Author Topic: Which machine annoys you most? (Read 53914 times)

John Hill · « **on:** April 28, 2011, 07:44:45 PM »

Which machine annoys you most?

I think I hate my little power bandsaw, sure it works well but most of the time it is nothing but a damned nuisance!

The legs it came with brought almost nothing from the scrap man but I was more than happy with the trade. If I have it on a decent trolley metal sawdust, chips and offcuts collect underneath and look untidy plus they are even more of a nuisance if I try to move to trolley to clean under it. If I try to carry the damned thing it is likely to flop 'open' and give me a nasty crack under the chin, or it threatens to slam 'shut' and remove a finger or two. I cant just shove it on a bench somewhere as it needs space if I am going to cut any long stuff.

So I have a plan.. you can even pin a tail on it if you like...

....watch this space.

dsquire · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2011, 08:47:26 PM »

Now this should be interesting and ....

Cheers

Don

picclock · « **Reply #2 on:** April 29, 2011, 03:57:52 AM »

Not sure if machine fits, but I bought a couple of digital calipers from lidl that are the most aggravating tools I have ever owned. They turn off and lose the measurement, rezeroing themselves in the process.

So you measure something, go to find a scrap to write it down on, and by the time you have it the b****y things have turned off and the measurement is lost. When they turn on again they read zero.

SWMBO was with me when I bought them, partly on the strength of a post by John bogs, so now I'm stuck with them until I can arrange there untimely demise

picclock

HS93 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 29, 2011, 05:13:43 AM »

I have a coupe of them they work fine never lost there settings holds the previous mesurment when turned off and only prob I have is they dont turn themselves off automaticly, I also have the Aldi ones, if you are having problems just ring up lidl they have a good 3 year warnty that the honour they wil send you new ones out no quible.

Peter

BillTodd · « **Reply #4 on:** April 29, 2011, 06:48:23 AM »

The HLV-H tail stock!...

It weighs the better part of 40kg , has a 50 odd square-inch base that, at every opportunity, sucks itself down onto the bed and is a real PITA to move. At times I've had to push it forward with both hands from the side of the lathe.

Hardinge should have extended the carriage rack and fitted the thing with its own traversing wheel.

Bill

Powder Keg · « **Reply #5 on:** April 29, 2011, 08:51:54 AM »

My shop Vac. It's really handy, But, Its always in the way. I can't seem to find a good spot for it.

Wes

andyf · « **Reply #6 on:** April 29, 2011, 09:06:07 AM »

Quote from: picclock on April 29, 2011, 03:57:52 AM

Not sure if machine fits, but I bought a couple of digital calipers from lidl that are the most aggravating tools I have ever owned. They turn off and lose the measurement, rezeroing themselves in the process.

So you measure something, go to find a scrap to write it down on, and by the time you have it the b****y things have turned off and the measurement is lost. When they turn on again they read zero.

SWMBO was with me when I bought them, partly on the strength of a post by John bogs, so now I'm stuck with them until I can arrange there untimely demise

picclock

Easy.

When you put them down, they were set to your desired measurement. Without adjusting the gap, turn them back on and then close them up. They will then show the "lost" reading, as a minus value.

Andy

picclock · « **Reply #7 on:** April 29, 2011, 11:18:32 AM »

@AndyF

So how does that work when you've just measured something, then zero'd it so you can measure a difference value? (and trust me its always the most awkward measurement - visions of calipers liquifieing under a 50 ton press -

I must have 3 other digital calipers all of which turn on when they are moved and remember the last reading. The reason for buying the last two is that I effectively work in three places so that when the fairies move one I have to figure where or take a walk (suppose the exercise is good).

No, I think they have to go or have replacement read heads.

Best
picclock

andyf · « **Reply #8 on:** April 29, 2011, 01:28:50 PM »

I see what you mean. It's OK if you can remove them from the job without disturbing the first reading, but often that isn't easy.

My Aldi ones all seem to "remember", but a set I got from Lidl (I think) are like yours. However, the read head on a recent Aldi set didn't move very smoothly until I stoned down the beam very lightly.

To get back to the topic, my big Record bench vice, if you can call it a machine, is annoying me at present. Once clamped up, it sticks on, and needs 10 degrees or so CCW on the handle before it releases with a bit of a jerk. This can get irksome when I want to relax the grip just a little, to adjust the position of something heavy. I've cleaned and lubed it, but that seems to have made no difference.

And then there's an old pair of tin shears, where the ends of the handles bend in sharply to within 1/4" of each other when closed. If I use them to cut material which is a bit beyond their capacity, squeezing valiantly with both hands and going purple in the face, the handles can painfully pinch my ample abdomen when the material suddenly yields, causing a colourful bruise. I need to slim, though cutting the bends off the handles might be easier.

Andy

Andy

Bluechip · « **Reply #9 on:** April 29, 2011, 01:40:35 PM »

Andy

My Record 4" used to do that, quite a lot

damned annoying ..

Sprayed it with lashings of PTFE 3 in 1 ...

Now behaves itself

Having said that, it'll probably start again next jamming up time I use it ..

Dave BC

John Hill · « **Reply #10 on:** April 29, 2011, 05:03:36 PM »

Andy, next time you need to gently release that bench vice just get you hammer and strike downwards on the bit of the slide poking out the back, that what I used to do with my British Standard (made in India) bench vice but now I have gone up market and buy only Chinese tools!

I just love my old family heirloom tin snips and they too have that nasty gut nipping propensity.

Chazz · « **Reply #11 on:** April 29, 2011, 05:06:31 PM »

The tools that annoy me the most are the ones I can't afford.

Chazz

doubleboost · « **Reply #12 on:** April 29, 2011, 06:14:31 PM »

the one that i am using at the time

Imagineering · « **Reply #13 on:** April 29, 2011, 07:06:24 PM »

I have a Love/Hate relationship with my CNC Mill.

CNC = Computer Numeric Control - or on some days - CNC = Can Not Control

Murray.

dickda1 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 29, 2011, 07:54:30 PM »

I painfully remember a machine that was fun to repair, but a pain in neck to use.

My shaper - although I should say my former shaper (7" Atlas) since I made repairs to it and sold it some years ago.

The mechanism that moved the ram and moved the table was fun to watch. Sort of like a Victorian magic box. But getting the slop out of the ram and the table required removing shims and re-scraping several cast iron surfaces. I re-machined the crank lever and made a new crank block out of wearite (aluminum bronze). Cutting keyways and dovetails worked, but setup was way too fussy. It was just overly complex compared to the modern milling machine and broach set that replaced this machine.

I was offered a Cincinnati Shaper (hydraulic drive) sitting in a field outside a machine shop about 25 years ago - free if I wanted to cart it off. In one of the few moments of clarity that I have had in this hobby, I respectfully declined.

GeorgeGreek · « **Reply #15 on:** February 15, 2012, 09:34:31 AM »

My wife...........

George

PekkaNF · « **Reply #16 on:** February 15, 2012, 10:36:14 AM »

Quote from: BillTodd on April 29, 2011, 06:48:23 AM

The HLV-H tail stock!...

It weighs the better part of 40kg , has a 50 odd square-inch base that, at every opportunity, sucks itself down onto the bed and is a real PITA to move. At times I've had to push it forward with both hands from the side of the lathe.

Hardinge should have extended the carriage rack and fitted the thing with its own traversing wheel.

Bill

I would love to have that problem.....

I hate the most machines that waste my time or money without any good return. My firsta lathe was french made minilor TR-1:
I bought "Minilor" with some accesories and was planning to buy some more accessories. Buying that petit merde was one of the biggest mistakes on my life. Never trust Frencies - incidently I had Citroën Xantia for years and although it had some excentric engineering it was a nice car and gave me years of joy. Not so rosy experince with the lathe though.

See this: http://www.lathes.co.uk/minilor/index.html
It gives a whole lot more glossy picture of the product than it is in reality. Plastic knobs could be replaced etc. obvious things. It looks quite handsom on the picture, but apron/cross slide, tool holder, tail stock, spindel stoc etc. are made of "Special alloy" or something like that on advertising text. It could be zink or aluminium, but it's pretty miserable stuf for a metal cutting lathe.

It sits middle of the garage not doing anything else, but reminding me not trust any advertising bullshit, "tests" and empty specks. I just might try to make small usefull lathe out of it, but only halfway decent part of it a bed casting, even spindle box should be made out of scrap. Hmm. I do have right size piece of cast iron lying around.

Anyway, this experience has made me very wary of any tool made in france.

Want to swap?

PekkaNF

Rob.Wilson · « **Reply #17 on:** February 15, 2012, 11:02:37 AM »

Washing machine ,, hoover

Rob

Bluechip · « **Reply #18 on:** February 15, 2012, 11:26:18 AM »

Anything with a Geordie driving it ....

Rob.Wilson · « **Reply #19 on:** February 15, 2012, 11:36:32 AM »

Quote from: Bluechip on February 15, 2012, 11:26:18 AM

Anything with a Geordie driving it ....

TWAT

Rob

Fergus OMore · « **Reply #20 on:** February 15, 2012, 02:40:04 PM »

Quote from: PekkaNF on February 15, 2012, 10:36:14 AM

I hate the most machines that waste my time or money without any good return. My firsta lathe was french made minilor TR-1:
I bought "Minilor" with some accesories and was planning to buy some more accessories. Buying that petit merde was one of the biggest mistakes on my life. Never trust Frencies - incidently I had Citroën Xantia for years and although it had some excentric engineering it was a nice car and gave me years of joy. Not so rosy experince with the lathe though.

See this: http://www.lathes.co.uk/minilor/index.html
It gives a whole lot more glossy picture of the product than it is in reality. Plastic knobs could be replaced etc. obvious things. It looks quite handsom on the picture, but apron/cross slide, tool holder, tail stock, spindel stoc etc. are made of "Special alloy" or something like that on advertising text. It could be zink or aluminium, but it's pretty miserable stuf for a metal cutting lathe.

It sits middle of the garage not doing anything else, but reminding me not trust any advertising bull****, "tests" and empty specks. I just might try to make small usefull lathe out of it, but only halfway decent part of it a bed casting, even spindle box should be made out of scrap. Hmm. I do have right size piece of cast iron lying around.

Anyway, this experience has made me very wary of any tool made in france.

Want to swap?

PekkaNF

Well, now?you could have a very nice tool and cutter grinder out of it.- or a cylindrical grinder- or remove the motor department and put in the new lathe- or use the vertical stuff on the saddle of the new lathe.

Comme vous dit-en France-- Vive la change!

buffalow bill · « **Reply #21 on:** February 15, 2012, 03:53:32 PM »

The thought of all my machines get me down as they are in storage awaiting a workshop to fill.

Jonny · « **Reply #22 on:** February 15, 2012, 04:45:45 PM »

My larger chinese mill, its always breaking and costs a fortune if and when parts are available.
The smaller ones ok apart from the lead screws, a common prob.

Doc · « **Reply #23 on:** February 15, 2012, 07:14:30 PM »

Quote from: Chazz on April 29, 2011, 05:06:31 PM

The tools that annoy me the most are the ones I can't afford.

Chazz

I have to side with Chazz!!

krv3000 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 16, 2012, 03:24:55 AM »

lol any thing the wife brakes

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Author Topic: Which machine annoys you most? (Read 53914 times)

Rob.Wilson

Rob.Wilson