Managed to get a little time in the workshop first thing and spent most of my time trying to line up the door and hinge for the Fowler (more on this subject on my website and on here later) fire door. The commercially bought boiler has three studs built in to take threaded bolts. However these are slightly out in relation to the fire door. So a lot of trial fitting before centre drilling, drilling and tapping could take place.
Due to the boilers size it had to be drilled on the floor standing drill (photo's will follow) and this also took time to sort out. In the end only one hole was drilled and tapped! Work ceased because I was going to be kidnapped by one of my Brothers (he says he is the handsome one!) and taken out to sea for a fishing trip aboard our boat, Blue Marlin II (we have our own fishing website at www.dartmouthfishing.co.uk if your interested) and we went out to a wreck due south of the river dart. After a few uneventful drifts we then tried our local Bass hot spot. Here we were very successful! Well. succesful if your into fish conservation. Nowt is the total numer of fish (well mackeral aren't counted on our trips, we don't even land them in the boat if we can get away with it) we caught. Not to be put off we then headed to our secret (I can be bought) mark where catching Pollack is virtually guarenteed and you'll be pleased to know we kept up the days catch 100%. Yes thats right, we caught nowt. So it was back home for me to recuperate and Steve to go home and annoy his better half.
Anyway that was the end of my day....how was yours?
About Mike Freeman
Hello, my name is Mike Freeman and I am a retired Chief Fire Officer from the United Kingdom with a keen interest in model engineering, silver caddy spoons and sea fishing. I live in the pretty fishing port of Brixham, South Devon, in the United Kingdom.
I am a sufferer of degenerative osteoarthritis, which impacts on the amount of time I can spend in the workshop, and is the reason why you will see seats and a stool in some of the photo's. I have only recently added the above sentence after a discussion with one of my Doctor's from the excellent pain clinic, based in Torbay. This does affect concentration one of the reasons why I double then re-double my measurements and set ups.
Before completing nearly 30 years of public service I and my wife Sandy, owned and ran, a small restaurant in Okehampton Devon. Prior to marriage I worked for my father in his various businesses, in the early days these were garages, which he bought in a run down state, then built them up before moving on, to start again.
I took every opportunity in those early days, to work in his workshop's
learning 'on the job' rather than as an apprentice. This, I suspect, is the reason why my building various model's in the early days, turned into model engineering, when funds allowed the required equipment to be bought.
My workshop comprises one half of a detached double garage. It has a
stud wall separating the two halves and unusually perhaps, its own
shower/toilet/washbasin compartment! (the true reason for buying the
bungalow - don't tell the wife!!!)
It is fully insulated with a ceiling and fluorescent lighting supplementing the one window. Several double electrical sockets are dotted around in
relevant positions.
Equipment consists of 2 lathes (1 Myford ML 10 and 1 Chinese variable
speed motor with etched glass DRO's), 1 milling machine (RF25 far East) floor standing pillar drill, Proxxon bandsaw, Warco bandsaw, 6" wire brush and polishing mop motor, 6" coarse and fine grinder, Proxxon mini drill, various benches and an engineers vice. I have just acquired a third lathe, a Myford ML7 which I am at present evaluating so I can decide which of the Myford's I will keep.
I have only just bought the Chinese lathe and had it fitted with DRO's prior to delivery. And what a bonus they are! So good in fact that I decided to buy another set for the Milling machine. Whilst my engineering experience can only be described as limited, I find the use of DRO's has affected my accuracy levels which have improved tremendously (although that's not saying much!) and would recommend their fitting to any model engineer.
Prior to retirement I built for my son's 17th birthday a Locost car. This
was a tremendous project and a great feeling when it passed its test. The book it was based on suggests it can be built for £250. Ours was nothing special in the sense of all new parts but still cost about £900 to build!
