Allan sez: "I won't post to or read this newsgroup again until I've built
something,
however tiny or crappy."
Allan,
Please don't go. I firmly believe most of the good people on RCM are still
available to help you. Just learn to disregard the occasional insulting
reply. Most respondents (well a lot of respondents, anyway) don't mean to
belittle you; its just that there is such a large number of repliers you
are bound to get one every now and then that is unable to respond on a level
that is acceptable to you. Some are probably irritable because maybe their
own questions haven't been answered on RCM. Still others must have their
egos boosted by tearing down someone else. Allan, remember one thing about
RCM. It is a microcosm of Life with all the foibles, pitfalls and
disappointments that are an inevitable part. Also, there is a lot of good
on RCM. As you have complemented Don Nichols for his helpful advice,
although you choose not to take that advice, there are others that are
equally eager to help. Give us a chance. Those that can help, will help.
Those that can't, may blow you off with an insulting reply - but in those
cases, remember *you* may have helped them by the ego boost they got by
tearing you down. Take nothing personally; take everything else with
skepticism, and as in Life the truth will eventually emerge.
Enjoy the little multipurpose "shop" you are getting from Harbor Freight. I
agree with others, it is not acceptable as any sort of metalworking tool.
But enjoy it anyway. You can learn almost as much from an inadequate tool
as you can from a good one; and, as you said, it may be safer. IMO, you
should get a copy of "Machining Fundamentals", by Turner. There is a wealth
of information in it.
Bob Swinney
"Allan Adler" wrote in message
...
I have to admit I was pretty angry with John ("Shoot first and ask
questions later)" Martin for his judgemental
heckling, the ultimate effect of which was to interfere with the
genuine help I was getting in the thread "rack and pinion". But, after
considering the matter, I decided that he actually did me a favor by,
in effect, pointing out how fragile the support is that I can expect
from rec.crafts.metalworking.
I have been quite impressed by the depth and breadth of the combined
expertise of this newsgroup, and I remain so. I have been equally
impressed by the good will and congeniality here and by the high
level of commitment on this group to helping people at all levels
of competence, and that is still my feeling. But the simple fact is
that, in real life, I don't have any friends with whom I can get
together to discuss machine tools or who can show me things or who
can help me pick up the pieces after a disaster or who can tell me
whether conditions in my shop are safe. Nor are there any courses
available to me (I have looked!) that can make me more self-sufficient.
That being the case, I have no other source of advice about metalworking
than this newsgroup and the question is whether I can proceed with just
that support, given the many other severe constraints I am operating
under,
many more than I have mentioned above.
Based on excellent advice I got from Don Nichols, I was on the verge of
ordering a Taig lathe and HarborFreight milling machine but now I have
decided to go with the HarborFreight Item 40102-3 VGA, "8 in 3
multipurpose
mini machine". Don correctly advised:
1/125th HP motors. If anything, perhaps weaker than the
Unimat-1, though it appears to be made of a bit more metal. same
restrictions -- "soft metals". I would skip this just as I would skip
the Unimat 1.
In my case, however, the following considerations are more important:
(1) It costs under $200, including with shipping and handling. That means
I'm not investing a lot in the experience, unlike with the Unimat 1,
which winds up costing almost $450 after all the extra costs are added,
or the combination of Taig lathe and HarborFreight mill, which cost
even more.
(2) Because it has such a puny motor, I am a lot less likely to hurt
myself using it.
Without a solid commitment to as much support as I actually need, which is
a lot more than I can reasonably ask of anyone, and which is a lot harder
to give by email and USENET than in person, I think this is the most
sensible
way for me to proceed. After I'm more experienced, I'll consider getting
more
powerful machines.
Allan Adler
* Disclaimer: I am a guest and *not* a member of the MIT CSAIL. My actions
and
* comments do not reflect in any way on MIT. Also, I am nowhere near
Boston.
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