Just a quick follow-up to the previous shaft post… I cut the shaft to length on the horizontal band saw, and then chucked it in the lathe (and had Frankie do a quick check before I started) and then cut down the other end so the bearing would fit. It’s not perfect, but close enough. I’ve still got some of the shaft left if I need to make another one. The main thing is, I got some good experience using the lathe, which will come in handy if I end up turning my own knobs to fit on the potentiometers.
One bad thing… we had thought the shaft was steel and would work well for the magnets I plan to use, but… it’s not magnetic! I’ll probably end up drilling (er, lathing) a hole in the shaft to thread a steel bolt into so I’ve got some material I can stick the magnet to.