Recent content by Sideways

Runout most of all. Is the point of the drill bit staying in one place or the drill drawing circles like an egg beater. Tired spindle bearings of course but these are not usually too difficult to replace. Same for the motor bearings. Just slacken the belt, turn the pulleys and spindle by hand...

Whenever you're in your local supermarket and they are stocking the shelves in the fruit and veg section, ask for some empty cardboard trays. These are a great source of strong multiply corrugated card. Cut them down and form a box around your stuff with duck or parcel tape. You can reinforce...

Safety glasses guys. Pulling those wires out of your face is a salutory reminder.

Two suggestions. For holes of that size in ally box section, get a starrett tungsten carbide tipped holesaw. That will romp through the job so you could do it with a cordless drill if need be. If a high degree of precision is needed in placing the holes, then a drill press still makes sense but...

That one is intended to be used handheld and sighted, just like the compass so I expect the oil filling is just as useful in stabilising the reading. I assume the use is for calculating the heights of trees, landform features, maybe buildings (?). If you're (e.g.) a geologist who needs to...

I'd guess an oil. I have the compass to match that clino in your picture. It lives in the dark inside a soft case, so light shouldn't affect it but there are loads of liquid filled marine compasses out there and I think they have a long life before they finally die. Heck, my dad owned a brass...

Use beer can or takeaway trays ? Both of those are flexible enough to wrap like you describe. Takeaway tray is very soft. Beer can is drawn so relatively hard but thin and will flex around anything as big as an inch diameter. You could use steel shim stock, bought on the roll, but for a 2"...

If the back is just hardboard sitting in slots and pinned or stapled, then you may be able to spring it out by judicious hammering and flexing. Use a piece of timber as a spreader to avoid hammer / mallet marks on the painted inner face of the hardboard.

Don't underestimate this. After going blind for a few hours from solvent exposure and scaring myself silly, I warn you never to spray without an organic vapour filter mask. Even if that's just a half mask. From time to time, an ebay seller lists good, used small Iwata touch up sprayguns. These...

I think I had cellulose type for turning. I made a proper mess first time I tried it :)

Don't underestimate the impact that good organisation and operational management can have on any business, even small. The lean champions all made a hell of a difference to the businesses where I've worked and the analysis and improvements were often at the level of production cells the same or...

If it's solvent based, all I remember is that it dries incredibly quickly so get it on and spread fast. Then sand.

What a great workshop !

Likewise. Unless your "projects" are very different and very high value / consequence to your business, they aren't really projects and don't need to be managed as such. You need tools to manage your day to day operations efficiently. Lean, kanban, etc are the places to look. Simple visual...

Black mamba are nice but price is silly post covid. My local engineers merchant sells a heavy orange nitrile glove for under £10 a box. Thicker than black mamba and diamond textured grip surfaces. 50 to a box so 25 pairs not 50 because the thicker material that's all you can pack into a...