Australian Politics Forum - Metal working machinery

Jim Lahey Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 2447 Lisa's Merc Gender:	Metal working machinery May 21^st, 2022 at 3:02pm Post em up! lathes, mills, drills, anything that turns steel into swarf
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Sprintcyclist Gold Member Online OzPolitic Posts: 39533 Gender:	Re: Metal working machinery Reply #1 - May 21^st, 2022 at 3:59pm aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwww, I haven't got any of that !!!
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Jim Lahey Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 2447 Lisa's Merc Gender:	Re: Metal working machinery Reply #2 - May 21^st, 2022 at 4:19pm Sprintcyclist wrote on May 21^st, 2022 at 3:59pm: aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwww, I haven't got any of that !!! What about wood working stuff? I'm not a wood workers arsehole!
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Sprintcyclist

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #3 - May 21^st, 2022 at 4:48pm

I have just the homehandy mans tools for woodworking.
Nice ones though

I've always found metal working to be hard.
More precision required and less forgiving.
Metal's really good in that it is straight, does not split or warp as it ages, VERY tough and durable.

We have high grades of aluminium in the rotors at work. Very specialised stuff.
The differing grade of stainless is surprising.

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Sprintcyclist

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #4 - May 21^st, 2022 at 5:00pm

Hah - one good 'metal working' things I learnt over the past few years was how to put new bearings on properly.
In brief, put the shaft in a -20 freezer or better for a few hours. Put the bearing in a 60 degree oven for a few hours.
They will slide together with hand pressure.

Am 60 years old, so it was good to learn this.

Some of our stuff is mechanically complex. To get it together really nicely is greatly satisfying.
Some of our things I have to do in stages.
There are multiple housings and bearings.
Heat some on stage 1, assemble that part with only hand pressure.
Cool that full assembly for stage 2, assemble it with the heated next stage with hand pressure.

For a $20K apparatus, it is good to be careful.
I can spend another hour.

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Jim Lahey

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #5 - May 21^st, 2022 at 5:50pm

Sprintcyclist wrote on May 21^st, 2022 at 5:00pm:

Hah - one good 'metal working' things I learnt over the past few years was how to put new bearings on properly.
In brief, put the shaft in a -20 freezer or better for a few hours. Put the bearing in a 60 degree oven for a few hours.
They will slide together with hand pressure.

Am 60 years old, so it was good to learn this.

Some of our stuff is mechanically complex. To get it together really nicely is greatly satisfying.
Some of our things I have to do in stages.
There are multiple housings and bearings.
Heat some on stage 1, assemble that part with only hand pressure.
Cool that full assembly for stage 2, assemble it with the heated next stage with hand pressure.

For a $20K apparatus, it is good to be careful.
I can spend another hour.

Same thing with sleeves in a dry-sleeve engine, put the sleeve into dry ice before you fit and then it only needs a light tap home with a hammer to seat.

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Jim Lahey

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #6 - May 21^st, 2022 at 5:52pm

Sprintcyclist wrote on May 21^st, 2022 at 4:48pm:

I have just the homehandy mans tools for woodworking.
Nice ones though

I've always found metal working to be hard.
More precision required and less forgiving.
Metal's really good in that it is straight, does not split or warp as it ages, VERY tough and durable.

We have high grades of aluminium in the rotors at work. Very specialised stuff.
The differing grade of stainless is surprising.

we use 316L for our process pipework and 304 for framing and non contact pipes like airlines and conduits, I find it far easier to weld than crappy old mild steel due to the quality and cleanliness when tig welding.

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Sprintcyclist Gold Member Online OzPolitic Posts: 39533 Gender:	Re: Metal working machinery Reply #7 - May 21^st, 2022 at 7:42pm I've never welded.
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Jim Lahey

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #8 - May 21^st, 2022 at 7:47pm

I was just saying to my colleague the other day how things would be more difficult not to be able to go out to the Shed and weld something up.

It's a valuable skill even if you just had a cheap stick welder for non structural repairs.

I've been teaching a neighbour of mine a few farms up how to weld, from no idea at all to doing reasonable quality welds in the flat position didn't take long and it's allowed him to make his own gates and do a few repairs here and there.

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Bias_2012 Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 10332 Gender:	Re: Metal working machinery Reply #9 - May 21^st, 2022 at 8:53pm I've got a floor mounted drilling machine almost identical to the one the Wright Bros had in their workshop, same era, now an antique Also a very old lathe, same era They were pretty cheap to buy about 1990. They earned me many thousands of dollars
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Jim Lahey

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #10 - May 21^st, 2022 at 9:20pm

Bias_2012 wrote on May 21^st, 2022 at 8:53pm:

I've got a floor mounted drilling machine almost identical to the one the Wright Bros had in their workshop, same era, now an antique

Also a very old lathe, same era

They were pretty cheap to buy about 1990. They earned me many thousands of dollars

What make of lathe?

I have a couple of ward turret lathe and 2 Wilson center lathes all circa1950s

Lovely to use and well made.

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Sprintcyclist

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #11 - May 21^st, 2022 at 9:25pm

Jim Lahey wrote on May 21^st, 2022 at 7:47pm:

I was just saying to my colleague the other day how things would be more difficult not to be able to go out to the Shed and weld something up.

It's a valuable skill even if you just had a cheap stick welder for non structural repairs.

I've been teaching a neighbour of mine a few farms up how to weld, from no idea at all to doing reasonable quality welds in the flat position didn't take long and it's allowed him to make his own gates and do a few repairs here and there.

That'ld be a great help.
Well done

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Sprintcyclist

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #12 - May 21^st, 2022 at 9:27pm

Jim Lahey wrote on May 21^st, 2022 at 9:20pm:

Bias_2012 wrote on May 21^st, 2022 at 8:53pm:

I've got a floor mounted drilling machine almost identical to the one the Wright Bros had in their workshop, same era, now an antique

Also a very old lathe, same era

They were pretty cheap to buy about 1990. They earned me many thousands of dollars

What make of lathe?

I have a couple of ward turret lathe and 2 Wilson center lathes all circa1950s

Lovely to use and well made.

That's amazing. 70 years old and lovely to use.
How good is that? Must be a pleasure to turn it on.

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Jim Lahey Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 2447 Lisa's Merc Gender:	Re: Metal working machinery Reply #13 - May 21^st, 2022 at 9:31pm A lot of the old English stuff was made to last, and it has been wonderful. One of the willson lathes was originally setup to run off line shafting so it has the big flat belts. I have an international t6 petrol crawler tractor which always starts first kick and it has just turned 72 years young. I love old machinery
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Sprintcyclist

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Re: Metal working machinery
Reply #14 - May 21^st, 2022 at 9:46pm

Jim Lahey wrote on May 21^st, 2022 at 9:31pm:

A lot of the old English stuff was made to last, and it has been wonderful.

One of the willson lathes was originally setup to run off line shafting so it has the big flat belts.

I have an international t6 petrol crawler tractor which always starts first kick and it has just turned 72 years young. I love old machinery

English steel is very good. I like sharpening knives and have sharpened knives from different countries.

English is very good. Better than German.
Japanese is the best. So good it needs a different whetstone and a different angle.

Brazilian steel can be very good too, about as good as English, maybe not quite so good.

German is overrated.
Japanese is in a different class.

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