Good evening!

Please allow me to present the edited highlights of me and why I'm here. I am a panelbeater/fabricator by trade, mainly producing motorcycle parts such as fuel tanks, seat units and mudguards. I have, however, always had an interest in the machining side of things, an interest that has been intensified further by the possibility of doing my own machined fittings for my fabricated work. Finally, someone waved a Myford ML7 under my nose at a more than reasonable price and resistance became futile. Thus I now have a lathe to look after and learn about and find myself, perhaps a little like a new parent, experiencing a combination of elation and bafflement. Therefore I offer apologies advance for any stupid and obvious questions I post on here in the coming weeks and months.

S.M.

Thanks for the welcomes Chris and Neil. I am located in Crediton, near Exeter in Devon. I do know one or two people locally who will probably be able to help out, including one of my school teachers from years ago. I'm sure he might raise a wry smile at one of his little charges returning for further guidance a couple of decades down the line!

S.M.

Many thanks for that John. At the moment my machining is going to be almost exclusively in support of my fabrication work. Would imagine it's quite on the cards that there might be some model engineering going on in years to come though, once the business has settled down and I have a little more time for such things. As and when this happens I will certainly bear your kind offer in mind.

S.M.

Yes we do have a steel stockist in Crediton. They're called Conibear Brothers. They're more into steel framed buildings and other similar "heavy metal" rather than precision engineering supplies. That said, whenever I have needed something that's within their remit, they've been very friendly and helpful, despite the fact I'll probably only be buying in quantities that must barely register compared to their usual work!

S.M.