jhearl

If you own a recently purchased Dremel 8050 Rotary Tool, you'll want to know about a recall on it. Turns out it can melt. There is a specific date code range, all of which is explained on this page - http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Robert-Bosch-Tool-Recalls-Dremel-Rotary-Tool/
 
If you bought it new for yourself you may already received a notice, but just in case it was a gift or you got it in some other way you may not have seen the recall.
 
Cheers -
John

If you own a recently purchased Dremel 8050 Rotary Tool, you'll want to know about a recall on it. Turns out it can melt. There is a specific date code range, all of which is explained on this page - http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Robert-Bosch-Tool-Recalls-Dremel-Rotary-Tool/
 
If you bought it new for yourself you may already received a notice, but just in case it was a gift or you got it in some other way you may not have seen the recall.
 
Cheers -
John

If you own a recently purchased Dremel 8050 Rotary Tool, you'll want to know about a recall on it. Turns out it can melt. There is a specific date code range, all of which is explained on this page - http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Robert-Bosch-Tool-Recalls-Dremel-Rotary-Tool/
 
If you bought it new for yourself you may already received a notice, but just in case it was a gift or you got it in some other way you may not have seen the recall.
 
Cheers -
John

I recently had to make a gear for the anchor windlass on the model of Alma I'm building. No way to buy a ready-made gear that would look anything like the real one. I had to buy a plastic gear for an RC car, cut out the middle, and fashion, as best I could, a representation of the spokes and hub. It sort of, kind of looks like the original but it's far from a perfect replica. If I had a 3D printer and the skill to design the part, you can bet I would have done so in a heartbeat. I still love working with wood and I can't see that I'd ever want to build an entire model using a 3D printer, but for some specialized applications like that gear, it sure would be nice.
 
Cheers -
John

First off - let me say that I've never used or owned the Vanda-Lay mill although I do own a Proxxon mill. So I'll offer my two cents for what it's worth. I think the utility of the Vanda-Lay and Proxxon mills is limited. You can only use 1/8"-shank tools to begin with. I'm not sure Dremels are really the best choice for milling operations - although they may be just fine for some operations. The bigger limitation is lack of accessories. As I mentioned in my original post, I didn't really use my Proxxon all that much, but since getting the Sherline with the angle table and rotary table, I have used it much, much more. Plus, the larger size of the Sherline mill is very helpful. There were some things that just wouldn't fit in the Proxxon mill.  Holding work to the table could be problematic - they mention using double-sided tape.
 
Unlike some, I rarely use my mill for drilling because I just find it too slow to crank up and down (and I don't have a sensitive drilling attachment). I much prefer the small drill press I own for drilling holes. The exception would be if I needed a series of holes spaced a specific distance apart, but I can't recall a time when I've ever needed that.  Note, on the Acra-mill, that there is no handwheel for the Y direction or the Z direction, so that also limits its usefulness or at least its accuracy. Apparently you can add a drill press handle to it - otherwise I can't tell how you're supposed to move it in the Z direction. It looks like you have to slide it up and down and then lock it in place. Seems the same with the Y direction. I see that they sell a separate Y table as well as a separate Z adjuster but then you've added another $100+ to the cost. And in the end, you're still left with a small machine that uses a Dremel.
 
For me, the Acra-mill would be a waste of money and, to be honest, I've wasted plenty of money on things I've wound up not using. Of course, a Sherline mill is much, much more expensive. The rotary table alone costs more than the basic Acra-mill! But the Sherline mill definitely does not fall into the wasted money category for me. I keep finding more and more uses for it and this thread has been really interesting to see how others use theirs.
 
Cheers -
John

First off - let me say that I've never used or owned the Vanda-Lay mill although I do own a Proxxon mill. So I'll offer my two cents for what it's worth. I think the utility of the Vanda-Lay and Proxxon mills is limited. You can only use 1/8"-shank tools to begin with. I'm not sure Dremels are really the best choice for milling operations - although they may be just fine for some operations. The bigger limitation is lack of accessories. As I mentioned in my original post, I didn't really use my Proxxon all that much, but since getting the Sherline with the angle table and rotary table, I have used it much, much more. Plus, the larger size of the Sherline mill is very helpful. There were some things that just wouldn't fit in the Proxxon mill.  Holding work to the table could be problematic - they mention using double-sided tape.
 
Unlike some, I rarely use my mill for drilling because I just find it too slow to crank up and down (and I don't have a sensitive drilling attachment). I much prefer the small drill press I own for drilling holes. The exception would be if I needed a series of holes spaced a specific distance apart, but I can't recall a time when I've ever needed that.  Note, on the Acra-mill, that there is no handwheel for the Y direction or the Z direction, so that also limits its usefulness or at least its accuracy. Apparently you can add a drill press handle to it - otherwise I can't tell how you're supposed to move it in the Z direction. It looks like you have to slide it up and down and then lock it in place. Seems the same with the Y direction. I see that they sell a separate Y table as well as a separate Z adjuster but then you've added another $100+ to the cost. And in the end, you're still left with a small machine that uses a Dremel.
 
For me, the Acra-mill would be a waste of money and, to be honest, I've wasted plenty of money on things I've wound up not using. Of course, a Sherline mill is much, much more expensive. The rotary table alone costs more than the basic Acra-mill! But the Sherline mill definitely does not fall into the wasted money category for me. I keep finding more and more uses for it and this thread has been really interesting to see how others use theirs.
 
Cheers -
John

For a few years, I owned a Proxxon mill, but didn't wind up using it all that much. I didn't have many accessories for it. But a couple months ago, I bought a Sherline mill and there are three accessories that have proven to be very useful indeed. One is the rotating base for the mill vise. Very useful if you need to mill a slot or edge at an angle. The second is the right-angle plate. It can be adjusted from 0-90 degrees and will hold the vise or the rotary table. Here's an instance where I needed to mill a specific angle on the edge of a piece of wood. My Preac table saw won't cut at an angle and it would have been too small anyway. If I'd started with longer, wider stock, I probably could have done it on the 10" table saw or even on the band saw. But the mill did such a nice job of it and it didn't even need to be sanded when I was done and setup was pretty quick for this one.
 

 
The other accessory I bought was the rotary table. Boy, do I love that thing! I'm working on making the anchor windlass for my current model and I needed a couple of gears for it. Now, I don't have a gear cutter so I didn't want to tackle making them from scratch but I found a plastic gear for an RC car that was the right diameter and had about the right number of teeth. Problem was, the center was nothing like what I needed. So I mounted the gear on the rotary table and milled out the center in no time. Here's a before and after pic:
 

 
I'm not real sure how I would have done it without the mill. There is also a smaller gear and I found one made of steel that was the right diameter and pitch but it was too wide. Once again, the mill came to the rescue and I was able to mill off half of it to make it the right thickness. I don't honestly think I could have done that with a hacksaw.
 
I also used the rotary table and a Dremel bit to cut the pawl plates for the drums on the windlass. And I'll be using the rotary table when I get around to making the steering wheel.
 
I'd say the one drawback to a mill is that setup can take quite a long time. You can easily spend more time getting set up to mill something than it actually takes to mill the piece. But I love the thing and I am very happy that I bought it! I also got the DRO with mine and I'm glad I did although I don't use/need it for every operation.
 
Cheers -
John

First off - let me say that I've never used or owned the Vanda-Lay mill although I do own a Proxxon mill. So I'll offer my two cents for what it's worth. I think the utility of the Vanda-Lay and Proxxon mills is limited. You can only use 1/8"-shank tools to begin with. I'm not sure Dremels are really the best choice for milling operations - although they may be just fine for some operations. The bigger limitation is lack of accessories. As I mentioned in my original post, I didn't really use my Proxxon all that much, but since getting the Sherline with the angle table and rotary table, I have used it much, much more. Plus, the larger size of the Sherline mill is very helpful. There were some things that just wouldn't fit in the Proxxon mill.  Holding work to the table could be problematic - they mention using double-sided tape.
 
Unlike some, I rarely use my mill for drilling because I just find it too slow to crank up and down (and I don't have a sensitive drilling attachment). I much prefer the small drill press I own for drilling holes. The exception would be if I needed a series of holes spaced a specific distance apart, but I can't recall a time when I've ever needed that.  Note, on the Acra-mill, that there is no handwheel for the Y direction or the Z direction, so that also limits its usefulness or at least its accuracy. Apparently you can add a drill press handle to it - otherwise I can't tell how you're supposed to move it in the Z direction. It looks like you have to slide it up and down and then lock it in place. Seems the same with the Y direction. I see that they sell a separate Y table as well as a separate Z adjuster but then you've added another $100+ to the cost. And in the end, you're still left with a small machine that uses a Dremel.
 
For me, the Acra-mill would be a waste of money and, to be honest, I've wasted plenty of money on things I've wound up not using. Of course, a Sherline mill is much, much more expensive. The rotary table alone costs more than the basic Acra-mill! But the Sherline mill definitely does not fall into the wasted money category for me. I keep finding more and more uses for it and this thread has been really interesting to see how others use theirs.
 
Cheers -
John

First off - let me say that I've never used or owned the Vanda-Lay mill although I do own a Proxxon mill. So I'll offer my two cents for what it's worth. I think the utility of the Vanda-Lay and Proxxon mills is limited. You can only use 1/8"-shank tools to begin with. I'm not sure Dremels are really the best choice for milling operations - although they may be just fine for some operations. The bigger limitation is lack of accessories. As I mentioned in my original post, I didn't really use my Proxxon all that much, but since getting the Sherline with the angle table and rotary table, I have used it much, much more. Plus, the larger size of the Sherline mill is very helpful. There were some things that just wouldn't fit in the Proxxon mill.  Holding work to the table could be problematic - they mention using double-sided tape.
 
Unlike some, I rarely use my mill for drilling because I just find it too slow to crank up and down (and I don't have a sensitive drilling attachment). I much prefer the small drill press I own for drilling holes. The exception would be if I needed a series of holes spaced a specific distance apart, but I can't recall a time when I've ever needed that.  Note, on the Acra-mill, that there is no handwheel for the Y direction or the Z direction, so that also limits its usefulness or at least its accuracy. Apparently you can add a drill press handle to it - otherwise I can't tell how you're supposed to move it in the Z direction. It looks like you have to slide it up and down and then lock it in place. Seems the same with the Y direction. I see that they sell a separate Y table as well as a separate Z adjuster but then you've added another $100+ to the cost. And in the end, you're still left with a small machine that uses a Dremel.
 
For me, the Acra-mill would be a waste of money and, to be honest, I've wasted plenty of money on things I've wound up not using. Of course, a Sherline mill is much, much more expensive. The rotary table alone costs more than the basic Acra-mill! But the Sherline mill definitely does not fall into the wasted money category for me. I keep finding more and more uses for it and this thread has been really interesting to see how others use theirs.
 
Cheers -
John

For a few years, I owned a Proxxon mill, but didn't wind up using it all that much. I didn't have many accessories for it. But a couple months ago, I bought a Sherline mill and there are three accessories that have proven to be very useful indeed. One is the rotating base for the mill vise. Very useful if you need to mill a slot or edge at an angle. The second is the right-angle plate. It can be adjusted from 0-90 degrees and will hold the vise or the rotary table. Here's an instance where I needed to mill a specific angle on the edge of a piece of wood. My Preac table saw won't cut at an angle and it would have been too small anyway. If I'd started with longer, wider stock, I probably could have done it on the 10" table saw or even on the band saw. But the mill did such a nice job of it and it didn't even need to be sanded when I was done and setup was pretty quick for this one.
 

 
The other accessory I bought was the rotary table. Boy, do I love that thing! I'm working on making the anchor windlass for my current model and I needed a couple of gears for it. Now, I don't have a gear cutter so I didn't want to tackle making them from scratch but I found a plastic gear for an RC car that was the right diameter and had about the right number of teeth. Problem was, the center was nothing like what I needed. So I mounted the gear on the rotary table and milled out the center in no time. Here's a before and after pic:
 

 
I'm not real sure how I would have done it without the mill. There is also a smaller gear and I found one made of steel that was the right diameter and pitch but it was too wide. Once again, the mill came to the rescue and I was able to mill off half of it to make it the right thickness. I don't honestly think I could have done that with a hacksaw.
 
I also used the rotary table and a Dremel bit to cut the pawl plates for the drums on the windlass. And I'll be using the rotary table when I get around to making the steering wheel.
 
I'd say the one drawback to a mill is that setup can take quite a long time. You can easily spend more time getting set up to mill something than it actually takes to mill the piece. But I love the thing and I am very happy that I bought it! I also got the DRO with mine and I'm glad I did although I don't use/need it for every operation.
 
Cheers -
John

By the way - there are some great examples of using a mill on this gentleman's build log - http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/196-hms-bellona-by-sjsoane-scale-164-1760-english-74-gun-as-designed/
 
I've learned a lot from reading and seeing how he does things.
 
Cheers -
John

By the way - there are some great examples of using a mill on this gentleman's build log - http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/196-hms-bellona-by-sjsoane-scale-164-1760-english-74-gun-as-designed/
 
I've learned a lot from reading and seeing how he does things.
 
Cheers -
John

For a few years, I owned a Proxxon mill, but didn't wind up using it all that much. I didn't have many accessories for it. But a couple months ago, I bought a Sherline mill and there are three accessories that have proven to be very useful indeed. One is the rotating base for the mill vise. Very useful if you need to mill a slot or edge at an angle. The second is the right-angle plate. It can be adjusted from 0-90 degrees and will hold the vise or the rotary table. Here's an instance where I needed to mill a specific angle on the edge of a piece of wood. My Preac table saw won't cut at an angle and it would have been too small anyway. If I'd started with longer, wider stock, I probably could have done it on the 10" table saw or even on the band saw. But the mill did such a nice job of it and it didn't even need to be sanded when I was done and setup was pretty quick for this one.
 

 
The other accessory I bought was the rotary table. Boy, do I love that thing! I'm working on making the anchor windlass for my current model and I needed a couple of gears for it. Now, I don't have a gear cutter so I didn't want to tackle making them from scratch but I found a plastic gear for an RC car that was the right diameter and had about the right number of teeth. Problem was, the center was nothing like what I needed. So I mounted the gear on the rotary table and milled out the center in no time. Here's a before and after pic:
 

 
I'm not real sure how I would have done it without the mill. There is also a smaller gear and I found one made of steel that was the right diameter and pitch but it was too wide. Once again, the mill came to the rescue and I was able to mill off half of it to make it the right thickness. I don't honestly think I could have done that with a hacksaw.
 
I also used the rotary table and a Dremel bit to cut the pawl plates for the drums on the windlass. And I'll be using the rotary table when I get around to making the steering wheel.
 
I'd say the one drawback to a mill is that setup can take quite a long time. You can easily spend more time getting set up to mill something than it actually takes to mill the piece. But I love the thing and I am very happy that I bought it! I also got the DRO with mine and I'm glad I did although I don't use/need it for every operation.
 
Cheers -
John

For a few years, I owned a Proxxon mill, but didn't wind up using it all that much. I didn't have many accessories for it. But a couple months ago, I bought a Sherline mill and there are three accessories that have proven to be very useful indeed. One is the rotating base for the mill vise. Very useful if you need to mill a slot or edge at an angle. The second is the right-angle plate. It can be adjusted from 0-90 degrees and will hold the vise or the rotary table. Here's an instance where I needed to mill a specific angle on the edge of a piece of wood. My Preac table saw won't cut at an angle and it would have been too small anyway. If I'd started with longer, wider stock, I probably could have done it on the 10" table saw or even on the band saw. But the mill did such a nice job of it and it didn't even need to be sanded when I was done and setup was pretty quick for this one.
 

 
The other accessory I bought was the rotary table. Boy, do I love that thing! I'm working on making the anchor windlass for my current model and I needed a couple of gears for it. Now, I don't have a gear cutter so I didn't want to tackle making them from scratch but I found a plastic gear for an RC car that was the right diameter and had about the right number of teeth. Problem was, the center was nothing like what I needed. So I mounted the gear on the rotary table and milled out the center in no time. Here's a before and after pic:
 

 
I'm not real sure how I would have done it without the mill. There is also a smaller gear and I found one made of steel that was the right diameter and pitch but it was too wide. Once again, the mill came to the rescue and I was able to mill off half of it to make it the right thickness. I don't honestly think I could have done that with a hacksaw.
 
I also used the rotary table and a Dremel bit to cut the pawl plates for the drums on the windlass. And I'll be using the rotary table when I get around to making the steering wheel.
 
I'd say the one drawback to a mill is that setup can take quite a long time. You can easily spend more time getting set up to mill something than it actually takes to mill the piece. But I love the thing and I am very happy that I bought it! I also got the DRO with mine and I'm glad I did although I don't use/need it for every operation.
 
Cheers -
John

For a few years, I owned a Proxxon mill, but didn't wind up using it all that much. I didn't have many accessories for it. But a couple months ago, I bought a Sherline mill and there are three accessories that have proven to be very useful indeed. One is the rotating base for the mill vise. Very useful if you need to mill a slot or edge at an angle. The second is the right-angle plate. It can be adjusted from 0-90 degrees and will hold the vise or the rotary table. Here's an instance where I needed to mill a specific angle on the edge of a piece of wood. My Preac table saw won't cut at an angle and it would have been too small anyway. If I'd started with longer, wider stock, I probably could have done it on the 10" table saw or even on the band saw. But the mill did such a nice job of it and it didn't even need to be sanded when I was done and setup was pretty quick for this one.
 

 
The other accessory I bought was the rotary table. Boy, do I love that thing! I'm working on making the anchor windlass for my current model and I needed a couple of gears for it. Now, I don't have a gear cutter so I didn't want to tackle making them from scratch but I found a plastic gear for an RC car that was the right diameter and had about the right number of teeth. Problem was, the center was nothing like what I needed. So I mounted the gear on the rotary table and milled out the center in no time. Here's a before and after pic:
 

 
I'm not real sure how I would have done it without the mill. There is also a smaller gear and I found one made of steel that was the right diameter and pitch but it was too wide. Once again, the mill came to the rescue and I was able to mill off half of it to make it the right thickness. I don't honestly think I could have done that with a hacksaw.
 
I also used the rotary table and a Dremel bit to cut the pawl plates for the drums on the windlass. And I'll be using the rotary table when I get around to making the steering wheel.
 
I'd say the one drawback to a mill is that setup can take quite a long time. You can easily spend more time getting set up to mill something than it actually takes to mill the piece. But I love the thing and I am very happy that I bought it! I also got the DRO with mine and I'm glad I did although I don't use/need it for every operation.
 
Cheers -
John

For a few years, I owned a Proxxon mill, but didn't wind up using it all that much. I didn't have many accessories for it. But a couple months ago, I bought a Sherline mill and there are three accessories that have proven to be very useful indeed. One is the rotating base for the mill vise. Very useful if you need to mill a slot or edge at an angle. The second is the right-angle plate. It can be adjusted from 0-90 degrees and will hold the vise or the rotary table. Here's an instance where I needed to mill a specific angle on the edge of a piece of wood. My Preac table saw won't cut at an angle and it would have been too small anyway. If I'd started with longer, wider stock, I probably could have done it on the 10" table saw or even on the band saw. But the mill did such a nice job of it and it didn't even need to be sanded when I was done and setup was pretty quick for this one.
 

 
The other accessory I bought was the rotary table. Boy, do I love that thing! I'm working on making the anchor windlass for my current model and I needed a couple of gears for it. Now, I don't have a gear cutter so I didn't want to tackle making them from scratch but I found a plastic gear for an RC car that was the right diameter and had about the right number of teeth. Problem was, the center was nothing like what I needed. So I mounted the gear on the rotary table and milled out the center in no time. Here's a before and after pic:
 

 
I'm not real sure how I would have done it without the mill. There is also a smaller gear and I found one made of steel that was the right diameter and pitch but it was too wide. Once again, the mill came to the rescue and I was able to mill off half of it to make it the right thickness. I don't honestly think I could have done that with a hacksaw.
 
I also used the rotary table and a Dremel bit to cut the pawl plates for the drums on the windlass. And I'll be using the rotary table when I get around to making the steering wheel.
 
I'd say the one drawback to a mill is that setup can take quite a long time. You can easily spend more time getting set up to mill something than it actually takes to mill the piece. But I love the thing and I am very happy that I bought it! I also got the DRO with mine and I'm glad I did although I don't use/need it for every operation.
 
Cheers -
John

For a few years, I owned a Proxxon mill, but didn't wind up using it all that much. I didn't have many accessories for it. But a couple months ago, I bought a Sherline mill and there are three accessories that have proven to be very useful indeed. One is the rotating base for the mill vise. Very useful if you need to mill a slot or edge at an angle. The second is the right-angle plate. It can be adjusted from 0-90 degrees and will hold the vise or the rotary table. Here's an instance where I needed to mill a specific angle on the edge of a piece of wood. My Preac table saw won't cut at an angle and it would have been too small anyway. If I'd started with longer, wider stock, I probably could have done it on the 10" table saw or even on the band saw. But the mill did such a nice job of it and it didn't even need to be sanded when I was done and setup was pretty quick for this one.
 

 
The other accessory I bought was the rotary table. Boy, do I love that thing! I'm working on making the anchor windlass for my current model and I needed a couple of gears for it. Now, I don't have a gear cutter so I didn't want to tackle making them from scratch but I found a plastic gear for an RC car that was the right diameter and had about the right number of teeth. Problem was, the center was nothing like what I needed. So I mounted the gear on the rotary table and milled out the center in no time. Here's a before and after pic:
 

 
I'm not real sure how I would have done it without the mill. There is also a smaller gear and I found one made of steel that was the right diameter and pitch but it was too wide. Once again, the mill came to the rescue and I was able to mill off half of it to make it the right thickness. I don't honestly think I could have done that with a hacksaw.
 
I also used the rotary table and a Dremel bit to cut the pawl plates for the drums on the windlass. And I'll be using the rotary table when I get around to making the steering wheel.
 
I'd say the one drawback to a mill is that setup can take quite a long time. You can easily spend more time getting set up to mill something than it actually takes to mill the piece. But I love the thing and I am very happy that I bought it! I also got the DRO with mine and I'm glad I did although I don't use/need it for every operation.
 
Cheers -
John

I happen to enjoy making my own rope and built a simple rope-making machine many years ago that has served me well. There are a couple of reasons I'm happy to make my own - one is to get the exact size I want. On the last model I built, if I recall correctly, I needed 11 different sizes and they simply weren't all available commercially. Of course, I'll admit it can be hard to tell the difference between close sizes and it's not likely anyone would notice on a finished model. I just like knowing for my personal satisfaction that I made and used accurate sizes. The other reason is if I was relying on commercial rope, it would require me to plan correctly to assure I have what I need when I need it and that might be asking a bit much. I'd hate to be in the middle of rigging and discover I was out of a size I needed. If I can make my own rope, it's easy and quick to do - no need to wait on the mail man.
 
Measuring the difference between .018 rope and .021 rope is actually pretty easy. Wrap the line around a dowel for a measured distance (say 1/2" or 1" depending on the thickness of the rope), count the number of turns and divide into the length. For example, if you're measuring .018 line over 1/2 inch, you would have about 27 or 28 turns. If you're measuring .021 line over 1/2 inch, you should have about 24 turns. There is some variability depending on how tightly you wrap the line (you don't want it stretched or too loose) but you can get pretty close. Trying to measure a piece of rope with calipers is more problematic because it's too easy to compress the rope as you're measuring.
 
Cheers -
John

I happen to enjoy making my own rope and built a simple rope-making machine many years ago that has served me well. There are a couple of reasons I'm happy to make my own - one is to get the exact size I want. On the last model I built, if I recall correctly, I needed 11 different sizes and they simply weren't all available commercially. Of course, I'll admit it can be hard to tell the difference between close sizes and it's not likely anyone would notice on a finished model. I just like knowing for my personal satisfaction that I made and used accurate sizes. The other reason is if I was relying on commercial rope, it would require me to plan correctly to assure I have what I need when I need it and that might be asking a bit much. I'd hate to be in the middle of rigging and discover I was out of a size I needed. If I can make my own rope, it's easy and quick to do - no need to wait on the mail man.
 
Measuring the difference between .018 rope and .021 rope is actually pretty easy. Wrap the line around a dowel for a measured distance (say 1/2" or 1" depending on the thickness of the rope), count the number of turns and divide into the length. For example, if you're measuring .018 line over 1/2 inch, you would have about 27 or 28 turns. If you're measuring .021 line over 1/2 inch, you should have about 24 turns. There is some variability depending on how tightly you wrap the line (you don't want it stretched or too loose) but you can get pretty close. Trying to measure a piece of rope with calipers is more problematic because it's too easy to compress the rope as you're measuring.
 
Cheers -
John

I often use lill pins to simulate bolt heads. They're also known as sequin pins and can be found at sewing/fabric stores and online sources. I like the ones that are 1/2" in length. They are typically nickle-plated steel. Much less expensive than what you can get from Scale Hardware if the size is right for your application.
 
Cheers -
John

I often use lill pins to simulate bolt heads. They're also known as sequin pins and can be found at sewing/fabric stores and online sources. I like the ones that are 1/2" in length. They are typically nickle-plated steel. Much less expensive than what you can get from Scale Hardware if the size is right for your application.
 
Cheers -
John

I happen to enjoy making my own rope and built a simple rope-making machine many years ago that has served me well. There are a couple of reasons I'm happy to make my own - one is to get the exact size I want. On the last model I built, if I recall correctly, I needed 11 different sizes and they simply weren't all available commercially. Of course, I'll admit it can be hard to tell the difference between close sizes and it's not likely anyone would notice on a finished model. I just like knowing for my personal satisfaction that I made and used accurate sizes. The other reason is if I was relying on commercial rope, it would require me to plan correctly to assure I have what I need when I need it and that might be asking a bit much. I'd hate to be in the middle of rigging and discover I was out of a size I needed. If I can make my own rope, it's easy and quick to do - no need to wait on the mail man.
 
Measuring the difference between .018 rope and .021 rope is actually pretty easy. Wrap the line around a dowel for a measured distance (say 1/2" or 1" depending on the thickness of the rope), count the number of turns and divide into the length. For example, if you're measuring .018 line over 1/2 inch, you would have about 27 or 28 turns. If you're measuring .021 line over 1/2 inch, you should have about 24 turns. There is some variability depending on how tightly you wrap the line (you don't want it stretched or too loose) but you can get pretty close. Trying to measure a piece of rope with calipers is more problematic because it's too easy to compress the rope as you're measuring.
 
Cheers -
John

I have a home-built serving machine that is powered by a sewing machine motor with a foot-pedal control. No question in my mind that powered is better for me. I typically want both hands close to the point of serving. It would seem very awkward to have to turn a crank with one hand while guiding the serving thread with the other. That said, I do, from time to time, have to back up and "un-serve" a bit because I screwed up somehow and in that instance, I have to turn the thing by hand since the motor doesn't reverse. But that's only for a short distance. I can serve about 18 inches at a time and with that amount of length, it's nice to have the motor power. Of course, this doesn't mean that a hand-powered unit won't work. It's like the difference between drilling a hole with a pin vise versus a Dremel. They'll both get the job done eventually.
 
Cheers -
John

I will gladly concede that drill bits are inaccurate. But that's not really the point here. Consider this scenario. I'm working on a project and decide, regardless of the hole size or accuracy required, that for whatever reason I want to use a #75 drill bit. I'm happily drilling away and manage to break the bit. So I go to the box where I keep my spares, open the packet of #75s and see there's only one left. "I'd better order some more," I think to myself. So I place the order and a week later, a packet of drills arrives. It's labeled #75 but when I measure them, I discover they are really #76s. As it happens, I already have a dozen #76s in the spare box. I don't need more #76s - I need more #75s. All I'm saying is, if I order #75s, I expect to get #75s. I don't want to have to order #74s and hope they are really #75s. A while back, I ordered some drills from MicroMark and one of them was actually 2 sizes smaller than what the package said they were. If I were to order a pair of pants with a 36" waist and the company sent pants with a 34" waist, I'd be a bit disappointed!    I might be able to squeeze into a 35" waist but I wouldn't wear them to a big dinner. 34" waist - no way.
 
Cheers -
John

I will gladly concede that drill bits are inaccurate. But that's not really the point here. Consider this scenario. I'm working on a project and decide, regardless of the hole size or accuracy required, that for whatever reason I want to use a #75 drill bit. I'm happily drilling away and manage to break the bit. So I go to the box where I keep my spares, open the packet of #75s and see there's only one left. "I'd better order some more," I think to myself. So I place the order and a week later, a packet of drills arrives. It's labeled #75 but when I measure them, I discover they are really #76s. As it happens, I already have a dozen #76s in the spare box. I don't need more #76s - I need more #75s. All I'm saying is, if I order #75s, I expect to get #75s. I don't want to have to order #74s and hope they are really #75s. A while back, I ordered some drills from MicroMark and one of them was actually 2 sizes smaller than what the package said they were. If I were to order a pair of pants with a 36" waist and the company sent pants with a 34" waist, I'd be a bit disappointed!    I might be able to squeeze into a 35" waist but I wouldn't wear them to a big dinner. 34" waist - no way.
 
Cheers -
John