The car is almost sold – it seems like these things are never as cut and dry as you’d like (at least not as much as I’d like). Unfortunately, the concept of a bank check (and why it’s necessary) seems to evade some people.
I added a page on Craft Day. If you’re interested in getting on the invite list for craft day, send me an email. Look for pictures and updates after next weekend.
An update on the lathe woes from a few days ago: Walter, the resident machinist & expert at work, said there are a few tips for turning steel on a smaller lathe:
- Go slower! The speed should be quite low (maybe 100 RPM or so) and the feed should be pretty much as slow as possible.
- Use a sharper toolbit. ‘Nuff said.
- Only take off a few thousandths at a time (more than 0.010″ at a time is too much).
- Tighten all the gibs & make sure there’s as little of the toolbit hanging beyond the holder as possible – this will significantly reduce chatter.
Guess I’ve got stuff to try this weekend.
posted February 1, 2002 – 7:47 am
Unfortunately, last nights lathe activities were less successful than before. I was trying to turn some steel that turned out to be pretty heavy duty, and the lathe wasn’t so happy – if I went too fast, the tool bit just chattered and bounced off the workpiece; too slow, and the bit would jam into the workpiece and the lathe would stop (but continue making a grinding sound I can only assume is the belt or a gear trying to continue running even though the spindle wasn’t turning). Occassionally, red hot chips would fly from the workpiece and try to burn me (safety glasses are your friend!). All in all, I wasn’t so thrilled. Any ideas how to get it working better?
Looks pretty likely that I’ll be selling my car this week (1987 Honda Accord LX-i). Oddly enough, I don’t think I’ll miss it much at all (except to lug home big things from Home Depot).
posted January 30, 2002 – 5:18 am
Last night I made a carriage stop for my lathe (see pictures in the images section). Basically, it’s a clamp that attaches to the bed of the lathe, and prevents the carriage (the part with the tool on it) from moving further than you want. It’s useful if you want to make a bunch of cuts that all stop at the same place, creating a shoulder on the workpiece.
My friend Catherine’s singing backup in a band in New York City. If you’re in the city tonight, check out their gig at the Elbow Room. While I’ve never heard the lead singer, Cat’s pretty amazing. And lemme know how it goes, since I can’t make it…
posted January 29, 2002 – 4:51 am
I posted more pictures to the images section of the site, including some pictures of my lathe, along with some photos taken during the Leonid Meteor shower in November.
posted January 25, 2002 – 7:30 pm
Tampa in January is SOOOO much nicer than Boston, weather-wise (in case this was at all unclear). High 70’s, sunny, breezy… can someone wipe the drool off my keyboard? Thanks…
A big thanks to Anna, Lee, Tim, Gabe, Jenny Faye & Adrian for their hospitality in Tampa on Friday. Check out their site at Lindy Hop 411 if you’re gonna go dancing in Tampa – they also run a dance on (some?) Saturday nights.
posted January 22, 2002 – 7:08 am