Tool Talk

DoubleChevron said:
I have a straight shaft brush cutter here, but it's a massive industrial 50cc thing that weighs way to much, so you can't use it for any length of time :) The shitty little bent shaft brush cutter is far easier to use.

seeya,
Shane L.
Click to expand...

You really need the shoulder strap and hip guard to make those things work properly.
Once the thing is set up right, it should be easy-ish to use.

Jo
 
G'day Shane,

SWMBO has a Bosch battery powered unit that uses little plastic thingys instead of the tangled reel of plastic string, she reckons it's great.

Tends to wear smartly though when you go along the edges of paths and rocks etc, sweet as in the open areas. Naturally, the battery dies just before you finish the job.

It gets top points for ending the bobbin frustration and the carting around of the extension lead :)

cheers,
Bob
 
jo proffi said:
You really need the shoulder strap and hip guard to make those things work properly.
Once the thing is set up right, it should be easy-ish to use.

Jo
Click to expand...

It has a harness.... It's a really heavy b@stard though, 10minute stretches are long enough. We used to have a circular saw blade in it and chop down massive gorse bushes with it (there trunks were huge). That was 20years ago, hopefully they make stuff a lot lighter these days :) I think it'll last forever. Given most poeple thing "THIS THINGS BLOODY FANSTASTIC".... then after they have used it for 10minutes...... They think "I've had enough now" :roflmao:

It probably weighs 10->15kg, it doesn't sound like much, but it get heavy really quickly.

seeya,
Shane L.
 
bob said:
G'day Shane,

SWMBO has a Bosch battery powered unit that uses little plastic thingys instead of the tangled reel of plastic string, she reckons it's great.

Tends to wear smartly though when you go along the edges of paths and rocks etc, sweet as in the open areas. Naturally, the battery dies just before you finish the job.

It gets top points for ending the bobbin frustration and the carting around of the extension lead :)

cheers,
Bob
Click to expand...

Nah,

I refuse to buy battery powered stuff, the batteries always die from lack of use and old age before you get enough use out of the tool..... What would be fantastic is a small 4stroke lighweight honda or stihl brushcutter with a plastic blade.... BIG $$$$$ though :( . It only needs to clear grass (there's the big b@stard here if I have heavy duty cutting to do!!).

seeya,
Shane L.
 
Shane , the problem with the Supersnipper is it's use of nylon lines that need olive ends, rather than cheap rolls. Of course you may be able to cut lengths & melt ends on them. However there are many disc type type line heads that use lengths of line which you can easily cut off cheap rolls. Raid the mower shops in your area for one which meets your needs. My professional experience with trimmer / brushcutters is that whether you choose bent or straight shaft there is no need to pay extortionate sums for Stihl stuff when there are a range of superior, cheaper, Japanese brands available.

Cheers, Richard
 
citroenut said:
Shane , the problem with the Supersnipper is it's use of nylon lines that need olive ends, rather than cheap rolls. Of course you may be able to cut lengths & melt ends on them. However there are many disc type type line heads that use lengths of line which you can easily cut off cheap rolls. Raid the mower shops in your area for one which meets your needs. My professional experience with trimmer / brushcutters is that whether you choose bent or straight shaft there is no need to pay extortionate sums for Stihl stuff when there are a range of superior, cheaper, Japanese brands available.

Cheers, Richard
Click to expand...

Hmm,

your probably right, I wish I could just get a plastic blade for the one here. I was hoping the nylon lines would be really thick like big cable ties ..... so not readily break off and take forever to wear away ......... Eg: a few of them would last as long as a real of normal stuff.

I'll ask at the local mower places as you suggest. lazy and cheap is best :)

seeya,
Shane L.
 
Hey Shane,

Are you interested in a near new, straight shaft, 4 stroke Solo (German made) brushcutter? It has the "bicycle" handlebars and a proper harness, along with some useful accessories. Cheap! We bought it new and had not had it long when we got frustrated with it and bought a Stihl (which has been trouble-free). I can't remember exactly what trouble we had with it, but it went back to the dealers at least twice. I haven't started it for a while but I have been thinking of putting a carby kit in it so it runs OK and trying to sell it on eBay. You're welcome to try it and see what you think. It just might suit you.

Roger
 
Hi Roger,

sounds interesting. Yeah sure I could take a look at it :) .... I'll tel SWMBO she needs to save more $$$ for you :roflmao: As long as it doesn't weigh a ton like the big straight shaft/bicyle handled contraption I have here now :p

seeya,
Shane L.
 
It's a farm size one, not a toy. but I don't reckon it is that heavy.

Perhaps you could come to the farm one day after Christmas and check it out. It would take you not much more than 1-1/2 hours each way.

Roger
 

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Our old mates at "Bunno's" have some nice shiny "Craftsman" spanners in stock. One set of open enders has a ratcheting action.Another has a loose cranked end, not sure for why but like the Japanese some years back, if you design a gimmick someone will buy it.
However I did buy, as cheap Crimbo gifts, some magnetic end pickup tools incorporating a light feature. $7 - $8.


Psst. The Craftsman range of tools are part of the Sears and Roebuck group. I did notice they are made in China.
 
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G'day,

images downloaded and uploaded to original post ! Didn't even think about access - worked for me so I just assumed it worked for everybody, cookies at work.....

cheers,
Bob
 
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bob said:
G'day,

came across this one the other day..

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/2791017/hr/266493277/name/Photo1862.jpg
http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/2791017/hr/257150830/name/100_0063.jpg

nice piece of lateral thinking, and it works !

the first one was the trial setup to make up the second one - on an old engine block.

cheers,
Bob
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Bob,

That's already got me thinking... a 404 block ... A couple of rims and some torque tube as a stand... cut no 3 the bore down the side and you have a gap bed.

Would perfect for machining a drum or disk and making basic parts.

cheers

Rob
 
Clever, Bob, but wouldn't it be easier to buy a second hand lathe? You would get power feeds, screw cutting, taper capability, a greater variety of speeds, a tailstock, a hollow spindle, and several other benefits that are not on the top off my head right now.

Roger
 
Roger Wilkinson said:
Clever, Bob, but wouldn't it be easier to buy a second hand lathe? You would get power feeds, screw cutting, taper capability, a greater variety of speeds, a tailstock, a hollow spindle, and several other benefits that are not on the top off my head right now.

Roger
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The device shown could be knocked together for the price of xy table ($200), chuck ($150) and a couple of bearing blocks &shaft ($200) and if you want to flash a tool holder ($100) . The rest is scrap. These are new prices.

It's also very compact and would easily rival the accuracy of anything second hand. At the sub $1k end of the things it would be hard to buy anything secondhand other than a relic or wreck.

Sure a small lathe would be better albeit at a much higher price. My observation is the value in secondhand lathes is not the machine itself, but the package of tools, face plates, steadies, centres, knurling rollers etc etc that come in the package if buying secondhand.

A new lathe of reasonable size is fairly cheap, but buying the tools and accessories can easily cost more than the lathe purchase. If you want power feed and digital readout and serious thread cutting you can add 50% more.

Something like the device shown would be fine for truing a disc, machining a drum, making a spacer or boring and tapping a bush. Or making a flange for an exhaust.

I could justify $1k but not $2.5-3 k plus the tools and accessories for a real lathe.

I was also impressed by the innovation and originality of the device.

How is the move going ?

cheers

Rob
 
Rob, you're right that the tooling is the pricey part. But the tooling requirement are the same for this contraption as for a conventional lathe.

Yes, you could make it accurate, and a conventional lathe of the same price will be worn, but for the kind of simple jobs you are describing the wear in a worn lathe will not be an issue as you can generally achieve sufficient accuracy despite the wear.

I see the lack of a tailstock as a serious limitation on the boring and tapping capabilities of this contraption.

I also see the lack of decent gearing as another serious limitation. It would stall if you tried to machine a brake drum or disc. Proper lathes have back gearing for a reason.

Power feeds, as on a proper lathe, provide a better finish than hand feeds, unless your hands are steady and your patience great.

A proper lathe comes with a threaded spindle (1-1/2" by 8 tpi for your average Hercus or Atlas) so you can attach 3- and 4-jaw chucks, a face plate, or a driving plate interchangeably, and a Morse taper for inserting a centre. On this thing it would be hard to swap chucks.

The innovation and originality is marvellous, I agree, but I think a proper lathe is much more useful, and I think available for less than the price you suggest. $2k would get you more than enough lathe, tooling and accessories, I reckon.

"The move" is waiting for someone to buy my house.

Roger
 
Roger Wilkinson said:
Rob, you're right that the tooling is the pricey part. But the tooling requirement are the same for this contraption as for a conventional lathe.

Yes, you could make it accurate, and a conventional lathe of the same price will be worn, but for the kind of simple jobs you are describing the wear in a worn lathe will not be an issue as you can generally achieve sufficient accuracy despite the wear.

I see the lack of a tailstock as a serious limitation on the boring and tapping capabilities of this contraption.

I also see the lack of decent gearing as another serious limitation. It would stall if you tried to machine a brake drum or disc. Proper lathes have back gearing for a reason.

Power feeds, as on a proper lathe, provide a better finish than hand feeds, unless your hands are steady and your patience great.

A proper lathe comes with a threaded spindle (1-1/2" by 8 tpi for your average Hercus or Atlas) so you can attach 3- and 4-jaw chucks, a face plate, or a driving plate interchangeably, and a Morse taper for inserting a centre. On this thing it would be hard to swap chucks.

The innovation and originality is marvellous, I agree, but I think a proper lathe is much more useful, and I think available for less than the price you suggest. $2k would get you more than enough lathe, tooling and accessories, I reckon.

"The move" is waiting for someone to buy my house.

Roger
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Roger,

Of course you are correct.

In reality, spend a bit more and get a lot more. If you purchase a good lathe they you will never go too far backwards on resale.

It's a tool I really miss not having (or ever access to), for so many years I had a 600mm swing gap bed Colchester ready to use in my employers workshop. It was 40s era and a beautiful machine, only lacking metric thread cutting.

These days I lack the space but would consider something like this if it came at good price...
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Products?stockCode=L201

In reality I couldn't justify the ownership- I wouldn't use it enough.

Best of luck with the Sale, but things are very slow (in Melb) with a clearance rate of only around 50% last weekend...

cheers

Rob
 
robmac said:
A new lathe of reasonable size is fairly cheap, but buying the tools and accessories can easily cost more than the lathe purchase.
Rob
Click to expand...

A few years back a mates neighbour who was a hobo who wee'd in bottles and kept them all, finally died.

He was an engineer or fitter and turner and the estate gave us permission to take anything we wanted before the second hand dealers moved in to clear the place.
In the basement with the bottles of wee was an old lathe, far to big for me to remove but there were boxes and more boxes of reams and very large drill bits up to 2 inch.

I took as much as I could physically carry, and kept them in my shed untill a good mate mentioned he was buying a lathe to work on his and his mates vintage bikes (indians, BSA).
Being one of those types who likes to link people and things together, I told him of my barn find from a few years ago.
HE nearly creamed himself when I gave him all these lathe tools.
I dont know what a 1 inch drill bit or ream costs, but I bet its not cheap unless its from me.


Jo
 
Wow ... that Rob has listed sounds ok.... Made in Tiawan doesn't mean junk either. Your at $7,000 before you even buy the tooling though :eek:

Rob your welcome to try the lathe here... When I have time (and when it's been paid for :rolleyes: ) I'll need to go over it and adjust wear out of where ever possible. There is so much to learn, gee it turns so if you lock the back gearing in!

I'm sure you could pick up a good 2nd hand lathe with all the tooling and acceptable wear for a couple of thousand :confused: (rather than $7,000 as the starting point ?).

seeya,
Shane L.
 
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