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A vote for metrification. Having sailed my whole adult life, I have done my share of navigation and I am talking the old school typre using charts, bearings and of course the 360 degree compasse. For the non sailors of the group, 1/60 of 1 degree on the compasse equals 1 nautical mile on the...

The sharper the angle on a drill bit, they more they tend to wander, consider using a flat bottom drill, you might be pleasantly surprised at the results but you do need to start the hole with a traditionally pointed drill. I can't compete with 1/4" through 3 feet but many times have I drilled...

Perhaps I am mistaken but to me electronic ignition modules are a form of amplifier, if that is so, would DC to DC Solid State relays work as an electronic ignition module to fire an ignition coil perhaps with a capacitor similar to a points system. These relays can be purchased for un $20.00...

Milling machine purchasing is a classic of the statement "timing is everything" I purchased a "Supermax" Bridgeport lookalike which only needed a new drive belt for $500.00 sold it 2 years later for $2,000 and could probably got more if I had not been in a rush to sell.

If you go with a frequency drive, do yourself a favor and procure a Allen & Bradley PowerFlex 40, there is no other drive on the market that has the smooth power at low cycles like this drive. Lots available used on ebay and other similar sites.

Look for Sandvik Coromant, just about the best there is. You will find triangle inserts the best option, try to avoid tips with holes in to lock them just makes them more prone to cracking and a top clamp works fine. Colin

Thanks for all your kind words. Dan, my serial number is 865.

Farm Boy running The above link will take you to a video of my recently completed Farm Boy. Really enjoyed building this model and giving thought to building something similar in a vertical configuration. Sorry the video is kinda jerky, hopefully I will be able to produce something better...

Toronto builder John, do you know who built the middle Minnie? having a completed my Minnie (really just painting to complete) I would very interested in how to procure a similar set of rubber tires. Thanks in advance. Colin

The lathe has some quality features with its chuck mounting system and three shaft saddle, however, way over priced such a machine.

Brian, try to get a Blue Wizard tap and use decent tapping fluid you should be fine. Recommended tap drill sizes are based on the thread depth of a standard full nut (the diameter of the bolt) if you are going deeper, you can cheat a little by going oversize with the tapping drill. Colin

I am having problems with my Jerry Howell buzz ignition and have two questions. Can I test the ignition board without using a hall sensor, ie jumper from the + to the hall input connection? I appear to be burning up hall sensors, what would cause this? Colin

Just one comment on selling deep holes on a Bridgeport is that the swarf tends to fall back into the hole, you can never get all the swarf out. Having drilled holes 5/8" diameter and 50" deep, the flatter the point of the drill, the less it wanders.

When converting my lathe and mill to inverter driven 3 phase motors I gave serious consideration to mounting one inverter on the wall then with a set of cheap relays sending the output to each machine along with a light duty wire for for/rev (would double as start stop) and potentiometer. When...

On lager chucks you sometimes find holes drilled and tapped in the tips of each jaw, that way you can bolt a what looks like a large washer onto the front of the chuck... When the chuck jaws are tightened, the front very end of the jaws are spread out as far as possible which is what you aiming...

Craig, there are a couple of great clubs in this area, "Golden Horseshoe Live Steamers" and "Hamilton Model Engineering Club" as they are located in Hamilton they are a bit of a drive for you, however, as a result of Covid19, H.M.E.C. are holding virtual (Zoom) meetings which you might find...

In SolidWorks, I use a parts list table in conjunction with balloons linked to the parts inserted into assembly views to generate BOMs. That way you can look at the item # and see the description in the table. Probably not the most sophisticated method but works well for my purposes and I have...

Would love one of those, are you taking orders? :) Colin

Miami could also be an option, I have often seen McMaster referenced but never Misumi. Their part selection can be a little daunting as they offer so many options but their products are usually good quality and prices reasonable.

Resource Metals in Oakville supply Class 40 cast iron, they will happily sell to the general public and are and easy group of guys to deal with. Home I have been very please with the cast iron purchased there but no idea how it would perform as piston rings.