Model Engineering Exhibition @ Ally Pally

Just got back from the exhibition. As exhibitions go it was OK, usual collection of model engineering clubs showing off their creations, some interesting rocketry, demos of indoor RC aircraft, and the usual suspects, Warco, Chester, Chronos, RDGTools, etc.

Picked up my box of tooling from RDG - weighed 20kg so saved that postage (OK it cost me £9.50 entrance).

But the main reason it was worth going was the result of an extended browse on one of those junk/secondhand stalls. Rummaging through I came across a 1.25" x 12tpi Whit die, and then a second one and finally a 1.25" x 12tpi Whit tap... and all for the princely sum of £15! 1.25" x 12tpi is the unusual size of the spindle nose on my 1924 lathe... so now i have the means of creating new chuck backplates for the lathe.

As soon as I got home I ran the tap, with some oil, through the thread on the faceplate to clean it up and now I can get the faceplate on the spindle :D:D:D:D

I am so pleased!

I was quote £60 to manufacture one (its sort of a non-standard size as a 1.25"BSW is 7tpi) so this trip to the exhibition well paid for itself :D

You must be well equipped. I bought 1.125" x 12 taps and dies to match my Myford nose and tooling, then I had to go back to buy monster tap and die holders before I could use the blighters :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Robin Hewitt

You must be well equipped. I bought 1.125" x 12 taps and dies to match my Myford nose and tooling, then I had to go back to buy monster tap and die holders before I could use the blighters :rolleyes:

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:D Just used a 15" adjustabke spanner to turn the tap! I wasnt trying to create a new thread just clean up what was there...

I'll probably make a die holder on the mill now I'm nearly set up to use it...

One of the first things I might make is a 1.25"x12tpi (internal) to 1.5"x 8tpi (external) sleeve so I can use Boxford fittings... I can cut the external thread in situ on the lathe once I've tapped the internal...

An adjustable? :rolleyes:

You have no soul :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Robin Hewitt

An adjustable? :rolleyes:

You have no soul :D

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I'm an engineer... I do what's pragmatic... and anyway what else would you turn a 1" square drive with? If I owned something as large as a 1" AF spanner I'd have used that!

When I use it in anger I'll have to make some sort of holder/carrier poss on an MT3 arbor to put in the mill spindle or an MT1 arbor to hold in the lathe tailstock. I'll clamp the new backplate on the faceplate to first bore then tap it, or do it vertically on the mill...

My nose tap was a 3/4" shank, the 15" tap wrench to fit was not expensive and is now my firm favorite for as small as 8mm ISO. It also made 16mm threads a doddle, took all the effort out of it and put me back in control.

Couldn't get 2 adjustables on there!

I did have a quick look for a big enough tap wrench but didnt see anything at a price I wanted to pay... new, they were quite a lot more expensive than the tap and dies together and he didnt have any s/hand ones... dont think there's much demand for such big wrenches.

But I will look for one on ebay i promise ;) to save my soul :D