27 November 2025
27 November 2025
Things are getting an awful lot tidier as I now have places TO put things as I sort them. The loft floor is getting a little cluttered, but I can target a number of things as I pull everything together that should be together. Things like all the spares for the 3D printer are now in one place ... and labelled.
Think this will complete my Yare Dragon collection. Auction costs and shipping was more tha…
25 November 2025
25 November 2025
Plod along and things get done. Finding tools is less of a chore and every one I needed was easier to find, so the next steps on the printer are looking good. While I am waiting for the remaining parts, a move to get the lathe working looks like the next target. That will allow me to rewind a couple of reels of 7x0.2mm equipment wire. A bit overkill for a lathe, but easier than winding by hand, and the filament rolls are just close enough together to take the big reel…
24 November 2025
24 November 2025
I had a good time over the weekend, but am going a little backwards. 3D printer is in bits at the moment as I stripped the bed assembly and fitted the stiffer supports along with the z-axis synchronising belt. The problem now is that the z-axis is stuttering when going up, so I need to check the current going to the motors. That should be simple given the various instructions, but the setting pots are not showing any voltage against which to check and I can't find any alternative instruct…
20 November 2025
20 November 2025
The old grey cells are obviously waking up, although I'm not sure I am actually in control of what they are doing. Having been struggling with the FreeCAD stuff, I've got models for the stand for the lathe, and two halves of a motor mount to take the three phase motor and allow me to tension the belt to the headstock. Initially I thought I would run the motor mount in ABS plastic since I have a reel of blue stuff, but after a couple of attempts at 3DBenchy I can see that the extruder…
19 November 2025
19 November 2025
Another project in the TODO file is the lathe, and I've been putting it off a bit because I could not decide how to mount the motor. Then I realised I have all the tools I need to solve the problem, I just need to print suitable plastic parts to lift the lathe up 30 or 40 centimetres and provide an adjustable bracket for the motor base. Two more jobs for FreeCAD and why not model the lathe on the way ... With safety in mind, th…