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Recent content by garyhlucas

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    How not to sell a collet closer

    We didn’t send it back because we had already invested a lot of time installing it. We had to cut the gear train cover for clearance, a hole for the handle shaft, make a bracket to attach the shaft, etc.
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    How not to sell a collet closer

    We purchased a collet closer for a Colchester 13” lathe and I was asked to help install it. First read the instructions, then look carefully at the drawing. Closer sticks in the open position and one cam is stuck. Give the handle a hard yank and it comes free. I call the factory and explain the...
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    OKUMA Captain transformer hookup

    Multitap transfomer instead of reconnecting coils. The only downside is it has to be larger because at 240 you aren’t using all the turns in the transformer. It is nice to work with and you could even use a 3pdt switch to change the voltage.
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    Robot Accuracy

    Your comment here about the Fanuc is very interesting. We have a customer with a welding cell that laser welds two stacked parts that are 2mm square and one is 0.001" thick!. It has 3 Fanuc LR-Mate 200 robots placing the parts in a fixture. It has bee running 8 years and still fails 25% of the...
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    Shipping charges .... Did they really go to insane levels ???

    Exactly! Because an old treaty with China before we bought much from them has all of the cost of shipping within the US paid by Our Post Office. CAn't understand why we are not renegotiating that treaty.
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    Best beginner machines for production at a steel plant with outdated machinery?

    We keep getting requests for robot automation projects. So far only one actually makes sense for a robot. So don't be blinded by thought of using a robot.
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    Mandatory retirement plans must be offered by small business

    Having visited Russia in the late 70s and watched the collapse of the Soviet Union I expect that Russia will collapse as well. Can't see a country with the population and GDP they have keep the war going without really severe consequences, despite the claims. War is terrible, but I can't see...
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    Fix a miss aligned hole

    A cordless drill is an ergonomic disaster for drilling holes! Use a corded drill, hold it by the grooves on the body between thumb and forefinger, pull the trigger with your pinky. This puts the thrust straight down the axis of the drill bit and you can push really hard and get a nice curling...
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    OLD Gilbert & Parker Compressor info?

    That pump may have reed valves that are dirty. A customer asked me to check his compressor. I pulled the head and the valves were packed with dirt and not sealing well. Cleaning them restored it.
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    Inventor wants to help us on his jobs in shop+sign NDA

    Just yesterday my boss called me in on a zoom call with an inventor. It happened to be in an area I know a lot about. The guys design was terrible, and dangerous because it involved high voltages. I am a crazy ass inventor myself, took years for me to admit it. All the automation projects at...
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    PRoud grandpa

    My grandson's birthday is the 26th of December when he will turn 20. He finished his undergrad degree in Civil Engineering at NJIT back in May. He did it in two year by cramming like hell in high school, night school and summer school. He worked as my assistant at my job for a summer building...
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    Does myasthenia gravis mean the victim should be terminated?

    I had a friend with this condition. It kept him in wheelchair and made it tough for him to change jobs. However he earned a PHD in nuclear physics before he was 20. He worked for a company where he built what he needed for his research, things like a mass spectrometer. He went to work for...
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    Servo Motors and VFD's

    VFDs are how you run 3 phase motors! If the motor is rated for 400Hz and your VFD can be set for that frequency it's no problem. Note that the motor is likely permanent magnet and the VFD needs to be programmed for that otherwise it will be trying to compensate for the slip that an induction...
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    Novice needs advice on basic drawing and cutlist software.

    What want is stupid easy. What you NEED is not stupid easy, but will pay quickly. For just 2D take a look at DraftSight. It is very AutoCad like but I actaully prefer it. I only use 2D for an occasional sketch to figure out geometry and to do electrical and layout drawings, otherwise its...
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    Best Hole saw for Stainless

    Thin stainless and a holesaw of any kind, rigidity is everything. Starting is no problem but as you go through the inner surface, suddenly you have a very bendy sharp edge. So I think you want to keep the saw from suddenly grabbing. If this was done with a machine with zero backlash it would...
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