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Didn't they use tallow, tons of tallow, on the slipways when launching big ships? There were also tallow candles until the wax versions came along.

Mine was record power cast iron, see above. Maybe run your finger over it very lightly, you should be able to feel any sticking points.

Yep, mine was pretty rough from new. File followed by emery, always going along not across the rest and always filing the full length on each stroke. Any fine lines are then the way the tool travels. I then run a beeswax block along, barely a touch but it helps.

I has Saabs for years, ending 12 years ago. The habit of keeping my car key in my left pocket persists.

I restored a pair of AR25s a couple of years ago. Mid 1970's, used them until the early 2000s then they went into the roof. Not the poshest top end ARs but good enough. The cosmetic bit was easy, teak veneer on heavy chipboard-style body, most speakers were like that because it's 'dead'...

Easy. The R5 started out as a styling exercise which was quickly put into production. For speed of development they used R4 engine and gearbox in the base model and R12 engines for the bigger ones. Remember that cast iron 4 pot engines were loads heavier back then, compared with modern alloy...

I fitted similar 10+ years ago, no problems. The vent louvre should be a snug fit to the pipe, I wouldn't seal it because you may need to pull it apart for cleaning from time to time unless you can reach in from a close-by joint inside.

I wish I had read this before I made my first table lamp last week! Only about 30cm, Yew. I had to hand a not very good drill bit extender which always wobbles and realised if I were to drill from both ends the chance of meeting was remote - or was it? I started from the bottom with a 40mm...

I use Bedec if its going to be painted ...or is than not what you meant? (sorry :))

My local builders merchant/timber supplier has 2 grades, premium and standard, 2 sets of racking so its all dead clear and easy to find, most sizes available in both. There is a significant price difference and I don't use much. but in simple terms if it will be visible I get premium and if...

Can't help with domino's, not used them, but general thoughts. I made a smaller bookshelf 30 years ago, still fine. No back, no drawers, your drawers might give you all the rigidity you need. The bottom shelf was between the uprights with a small slightly set back upstand underneath it and...

You can can find out a lot from the message headers. In Thunderbird, open a message then from the menu go to view (I think, might be tools? ), headers, you get a choice of normal or all. Select all and you can scroll down the header window and see where it originated and all the steps along...

I turn for fun and satisfaction, occasionally give things to friends or family. I occasionally get asked to make something and be paid but I've always said no - it adds a level of responsibility and liability. Sometimes friends will give me a bottle of wine, but that's up to them. Probabaly...

A good buy. I have a modest diy workshop/half garage: mitre saw, pillar drill, grinder, inexpensive lathe. I got myself an Axminster 1950 bandsaw specifically to cut 'blanks from planks'. With the addition of a couple more blades its become one of the most used tools I have, good for so many...

An important thing about RCDs, and the reason they are so useful, is that they trip far faster and on much lower current than an MCB. Take a 5 amp MCB, it will only trip if there is an overload above 5 amps. 5 amps applied in the right place can kill you. They protect the wiring from overload...

I took the same approach on a pair of oak boards I made from leftovers a year or so ago. Works fine, and you don't have to worry about scrubbing with hot water. I used canola/rapeseed oil which is what we normally cook with. I made for my own use, if you are making for sale you probably need...

My Newnes Engineers Manual c 1963 edition gives similar information to RichardG above, but mentions more tapers. There are pages of tables, but they all list the taper so that might help you narrow it down. Bit too busy for 'hard sums' right now. Morse 0.625 in/ft typically, actual sizes vary...

Presumably you have done the obvious and checked it is the lathe not the supply or the socket, or simply a blown fuse in the plug.

Good point. My initial thoughts were the owner ground both sides then said "doh, why did I do that", or that they had a fancy reversing lathe and wanted to be able to scrape both ways to deal with irregular grain. But your answer makes far more sense. I have just ground a quasi-french-curve...

I got a 4x4x14 (inches) yew spindle in a mixed lot a year or so ago. Bit 'ratty' but today I decided to turn it into a vase and line it with a guinness can. Having roughed it to a cylinder and squared the ends to seen what I really had, table lamp came into my head. Its got a few inclusions...