Machine Tools

[Joolstacho]

Now all you have to do is to learn how to use all that great machinery Richard! Good one!

[worntorn]

This is my Monarch tool room special. It spent most of its life in the Machine shop of a US aircraft carrier. The Ways are like new. I added the Digital Readout, which was a bigger job than expected.

[RichardL]

What a gem! Do you know which aircraft carrier? That adds to the story, based on the ship's tours.

Richard L.

[worntorn]

I don't. It still has the US Department of Defense number plate attached, I wonder if they would have the history?
Here are the welders, TIG, Mig plus a cooler and a Plasma cutter.
I have a big old 400 amp P&H arc welder in the main shop but rarely use it. These days
I seem to use the TIG for almost everything. It will do stick welding as well.

[worntorn]

Hydraulic press and small lathe. The lathe is a Taiwan built Southbend copy. I fitted the DRO to it just before getting the big
Monarch lathe. Had I known the Monarch was coming, I would not have gone to the expense and trouble of fitting a DRO to the small lathe. On the other hand, a lathe of this size will do almost anything  needed for motorcycle work. It's a nice machine to use, within its limits.

[worntorn]

Kearney and Trecker Universal Horizontal all hydraulic mill with Vertical quill head attachment. The Vertical head weighs about half a ton so it is on a hydraulic tramway for changeover to Horizontal use. Slacken six large nuts then pull a lever and the Vertical head is lifted straight up via a hydraulic cylinder. I use the vertical head most of the time.

[RichardL]

That is all great stuff. This is, apparently, your professional shop. By the stack of routed boards sitting on the table saw and the motorized feeder, I would have presumed you to be a cabinet maker, but the metal working gear confuses that.

Richard L.

[Rookie_V#60]

Not so big stuff, my little combination lathe/mill is just for the daily small items and bits of the passionate homeworker......

Added a frequency converter for easier (slower) thread cutting.

Was years ago constructed from a german engineer and build in Asia.... a real strange combination!

[Greybeard]

Who the heck started this thread?! It's making me feel quite inadequate! 

[RichardL]

Who the heck started this thread?! It's making me feel quite inadequate! 

No way to hide that it was me. No emasculation intended. I just like looking at different kinds of machinery and curoius what people here are using, especially when they say they just turned a bushing, or something. Bear in mind, all that machinery I showed belongs to "Make-It-Here", and I haven't even paid a membership yet.

Richard L.

[edboy]

wow, he s more equiped than my old company depot  with British Rail. mainly scaffold poles and hammers kept the wheels turning.

[Joolstacho]

I don't know which I like best... that big Monarch or that big Vinnie!
YUM!!!

[worntorn]

That is all great stuff. This is, apparently, your professional shop. By the stack of routed boards sitting on the table saw and the motorized feeder, I would have presumed you to be a cabinet maker, but the metal working gear confuses that.

Richard L.

You guessed correctly Richard. It is a wood shop. The metal stuff is for hobby work. Because there is already 220/440 volt three phase power in shop it was possible to take advantage of some good deals on heavy duty older metal working equipment.
My brother and I started the business 35 years ago in the 1200 sq ft area shown in the photos then added on 4300 sq ft as the business and machine list grew. Nowadays I spend most of the time in the 1200 sq ft part as that is where the bike lift and metal working stuff is, plus it is easy to heat in winter (woodstove)

Glen

[RichardL]

...and let's not forget the forklift.

Woodstove? Montague?

Square footage is an interesting topic. As I implied, I am concerned for the business viability of "Make-It-Here" because they seem to have rented way more square footage than they need. In my opinion, in a fledgling business that is yet to prove itself, overcrowding should be a given.

Richard L

[RichardL]

Guys,
 
My ststus for having the use of machine tools has changed pretty dramatcally.

Recently, my wife told about a concept out there called "makerspace". I looked into it and found one pretty close to me. Basically, it is a DIY shop with tools to die for. It has a wood shop, graphics shop, and metal shop, all with 2D and 3D capability. Also has an electronics shop and some other stuff. Operates on a membership basis, weekly monthly or yearly. For the hobbies I have (read, "BSA") this place is going to be great.

I've been spreading the word out to my friends and neighbors who might appreciate this place and, maybe, help keep it viable as a business. I went to their open house today and won a raffle for a free class (granted, there was probably ony 10 tickets in the jar.)

I've attached a few pictures.

Richard L.

make-it-here.com

Guys,

Not human life and death, but it is with heavy heart that I announce what I fully expected, even before coronavirus, Make-It-Here has gone belly-up. Coronavirus was not the whole reason, but the nail in the coffin.  I could actually buy one of the vertical mills I used for line-boring my timing-side bush for $1,200, but garage space and marriage precludes. The Moriseki lathe I liked there is listed at $12K, so not even a thought.

Regards

Richard L.