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I've drilled HSS with solid carbide bits - they're good things to have generally as you can spot with them as well because they're so stiff. Provided you have a sufficiently rigid machine of course. I think I got mine from Cromwell. I've never tried silver soldering HSS, but if the join is 4"...

The latter I'd say - I started out with a wee 45kg bench lathe which will turn any material my bigger machine will do, just not as fast (or as big obviously!). Your machine will probably struggle to drive carbide insert tooling, but with sharp HSS should be OK. EN1A is a good place to start if...

Thanks for the links Malcolm - they are indeed helpful. At the mo, the saw is doing what I want, but I'm sure that it it's capable of far more and Steve Maskery's DVD's are deffo going on my wish list. The machine is one of those 'why didn't I get one ages ago' buys, my only slight regret is...

EN1A cuts well and it's relatively easy to get a decent finish. It's a good general purpose steel I've found, though I also use EN3B (just because the place down the road stocks it), which is a bit tougher but still machines OK. EN1A (or the leaded version EN1APb, which machines even better...

Thanks for the encouraging words Malcolm. I'm not sure that anything I do is interesting enough to warrant pics, but since you ask... This afternoon, by way of getting to know the machine, I tackled a job I'd been putting off - cutting a shelf to fit the window recess in a rough stone wall. I'd...

Thanks for further contributions. Just to let y'all know what happened with me... After reading what has been said here and speaking further to the guy at the retail place I'd found aftermy post here I allowed myself to be convinced that, given the 'free' wheelkit and blade pack deal on the...

Thanks for Yandles alert - no chance of getting there but I'll give them a buzz tomorrow. Went and had a poke at the machine at Jaymac today, it looked OK, controls seemed smooth and positive though the fence wasn't as rigid as I'd hoped - I wasn't convinced that the rigidity of the actual fence...

Thanks for the replies. It's a bit alarming that a castor on the wheelkit should have collapsed - they must indeed be a bit flimsy, it's not that heavy a machine. Still, I guess they could be replaced with something beefier if push comes to shove, as it were. I've now discovered that there is a...

Sorry to add yet another bandsaw enquiry, but I need to know! I'm poised to buy a bandsaw, and after much research I think it'll be the RP 350S - unless anyone knows better in that price range. D&M are currently offerring this at 699 inc the pedal wheel kit (which would be useful, if not...

Hmm, so the lathe's 70 years old, one owner, so s/he's say 90ish? My guess is that that this is a widow selling off late hubby's tools - you may be onto a good thing there, but if my guess is right, she probably isn't really in a position to judge the condition of the machine. As you say, wear...

Molyslip MCC cutting paste (Arc Euro Trade IIRC) works for me on steel, and like Myfordman paraffin or even stinky WD40 on alloy. As Ian says, the bush you want to make will be a challenge - 63 microns wall thickness by my calculator. Even in steel that will be quite fragile - you'll need to...

Flints Theatrical Chandlers actually list Sky Hooks in their delightful catalogue - this is the description: Sky Hooks I can’t see what use these would be in the theatre but the next time the young apprentice gets asked to order some sky hooks from Flints their line manager will get a shock...

Marcos, like you I tend to think in thous for material removal, but all my machines are metric. It hasn't been a problem for me - a thou is 0.025 mm near as d. It's really only when it comes to screwcutting that you're going to find a big difference. Although you can cut metric threads on an...

Drat, thought I might make my fortune by knocking these out myself, but from this little bit of market research I don't think it's a runner. I was going to do a deluxe version with an embedded compass, so not only could you align your blade and fence, but also make sure the blade was running in...

Well, there's a Speed 10 advertised on the homeandworkshop at the moment for 845 pounds. I don't know if you would think that reasonable - I certainly wouldn't want to pay that. Whilst they're good lathes no doubt, prices for Myfords in general seem to have gone crazy since the demise of the...

Like many others here no doubt, I've had an email from Axi inviting me to buy something called a Bandsaw Buddy. Ever eager to embrace innovation, I had a look and it's basically a ruler with holes drilled in it so you can stick a pencil thru and draw circles. It also has a couple of magnets on...

Millhill Supplies in Essex is the European distributor for Sherline, I expect they will be able to sort you out for bits and pieces specific to your lathe (at a price!). Whilst I agree with earlier comments about carbide insert tooling in general needing to be driven (much) harder than your...

Hi Sven. Sorry to give another 'if I was going there, I wouldn't start from here' response, but like others I think the holesaw plan is doomed to failure. You would need quite a rigid setup to make this work. Even if the cutter is on, say, half inch threaded rod, it'll be very floppy by...

Another vote for buying it from your Dad. People on engineering forums are apt to faint with shock, or become apoplectic with anger at the suggestion that one might machine wood with metalworking tools. I've been doing it occasionally for many years, and not had any problems. You will surely be...

Erm - if you can see the layout lines clearly, why worry further? Robin