[daveshorts (OP)]

Will have a look, although tis Sunday, and I want to play with some power tools at some point this weekend 

[Karen W.]

Hey I would go for the power tools, as the forum will be well until Monday!! What kind of power tools you firing up? I am fixing to do some wood splitting with the gas powered wood spliter and the chaisaw!! I love the wood splitter it makes firewood alot easier.. and faster!! Have fun Dave and rest... These things will be here later!

[daveshorts (OP)]

I have a horrible feeling it is going to involve shopping first, but I want to build various things with my lathe, including a compressed air powered plastic steam engine model to show how it works, a large fire piston, amongst various other things.

[Karen W.]

OOOH I have never played around with a lath, I have a band saw a scroll saw a table saw, router,  I don't have a PLaner and would really love one.. I have alot of beautiful old redood boards I would like to plane and reuse... Redwood is beautiful... Last thing I did was build a new partition in my living room to help balance out a wall for a wood stove...It was more or less to accomodate my since aof balance for the hearth! I like balance in my home! woops, sorry not mod business. Have a great weekend!

[daveshorts (OP)]

Is more of a metal/plastic lathe, so kind of more precise and less arty products It has an attached (if not wonderful) milling machine which is useful too.

[Karen W.]

Very cool. Is it something you just purchased and haven't had time to play with yet? Sounds nice.. The milling machine, is it for cross cutting or taking down.. like a planner.. explain, I don't think I have seen one of these..

[daveshorts (OP)]

I have had it for about a year, but still have lots of things I want to do with it.

A milling machine is a bit like a router for metal. The piece of metal is held on a table that moves horizontally and the cutting head moves up and down, allowing you to make lots of non-circular things with quite a lot of precision - depending on how much backlash your table has...