Harold Hall
Having spent so much time in making items of workshop equipment It would fill this book if each one was covered in detail. However, for a little more regarding what I have produced Photograph 13 shows a range of these. On the left, the milling cutter chuck and steadies are the items that I first made and resulted in me sending in the articles for possible publication, and then, eventually becoming the editor of the magazine.
Many of the items I have made, whilst very simple and having minimal Photographic impact, are of considerable benefit in the workshop, my faceplate clamping system being one such item not least because similar items are not available commercially. Two other items that are very beneficial and again not available commercially, are the faceplate balancing fixture and sash clamps seen right of the Photograph. This also shows a few of my other items. Incidentally, after 25 years plus, the milling cutter chuck is still being used, though I have made a similar chuck for larger cutters.
Giving satisfaction
Satisfaction gained from making an item of workshop equipment can for me be divided into three groups, 1. those where the greatest satisfaction is in the making, 2. others in the design I have produced and 3. satisfaction in their use.
Group 1
Photograph 14 show's three boring heads, two of which I have made myself, with the small one top of the list in group 1. Photograph 15 shows the items that make up this boring head and illustrate the complexity of their shapes making them appear almost impossible to make in the average home workshop. However, by carefully choosing the manufacturing processes the boring head was made with relative ease and gave me much satisfaction as a result.
Group 2
The larger of the two shop made dividing heads is a candidate for this group as whilst a little less robust than the commercial item it is more adaptable. The worm/wormwheel drive between the dividing plate and the head's spindle uses the lathes changewheels enabling a range of plate to spindle ratios to be set up, rather than the single one with a commercial head. Also, direct dividing is provided, either via a dividing plate or a single changewheel. The additional ratios do not give a vast number of additional divisions but do give a few very useful ones, typically,125 for dividing a hand wheel fitted to an 8 TPI leadscrew. Using a single gear or dividing plate for direct dividing is often easier where a simple division number is required as it avoids multiple turns of the indexing arm.
My Workshops
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