pipe to give it a gentle blow-through. Turns over four or five times, then something whizzes past my ear at a rate of knots, off into further space! It's the complete cylinder pivot pin, Spring, washer and nut, pulled itself out of the cylinder and launched itself to that space in the universe bits use when they don't want to be found!

Oh well, back to the lathe and start again😔

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

JA, Regarding the 8mm lathe collets.
Metric OD, probably thread form BS Brass. I cut a lot of my threads using either some old hand held chasers (held in the toolpost) or chasers from Tracy Tools. Sometimes we MEs get a bit hung up on exact dimensions and fits. Sure, when we are talking safety critical items we need to pay attention. The Tracy chasers are inserts from Coventry style die heads and can be bought in sets with a holder or odd ones.
BobH

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

Odd one this week; a ww2 air raid siren. Had to replace missing gear teeth and generally fettle it. Interesting one way gearless ratchet on the crank handle. Testing it gave the neighbours something to worry about

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Speedy Builder5 on 12/01/2017 08:08:23:

JA, Regarding the 8mm lathe collets.
Metric OD, probably thread form BS Brass.

.

Be aware that some of the Watchmaker collets have buttress threads.

Do you have any photos of the lathe and/or the collets ?

MichaelG.

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Michael G, photos in my album Watch Lathe
BobH

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

I always thought that the diameter of the thread on watch lathe 8mm collets was 0.268 ". On rare occasions 0.700"

From The Watchmakers Lathe by Donald De Carle

Roy

 

Edited By roy entwistle on 12/01/2017 16:19:10

[Geoff TheasbyParticipant @geofftheasby]

For the past two days I have been tidying up the workshop/radio station/editorial desk/reference library after a burst of activity over the holidays. My floor is still there (I recognise the colour) and my books are all tidied neatly away, some thrown out. (Sob!) I found my other tap wrench, my solar powered lighting is back on, and brighter, my cheap electronic voltmeter worked again, then failed, so that needs attention, and I have at least 3 square feet of workbench I can practically (as against theoretically) use. I have been motorising my G1 loco, and written two electronics articles in the last month, and submitted them for publication, as well as Club News. I saved several wall warts, and chucked a tangled mess of odd wires.

Photos are available from 'Scoop' Theasby Enterprises, Sheffield Home for the Terminally Bewildered, Thaxted, Norfolk. Proceeds to Geoff's Aged Volvo Fund.

Deborah is a happy bunny.

Geoff

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Geoff Theasby on 12/01/2017 16:37:21:

For the past two days I have been tidying up the workshop/radio station/editorial desk/reference library after a burst of activity over the holidays. My floor is still there (I recognise the colour) and my books are all tidied neatly away, some thrown out. (Sob!) I found my other tap wrench, my solar powered lighting is back on, and brighter, my cheap electronic voltmeter worked again, then failed, so that needs attention, and I have at least 3 square feet of workbench I can practically (as against theoretically) use. I have been motorising my G1 loco, and written two electronics articles in the last month, and submitted them for publication, as well as Club News. I saved several wall warts, and chucked a tangled mess of odd wires.

Ah, young Theasby still has his talent for fiction, I see.

Neil

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

This time last year my BT internet slowed to a crawl like dialup. 200ft of new string and I got back to nearly 4Mbps. This evening at great expense upgraded to 'infinity' and it just jumped to 42Mbps that's 10 times faster. OK not as good as the 60Mbps I get from Virgin at rather less cost but now I can work from home ….faster. I'm the last house in the village about 1km from the street cabinet so well done VDSL.

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

That's interesting, Bazyle – I get about 3Mbps down about three miles of old copper wire from the nearest telephone exchange, but there's a fibre optic cabinet at the end of the village now, about 600 yards away. Some folks have suggested that a switch to Infinity would be hardly worth it, but your experience seems to suggest otherwise. Anyone else got comparative figures?

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

I went from around 5Mbps to between 50 and 70 (50 today which is less than normal, though it's possible that No 1 son is currently taking up a chunk of available with Internet activities I do not care to question).

Upstream is the big change going from around 1 to a fairly consistent 18MBps. Great for uploading pictures to the Model Engineering Forum..

Iain

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

Hello Mike, we are in a semi rural location 1/2 mile from the box. I now get around 30Mb/s on infinity.
The shed only gets 8 Mb/s via wifi, and that's using a 'cantenna'. I may hard wire it .. sometime…

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Thanks, gentlemen – I think you have convinced me!

[Brian GroomeParticipant @briangroome43093]

0.5 miles from the box, 45Mb/s with Talk Talk.

Brian

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Speedy Builder5 on 12/01/2017 15:03:12:

Michael G, photos in my album Watch Lathe
BobH

.

Thanks, Bob

MichaelG.

[only just noticed your post]

.

Edit: That's a pretty distinctive headstock … I suspect it may be the Polish one, as illustrated here:

http://www.small-lathes.co.uk/8mm-Watchmaker%60s-Lathe-%5BTDA8%5D/734.htm

… I would check your collet dimensions very carefully …

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 13/01/2017 09:42:22

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by roy entwistle on 12/01/2017 16:16:23:

I always thought that the diameter of the thread on watch lathe 8mm collets was 0.268 ". On rare occasions 0.700"

From The Watchmakers Lathe by Donald De Carle

Roy

.

[exceptionally rare occasions, I would imagine]

MichaelG.

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

Semi rural village here giving a speed of 1.8 or 2 on a good day. Fibre box in next village 2.5 miles away announced with great fanfare. Our village is due next. Good I will have some of that thinks I. Made the enquiry, yes sir it will be available within the next five years. Meanwhile the big towns just get faster and faster services.

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

1.4 on copper, 42 on fibre, but that's fibre to the cabinet, not the house so can (eventually) be increased, if essential. Very definitely worth it.

rgds

Bill

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