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andrew



Joined: 16 Jun 2004
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Location: Castle Hill, Sydney. N.S.W


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my 72 or whatever dollar bunnings ryobi drill press has been prety good for most things (like glen said except for huge pieces where u gotta drill a hole in middle or something) and even after i tripped carrying it and threw it across garage with a bent top section (mounting for pulleys and eveyrthin) and broken switch housing it still soldiers on like it was new.
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 5:29 pm 
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dyrodium
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XD classic andrew moment Razz
Hmm just outta interest are those combined lathe/mill/drill machines any good? Could be worth it later on instead of buying the seperate machines and is more compact... they look pretty complex and dangerous though! Shocked
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 5:34 pm 
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kkeerroo
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Remember to check what you want to use the machine for. A lathe/mill combo is only capable of working small sized jobs. Also remember that these things are heavy! That is what put me off the lathe/mill combo, the fact I couldn't easily move a 1/4 of a ton into place in our garage of our rented house.
Also the cost of the machine does not include the stand and tooling. The tooling might include a carbide lathe tool set (if you want to work steel), live centre, drill chuck and taper for tailstock, milling tools chucks and collets. It adds up to a surprising amount.
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:08 pm 
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Nick
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I second that. It would be better to get two seperate small machines rather than a combo. The mill functions on these machines are particularly weak and there is very little room for movement on the mill table. The tooling would cost the same for a combo or seperate machines and you have the delay of switching from one function to another.
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:21 pm 
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dyrodium
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LOL yeah i just checked that and its true! No savings at all lol.
It's thinking into the future however, don't really need a mill at the moment, although a lathe would be damn handy for making weapon and wheel hubs as well as kewl belt drives like in plan b and plan f Smile .
Is the abrasive cut off saw a good idea?
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:25 pm 
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Nick
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Cut-off saws are great but mainly for higher volume. You can do the same stuff with an angle grinder or a hacksaw, unless ther are heaps of repetitive cuts. If you find a cheap saw (doesn't XU-1 have one?) then it would be worth it.
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:33 pm 
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dyrodium
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Ok thats good, don't know about XU1 but the supercheap auto equivilent superworks does. As i said before my parents arn't comfortable with me using an anglegrinder so yeah the next best thing is this... and i absolutly hate usinga hacksaw with steel!!! Takes frekkin ages! Very Happy
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:39 pm 
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Philip
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Joined: 18 Jun 2004
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You can buy a cheap tool and replace it every couple of years or buy a quality tool and have it for most of your lifetime. Sometimes, the cheapest way is the dearest way.
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:54 pm 
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Totaly_Recycled
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and just some times the cheapest way is the cheapest way ..i have ryobi Angle grinder that cost me $35 about 17 years ago and its stil going strong it gets used nearly every day just ask Aaron what ive done with it ..lol it took two hours with it going contiouniously to machine a slot in vertexs disk 40mm deep to put a winding in for the electric clutch and it took about 4 hours non stop to machine vertical limits disc and pully out of the 8.8 grade steel .

Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 7:05 pm 
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Nick
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The only limitation of cut-off saws is the length of the cut. They are fine for cross cuts on tube & bars, but not so good for cutting lengthwise - still worth having on the cheap.

You might look at a basic metal cutting bandsaw. They are one of the safest workshop tools (if not abused) and Andrew still has all ten fingers after owning one for a year (sorry, couldn't resist!). Another option if you want to cut lengths of thin er metal is a quality jig saw or a sabre saw. My Makita jigsaw can cut surprisingly thick steel when it has the right blade fitted. Slower than a band saw but highly portable. Just don't confuse XU-1 jigsaws with good units Laughing
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 7:08 pm 
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Nick
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Laughing Even my XU-1 angle grinder did allright for a while. I know it was good, cause it was the only tool stolen when my house was burgled
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 7:14 pm 
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dyrodium
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lol! Hmm yeah a metal bandsaw is a pretty good idea! My current cheapo jigsaw can cut ali fine,but havnt tried steel yet lol.
By the way, andrew only has 10 fingers because his 5 extra mutant ones were cut off XD XD XD
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 7:32 pm 
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Glen
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ill go with andrew on the ryobi grinders, mine was $45 and hasnt skipped a beat.

one thing i should mention is when me and shane where buying some tools at bunnings they had a ozito grinder that was about 1000w, had variable speed and i think it was 5" capacity for $50. we didnt get it cause it didnt have a box or key... wishing i did buy it in retrospect...

angus - wrt to the steel cutting an abrasive saw would be useless to you unless you only planned on cutting box section and stuff... i dont even think you can get a portable type version (like a hand held circular saw with a cut off wheel). only way i can think youll be cutting steel is via a grinder or bandsaw. but remember with bandsaws like a drill press you can only fit material of a certain width in them.

makes me wonder if you can get angle grinders for left handed people on account of angus cutting like a total freak lol i guess its dangerous having to reach over to the other side of the grinder to turn it on and off and what not.

i loved that jigsaw you had nick, even at like 1/20th power it still cut polycarb faster then mine Razz how much did that set you back?

cant say i reccomend the XU1 grinder on account of mine melting down. same with the $35 moto-tools. they melt down as well. but the xu1 bench grinders are great given there price.

while im on my rant angus youll want a decent vice. $50 for a big one at bunnings was what i payed, its pretty massive and does the job. but shane and nick got an even bigger version (about 2x the size) for $90. they weigh like 50kg and tilt in 2 different ways and have a pipe holder built in... wish i waited and bought one Sad

and a drill press vice too, cant live without one. mine was like $20 from bunnings. no problems with it...

and also! having had my dremel for the last week or so, the difference between the proper one and the imitations its massive! the dremel is just so much better in every regard... such a handy thing. and the 3 jaw chuck that came with mine kicks ass espcially.
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 8:50 pm 
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dyrodium
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LOL ok!
Yeah being left handed sucks, and alot of power tool related injuries are from lefties using normal tools designed for righthanded people Sad
I'll be getting a proper vice too yeah. Smile
By the way i do intend to do alot of steel tube cutting... Smile
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 8:54 pm 
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Nick
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Yeah, the original Dremmel is without compare! I thought they were toys until bought one; now its a star in the workshop Smile.

My Makita Jigsaw is the more powerful one (they make two models) and it can power through 8mm steel without slowing down as long as it has the proper blade fitted. It cost over $300 but I think it was worth it compared to other jigsaws I have owned. As long as your jigsaw has pendulum action and around a 500 watt motor, its going to do OK.

That big $90 vise from Hare & Forbes is worth the money too. Its a Chinese copy of a popular US model and the rotating features really add to what it can do. Mount it on the corner of your work bench and there is almost nothing that can't be clamped.
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Post Mon Nov 28, 2005 9:59 pm 
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