Greetings from South Africa

[Andre]

It was looking for something unrelated and landed up on the MEM site. l have to say, I'm impressed with the high quality work that can be seen and I recon these creations are done by artists not by artisans. You make it look so easy, taking a piece of material and create something that works. This was just the motivation I needed to clean up and oil my machines and start working on some of the tooling I was starting to make 11 years ago, before I bought a business. I live in a small town 300km north of Cape Town on the way to Namibia, so I can see myself hitting some tools shops in Cape Town. Any way, I'll place some photo's of my workshop in due time.

Greetings
Andre

[Jo]

  Andre

Looking forward to the photos of your workshop... Why do you have a workshop.. what do you make other than tooling?

(Phil likes making tooling  , one day he might start on his Corliss engine "Agnes"  )

Jo

[steamer]

Welcome Andre!

Dave

[tel]

Welcome Andre!

[vcutajar]

Hi Andre and welcome.

Vince

[Jim K 324]

                     From South Louisiana USA  Andre! Glad you fond us .


                                  Jim

[Don1966]

  Andre!

Don

[ths]

Hi Andre, welcome to the forum. I like making tooling too.

Cheers, Hugh.

[Andre]

Hallo all, thanks for welcoming me on the forum. As I've said when I introduced myself, I'm impressed and all I can say is WOW!!!

Jo, your project "Stothert and Pitt" is amazing. I'm reading your feed back like a mystery novel and I have to pace myself (on page 35 now), because on each page there is another puzzle. Well done. The comments from fellow Model Engineers are priceless and they are so supportive.

Hugh, I'm a novice, the tooling I make, is just to make live a bit easier, but I would like to more bits and pieces. I'm busy with tool post for my Myford. I'm also busy with a Quorn Tool & Cutter grinder and I'll post some photos of my progress. I am sure there will be machining questions what the forum members can help me with.

I have the basic workshop equipment and would like to buy a three axis DRO, so if there are any forum members from South Africa, please advise on make and supplier. Another project I would like to do (once I've finished the Quorn), is a skeleton clock, but with the little time I have to work in my shop, it is a dream at this stage. Anyway, I am adding a couple of photo of my machines.

Hope everybody have a wonderful day.
André

[DaveH]

Hi Andre, and welcome.

DRO's tend to be very expensive here, as you may well know - normal SA rip off. 

I can't give you much advice as I don't use DRO's.  Now one guy who may be able to give some info is Arnold he bought some not long ago 

http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php?action=profile;u=8

 
DaveH

[b.lindsey]

Welcome Andre and thanks for the pictures. Looks like you have the tools you will need for some model making, and will look forward to seeing your progress. Hopefully you will find all the motivation and help you may need right here at MEM.

Bill

[Antman]

Hey Andre,
    South Africans who take an active interest in machining are few and far between.  For instance the Durban Society of Model Engineers has only about 60 members and of those only a handful do any machining.  I wish I lived closer to Durbs,  DSME offers its members lots of benefits,  like a library,  a dual gauge track,  bulk buying etc.  Good luck with the Quorn.  Seems to me it's not so much the building of the thing,  it's learning and understanding how to use it.   So will I be sending my blunt endmills to you?
    I'm quite a novice machinist,  making slow progress,  working in a vacuum.  Maybe we'll meet sometime.
        Cheers,
          Ant
   

[Antman]

   And I should add ...
     If you want to buy things like HSS blanks,  endmills,  taps etc you can deal with Somta direct. 
http://www.somta.co.za/   
   They are ok with selling small quantities to hobbyists,  pleasant to deal with and fast.   Postage is local so no biggie and no import duty and you might pay less than half of what you'd pay an engineering supply shop.  For other things like DROs importing from China might be your best bet.   Sometimes one gets lucky and smaller items going regular postage slip through the customs net.
     
      Ant

[EmanMyford]

Hi Andre,

Welcome! You have some nice machines and tooling. 

Regards.
Ewald

[Jo]

Andre,

Try this guy for your DRO:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SINPO-3-axis-digital-readout-for-mill-milling-machine-complete-DRO-kit-/320990218753?pt=BI_Heavy_Equipment_Parts&hash=item4abc820a01

The kit is good: I have three sets  . It is shipping from China so will no doubt will send it to SA. And if you want slim scales it is not much more expensive (if at all  )

Jo