lub

[Critters26]

can i buy the lube in town ... shipping is unbelievable ..... what kind should i look for ????

[Dale]

Try Lubraplate 930AA

[lynnfrwd]

Try Lubraplate 930AA
Does this contain molybdenum disulfide? Has anyone else used this successfully?

The only reason we started selling it was because we couldn't find anything available locally that worked. We had to buy it in a big container and we bottle it in a smaller 1 oz. container to sell.

[Scooby]

Mobil sells tubes of Moly. Depending on where you live, Bomgaars sells a 14 oz. tube, I think I paid $6.00, I have had good luck with it and I think it's made by Mobil. Check eBay, there's a lot there and the shipping is reasonable or free.

[rickroy]

I just replaced my flexshaft which lasted 19 months! I run my CW everyday, five days a week so I think this is outstanding. Flexshafts used to melt down every three months or faster leaving me frustrated and significantly poorer. Along came Joe Szegda who showed me a way to prolong the life of my flexshafts. Joe had three 1/4" plastic tubes long enough to hold the inner core of the flexshaft. He would fill the tube (sealed on the bottom of course) with a Moly lubricant that he gets from his auto supply store and leave the core in the tube to absorb the moly lubricant. When the flexshaft installed on the CW gets warm to the touch, it is time to switch out the core for one that is lubricated. My machines flexshaft runs cool all of the time. 19 months! Thanks Joe!

[cestout]

Connie
Been using it since my first A machine, never have an even warm flex shaft. I have been posting it here for years whenever anyone complains about flex shaft troubles. Someone listened. I had some left over from when I repaired my old Monkey Wards Radial Arm saw MANY years ago. I use it on my first CompUcarve and it worked so well I kept using it. I finally had to buy some more. I don't know what is in it fur it is for high speed gears so I suffered it would work -and it did.
Clint

[Digitalwoodshop]

Good to know that is works. A picture of the can would be helpful. In my opinion the fuss is that the stuff we used in 2007 has changed and does not absorb into the core as well and resulted in some costly flexes going south long before it's time. The Savings Grace of this is that LHR has the "Good Stuff".... And so guys like me tend to lean toward pointing people to LHR... Hedging my bet that I save from a costly flex failure.

Doing combined shipping can work for some to help with the shipping cost.. Like adding a FSC Cable and a Board Sensor, the things that tend to go bad... And I know others don't have the budget to buy extra parts so I understand the shipping concern. In cases like that, I would try to do some small sign projects to "Support buying Parts".... People love small signs.... Make the machine support itself.

AL

[normrichards]

I just wish LHR would take heed of all the shipping cost complaints. I really think people would pay a reasonable fee with no problem but when LHR charges $12 and then I get the item in a package that says they paid $3.95 it just seems that anything above $8 which is still a 100% markup seems unreasonable. It is also not inline with most companys and even ebay which offers free shipping on most items now a days. I realize that LHR has to pay someone to pull orders, pack and ship but the norm now is to incorporate those costs into the cost for the item which I understand makes the item cost more so either way you are paying for the shipping however it just does not look as bad as seeing a $12 shipping cost for a $10 item. I also would not buy extra stuff just to justify the shipping because I think that practice rewards the bad shipping costs with additional sales.

[lynnfrwd]

Your standard add $8 shipping into the cost of the item works great until you add one more item, then you have paid more in built in costs then you would have in shipping at $12. Order 3 items and you have doubled the $12 shipping cost to $24.


Also the $3.95 is non-insured USPS, based on where you live and the weight of the package.

What happens, if the item is over $50? Don't you want that going UPS and insured in case they lose or damage it?

What happens, if the item is over 3 pounds and the shipping cost is a lot more?

What happens, if the item is under 3 pounds, but falls within the "over-sized package" cost?

Then there is the guy that lives in Houston with easy delivery and then the guy that lives 50 miles from the nearest UPS or USPS facility.

All of these things are calculated by the shipping company. $12 is more for some people and not enough for others. It is a calculation that works best.

This topic raises it's ugly head about 4 times a year. Can someone tell me the last time we raised our shipping costs?

[normrichards]

Your standard add $8 shipping into the cost of the item works great until you add one more item, then you have paid more in built in costs then you would have in shipping at $12. Order 3 items and you have doubled the $12 shipping cost to $24.


Also the $3.95 is non-insured USPS, based on where you live and the weight of the package.

What happens, if the item is over $50? Don't you want that going UPS and insured in case they lose or damage it?

What happens, if the item is over 3 pounds and the shipping cost is a lot more?

What happens, if the item is under 3 pounds, but falls within the "over-sized package" cost?

Then there is the guy that lives in Houston with easy delivery and then the guy that lives 50 miles from the nearest UPS or USPS facility.

All of these things are calculated by the shipping company. $12 is more for some people and not enough for others. It is a calculation that works best.

This topic raises it's ugly head about 4 times a year. Can someone tell me the last time we raised our shipping costs?


I sell on etsy and ship all over the U.S., USPS priority mail is now insured by the post office up to $50 for no additional cost. my shipping profit is no where near what LHR's appears to be, LHR has been selling the same items for years now, by now you have a good idea on what to charge for shipping, especially for the small items like fsc cables, bits, lube, bearings etc. Items that go out often but are not expensive to ship. If this item rears its ugly head about 4 times times a year then imagine the dozens or hundreds of others who do not complain but just try and buy what ever they can from someone else. Bits, bearings, lube, are all being bought by many, many else where not only because the cost of the item itself is cheaper but because the shipping is too high. I know I often chime in when someone else brings up the shipping costs but I keep hoping that LHR sees that customers are not happy, I have never started a thread about this but I do often throw in my 2 cents when others complain, and yes I get the opportunity at least 4 times a year, probably more. As for all the what happens comments, there are plenty of companies who figure out all those issues and come up with a way to figure costs in a way that customers appreciate. Finally while shipping may not have gone up, plenty of other items have had dramatic increases, just look at memory cards and programmers, FSC cables, and the fact that you can no longer just buy the gear and bearings that often go out and instead must buy the whole motor assembly.

[DickB]

I hesitate to even comment on this as it is a recurring topic, but here's my 2 cents.

Shipping charges vary greatly from supplier to supplier. Different suppliers have different rates, from "free" to quite a large percentage relative to item cost. LHR's $12 flat rate is reasonable in my view, and not out of line compared to other suppliers.

I buy a lot of items and have them shipped, and ship a lot of items as well, so I have some experience. For example, I sell and ship hardware kits for my clock projects, and have most of the parts shipped to me. So I have experience on both ends.

To make up the kits, I buy a pound roll of magnet wire for $18.40 and get "free" shipping. Nice if you only need one roll, but this particular seller offers no discount if I by 2 or 3 at a time. On the other hand, 20 magnets weighing less than a pound costs me $57 but the seller charges $18.39 shipping via UPS. I know it could be shipped cheaper via USPS, but the seller doesn't offer that option. Also, if I bought only one or three magnets, I would be paying more for shipping than the cost of the magnets, so I buy at least 20 at a time. This is not at all uncommon with suppliers. It's the same with my electronics supplier - if I buy one or only a few items, shipping cost is significant. So I keep parts in stock and order several different parts when I run low on one part. It's simply how you make due with the way it is.

For shipping the kits, it's most convenient for me to ship via USPS Priority Mail and as such I have a "standard" rate of $6.10 in the US. Cheaper than LHR, but then again if someone were to order multiple kits my rate is not flat like LHR's, so the buyer pays more for shipping. LHR offers a better deal than I do in that case.

I think it is relatively easy to use LHR's flat rate to advantage. Bits are a wear item - they are going to need to be replaced sooner or later. Yes, you can buy bits cheaper elsewhere, but then you are often required to mount your own adapters or do whatever to make them work. I have used a few bits from other suppliers, but I like LHR bits with the pressed-on CT adapters, so they are my first choice. So you need a cable or brushes, add a couple of bits which you know you are going to use eventually and now $12 shipping is a pretty good deal (compare to my 20 magnet order).

My last order was to replace a frayed Y belt ($20) and Y motor assembly ($90). Bits were on sale, so I added a cutting bit ($35.99) that I will need in a few months and also a set of brushes ($15) that I will need down the road. My $160.99 order cost $12 to ship - I consider that a very good rate. If I could have purchased parts locally it would have cost me $11.20 in sales tax, which I did not have to pay on this order, so like I say this was a good deal.

So yes, when buying a single, inexpensive small part like brushes a $12 shipping charge is relatively high. But at the same time if you buy several items I think you also have to admit that LHR's flat fee is relatively inexpensive, and in fact is less than many other suppliers. That is my experience.

[SharonB]

Well said Dick.

[dbemus]

I agree 100%!!!