Hello, I’m Gareth.

About me:

• I live in North Wales
• I work as a firefighter
• My interests include
  • photography
  • guitars
  • golf
  • shooting
  • kiteboarding
  • stargazing
  • and of course hobby engineering
• I studied outdoor education in college
• I spent 4 years in the territorial army, and have completed tours of both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Why did I get interested in machining?

I wanted to make a radio controlled tank so bought a Clarke CMD 10 mill to help the project along. Then I got more and more into machining and bought a lathe. I’ve always been into making things, DIY etc

What do I have in the shed?

I have a Clarke CMD10 MIll, I also have a Clarke CLM 300M. I also have the capacity to anodise, dye and seal my own parts.

To conclude this introduction. If you are thinking of buying your own mill/ lathe/ both, and want to get started as a hobby machinist, go for it. It is a really good hobby to have, and although it is expensive at times, it is possible to earn money from it, by making things for people.

Good luck!

Contributing Work:

• A Tailstock Camlock for the Clarke CLM300M Lathe

Hiking with my girl

Skill Level:

• Amateur.
• 2 years in hobby metal working.
• 6 months with CNC milling.
• 4 years in hobby electronics.

About me:

• 36 years old.


One of my other pursuits

• Living in Missouri, want to live in Colorado.
• Interests in computers, electronics, backpacking, shooting, photography, and now machine work.
• Family is my wife and my only daughter (one little girl is drama enough!)
• Dog lover.
• Employed in networking and computer security field.

Machines Owned:

• PM25-MV Milling Machine.  One of several different variants of the BF20/25 machines.  Converted to CNC operation over the winter of 2010 based largely on plans by Hoss at CNCZone.com.


PM25-MV Milling Machine Converted to CNC operation.

• G0602 10×22 Lathe.  Purchased largely to support the conversion of my mill I have since found numerous uses for this really nice machine from Grizzly.  No immediate plans on any CNC conversion for it.


Grizzly G0602 10x22 Benchtop Lathe

• Craftsman 12″ Benchtop Drill Press.  Nothing fancy but has proven adequate for most of my quick drilling needs.
• Harbor Freight Abrasive Cut-off Saw.  Purchased mostly to cut some ball screw stock and some other steel tubing and it has been going strong for months now chomping through sometimes 2″ solid rounds.  It’s not fast or pleasent but it works and beats hacksaws and angle grinders.
• 6″ Bench Grinder.  Harbor Freight birthday day gift but it’s done alright.  Made a couple of lathe tools.

My Shop:

The shop area is in two places.  The two big machines are in the basement and the rest are in the garage.  The two large machines take up about a fifth of the basement area with support equipment and I have not parked my car inside in about 12 months.  Long term plans are to renovate my external shed and make a shop out of it instead of a home for spiders and squirrels.

The Basement Shop Area

What Brought Me To Machining:

A weird and convoluted path.  I started out wanting to be able to drill holes for my custom PCB boards as part of my electronics hobby.  I purchased an X2 mini mill to allow me to do that with better precision and faster than a drill press.  Also I wanted to make custom heat-sinks for my power projects.  I quickly learned of conversions from manual mills to CNC and from there I started to dabble in making actual metal parts in the persuit of that.  I quickly became addicted to the metal working side of things and dropped my electronics work to get myself a CNC mill made.  I upgraded from the X2 to the larger PM25-MV machine and from there I purchased the rest of my equipment.  My wife was not amused as the original bread-board thermostat that I was going to make into a nice final unit on a PCB is still hanging on the wall after more than a year.  I expect the mill to be totally complete in the next year and finished up a little nicer.

I had no formal training or background in anything involving metalwork prior to 2009.  I am now considering some custom firearm work for myself and looking into ways to make the hobby return a little money to the household instead of bleeding it like a slashed wrist.  I have immensely enjoyed the journey here and the fact that more and more often I can now say…. “yeah, I can make that”.

Contributing Work:

• A Rear Spider Nut for the Grizzly G0602 Lathe

Pete Woods
British Citizen
Living in New Zealand

Pete Woods (middle)

Skill Level:

• 4 years machining incl. Machinist Course & Fitter Turner Course
• Use lathes, mills, grinders on a daily basis

Machines owned:

Don’t own any machines but work in a machine shop full time, we work to a tolerance of 0.001″ for every job.

Why I got into machining:

I have always been interested in creating things and designing stuff. My dad was an aero-machinist/welder for 22 years in the British RAF and still is here in NZ. I decided to follow his path and become an aero-machinist also. Its the best feeling being able to say “I made this” or saying to yourself, “now how am i going to make this/repair this”. I love creating a thought process in my head and completing it to perfection.

One day I want to set up my own small workshop in my ‘future garage’, create a website and work from home – something to aspire too!

Contributing Work:

• Lathe Cutting Speed Chart in “Feet Per Minute”
• An Introduction to Tapping