Search results

Hi - I need to make neat and accurate 37mm holes in 5mm perspex. Forstners work excellently, but I can only find 36 or 38. Can anyone think of a way to accurately convert (grind down?) a 38mm one? I have a wood lathe with chuck, routers etc, but no milling machine. I haven't tried a flat bit...

Hi - I've been doing some drilling into steel with a 12mm hss bit, and of course it vibrated like anything - because it's 15cm long! Why? How many users are going to need to drill through 10cm of metal?! Very few, I bet. For the vast majority (correct me if I'm wrong), 99% of holes over about...

Hi - I've wondered for some time about why, when sawing or jigsawing or drilling, wood plastic or even metal, it goes easier just before breaking through at the end? The sound becomes smoother and the cut seems to go faster. Is it the material somehow softening, or is it when the saw points...

I realise that precision hardened industrial steel gear wheels are going to be expensive, but I wonder why (apparently) there are no cheapo hobbyist-level ones available? I expected to find thousands from "£5 for 10" upwards when I looked for say 3mm thick 20-50mm dia mod 3 's, ideally with...

Hi again, I'm wondering if a pair like the ½hinge in the pic exists? If my glorious artwork is intelligible, there are supposed to be 2 of them, so that a rod or bar goes through for a hinge effect.

Hi - for a project, I need possibly a few dozen steel strips, say 1.5mm × 5or6mm x 200mm. I can't find anything on ebay, but there are plenty of sheets of that thickness. Does anyone have an idea for turning a sheet into strips? I've a feeling a bandsaw might cope with that thickness (at the...

Hi - I have a lot of trouble trying to drill accurately spaced holes, and have eventually hit on this method. Those folks who do any electronics will be aware of "stripboard", previously known as Veroboard, which has a 0.1" grid of 1mm holes with copper strips joining them. It's also available...

Hi all - sadly, Allan Calder sandpaper supplies appears to have gone west. Can anyone suggest another source of reliable quality? Thanks,

Usually when polishing acrylic I sand from grit 400 to 12000, then finish with cheap metal polish, but for a curved surface.... I was wondering about using steel wool. Is there any equivalence between grades of sandpaper and coarse, medium, fine, extra-fine, extra-extra-fine, etc, steel wool...

Hello. Does anyone know of a "mini" (say 30cm-ish bed size) table saw that's not rubbish? I've browsed on Amazon (for the reviews) and none of them look very good. I wouldn't object to one that's fairly easily improved to a decent quality - for instance, if the guide has too much play, etc etc...

Hi all. Is there a name for a long spiral driven "thread", like that on a Yankee screwdriver? And any idea where they might be available, along with the associated "nut"/pusher? Preferably not cannibalising a Yankee! For my purpose it won't need to go backwards, so a single channel not a...

Hi - I want to put a 3mm LED into a 3mm blind hole in acrylic. The sides don't matter, but I'd like the end of the hole polished, not necessarily flat, to let maximum light through. I'm currently imagining a Dremel with a cut-off mandrel with a tiny Brasso-soaked cloth somehow attached, but...

Hello. Is there something like an inside-out countersink bit, for deburring or chamfering the end of a rod? It's difficult to do it neatly with a file, or by twirling the rod on a belt sander. Thank-you, Graham

Hi - I've had not much luck in the past with this, so decided to follow the instructions! Cleaned with white spirit & sanded, twice.. Now the stain seems to stick on ok, and doesn't go all blotchy. -- That's just an fyi for those like me, who thought it wouldn't make much difference. But...

Hi all, Am I lucky enough for someone to know if these hinges have a name? Thanks,

Hi all. I have a fairly slow rechargeable screwdriver which I've successfully used with a 3mm hand tap to thread holes in 6mm mild steel. Eventually, though, my luck ran out, and the tap broke under the strain. I was wondering about using a 3-piece set to replace it (consisting of a light...

Hi - in the pic, you can see (a) that my Titan scroll saw only takes "rodded"(?) blades, and (b) that the bracket that the blade is attached by looks replaceable. Does anyone know if there are similar brackets available, or makeable, to enable "screw-tightened"(?) blades to be used? Thanks...

Hi - I can't afford a variable frequency inverter for my 250W Record Power DML36SH-CAM woodworking lathe, but I would like to be able to run it slower. I thought just a planetary reduction gear, say 4:1, between the shaft and the chuck (3/4" 16tpi) would do it. Obvs it would have to be quite...

Hi - can anyone suggest a source of a range of thin-but-long taps? I want to make a thread about 20 or 30mm long, M1.5 or M2 It sounds like it would be a bit of a strain on the thin tap. I can't tap in from each end, as the threads probably wouldn't match up! Unless there's a way to ensure...

... seem to have gone up a lot lately for those of us with shallow pockets. Does anyone know of possible alternatives, eg if lac might be cheaper for the friction polish? Thank-you,