soba centre square

[LambtonParticipant @lambton]

I agree with Tony send it back. For too long the suppliers of poor quality tools and castings have relied on the skill and patience of model engineers to correct faulty items often purchased at exhibitions. They will not improve quality standards if we correct things ourselves saving them from bothering. We should not have to do their quality control for them. Having been disappointed twice I no longer buy tools or measuring equipment from exhibitions.

[Oil MagnetParticipant @oilmagnet]

Hi,

With a sensible head on I know I should have sent it back. I am only starting out in this fascinating hobby and couldnt resist the challenge of trying to fix it myself. After some tlc on the trusty Myford the wayward son of Soba is now a reformed character.

We are told in the jungle of the market place the best survive and the worst go to the wall, this does not allow for the distortion of economics, I think.

Anyway as an act of redemption I have sent Soba an email to see what they have to say about their shoddy workmanship, Perhaps more complaints from dissatified customers would help.

Thanks to all for comments and suggestions,

Regards om.

Edited By Oil Magnet on 21/05/2012 08:48:49

Edited By Oil Magnet on 21/05/2012 08:50:31

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Hi Oil Magnet,
The problem that you have with your centre square has prompted me to look at my centre square which has the same fault as yours but not as bad. I found that the "V" was not 90 Deg. and the sides of the "V" were not even straight. If I could remove the blade from the "V" I could correct the errors. I can only see one mark that could be the head of a rivet so I am not sure how the plade is attached. (I would have expected two rivets.) Does anyone know how the blade is attached ?

Les.

[Master ShipwrightParticipant @mastershipwright]

Hi Les

My Soba centre square is held together with rivets.

CS

[Oil MagnetParticipant @oilmagnet]

Hi,

Mine also has two rivets.

Looks like Indian Friday afternoons start on Monday morning.

om.

Edited By Oil Magnet on 21/05/2012 14:43:18

[Joseph RamonParticipant @josephramon28170]

More likely hobby exhibitions are a brilliant opportunity to shift returns that you wouldn't sell over the counter or by post.

Joey

[Oil MagnetParticipant @oilmagnet]

Hi,

just in case anyone else feels like sending a complaint,

**LINK**

om.

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Hey guys

Just before we start another character assassination – OM's square is faulty, mine is not. All manufacturers occasionally have faulty products and some will slip through into the supply chain. Your beef is not with the manufacturer but with the retailer who is obliged to replace or refund. I've never had any trouble in gaining satisfaction via this route – just ring the folk you bought it from. In my experience SOBA are a reputable supplier of engineering kit at affordable prices – kit suitable for use in OUR workshops – I can't answer for an industrial environment.

Regards

Norman

Edited By NJH on 21/05/2012 16:26:58

[Oil MagnetParticipant @oilmagnet]

Hi,

Norman does your centre square have the company logo on the radial arm like the one on the box ?.

Mine does not . I am thinking bootleg copies.

Regards om.

[HasBeanParticipant @hasbean]

Just tried mine which is a 'Groz' product. Oops, that's way out too.

Still, as I've had mine for at least a couple pf years and not needed/used it (seemed like a good idea at the time) I think I'll just put it down to experience!

Paul

[Master ShipwrightParticipant @mastershipwright]

Hi

Perhaps I should have added that that my Soba centre square is accurate.

CS

[mike adkins 4Participant @mikeadkins4]

not sure on the actual maker of mine but it came from rgd tools, spot on

[Tony JeffreeParticipant @tonyjeffree56510]

Posted by Richard Parsons on 18/05/2012 17:55:51:

Oil Magnet if I may suggest go to your local trading standards officer (if they are not in conference (aka down the pub). This is totally contrary to the Sale of Good Act as it is “NOT of merchantable quality and fit for the purposes for which it was intended” i.e. to mark the centre of a round item.

Mind you if they were anything like the lot where I used to live you could NEVER contact them!

rdgs

Dick

Oh dear, it seems to be armchair legal advice time again…

Personally I seriously doubt that trading standards, even if you can contact them, are about to be getting into a pi$$ing contest with a ME show stallholder over what constitutes merchantable quality/fitness for purpose in a "measuring instrument" that cost 2s6d and which makes no claims to any particular degree of accuracy. My guess is that they would probably file the complaint in the usual place and tell you that they are looking into it.

Far better just to contact the supplier & ask for a refund or replacement, or use it as a missile to launch at the neighbour's cat when it fertilises your hardy annuals.

Regards,

Tony

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Thanks oil Magnet & Cross Slide. I have found the second rivet and removed both rivets. I have made a start on re machining it. Just for the record mine was bought from Warco about 5 years ago. It does not have any brand name on it.

Les.

[Oil MagnetParticipant @oilmagnet]

Hi,

I put a few more pics in the album if anyones interested. I dare say the set up might raise a few more experienced eyebrows but what the heck I thinkI did a better job of it than Soba.

My concern now is my new HBM 6 inch 4 jaw chuck , It cost more than 2/6d and if its not up to it next- doors cat could get flattened.

Regards om.

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Not just a better job, it is spot on! (I expanded photo to limit and it is still OK)

[Master ShipwrightParticipant @mastershipwright]

Hi OM,

Excellent work …. How is the HBM. Must confess I have only bought Toolmex or Bison and never hand any problems… But my wallet is very much lighter!

OS

[MetalhackerParticipant @metalhacker]

As a semi legal aside the responsibility for supplying goods of merchantable quality lies with the supplier not the manufacturer. You have a contract with them and therefore they are required under the Sale and Supply of goods act to make sure what they supply is what you thought you were buying. It may be of interest to any of you that own Saab's you thought were under warranty. Since they went bust your dealer will tell you the warranty is void. It aint necessarily so as the warranty is between you and the dealer. There I go digressing off topic again, but if you can remember who sold you the duff gear at the exhibition contact them, they will be closer than the manufacturer and probably are more fluent in our native tongue

ATB Andries

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

My concern now is my new HBM 6 inch 4 jaw chuck

I purchased a HBM camlock 3 jaw chuck with 2 piece jaws as a replacement for the Harrison 330VS at work & it is good in all respects – fits the spindle well, the jaws are a good fit in the body & grip the workpiece parallel. The top jaws are a very snug fit the the base jaws. I did a runout check on a bit of ground bar when it arrived, though I can't recall the reading – but it was low enough not to be an issue.

We also use RDG's ER collets at work on CNC VMCs, as they are a lot cheaper than the industrial suppliers & the ones I have checked have been very good for runout. No complaints from the operators about them either.

At home I have a HBM rear QC toolpost on the Super 7 – again, nicely finished, the tenon fit the tee-slots snugly & it works well.

The same cannot be said of the supposedly Myford fit Soba ER collet chuck – which doesn't. I should have sent it back (bought at Harrogate last year), but didn't get around to it at the time. It is tight, though, so it will get sorted eventually. But a small Soba boring head with interchangeable shanks is nicely made, the 2MT shank fits the machine taper well & it works fine. Perhaps Soba have a QC problem, or maybe they buy in from different suppliers for different products & just brand them all Soba ? It does seem to be a bit of a lottery as to how useable their products are.

Nigel B.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

I have a small Soba machine vice. Otherwise very accurate, the jaws were at about 87 degrees to the axis of the vice instead of 90. Some judicious milling restored order, until the thread in the moving jaw (it is a combined left/right hand thread for faster movement) stripped. I managed to replace it with a suitable single thread bar .

Neil

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

Posted by Nigel Barraclough on 23/05/2012 19:12:00:

The same cannot be said of the supposedly Myford fit Soba ER collet chuck – which doesn't. I should have sent it back (bought at Harrogate last year), but didn't get around to it at the time. It is tight, though, so it will get sorted eventually.

I had the same experience. It was too tight to fit the rigister. I should have sent it back but did the model engineer thing of fixing it. When I finally managed to pursuade it on, it ran so far out, my knackered 50 year old three jaw, which was retired to a shelf about fifteen years ago, ran better. I couldn't be bothered after that and it went in the bin. I then bought the Myford one which ran perfectly. By contrast, I've also got the Soba centre finder in question and my one is fine. However the damage is done and I won't be buying anymore Soba stuff.

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Hi Chris

At the risk of an accusation of Grandmothers and eggs – it should be a tight fit on the register.

I too bought a SOBA ER collet chuck and tried and tried to get it onto the S7. I was about to return it but, luckily, hit on the solution. The problem was one of precise alignment. I chucked a piece of 1/4" silver steel in my tailstock chuck, put the appropriate collet into the ER chuck, and closed it to be a sliding fit on the rod. Sliding the collet chuck up to the mandrel it screwed straight on to the full depth of the register. Run- out measured on the ground inside face of the chuck is not perceptible on any equipment that I have. I 've had this chuck for a couple of years and I find the above method is the best and quickest way to fit the chuck.

This leaves the question – did your "fixing" of the problem destroy the accuracy of the chuck?

Regards

Norman

Edited By NJH on 24/05/2012 11:19:17

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

I too have a SOBA Myford fit ER collet chuck. Fits perfectly on my S7 spindle (and also on my "non used" myford nose reference tool. Concentricity (run out) is not really measureable ie less than 0.0001" [0ne ten thousanth).

Forget the legal stuff, any supplier worth his salt will exchange the item or give you your money back. If they will not, say so on this Forum!

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