What can I make?

[Dieselman 63]

Some of you may know that I enjoy restoring machines and other tools. With this chapter of my workshop drawing to a close since I bought my ultimate goal, the lathe (which I have yet to restore), my attention has turned to seeing what I could make. I have the following equipment:

Colchester Bantam lathe - not working but will be in about 6 months
Fobco Star bench drill
Wolf 6" grinder
Selecta 7" grinder - fitted with polishing/brushing wheels
Samson angle bender

In addition to this, the usual vice, spanners, taps and dies, hammers and pliers etc. I thought I could try and make an automatic centre punch once the lathe is up and running. I also considered gunsmithing, but I cannot weld and do not have access to a torch, mill or forge, so this is probably not a practical thought.

Any sensible ideas welcome

 

[dab4318]

This is a post I am also interested in. I have the same equipment as you sort of. But I also have a ac/dc tig welder, murex 251 mig and a Hypertherm 30xp plasma. Just really lacking in the inspiration department.

 

[Screwdriver]

Some of you may know that I enjoy restoring machines and other tools. With this chapter of my workshop drawing to a close since I bought my ultimate goal, the lathe (which I have yet to restore), my attention has turned to seeing what I could make. I have the following equipment:

Colchester Bantam lathe

A lathe! Test that old wives tale once and for all.

Any sensible ideas welcome

Doh!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I'd concentrate on getting the lathe up and running first, you'll probably find that inspiration for project(s) comes to you while you're working on that.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I'm in the same boat. Same gear but 2 lathes in pieces lol. My first build on completion will be a lathe to turn timber on.

 

[Screwdriver]

OK sensible suggestion then. The only thing I would make and not buy, even though they're amazingly cheap and amazingly handy, would be a spring loaded tap follower.

 

[Maker]

What do you need?

 

[bigegg]

What do you need?

A bigger shed.

 

[Pete.]

http://www.frets.com/HomeShopTech/hstpages.html

Fill yer boots!

 

[Gareth J]

Honestly, seeing as you seem to enjoy doing it and frankly do what I feel is a crazy ott job, I think you ought to just keep on tidying up old machinery. Buy some, sell some, upgrade your own stash along the way and see how it goes. Maybe it'll earn you a few bucks maybe it won't but you'd deserve to with the attention to detail I've seen in some of your pics.

You will come across bits and bobs that need to be made to fix up whatever it is you're working on.

Next project - oil cooled arc machine then start laying some beads!

 

[God mode restorations]

Making stuff or coming up with ideas for me is my hobbies related..racing cars. Drag racing. Aluminium fabrications .welding ECT.
I started with nothing. Made a big bench in the hope that one day I would have everything to match... i make most stuff by hand. But have been buying more kit lately. Big flypress that is being refurbished. Manchester power hacksaw. Guillotine. Slip rolls. All good but just need a clean up and repaint.. would like a capstan lathe and a pillar drill...that gives me the drive to keep going and enjoy my time in the shed. I have heaps of stuff I want to make. Including tooling for the flypress and a host of other stuff.

 

[Dieselman 63]

The dream really would be machine and tool reselling/refurbishing. Maybe that is a road I could look into focusing on. That link is v good @Pete.

 

[addjunkie]

With a lathe, the workd is your lobster as they say when it comes to making things. By all accounts, an engine lathe is the only machine that can reproduce its self if you have the skills. You dont need a mill, as you can mill on the lathe.

But keep your mind focused on getting the lathe up and running, then learn how to use it properly. Many folks have them, but only use 1/4 of their capacity.

Ability to weld opens up making things opportunities too. Things like log splitters, trailers. Projects tend to just happen along, if word gets out you can fix things, time seems to have a habbit of reducing for some reason.

 

[Pete.]

The 'lathe can reproduce itself' is complete fallacy. I'd like to know who started that so I could insult them properly....

 

[Maker]

Maybe "reproduce itself" is a misnomer but you could probably make a round bed lathe (Think Drummond) using a much bigger better lathe.

You could definitely make a wood lathe too if that counts.

 

[Dieselman 63]

When I bought my lathe they offered me a 6ft guillotine, rollers and a box folder that were up for sale too. It's annoying when there's equipment there that you would like but have no use for! Maybe I will try and buy it from them in the future, it's all just stored out of use, brand new gathering dust.

I did wonder about that comment on Tony's site. Maybe on one of those Emco machines but I struggle to see how you could make a lathe. Oh well!

 

[Pete.]

Maybe "reproduce itself" is a misnomer but you could probably make a round bed lathe (Think Drummond) using a much bigger better lathe.

You could definitely make a wood lathe too if that counts.

Perhaps but that's like claiming you can go up a mountain in a boat just because you've spotted one of those amphibious duck tour things going round Parliament Square. Technically you'd be right but you'd sound very silly if you went about dating it to people.

 

[I'm getting on a bit]

I did wonder about that comment on Tony's site. Maybe on one of those Emco machines but I struggle to see how you could make a lathe. Oh well!

The world started out with no lathes at all, the super accurate machines of today have come about due to the skill and ingenuity of machinests world wide