Is everyone on holiday?

newsgroup.

Living in the countryside, surrounded by sheep farmers, I'm permanently on holiday nowadays - who needs to go away when it's all around you !

AWEM

Im still here Andrew, so while its quiet I take this moment to show off my Keyway cutter added to my Stepperhead lathe The overarm provides a rigid attachment point for the ram lever.By indexing the mandrel I have cut a splined hole and shaft, only a test run and in brass because its easy.

?action=view&current=P1020378.jpghttp://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m287/jackary2003/?action=view&current=P1020378.jpghttp://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m287/jackary2003/?action=view&current=P1020378.jpgRegards Alan

?action=view&current=P1020378.jpghttp://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m287/jackary2003/?action=view&current=P1020379.jpghttp://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m287/jackary2003/?action=view&current=P1020383.jpg> Regards

My sentiments exactly! Nice to be retired.

Anyway it seems the rest are away leaving just we three. I get the impression that a lot of postings are done while the sender is at work - or supposed to be. Hence more during the week and fewer at weekends.

Henry

Still here, still not retired (13 years 9 months and 25 days to go). Didn't have anything useful to say really. It's been noticeable that several other lists, groups and message boards have been a bit slow recently as well.

As far as doing things is concerned, over the last three weeks I've been stripping and painting the cabinet and chip tray of the Hardinge. There's a long way to go yet. Starting to strip the lathe bits this weekend since the weather is forecast cool and damp.

The Chip tray got sprayed outside in the garden. It avoids filling the shed with isocyanate fumes and reduces the required respiratory protection. The sunshine also hardens the paint nicely. I'll do all of the other painting in the same way. Colour scheme is white for the chip tray and inside of the cabinet and LNER green, ish, (RAL 6018) for the lathe and cabinet. Don't know whether I should line it or not :-)

Was also forced to do some gardening last weekend:-(

Mark Rand RTFM

next year, when the sun comes back out?

Off tomorrow to the Isle of Man, for a week away from the Wife and some proper motorbike racing.

Paul.

My sympathies, maybe you should concrete it all to avoid such incidents in the future ;) As for lining, of course you should, its a 'proper' restoration after all :p

Dave

He's had a bloody good go at that already - half the garden is now laid to workshop!

Regards, Tony

I reckon it's really a nuclear bunker - don't forget that suspicious basement level he installed

AWEM

That was so that the hire company never found their digger

Charles

If I'd known then what I know now, I'd have done the pit right and got a decent sized basement. OTOH If I'd known 25 years ago what I know now, I'd not have bought a house 1/4 the way up a hill on clay soil...

The digger did get pulled out of the hole, but there is still a garden spade and an 8'x4' sheet of plywood buried under the pit :-(

For those that didn't see it live:-

Mark Rand RTFM

Yes, been away for a week, got back to find 3 tons of new toy had been delivered to a yard up the road. As well as catching up with work, and seeing off my old mill to its new owner, been making preparations for the new arrival. If it wasn't such a filthy weekend in prospect, I would be pulling out the old DSG into the rain.. Anyone want a fully working 1954 DSG 17 x 36, with roller bearing head (1230 rpm max), for scrap money? Snags are it has a twisted bed which won't straighten under its own (considerable) weight (it's great for roughing out and short work, it'll remove some serious metal in a hurry) and it has to be removed on a trailer. I wasn't planning to change, I was going to live with its defects and hope to improve it over time, but succumbed to temptation..... New project for Mark after the Hardinge? a few months of scraping should sort it out

Tim

That is a very solid machine. HTF did it acquire a twist?

Get thee behind me Satan. Spent the whole day degreasing headstock and gearbox castings. Tomorrow's task is to flat them down so they can be primed next weekend.

Still got the basket case Beaver to do. I really want to get that job under way before Alzheimers overtakes me. Maybe it could be Relianted to Germanly for Nick :-)

Mark Rand RTFM

The headstock end is very large & extremely heavy & should be supported at four points. I can only guess that it's been sat for years badly supported and has sagged. Pulling it down to a good solid concrete floor (Mark?? ) would probably help, but mine is only about 4" of rather soft concrete. It's an old machine with some wear, I knew that when I bought it (cheaply enough) but it's a bit worse than I was expecting.

Tim

The headstock end is very large & extremely heavy & should be supported at four points. I can only guess that it's been sat for years badly supported and has sagged. Pulling it down to a good solid concrete floor (Mark?? ) would probably help, but mine is only about 4" of rather soft concrete. It's an old machine with some wear, I knew that when I bought it (cheaply enough) but it's a bit worse than I was expecting.

Tim

Why not plonk it on a good solid RSJ (10 x 6 should do it) or a pair of them, then tighten down to that for a while to see if it will twist back

AWEM

I'd considered various options, not that particular one but others, I've played with the levelling leaving bits unsupported etc., there has been a bit of improvement in the 2.5 years I've had it. As I said earlier, I wasn't planning to change it & I have a decent CVA for the more precise stuff, but 'an opportunity presented itself' which I couldn't resist. I'm fully committed now (OK, maybe I should be ), the new one is bought & paid for and almost delivered, just need to get the old one out of the way. Pity it didn't happen 12 months ago, I could have made a 'profit' on scrapping the old one!

Tim

I will see if the Severn Valley is interested.