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My advice would be to go for decent quality individual taps at the sizes you need - sure, it'll cost you more per tap than a set, but because you won't be buying tools you'll never use it could well work out cheaper. And you'll really notice the difference in the way they cut, even in brass...

Vinegar, being an acid (albeit a weak one) will attack the underlying iron to some extent. That may or may not be a problem. Electrolytic reduction 'deals' with the rust by converting it to other iron compounds - exactly what depends on pH, voltage, current density and the phase of the moon I...

Thanks all your replies, and for the links which I shall follow up. The email I had from the council said that single glazing would be OK, which surprised me - it seems that conservation trumps building regs. In fact if I did want to double glaze, it would have to be 'thin' double glazing, ie a...

Can anyone point me in the direction of plans (internet or printed) for sash window construction? I've spent a while searching, but of course any search phrases which include the word 'windows' throw up about a million links to Mr Gates' great gift to the world. Background is that I moved into a...

Hi, I'm a bit nearer than Wildman and could make something if you can't find an off the shelf replacement. I quite often have cause to visit Derby. Regards, Robin

Craft Supplies in Bradwell (Hope Valley, not so far from Chesterfield) might be worth a try for blanks - I've not been there for perhaps three years, so don't know what the situation is now, but when I last went they had racks full of 'exotic' hardwood blanks. Mainly bowl blanks, but also some...

Thanks for the info Graham - I shall snap one up. It's an experimental CNC project I have in mind, if it doesn't work out I won't be too upset by the price of this thing, and it'll find other uses! Robin

Graham, this might be just the job for a project I have. A couple of questions though - (a) is it variable speed? The specs say 10-30k rpm, but I can't see any evidence of a speed control in the pics and (b) the 'headline' says it comes with with 1/4" and 3/8" collets, but the pics refer to 6mm...

Good God man! What electrolyte were you using? Not caustic soda I hope! Robin .

Thanks. Have Googled and it seems that it's good for turning. And only mildly poisonous! Robin

P2500 is around 10 microns grit size, which is smaller than the typical length scale of the structural components of wood I think. You might ask your friend to try polishing slices of toast with different grits and observe the difference. This is why we have marmalade. Robin

Thanks for all the warnings about machining yew - being somewhat prone to allergic reactions I shall certainly take due precautions when attempting to turn it. I have waxed the ends and it's sitting in the (unheated) workshop along with a few other promising bits of the same. Further processing...

OK, thanks, that squares with my experience of the drill press, which on paper should have had enough power but in practice was woefully inadequate. I had hoped that as the motor rating was the same as the more reputable Record BS300 it might work. I suspect that there's some marketing goes on...

I'm contemplating buying a small bandsaw - at the moment the purposes in mind are profiling maybe 40mm thick oak for wall-mounted shelf brackets and cutting tenons. I have a VAT-free voucher for Machine Mart and went in there today to look at the Clarke CBS300. The first drill press I bought...

I bought the Proxxon IBS/E Professional Mini Drill/Grinder - 240V to replace a Dremel and it's a far better tool - sweet running and accurate with minimal vibration. Proxxon also make a a holder to attach the machine to a (metal cutting) lathe toolpost, so it can be used as a toolpost grinder if...

A blank end arbour arbour might be a better way to go? The 'blank end' is soft and machines easily - eg http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue ... End-Arbors . Robin

Many thanks for the warnings about toxicity - I know that yew berries are poisonous, but didn't realise the wood is also. This may explain something - we have a terrier which picks lumps from the log basket and gnaws at them. She actually went straight for this stuff when it came home, and has...

Thanks. Wife said it was yew, but then she said everything else was cherry, which seemed unlikely, so I was suspicious of her wood identifying powers. But I shall tell her she was right, and suffer 'I told yew so'. I picked up a fair bit of this stuff, it's about 22% MC off the pile, should I...

Hi. I'm mainly a metal-mangler, but have occasionally (shock horror!) turned wood on my engineering lathes. It's a nice thing to do, but I've been put off by the cost of wood blanks, which I'm inevitably going to trash at first. BUT... I recently had a woodburning stove installed, and when...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solid-Brass-B ... 4855298d89 7.85 each inc postage - doubt that you could get one-offs turned or cast for that. They have an M10 thread, but that could easily be plugged with a bit of brass threaded rod and filed down to match if 10mm is too big for the torc ends. A...