Recent content by GLS

I am wary of blade strimmers as you never know when they will discontinue making the blades leaving you with a perfectly functioning strimmer that you can't get blades for. As an aside, we bought a cheap B&Q MacAlister strimmer, which I hoped would last about two years at my alotment, six years...

Thanks Phil, that at least explains why I am apparently stuck in 1st, now all I have to do is find the correct belt size.

A couple of questions about the Reeves drive on the generic Chinese lathes, now that I am starting to look at and reassemble my gift horse. No belt came with mine, both pulleys spin, but the speed selection lever is stuck in position one. It will disengage from the selector, but will not move...

Hi one and all. I have been given a Delta lathe 12"x 36", with two chunks out of the motor pulleys on the Reeves drive. I am almost certain this lathe is rebadged to a number of suppliers as it is identical to a mate's SIP, apart from an electrconic rev counter. Where would be the best place...

This is my near century old Denbigh floor standing piller drill. It came from the firm where my late father served his apprenticeship and all of his working career and I have known it since my earliest memories of going to see him at work. It has the easiest belt changing mechanism of any...

Pre 1970's British, look at the drilling table, if you have the half moon of shame it has probably been neglected. Naerok are a very good machine though.

These were the more sophisticated type of Rawl hammer drill, (picture from internet). They also made very good 'machine guns' when playing with your mates. Several times I had to hand it back to Dad when I had borrowed it from his tool bag, no wonder I often lost the war!

My most ‘elegant’ tool is this little hammer, which I found in a skip nearly fifty years ago now. It was old then and undoubtably would be listed as a certain pattern type in old catalogues, but sadly it has no maker’s name. I don’t know if the shaft is original or user made, but its balance and...

In the boatyard of my youth and apprenticeship, apprentices were not allowed to own a Yankee screwdriver, that was the mark of a fully qualified tradesman. Skipping across a nice piece of varnish work on somebodies’ yacht would not make you the Foreman's favourite. I now have three of the large...

I have spent the last thirty years making gates, railings, balustrades, fire-escapes, working on up to large constructional beam work, or what ever came through the doors for fixing. Often as not in a minimal equipped workshop, which made it more interesting, as you had to get over each...

Went into my local Screwfix as TS didn't have what I wanted in stock, so an unplanned visit. Inside I find the catalogues have gone to be replaced with some form of swipe screen IT contraption. What I could do in a few seconds with a proper paper catalogue, was taking so long with the electronic...

Colossus to Guardian!!

Working in a general fabrication shop that also did decorative ironwork, ours would come from a steel wholesaler and 20 lengths might be bundle with half a ton of other stuff. Bought from stockist most standard lengths are 6 meter long, although 5 & 6mm diameter can sometimes come in 4 meter...

When I was working steel, I never would have considered heat for anything under 12mm, it adds to the cost, but I had made umpteen jigs to make what I needed. As usual YouTube is your friend, just put in 'bending round bar' and watch those vids that catch your eye. Then follow those practices you...

Just over a year ago I bought a 4' LED strip light batten to replace the old bulb type. Today about a quarter of the batten is dark and the rest refuses to light up fully. Is the thing now dead, as there doesn’t appear to be anything like a starter or replaceable parts that I can see. The LEDs...