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I have a system for making fruit, until now I have been using a crude wooden screw chuck mounted in a real chuck with real jaws. I have decided that I don't like real jaws so close to my fingers so made a couple of over engineered screw chucks. The only steel I could find was a short end of 6...

Today I used my woodturning lathe, second time in over five years,, but I am getting the desire to turn again after my heart attack stopped it. The item is of no consequence, just a bung for a plant pot. Actually starting the lathe and holding a couple of gouges brought back memories although...

For the last five years since my heart attack I haven't touched my woodturning lathe, in fact haven't even been in the shed. For some while my turning has been restricted to metal. Today I had to make a jig to hold the awkward shaped thing I am working on in order to use the metal cutting band...

After sawing some firewood I discovered I had done this :) download/file.php?mode=view&id=84374

I am currently working on a project that requires me to mill some ratchet teeth on a round bar. I have decided to mount a rotary table on my toolpost but need to have a chuck on it to hold round bar of 52mm diameter minimum. (not long lengths). would the 65mm chuck with this table work? or do I...

Working on my latest product I needed to machine a square (oblong) hole to make a frame. My trusty Holbrook did not let me down :)

Hi I have a project and I need to install a 1/4 " square HSS tool bit into a boring bar. Normally I use odd bits but only have new 4" long blanks. What is the easiest way to cut off an inch or so. The bit needs to be short enough to go through a small hole to undercut an internal recess. Putting...

HI I have a project and need some steel flat. Ideally 20mm thick by 100mm wide. 250 mm length would be enough, but willing to buy more to meet small order quantity. Now for the tricky bit Ideally the steel should be EN16T Anything oversize would be ok as I can easily whittle it down on the...

Yesterday after explaining very carefully to my wife she must never ever put her hands on the bandsaw table. Two minutes later as I finished the last bit the end vibrated back to wards the blade. Without thinking I pushed it away with mu left hand even though I had a push stick in my right hand...

Mostly when people show boxes they are pretty much straight sided. Bowls on the other hand are not. I was thinking of making a box but realised in effect the shape I have in mind makes it more of a bowl with a lid. Bowls are usually turned cross grained to avoid splitting, but vases and...

I get most of my turning wood from the firewood pile or sometimes will buy part of a tree that takes my fancy so I have no idea of the value or turning wood. I may soon have 3 or 4 short Yew planks about 60-62 cm long and the same width by about 100mm thick. Not sure what I could do with them...

Nothing spectacular. Just had a guide bearing seize in the fox crapomatic. Fortunately I had two spares here so fitted both of them because one of the other two was very snatchy. After that I checked the bottom set of three. All seized. So I had a chat with the bearing supplier and now have on...

I have noticed over the years here there is often this scenario. novice buys new bandsaw but is disappointed by its cutting ability. asks the forum for advice. watches Alex Snodgrass video, and does the adjustments accordingly at the same time fits new blade from Tuffsaws. machine much better...

A friend had an interesting delivery of "firewood" and offered me anything I could use for turning. The acacia and a big piece of oak (not shown) were selected. There was also something "unknown" for a few minutes before I spotted some seed bracts. It was alder. I had a small piece of alder 2-3...

I have often marvelled at some of the beautiful things that skilled and talented people have from time to time created from little scraps of wood and barely any tooling. I have more lathe than I know what to do with and use big lumps of valuable timber and even then the bowls i make are...

Having just had a defibrillator fitted I find I cannot now use an electric welder. Used to using MMA but many years ago used oxy acetylene. is there such a thing these days for small odd bits of welding? PS I live in France.

I have disliked scrapers since i began turning. The round nose one that came in the set of tools I bought to start me off didn't change anything. far too inclined to dig in or catch. I did have some success using my skew chisel as a negative rake scraper but not as a skew. In fact I use it a...

Today I had to change chucks from 4 jaw to 3. I could barely lift them up onto the lathe bed. It is now close to the time where I would like to rehome my mid 1920's Holbrook lathe. It is fairly rare as I have never seen a picture of one like it. speeds, feeds and threads all off gearbox. just...

Wednesday I ordered a spare belt and a table insert. I gave the full model number and their part numbers for both parts. Now had an email from them asking for the length of the belt and can I send a photograph of it? Sadly I suspect it is different from the Charnwood belt because the speeds are...

My stock of hand forged boring tools has become depleted to the point I need to get some new ones. Does anyone know of a source for toolsteel or HSS boring bars. Size of shank is immaterial so long as it is less than 1 1/2" square. Thanks