Author Topic: A New Use for an Old Toy  (Read 4663 times)

Offline Ramon Wilson

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A New Use for an Old Toy
« on: January 02, 2017, 04:11:50 PM »
Hi Guys

I bought this rather nice bit of kit about five years ago for about £20-25. I didn't have an immediate use for it but it was 'too good to dismiss'

It's a rotating and swivelling table on a very substantial base. Made by Taylor,Taylor and Hobson to a very high standard I would guess it's intended use was possibly an inspection aid (though I would have thought the scales would have at least had a vernier if so ) but more likely for use on a surface grinder for dealing with compound angles. There are no means for bolting it down to a mill table which is a shame though it could be mounted to a plate should that ever be necessary


The table has no drive and just a small lever for locking but the fits are really excellent and both axiis work with that smooth drag that comes with high tolerance fits.


So far it's sat under the bench without a single use - until this week that is :)

My latest plastic distractions have lead me to the pleasures (?) of rigging first war biplanes. Held in a balsa fixture that's not an easy task to manipulate other than in two directions. Two models rigged so far but it wasn't until doing the latest this last week that the penny dropped - I have the perfect means to position it at will. So, two 6mm holes later and it was in action  :Lol:




That might be a bit overkill in some eyes but at least it's found a use - it put a big smile on my face, I hope it does yours.

A Happy New Year chaps - mines off to a good start as you can see  ;D
(and yes once this model is complete I do have good intentions for the next project ;)  ;))

Regards - Ramon
"I ain't here for the long time but I am here for a good time"
(a very apt phrase - thanks to a well meaning MEM friend)

Offline steamer

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2017, 04:21:05 PM »
How big is the table?....

That looks like it would go right into a Mill vise.....like maybe a 6".

Dave
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Damned ijjit!

Offline cwelkie

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2017, 04:24:08 PM »
Success!  I did smile.
I think that's a brilliant example of the advantages of having multiple interests.  Beside there being no such thing as overkill when it comes to securely and accurately holding a "workpiece" such that both hands are free.

Delightful model too, by-the-way!
Charlie

Offline Jo

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2017, 04:40:44 PM »
Its a table for a Taylor Hobson engraver - used to mount the item being engraved at a compound angle. :)

They do some very short rotary tables, which are equally desirable, to make it easier to engrave at an angle .

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline pgp001

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2017, 05:08:37 PM »
Hi Ramon

I have the same one myself, I modified it slightly to accept some holding down clamps on the milling machine.
Jo is correct about it being for an engraving machine, but I use mine with a special fixture for slitting musical box comb bases ready for fitting new teeth when they have been broken off.









Phil

Offline steve-de24

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2017, 05:20:10 PM »
Ramon,
That's a very nice SE5a you're making there, what scale is it?  I hope you will post a photo when finished.
Steve

Offline Ramon Wilson

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2017, 12:29:34 AM »
Hi Steamer,

Hope you are doing fine - Dave, perhaps a little big for that but first one needs a mill big enough for a 6 inch vise anyway  :D.

Nice to hear what it was originally designed for Jo but it would have made a great asset to the J&S 1400 at times

Phil - it'll be easier for me to mount it to a plate - facility for deep side milling long gone.

Charlie you're the only one who seems to have twigged - after five years under the bench unused it's finally in action  :ThumbsUp:

Steve - it's 1/32 scale and one of the Wingnut Wings models. Yep, will do a pic or two - should be finished this week.

Regards - Ramon
"I ain't here for the long time but I am here for a good time"
(a very apt phrase - thanks to a well meaning MEM friend)

Offline steamer

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2017, 12:39:58 AM »
Hi Steamer,

Hope you are doing fine - Dave, perhaps a little big for that but first one needs a mill big enough for a 6 inch vise anyway  :D.

Nice to hear what it was originally designed for Jo but it would have made a great asset to the J&S 1400 at times

Phil - it'll be easier for me to mount it to a plate - facility for deep side milling long gone.

Charlie you're the only one who seems to have twigged - after five years under the bench unused it's finally in action  :ThumbsUp:

Steve - it's 1/32 scale and one of the Wingnut Wings models. Yep, will do a pic or two - should be finished this week.

Regards - Ramon

I miss my VanNorman!.....   that mill was big enough!!!... ah well.
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline Tennessee Whiskey

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2017, 01:57:19 AM »
Tug, that sucker has more uses than a Swiss Army knife, great bit of kit.

Cletus

Offline gbritnell

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2017, 03:12:55 PM »
Hi Ramon,
It looks like an excellent workable tool. Using it for rigging your model aircraft is a great idea. By the way I too have a plastic distraction now and then. Actually as a kid that is how I got into this hobby.
gbritnell
Talent unshared is talent wasted.

Offline gary.a.ayres

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2019, 09:56:10 AM »
Very nice bit of gear is a tilting rotary table, I reckon!

Thanks once again for your advice and encouragement.

gary

 :)

Offline Allen Smithee

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Re: A New Use for an Old Toy
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2019, 10:07:48 AM »
My best piece of "repurposing" would be my Unimat 1s - I'm sure you remember them. They were the pretty useless "toy" reconfigurable lathe/mill/drill machine with plastic chucks that were cynically marketted with pictures of precision metal turning back in the 80s. I had two of them - one I won in a club raffle and the other was given to me by someone who had given up on it. From the various bits I made this - a spot welding fixture to fit new elements into the Glowbee flat-coil plugs we used in FAI-F3D pylon racing engines (a new one for every race; they were about $3.50 each in bags of a hundred in 1995). The sprung-loaded holder takes an electrode which was turned from a standard cupro-nickel welding electrode, and the glowplug holder had a copper shim earthing plate on one jaw.

The jig allowed me to place the two spot welds in precise locations without risk of damaging the tapered seating face. The welding system just used 10uf of metalised paper capacitors charged to 12v from a car battery and then discharged through the electrode. The platinum-iridium-rhodium wire elements were annealed (electrically) and then wound to shape on a former before trimming to length. The ~1/2" piece of 0.008" wire in each plug cost about £0.80 (around $1 in colonial money) although I managed to get a 20% scrap-reclaim discount from Johnson-Mathay (the only company in the UK who supplied it) by sending back the elements from "dead" glowplugs.

AS

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