Hi there, I've been following this forum for quite a while now, but this is my first posting. I retired two years ago from being an electrical engineer with the local electricity board, a job I had since leaving school.

The sum total of training I've had to use a lathe consisted of one day making a plumb bob (which I still have), the rest I have picked up from books such as the excellent Amateur's Lathe by L H Sparey and various Workshop Practice Series books. At one point I thought it would be a good exercise, when working at the lathe, to imagine what Sir John would say if he were looking over my shoulder, but the thought of all that laughing put me off.

Workshop tools consist of a Myford M Type lathe, a Drummond(?) hand powered shaper, Coronet Major woodworking lathe, small horizontal bench mill and the usual hand tools. Virtually everything has been bought second hand or inherited.

Most of the time I make tools but I have made a small oscillating engine from plans in a Model Enginneer 's special publication:

I just need to think of something for it to power, nutcracker, pencil sharpener…?

At the moment I am trying to make a Potts drill grinding jig, about which I have some questions but will post these on another thread.

Regards to you all John Smith..