Can you guess

[novocaine]

you can get precision by hand too you know, watch makers managed it anyway.

 

[woodpig]

Before I had a milling machine I used to make a lot of stuff with a file.

 

[AES]

What novocaine and woodpig both said - the mill (or any other machine) "only" makes the job faster and NOT necessarily more accurate. In fact, trying to use a mill (or lathe, or just about anything else) is perhaps even more difficult in terms of the thinking and knowledge required to set up and machine to accurate limits.

As part of my apprenticeship I was taught to be able to file flat and square to a tolerance of plus/minus one thou (Imperial). I won't say it's easy, but once learnt ("just" a lot of practice basically) it's not forgotten.

And I'm not saying I'd like to do it again, but as I don't have a mill, and only a small vertical slide on a small lathe, IF I needed to do it, I'm confident that I could.

And I'm sure that confidence applies to anyone else who served a similar apprenticeship to mine.

That does not however detract from the obvious skills and care and attention - "love", even? - that has been applied to the work shown above.

AES

 

[novocaine]

still have to work with a file, I don't have a mill and the lathe is sat in my folks garage in nottingham, bit far to go to knock up a couple of bits (it will be coming home soon, I hope).

oh and I hope no one thinks my comments on making it with a file were taking something away from the work shown here. first rate.

I didn't do an apprenticeship, but did have father who taught metalwork, so I went though it all at home instead.

 

[transatlantic]

Ok, so I can see how some of it could be built using hand tools, but you can't really get around not having the lathe though right?

I'd be interested to see how you'd build the project in this thread by hand.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

As part of my apprenticeship I was taught to be able to file flat and square to a tolerance of plus/minus one thou (Imperial). I won't say it's easy, but once learnt ("just" a lot of practice basically) it's not forgotten.
And I'm sure that confidence applies to anyone else who served a similar apprenticeship to mine.
AES

My friend had to make perfect cubes of set dimensions from ball bearings. :shock:
He never had to use a file again for the rest of his life. :lol:

 

[AES]

Well I guess you COULD get away without a lathe, but a pillar drill would, IMO, be an absolute necessity. And having no lathe would make life a LOT harder (but not impossible, please note).

So the lathe makes life a helluva lot easier, not only because (once set up correctly) it will cut holes and make pillars, axles, threads, etc, which are absolutely concentric with the centre axis of the lathe (or eccentric to the axis, come to that!), but by it's very nature, it also allows the production of a straight line (e.g. a cut) which is absolutely parallel to (or perpendicular to) the centre axis of the lathe. And with the right attachment (e.g. a vertical slide) it's also possible to accurately set up angles other than 90 and 0/180 degrees.

So buy yourself a lathe mate (and while you're at it, a vertical mill too)! But also, be prepared for A) an outlay on tooling, etc, which at least equals the initial cost of the machine itself, plus B) a long (but fascinating) learning curve.

You're quite right, it IS an absolutely absorbing hobby/pass time/obsession, whatever you want to call it.

AES

 

[woodpig]

This is my current mill, cost me about £1500 about ten years ago.

 

[transatlantic]

Well I guess you COULD get away without a lathe, but a pillar drill would, IMO, be an absolute necessity. And having no lathe would make life a LOT harder (but not impossible, please note).

So the lathe makes life a helluva lot easier, not only because (once set up correctly) it will cut holes and make pillars, axles, threads, etc, which are absolutely concentric with the centre axis of the lathe (or eccentric to the axis, come to that!), but by it's very nature, it also allows the production of a straight line (e.g. a cut) which is absolutely parallel to (or perpendicular to) the centre axis of the lathe. And with the right attachment (e.g. a vertical slide) it's also possible to accurately set up angles other than 90 and 0/180 degrees.

So buy yourself a lathe mate (and while you're at it, a vertical mill too)! But also, be prepared for A) an outlay on tooling, etc, which at least equals the initial cost of the machine itself, plus B) a long (but fascinating) learning curve.

You're quite right, it IS an absolutely absorbing hobby/pass time/obsession, whatever you want to call it.

AES

Oh I won't be doing it anytime soon as I have little enough space for my woodworking stuff, but it's something I have on my todo list in the distant future

 

[novocaine]

the shafts can be off the peg stock, you might have to adjust the dimensions slightly. a pillar drill ( I did say you'd need a pillar drill) will give you enough accuracy to drill centre holes etc. on the shafts, or you can cut end threads. the body can be cut out then filed, the holes can be done on a pillar drill, the slots can be chain drilled and filled to line, the bearings can by bought in, bolts can be trimmed to dimension if needed.

no way I'm going to do it, but it's totally doable, and if I go back a few years, would have been done by me.

 

[AES]

Cor blimey, woodpig, I'd LOVE one o' them! Nice.

AES

 

[Togalosh]

Blimey Woodpig - that looks ace !

What guides came with your machine, were they that bad ?.. or how much better is your new set up ?

I only ask as I had problems with my tiny Record bandsaw's guide bearings seizing up on a regular basis no matter how carefully I set things up. I looked online & read on Wikipedia that Z roller bearings (?) run far better/cooler with their outer ring captured rather than their inner ring.. so it seemed that using bearings for guides was a daft idea. I have carbon (?) blocks on my new/old beefy 352 which seem a much better idea as they'll be less liable to fail.

I feel that I am not understanding something simple..again.. have you 5 minutes to put me in the picture please?

Thanks
Togs

 

[woodpig]

The original guides are shown in the background of this shot.

I found them bulky and awkward to adjust. I don't suppose the new ones work any better, just easier to use. Nothing wrong with blocks on the old Startrite bandsaws.