Re: Spar Questions

Allen suggested: >Wire rope sheaves have V groves and you need to file them down >to U groves when switching from wire to line. I am told you can jig the >sheaves up on a lathe and hold a file against them to make the change. >Maybe even a drill press... I would not recommend the drill press approach. The quill is not designed for side loads, as would be required when filing the sheaves as you suggest. This recommendation is based on knowledge acquired firsthand (after ignoring written expert advice that would have saved me a bunch of aggravation). Alfred Poor 1973 Tartan 34C #288 "Jambalaya"

Alfred Poor wrote: > > > > I would not recommend the drill press approach. The quill is not > designed for side loads, as would be required when filing the sheaves > as you suggest. This recommendation is based on knowledge acquired > firsthand (after ignoring written expert advice that would have saved > me a bunch of aggravation). > OK, please share your lesson. I at least have done enough stupid things that I don't get too mirthful about others' similar misadventures. And I've used my drill press as a sort of mini-lathe. I needed a new little mahogany cylinder to hold up the stern light on my Cal 20. I cut it on a jig saw into roughly tubular form, then chucked it into the drill press with threaded rod and sanded it round as it spun. Was this really brainless (it seemed quite brilliant at the time)? Seems to me that the woodworking catalogs sell devices to hold sandpaper around a cylinder for sanding using the drill press, exerting side loads. Chris Campbell > > >