# What's Your First Project of the New Year?



## BobWarfield (Jan 1, 2009)

What's the first thing you'll be doing in your shop for the New Year?

For me it's finishing up the wiring of my CNC electronics enclosure for my IH mill conversion. Right now I'm at the debugging stage!

Cheers,

BW


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## gbritnell (Jan 1, 2009)

I spent almost 2 years traveling, measuring, taking pictures, and making drawings of a 16hp. Russell traction engine. I would eventually like to make a 1" scale model to go with my 1" Case but for now I have started making a 1/48th scale copy to enter in the Sherline contest. I doesn't look like I'll get it finished in time because I had to go back to work to bolster my retirement accounts but I have started on it and have the boiler section almost finished.
gbritnell


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## Cedge (Jan 1, 2009)

My first project of the year is going to be finishing the up fit to the new C4 lathe and rearranging the shop to compensate for its presence. With two lathes and two small mills in a limited space, it's gotten a wee bit crowded again. 

First engine is looking like a Side rod steam engine, similar to the Burrel models kit.

Steve


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## rleete (Jan 1, 2009)

Cedge  said:
			
		

> With two lathes and two small mills in a limited space, it's gotten a wee bit crowded again.



In the interest of your personal space, I volunteer to take any "spares" you have...


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## Metal Mickey (Jan 1, 2009)

Well as some of you know I HATE WOOD! So what did I spend today doing? Yes, playing with WOOD! I have decided that I am going to make a start on the Myford refurbishment and that means removing the Myford ML10 and bench. This is where I also store my stock metals but not very accessible.

As I have limited movement, I need to have access at a higher level. Since I have used most of the space in my workshop (some of it not very well - hence reorganisation) I have decided to have my stock metal stored in my en-suite shower room/wash room/toilet. So am designing as I build a better storage system.

Today I knocked up (literally) a wooden framework and am now building the storage arrangements. The unit will then be placed the the bathroom. Fortunately the shower is no longer used so condensation and steel won't be a problem. I always have a spray with WD40 every so often in anyhow.

Here are a couple of pictures...........

This is the area where the stock system will go.






















Hopefully tomorrow I will finish the storage system and then I will make a start on the set of castings for the Westbury design Seal 4cylinder engine! Really looking forward to tackling that engine!

Finished it today so tomorrow I can start on the 4 cylinder 15cc engine.


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## Maryak (Jan 1, 2009)

MM,

Mrs Maryak and you would get along famously. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Best Regards
Bob


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## Peter Neill (Jan 1, 2009)

Already done mine 

A friend is a Chippie, and pops round every now and then with a need to improve some of his tools. Latest one was for a Festool Domino Jointer (like a biscuit jointer). Very clever tool and well designed with lots of features and adjustments. However, for cutting a joint in short sections, such as 1x1, you flick a clip and swivel the support/guide plate casting through 90 deg, but unfortunately in this configuration theres no fence to set on top of the wood to set the centre height for locating the cut, even though the centre height is adjustable in steps from 16-40mm (hope that made sense).

So..todays project was a 130x110x12mm bit of aluminium, milled down to 6mm thick across most of it to leave a stubby L shape ledge on the bottom. Then set up with angle blocks in the vice and a vee notch for sighting cut into the middle of the step. The plate was then drilled, reamed and counterbored in 4 positions. Two positions had stepped guide dowels turned up from mild steel and loctited in place, the other two had stepped bosses drilled & tapped M4 through the middle, then loctited in place to accept retaining screws. The plate was then dropped on the surface grinder and the last few thou taken off the back of the bosses to allow it to sit flush on the cast face plate. The top edge was given a 98mm radius on the rotary table to match the edge of the Festool casting, and finally the jointer casting was drilled on the face on 4 positions, 2 x 8mm reamed for the guide dowel pins, and 2 clearance holes for M4 capscrews.

Friend is as pleased as punch that he now has this and can fit and remove it in a repeatably accurate position in about a minute, but I was a little bit unhappy that one of the location dowel holes in the casting (a bugger to hold in the vice) was low by about 0.15mm, which gave an equivalent drop in height end-to-end across the fence. However, he assures me that this is of no consequence in carpentry.

Sorry no pictures, but might snap one or two next time he comes over.

Peter


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## stevehuckss396 (Jan 1, 2009)

Think I might make one of putput's tapping tools. Nice little project.


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## shred (Jan 1, 2009)

Attaching a motor and base to the sweet old die-filer I scored yesterday


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## baldrocker (Jan 1, 2009)

MM


> I always have a spray with WD40 every so often


Prefer deodarant meself ;D
BR


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## two dogs (Jan 1, 2009)

Just got a copy of Bill Lindsey's plans for his Rotary Beam Engine yesterday:
http://www.workbench-miniatures.com/rotary_beam_engine.htm

If there weren't bowl games on today, I'd be out there working.
Tomorrow I'll get going on it, the plans look great :big:

Mark


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## kvom (Jan 1, 2009)

Valerie and I will be finishing laying the laminate flooring upstairs of the shop, probably by this weekend. We started yesterday and laid the first 5 rows (out of 40). Then I will buy the baseboards and quarter round moldings, she will paint them, and I'll install them. That will pretty much finish the upstairs as far as the final inspection goes.

Dowstairs I need to get the RPC and lathe wiring done (waiting on electrician friend who has the parts I need), get the air conditioners installed (waiting on other friend who offered to help but has possibly backed out), and get the side entry steps built.

Maybe then I can actually make some parts in the new shop. In the meantime I registered for a 3rd quarter of machine shop education, so I can still use the machines at school to make progress towards finishing an engine.


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## BillH (Jan 2, 2009)

I am working on 20 seperate projects at the same time, from Thrust quadrants to Yokes, to live steam wheel sets and engines. Oh yeh, also working on tools and fixtures for my lathe. I am going to need an indexing attachment and a hand crank for the spindle, a carriage stop and a cross slide stop. Oh yeh, I will also need a collet stop for my 5c collet chuck for production work. Fun Fun Fun! Will be a pity though when I have to go back to work 6 days a week...


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## b.lindsey (Jan 2, 2009)

Back in the early Spring I acquired an old Briggs & Stratton 6S engine in reasonable condition but missing some of the electrical components and the carb/airfilter/gas tank assembly. I got it with the intent of making a 1/2 scale model of it but may eventually restore the original engine also. Anyway I began doing some drawings of the various parts yesterday so I guess that makes it the first official project of the year.

Bill


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## Tin Falcon (Jan 2, 2009)

Well yesterday I did a bunch of clean and shuffle in the shop . In order to leave my mill in its original location and convert to CNC I would have to get rid of about 3 feet of shelving and therefore shelf space. So my son and I cleaned de-cluttered and moved a bench a toolbox etc so the mill could go on a different bench at least for now. Also cleaned off the drafting table to make space for the cnc computer. Hopefully today We will machine some mounting hardware for the CNC since the electronics have been ordered. 
Tin


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## TinkerJohn (Jan 2, 2009)

Yesterday I started on the Webster IC Engine. This will be my fourth IC Engine and look forward to completing it. 

True to form: I messed up the very first part I started (the base plate) by drilling the holes in the wrong place. So I get to start TWICE!  :wall:

---TinkerJohn---


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## NickG (Jan 2, 2009)

Just about completed the little oscillator now so that doesn't count. I fancy doing either a flame gulper or an i.c. engine next. Probably will be based on one of Jan Ridders engines.


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## Maryak (Jan 2, 2009)

I looked around and made observations on all the things I'd started in 2008. For my inner peace I figured the first thing I should do for 2009 was finish them off.

So......

I finished off the vodka, brandy, scotch and beer then the vallium tablets.

Now I have Inner Peace. :

Best Regards
Bob


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## rleete (Jan 2, 2009)

In that combination I'd have inner heatrburn!


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## old-biker-uk (Jan 2, 2009)

Maryak  said:
			
		

> I finished off the vodka, brandy, scotch and beer then the vallium tablets.


Me too - when the hangover finally passes I am going to see if I can find the bench & floor in the workshop.....
Mark


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## Groewrs (Jan 2, 2009)

I'm working on a modified version (Scaled up by approx 50%) of Bill's Rotary Beam engine. Also need to make a Tailstock Tap & Die holder. Unfortunately work is going to get in the way


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## shred (Jan 2, 2009)

Well, I got my "first" project out of the way. The die filer/bench filer is cranking away. I'll run a separate thread on that. I picked a small project just to get off on the right foot.


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## jack404 (Jan 2, 2009)

first job...  hide all the evidence of last year!

finish the table for the band saw so i can mount that
finish the filing machine
finish the tapping jig
make some racks to take the small collets ( ER25)

unpack the metals and get them all sorted and put into racks, ( 4-5 tons ) racks yet to be made

build a sandblast cabinet
move my tempering oven and put a new cover on it

buy or build a chemicals locker

oh! and make some engines somewhere along the line!

cheers

jack


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## Kludge (Jan 9, 2009)

I'd follow Bob's example but I only have two fresh bottles of Jameson's and my coffee would miss it terribly. ;D

Anyway, the ongoing project of the moment is gathering some tools and cleaning/reconditioning others. I mentioned all that metal that came in so I now have to find space for the metal cutting bandsaw I don't have. Yet. Or something, given the shop space I don't have. (Saber saw with a metal cutting blade? Reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade? Neighbor with very sharp teeth?) 

The Taig's not quite where it should be but it's getting there (still needs a little Bon-Ami & oil) and the watchmaker's lathes still need to be finished and replated. Yeah, I know. The 8mm is kind of pretty already but the rust etc on it (and the 10mm) are not good and the 6mm still needs to be finished. The bed surfaces are fine; it's the rest that's not.

OH!!! And to fix the #$%^&* horn switch on the Jeep. Again. Since the Jeep is always open, water gets in and the contacts rust, a situation made worse by salt air. Every time the safety check comes due, I have to open it up and derust it and spray more contact cleaner on it so it'll work for most of the year until the safety check. It's not difficult, just tedious to the point that I'm considering electroplating the contacts with a good base of nickel & copper then finishing off with gold ... lots of gold. 

BEst regards,

Kludge


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