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Author Topic: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?  (Read 6700 times)

RipSlider

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DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« on: July 30, 2008, 06:43:28 pm »

Hello dear people who know the ways of stanchions

I invested a goodly sum in the purchase of a lathe. However, a combination of a shoddy  drive belt and an over-enthusiatic new owner - "Wife! Watch how fast the lathe goes!!" etc - means that said lathe is currently out of operation.

This leaves me with a drill and a dremel thingy.

I need to knock out about 30 stanchions. Buying is out of the questions as the more common styanchion makers have queues the size of a hippo's bottom, and the local light engineering company quoted me a price so high my legs buckled underneath me and I felt very unwell. ( £12 each for a 60mm stanchion??????? :( )


Is it worth me knocking up some sort of jig to make my dremel or drill into a lathe, or should I just wait until the nice people from japan send me a new belt - which could take 6 weeks.


Thanks for any thoughts

Steve
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DickyD

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2008, 08:27:50 pm »

Hi Steve, Redbank Models do 60mm stanchions at £3.25 per ten.

http://quantrum.co.uk/redbankmodels/stanchions-60mm-hole-p-307.html

 O0
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RipSlider

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2008, 09:36:41 pm »

Thank you sir.

However, there fellas are flat, and the kiddies I need are round with a crown on the top. ( not an actual crown - just a fat bit - a boss so to speak. Or a cap. Or possibly it's called something else. )

Steve
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chingdevil

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2008, 09:52:43 pm »

Steve

What is so special about your belt that it will take six weeks, there are quite a few UK suppliers of belts. Contact your local Brammer branch with the details of the belt, if they will not talk to you PM me the details I will get the branch we use at work on the case.

Brian
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RipSlider

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2008, 10:22:05 pm »

I asked the same question, and got nonsense as an answer   ::) ::) ::)

I suspect that one belt is much like another, but this is being done under warrenty, so it seems I can't just get a genetic belt which fits. As the belt is sealed away, I can't go and monkey around with it myself, otherwise everything else goes out of warrenty as well.

It's a scam, but one I'm stuck with for a bit.


Steve
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Proteus

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bogstandard

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2008, 11:54:40 pm »

and the local light engineering company quoted me a price so high my legs buckled underneath me and I felt very unwell. ( £12 each for a 60mm stanchion??????? :( )

That seems an OK price, considering that to make them will most probably take the best part of a day. Making of holding jigs and cutters, for most probably two machines. Setting up time etc. If it is done with CNC, you have programming time.

Most small engineering firms charge about £60 per hour including setup times or part of an hour, some a lot more.

Model engineers sort of fill the gap, but people still go white when we ask for £10 to £15 per hour. Would you work for £1 an hour, as some people expect, and they would want us to provide materials as well. We fill a need, and usually provide an excellent service to those who don't have the necessary bits to make it themselves. We are not a charity, as some people expect us to make something for less than the cost it takes to produce it.

But, they say, you do it as a hobby.

Hobby or not, I have just invested £10k in rebuilding my shop and getting all new machinery. In my situation, that cost has to be recouped some way, as my workshop has to pay for itself. If I break a small milling cutter doing a job, they don't like it when you add £10 to replace it, they expect us to absorb all costs from our own pockets.

So spare a thought for us, sitting in the background, with usually years of knowledge and experience, waiting to help out the unfortunate amongst you. We WILL help, but don't expect charity.

Just think of it this way, would you build a kit for someone, with you providing all the time, glues and paints etc, then all you get is a 'thank you'. I think not.

John

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RipSlider

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2008, 01:24:18 am »

Please don't get me wrong - I have every respect for my local engineering chappy. I have even been known to take him buscuits while he has been making things for me in the past. ( however, is usually because I've given him a bunch of wonky measurements, and he's had a swearing fit at me down the phone. Or... even worse... if I don't give him biscuits he eats fruitcake with Cheese>>:-( >>:-( >>:-(   - these yorkshire people are crazy.. )

The issue in this specific case is that the run is too small to create a cutting jig or to lay it up on the computer for CAM work. So it has to be done by hand.

Normally the guy gives very good prices, but he doesn't like doing "fiddly bits" and so he gave me a high price.

Steve
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John R Haynes

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2008, 08:47:59 am »

Deans Marine now sell lots of round ball stanchions , contact them or go to their on-line shop
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nhp651

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2008, 10:10:50 am »

Well said bogstandard! O0
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John W E

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Re: DIY stanchions - practical without a lathe?
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2008, 10:37:12 am »

Hi there Steve

Did you ever think of using Split Pins - you can get brass split pins in various lengths and diameters - from any good engineering place.  You will pay just a small sum for these.   As I have said they do come in various sizes from about 1/32 - to 1/2'' in diameter if you want - and from about 10mm in length up to about 80mm + .....   pity I do not work at me old place now - I could have sent you a handful of any size you want.   

To make ball stanchions from split pins is an easy operation - 2 mins with a pair of pliers and a pice of wire  O0

aye
john e
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