Wooden it just!

[gunna]

I realise that the members of this forum seem to have an aversion to anything to do with woodwork , but stick with me and go along for the ride. Here in the Land of Oz, we have a native tree called a River Red Gum. The wood of this tree is so hard and dense that it is generally only used for fence posts, railway sleepers/ties, and firewood. However, one enterprising gentleman has found a new use based on the fact that a wood this hard could be treated like metal and maybe machined in all the similar ways. He has started making scale models of machinery almost entirely of wood, for all possible moving parts etc, only using metal where absolutely necessary. As exhibit one I present a twin cylinder Tangye winching engine in its full size;


Followed by a quarter scale model about 16"/400mm high;

The crankshaft turns, all the valve gear operates, everything happens as it should.

Next, a scale traction engine not much more than 12"/300mm long.

Finally, just a close up of the tracks on a crawler tractor, each link is a little over 1"/25mm long and the whole track moves correctly if the model is pushed along.

So, woodwork is not just doll's houses and garden swings afterall.
Ian.

 

[hi speed scrap]

What can I say, brilliant!

Dave

 

[aarggh]

Wow! Working with redgum's pretty hard going, it blunts tools fairly quick so I well imagine the effort these would have taken, they look absolutely fantastic!

cheers, Ian

 

[Beachside_Hank]

Working with wood to compliment metalwork is an old, accepted ally, but your observation is not to be argued with. Without wood, the patternmakers life would be very difficult and also the making of a prototype is very economical and expedient using wood, those are at least two important reasons I can think of off the top of my head for treating it with respect and I’m sure there’s more uses yet.

 

[Mbusha]

I have seen it said, on this forum, you should not mix metal and wood. Well my shop is an equal split between metal, wood and glass. With good dust handling equipment, it's really not much of a problem. It seems to me that the fun of a hobby is working in a varity of material. Although I have been trying to keep my wood working under wraps. ;D

Anyway, there is a wood available here in the US, ipê or Brazilian walnut, that is suppose to be similar in hardness. Have not used it yet but it might be intriguing to build a working model using something like this for frames and such.

Very neat post and really nice work.

 

[cncjunior]

Great models. I wonder how carbide tooling would stand up to the red gum wood?

Before I was into machining I worked as a wood worker. I definitely enjoy working with wood and miss that now. I think the smell of the machined oak, maple, ceder, mahogany, etc is fantastic. Though I realize now that a dust mask would have been a good idea.

 

[Tin Falcon]

I have seen this engine several times not mine but it often runs at my elbow at the NEMES show. runs great as long as the condensate does not build up in the air lines.

Tin

 

[cheepo45]

A good craftsman is a craftsman in any material!

 

[Mbusha]

A good craftsman is a craftsman in any material!

I like the word craftsman a great deal. It implies a bridge between a builder and an artist. A builder, machinist, toolmaker or whatever must make something that works. An artist must make something that is beautiful. A craftsman makes things that are beautiful and work!

God bless him.

(her)

 

[Tin Falcon]

and then there is this quaote:

“A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist”
Louis Nizer

tin

 

[JDLaCoss]

I have to agree that a good craftsman shines regardless of the medium. I actually prefer the look of a wooden model for a display piece. There is a warmth and depth that is difficult to duplicate in metal. I've seriously considered making one myself, but good wood is nearly as expensive as metal.

 

[gunna]

...........I've seriously considered making one myself, but good wood is nearly as expensive as metal.

The advantage this gent has is that he collects all his supplies from the roadside as a result of things like fence replacements etc. So everything is pretty much recycled as well. I should also add, without his permission, that he is over 70 years old! (not that that is a bad thing)

Ian.

 

[terrywerm]

I have often reverted to making things from wood also, especially for simple jigs, prototype parts, etc., and just to make sure that my thought process is going in the right direction. I have milled and turned various types of both soft and hard woods, and have learned how to keep the dust from getting into all the places it should not, but there is one problem I just cannot seem to overcome. Hard as I try, I just cannot achieve any success when trying to heat treat the doggone stuff! ;D

 

[Mbusha]

... but there is one problem I just cannot seem to overcome. Hard as I try, I just cannot achieve any success when trying to heat treat the doggone stuff! ;D

I "heat treat" most of my woodworking mistakes. Seems to work out just fine.

 

[Tin Falcon]

heat treating wood is common practice just need to use much lower temperatures than metal.
kiln drying and charcoal making .
tin

 

[kf2qd]

Hard on tools... Wonder if that red gum collects silica like the sugar maple does in Western NY and Pennsylvania? Was wonderful stuff to work with, but you had to use carbide saws and router bits or they would dull up quickly. Surface planed 100 Board feet of maple and the knives on the planer had to be sharpened. Would still work with cherry and oak, but the finish wasn't as nice. With maple the planes generated a lot of heat, and that was even worse for the blades.

 

[rythmnbls]

One of things my Dad says.. "Wood would be the perfect material..if you could weld it "