History

I chose Metalwork as a school subject and studied it for five years. I absolutely loved it – the process of shaping, cutting, joining, and polishing metal to create something beautiful or functional was incredibly rewarding.

We were taught the following:

The school featured a fully equipped metalwork workshop, including:

Over the years at school I created a variety of projects, culminating in a final-year project: A brass model of a vintage car, complete with functional steering and suspension.

My metalwork training has equipped me with a versatile skillset for making components for a wide range of engineering projects, including a remote-controlled electric cart for my daughter, a custom robot, a steam engine, or a housing for an electronic power supply. I can make brackets, shafts, arms… pretty much anything I need, including for home DIY tasks.

In 2020, shortly after moving into our house, I built myself a Workshop at the back of our garden. Over the last few years I have acquired additional tools and machinery. My interests in the metalwork domain include model engineering (functional rather than ornamental, for example a working stationary steam engine), among other things.

Axminster Sieg SC4 Lathe

For many years I have wanted to buy a metal lathe. In 2014 I finally had the space to keep and use one, so I bought a SIEG SC4, or as Axminster call it, the Engineer Series SC4, which is one of the larger, more powerful hobby lathes. It has a 1kW brushless motor with electronic control and ranges from 100 – 2000RPM.

The SC4 lathe is made by Sieg in China, and rebranded. My model is beige and branded Axminster. The new Axminster stock is green and light beige.

Specifications

Centre Height	105 mm
Chuck Fitting	Flange Mounted
Cross Slide Travel	100 mm
Distance Between Centres	510 mm
Headstock Taper	3 MT
Leadscrew Pitch	2 mm
Max Diameter over Bed	210 mm
Nett Weight	125 kg
Overall L x W x H	1,000 mm x 550 mm x 400 mm
Power	1.0 kW
Spindle Bore	20 mm
Spindle Speed	100 – 2,000 rpm
Tailstock Taper	2 MT
Thread Pitch Range	0.25 mm – 3.0 mm / 8 tpi – 24 tpi
Tool Shank Size	10 mm
Top Slide Travel	70 mm
Voltage	230 V

The motor is very powerful – I cannot stop the chuck with my hands even at 100 RPM! Don’t try that at home…

It features powered longitudinal and cross feeds, a moveable tailstock, and a size well-suited to most home workshop projects. Its metal gear set enables multiple speed options and precise synchronization, making it capable of cutting a wide variety of thread types.

I have mounted the lathe on a moveable board with steel angle brackets underneath as reinforcement, as you see in the above photo. My old workshop did not have much space, and if I needed to open the left cover panel to change the gears (manual operation), I needed to move the lathe. Now that it is in a larger workshop I could mount it directly to the bench, but having it on wheels allows me to move it for cleaning, and sets it at a good height, so I don’t have to bend over. I can lock the direction of the wheels as well apply a ‘parking brake’.

I have fitted the lathe with a 125mm chuck for larger work holding, as well as quick change toolpost. No other mods, except to remove the silly chuck guard.

I have 3 sets of 10mm lathe tools: HSS, HSS Co5, and Glanze tungsten carbide tipped turning tools. The Glanze tools are awesome and cut through rusty cast iron with ease, where my HSS tools failed miserably.

Sieg SX2P Mill

I have a SIEG SX2P milling machine, modified and sold by Arc Euro Trade. Axminster also carry the standard version rebranded. The Arc Euro Trade version features a larger table and a fixed, rigid column for improved stability. The machine is powered by a 500W brushless motor with electronic speed control. Thanks to the belt direct drive it is extremely quiet.

As for the lathe, I can’t safely stop it by hand at its lowest speed. Thanks to its belt direct drive, it’s exceptionally quiet in operation.

I have been meaning to install digital readouts (DRO) with display units to enable precise control over all three axes. I am also considering a CNC conversion, although that would require a significant investment of time and money – something for the future maybe.

Specification

End Milling Capacity	20 mm
Face Milling Capacity	35 mm
Head Tilt	45° – 0° – 45°
Lateral Table Movement	100 mm
Longitudinal Table Movement	220 mm
Max Drilling Mild Steel	16 mm
Nett Weight	50 kg
Nose of Spindle to Table [Max]	280 mm
Overall L x W x H	520 mm x 500 mm x 825 mm
Power	500 W
Spindle Speed	100 – 2,500 rpm
Spindle Taper	3 MT
Spindle Travel	180 mm
T Slot Size	12 mm
Table Size	390 mm x 100 mm
Throat	170 mm
Voltage	230 V

These machines are useful for model engineering, but also allow me to make parts for a small vehicle, a robot or a spare part for something that has broken, for example a castor wheel for my wardrobe sliding door.

I have a collet chuck with a full range of ER32 collets, and I typically use this for milling rather than the chuck. I have a range of HSS, HSS-Co5 and carbide milling bits, cutting wheels and a boring head. I also have a Soba indexable rotary table, and a set of involute gear cutters. The mill comes with a set of mounting brackets and t-nuts and bolts, and I have purchased an angle plate and a tilting milling table.

Axminster AW315PD Pillar Drill

This is a great little machine – perfect for a home workshop. I previously used a drill press that you fit an electric drill into, but having a proper pillar drill is so much better. The slower speed and increased torque is better for drilling metal.

I have multiple imperial and metric drill bit sets, including HSS and full range of metric HSS-Co5 bits in 0.1mm increments.

Axminster Craft AC200BG Bench Grinder

This is a 550W grinder that spins at 2,850 RPM. I replaced the standard grinding wheels with CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) wheels. CBN is second only to diamond in hardness, but does not react with iron at high temperatures like diamond does. These wheels provide a perfectly flat surface without the need for dressing.

They generate less heat than traditional wheels, have a much longer lifespan if looked after (no soft metal) and they are safer and won’t shatter if used properly. The side covers no longer fit, so I need to be careful during use. Even so, I feel a lot safer with these than standard silicon carbide wheels.

Ferm BGM1020 150mm Bench Grinder

My second grinder is 250W. I fitted adapters and buffing wheels to it, so that I can polish metal. When used with the appropriate buffing compound, it creates a perfect, shiny surface, provided you have finished it properly.

Other Metalwork Tools