Where'd ya get those purple lifting straps from? I have identical ones that came from Horrible Fright, but they don't have UK stores.dern wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 7:15 pm It is a Clarke. Not the greatest reputation but something to get started with.
Got it out of the van today and got it on the stand. I got the milling head on too but didn’t photograph that. It’s missing a couple of bits so I can lock the tail stock in place or the milling head in place yet. Should be easy to source or make though.
Got some steel and loads of tools. Just need to work up the courage to start ‘making chips’
Tool purchases
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Re: Tool purchases
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Re: Tool purchases
Rule Number One - remove chuck key before starting.dern wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 10:56 pmI've no idea how to use it, that's what youtube is formangocrazy wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 8:59 pm Good stuff! I'd love to have a lathe, even though I haven't got the foggiest idea how to use one. My big problem is lack of space to put one. The only space I realistically have is in the cellar, and that means carting a bloody heavy piece of kit down narrow stone steps...
Christ, don't buy one of these and attempt stairs. This isn't even that big and it took four blokes to get it in the van. I've wanted one for years and have only just moved to a house with (arguably) a large enough garage to consider one.
(Preferably make sure the 'start' is located so you have to reach for it so that your head is not in line with the chuck when you do. DAMHIK.
Assuming it's not a keyless chuck of course.
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.
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demographic
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Re: Tool purchases
Clarke is a Machine Mart sort of own brand and as far as I have seen over the years sells quite a few identical items to Harbour Freight.ZRX61 wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2024 5:25 amWhere'd ya get those purple lifting straps from? I have identical ones that came from Horrible Fright, but they don't have UK stores.dern wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 7:15 pm It is a Clarke. Not the greatest reputation but something to get started with.
Got it out of the van today and got it on the stand. I got the milling head on too but didn’t photograph that. It’s missing a couple of bits so I can lock the tail stock in place or the milling head in place yet. Should be easy to source or make though.
Got some steel and loads of tools. Just need to work up the courage to start ‘making chips’
Theres good and not so good in amongst the stuff, I have a few spanners (the shop is open on a Sunday when not much else is) and my Van toolsafe (its that big its more of a sitesafe really) is Clarke.
Think I have a set of flywheel pullers as well.
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demographic
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Re: Tool purchases
Theres an easy way to sort that.Count Steer wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2024 9:10 amRule Number One - remove chuck key before starting.dern wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 10:56 pmI've no idea how to use it, that's what youtube is formangocrazy wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 8:59 pm Good stuff! I'd love to have a lathe, even though I haven't got the foggiest idea how to use one. My big problem is lack of space to put one. The only space I realistically have is in the cellar, and that means carting a bloody heavy piece of kit down narrow stone steps...
Christ, don't buy one of these and attempt stairs. This isn't even that big and it took four blokes to get it in the van. I've wanted one for years and have only just moved to a house with (arguably) a large enough garage to consider one.
(Preferably make sure the 'start' is located so you have to reach for it so that your head is not in line with the chuck when you do. DAMHIK.).
Assuming it's not a keyless chuck of course.
Ziptie the chuck key or blade spanner (depending on what tool it is) to the plug and you can't use the chuck key/spanner without unplugging it.
Not so much with cordless tools though.
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Re: Tool purchases
In HS metalshop we'd get taken off the lathe until the next class for forgetting that. I did it one day & sent the key flying across the room where it's flight was interrupted by the neon light above the teachers desk, where he was sat with his morning coffee... until the falling glass rendered it unsafe to drink.
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Re: Tool purchases
My lesson was reaching across to the on switch, closely followed by the chuck key whistling past my ear and putting a significant dent in the metal cabinet behind me.ZRX61 wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2024 1:25 pmIn HS metalshop we'd get taken off the lathe until the next class for forgetting that. I did it one day & sent the key flying across the room where it's flight was interrupted by the neon light above the teachers desk, where he was sat with his morning coffee... until the falling glass rendered it unsafe to drink.
Lesson learned.
(If I'd done it on the big lathe we had at Uni to test high speed tool steels on large billets of metal the key would probably have gone through the wall
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.
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Lutin
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Re: Tool purchases
Back in the mists of time, when I did my apprenticeship, all the chuck keys were fitted with a fairly strong co-axial spring so's that you had to give them a definite shove to get them to engage with the chuck. Which also meant to couldn't leave them in the chuck.
For such a simple idea I'm surprised that it doesn't seem to have been in more common use.
A bit like this -

For such a simple idea I'm surprised that it doesn't seem to have been in more common use.
A bit like this -

Blundering about trying not to make too much of a hash of things.
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Re: Tool purchases
Never did launch a chuck key, but did manage to fire off my workpiece across the workshop from the surface grinder as I'd forgotten to engage the magnet.
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Re: Tool purchases
Spent an hour sorting through some of the stuff that came with the lathe this afternoon. Seems unlikely that I’ll be running out of hss any time soon…
Any idea what the little things in the top left corner are? I’ve got quite a few of those.
Any idea what the little things in the top left corner are? I’ve got quite a few of those.
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Re: Tool purchases
Google image search says pallet racking pinsdern wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:16 pm Any idea what the little things in the top left corner are? I’ve got quite a few of those.
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Re: Tool purchases
https://gandmtools.co.uk/product/moore- ... -80216457/dern wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:27 pm I’m not sure what these are so help identifying them would be helpful, cheers…
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Re: Tool purchases
Oh cool, thanks.MrLongbeard wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:39 pmhttps://gandmtools.co.uk/product/moore- ... -80216457/dern wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2024 7:27 pm I’m not sure what these are so help identifying them would be helpful, cheers…
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Silly Car
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Re: Tool purchases
Just picked this up for £80
The bare cast iron sections all need some attention with a rust remover, wet & dry on the orbital sander and a good application of paste wax then I’ll dig out the knives to see if they need sharpening or replacing and I’ll have a fully functional jointer / surfacer to butcher timber with.
I have mainly bought it to help turn some rough sawn tulipwood into fitted alcove cabinets, which will be a summer project.
The bare cast iron sections all need some attention with a rust remover, wet & dry on the orbital sander and a good application of paste wax then I’ll dig out the knives to see if they need sharpening or replacing and I’ll have a fully functional jointer / surfacer to butcher timber with.
I have mainly bought it to help turn some rough sawn tulipwood into fitted alcove cabinets, which will be a summer project.
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demographic
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Re: Tool purchases
Could be nice to joint (before gluing) some lamininations for a thick tabletop.
I've got a load of square section 90mm thick oak to do but I'll have to plane it by hand.
I've got a load of square section 90mm thick oak to do but I'll have to plane it by hand.
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Silly Car
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Re: Tool purchases
Feel free to come to the right(hand) side of the Pennines and use it, it’d help me out in setting it up and seeing someone who knows what they are doing using it. There is a thicknesser in the garage as welldemographic wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2025 4:28 pm Could be nice to joint (before gluing) some lamininations for a thick tabletop.
I've got a load of square section 90mm thick oak to do but I'll have to plane it by hand.
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demographic
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Re: Tool purchases
Ha, don't go assuming that cos I'm a site carpenter that I've spent much time on fixed woodwork machinery, to the best of my memory I don't think I've ever used a fixed planer/jointer and I've not even spent more than a couple of days using a dimension saw.Silly Car wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2025 10:22 pm Feel free to come to the right(hand) side of the Pennines and use it, it’d help me out in setting it up and seeing someone who knows what they are doing using it. There is a thicknesser in the garage as well![]()
Quite a few site/tablesaws and a planer thicknesser sometimes.
Still might be tempted to swing over if I'm in your area someday though.
Doing my oak with a large handplane shouldnt take too long and I do have some absolute belter large wooden handplanes which are a joy to use.

