Boxing the flea chariot

The flea chariot is off for a month in an art gallery up in Manchester so I wanted to ensure it would survive the journey up there and back. I already had a wooden box in the style of a pair of books so that seemed like a good starting point for making something. I also had some insulation blocks left over from the workshopshed roof rebuild project so those were cut up and hollowed out to form the shapes of the dome and magnifying glass.





That was a bit of a messy job so I did some vacuuming to get rid of all of the little pieces. The covering was some burgandy coloured felt, sourced from kleins and glue to the foam. Kleins also supplied some webbing and a buckle to form a strap to hold the box shut.









The whole thing is to be packaged up with some postcards and yet more foam pieces to protect it from the couriers....

The Manufacturing Rotary Table 'vs' Their Shed Based Cousins

Thanks to Martin Power and Robert from Kitagawa Europe, I have another guest blog. Robert looks at rotary tables and how the small manual rotary table you might have for your drill press or milling table compairs with it's bigger brother in the industrial world. For the model engineer, the rotary table would be for cutting curved slots say for an expansion link or rounding the ends of con rods. In industry there is a much wider range of tasks for the rotary table.

The Manufacturing Rotary Table 'vs' Their Shed Based Cousins

Those of you that have converted your shed or garage into a workshop will probably already know what a rotary table is may even have installed one. Even if you haven’t got your own personal workshop; there is a good chance that you have at some time used or at least come into contact with a rotary table. This will most likely have occurred in the school environment when in a Design and Technology class – or similar subject. The rotary table is of course a clamping mechanism that is used in the shaping of metal parts or components, in conjunction with various machines, including lathes, drill presses and milling machines.



In its most basic operation a rotary table is used to hold the object piece firmly in position whilst holes are made in an evenly spaced fashion. The image above shows such a task being carried out on a rotary table which has been mounted on a drill press. There are however much more advanced rotary tables available on the market, which are used in various manufacturing industries.



The photo above shows Kitagawa’s popular GT200 model, which is ideal for heavy machining. The complexity, accuracy and performance levels of such machines make their shed based cousins look like mere toys.

Ensuring safety

The top end rotary tables are commonly used in the manufacture of components that are used in cars, trains, planes and boats. Every time you travel somewhere in a vehicle you will be making use of metal work that has been created by a rotary table. It is of course important that every component of a vehicle is made precisely to ensure the safety of those using it. In order to deliver this precision, computer numerically controlled (CNC) rotary tables are used in the manufacturing world.



Rather than positioning and turning the rotary table manually; a CNC driven model operates using pre-programmed commands which are entered into a control module such as the one above. The rotary table is also able to communicate with the other end of the metalworking machine that holds the shaping tools. As a result both are able to work in unison; bringing precision and safety.

Irregular objects

Whilst rotary tables play a key role in the manufacture of parts in the transport industry, it by no means the extent of their reach. Their usefulness stretches to many other areas of business, from construction to pipe laying. In order to fulfil their role in so many different environments it is important that rotary tables are both adaptable and available in various sizes and configurations.



In the example above we see a rotary table that has a huge through-hole capacity of 345mm. This allows long bar and tube shaped workpieces to be clamped effectively and is ideal for producing pipes to be used to move gas, water and oil. For such tasks, the standard three and four jawed chucks, such as the one below, are not suitable.



Such a clamping solution cannot deliver a suitable torque to hold the piece in place whilst it is being shaped. The result will be that shaping tools will deflect from their target, thus compromising the quality of the final component. Instead a collet chucks as shown below is more suitable for use when manufacturing pipes and bars.



The circular shape of the collet chuck allows pressure to be applied evenly to the outer surface of the workpiece. This allows larger gripping torque to be applied and also reduces the likelihood of surface damage to the workpiece that could otherwise be caused by standard jawed chucks. The clamping pressure is applied by tightening accompanying sleeve over the outside of the collet chuck.

Tilting capabilities

The final main difference between manufacturing rotary tables and those used in schools and hobby workshops centres on the ability to choose tilting options. Standard rotary tables allow for the workpiece to be positioned along 3 axis in relation to the shaping tool. In contrast many models used in manufacturing include a manual or CNC tilting device that enables the workpiece to be positioned on a 4th and 5th axis. The image below shows a rotary table with tilting capabilities being use alongside a drill press.



As you can see, the machining tool is now able to approach the workpiece from different angles than would otherwise be possible. This allows for more much complex items to be produced, such as flute shaped ones.

Many thanks to Robert at Kitagawa Europe.

Additional references:

1/14th scale rotary table for a miniature bridgeport
Example of a rotary table from a kit

Castings and kits
College Engineering
Hemmingway Kits
Lautard
Division Master

What to Look for in a CAD System

When you are just making stuff for yourself it's fine to just sketch things out on a pad and make them. However, if you are working with others it is good to have proper drawings that you can share and discuss. I have also used a 3d Graphics program to visualise some of my projects.



This year I'm looking at getting back in practice with using a CAD system so I can draw up some of my projects. I did have several weeks training with Dowty back in the 1990s on manual drafting and a little time was spent with their DOS based Autocad system but things have changed a bit since then. So I asked the CAD Expert Paul Tracey what his recomendations were.

What to Look for in a CAD System.

At the risk of stating the blatantly obvious, any CAD System is just a tool. So you need the one that’s right for you, normally not the most expensive or complicated. A hammer is a hammer, but I’m sure we all have several different ones in our tool box for obvious reasons. So when I’m asked advice concerning the best system for a client, my first question is – What do you need to do? I’m always happy to talk in detail about possibilities, but in terms of general rules, below are some pointers.

2D or 3D?

A lot of people still draw exclusively in 2D, although a young engineer entering the job market is not going to get far if they don’t understand 3D CAD. All modern engineers draw in 3D, once you understand how to do it, then it is easier and faster than 2D. Architects and Interior designers are in the same boat. Why draw three orthographic views when one 3D is quicker and easier to edit. The computer will turn the 3D drawing into orthographic views for you – and sort out your sections.
So 3D is the way forward for most, however I do understand that some want to stay with their 2D, which they understand and feel safe with. For these the choice goes from free, DoubleCAD, up to AutoCAD LT at about £1,200. Considering a rectangle is a rectangle in both packages and they use the same file formats and look the same, I can’t really see any reason for putting your hand in your pocket. There is a professional version of DoubleCAD that will take in 3D drawings and turn them into 2D.
The next stage up is the chap that says that they need to draw in 2D, but would like to get into 3D at some point. For these the choice is easy, TurboCAD Deluxe is inexpensive, enables you to do anything you’d want in 2D, but also has plenty of 3D functionality. It gives you the chance to learn the principles of drawing in 3D without having to dig deep in your pocket and there’s free training on YouTube and excellent training books available.



Training

Make sure that what you buy has training that you understand and need. Some people like books, some on-line films. Don’t just presume that you’ll work it out, these packages are not intuitive, you’ll need help at the start and when you’ll pulling your hair out because a line refuses to move where you want it to and the job’s got to be finished and sent that day, you need to feel safe that you have back-up. I’ve had people at their wits end call me after spending hours trying to sort something that I resolved for them in a few seconds.
And if you need to enroll on a course of evening classes, ask yourself why you need to take so long to learn it and remember – the bloke teaching the class didn’t want to come out on a winter’s evening either, I know – I’ve done it.

Support

Occasionally some people have technical problems with a computer crashing or unintelligible error messages turning up. Ensure there is someone who will resolve this for you for free. If the people publishing the package want a few hundred quid a year from you in case their software screws up, I’d walk. It’s a bit like the shop wanting you to take out insurance on a brand new washing machine in case it goes wrong – why should it.



Compatibility

Ensure that you package opens and saves in all the main CAD file formats, so DWG, DXF, 3DS, DAE and at least saves in PDF. You’ll at some point want to swap files, so you need to be able to talk these languages.

Lastly

Lastly there is the reality that some people learn quicker than others. For some of us computers came along in mid life, after years of working on a drawing board, for other they have always been around. So be careful that you don’t buy something that is going to be so hard for you to learn that you eventually give up and feel that you’ve wasted your money.
Generally speaking, when interior designers and fitters come to me needing to do planed layouts, but also wanting a 3D representation, then I recommend TurboCAD Deluxe and Google SketchUp Professional, neither cost much, are easy to learn and will produce results at the highest professional standard.
For an engineer I recommend TurboCAD Professional Platinum at less than a thousand pounds including training.



About the Author

Under the guise of PaulTheCAD, Paul Tracey, looks after all aspects of TurboCAD and Google SketchUp in the UK and much of Europe. He is also an artist, having exhibited paintings in capital cities throughout the world.
Paul runs the official distributer networks for these packages ensuring that both resellers and end users have up to date information on the packages, are fully aware of developments and advises on functionality matters. As well as this he runs training courses and writes articles for various magazines. He also organizes specialist help for companies working on projects where their expertise with the software is not fully developed.

www.paulthecad.co.uk
www.paultracey.net
Training films on YouTube at paulthecadtracey.

You can also see Paul later this month at the London Model Engineering Exhibition

Fred Dibnah's World of Steam

I received Fred Dibnah's World of Steam as a Christmas present, it's a follow on from the previous magbook "Fred Dibah, The Early Years". The Mag Book is a curious format, it's basically a magazine sized book with a thicker cover, it also has a selection of adverts for other books and DVDs that might be of interest.



The book is in the words of Fred and has been compiled by Paul Donoghue who also writes a great introduction. There is a variety of chapters, starting off Alison, Fred's Aveling and Porter #7632 steam roller. Fred describes the process of restoration and has amusing anecdotes about building the boiler, riveting and dealings with boiler certification and insurance. The book continues on with the next roller project, Aveling and Porter #7838.

In one of my favourite chapters Fred describes the stationary steam engine he uses to power his workshop and the overhead shaft that drives all his machines.

No book on Fred would be complete without a section on steeple jacking and this magbook devotes a chapter to this including some more amusing stories about a cat stuck on the top of a chimney and trouble with the fires Fred used to topple chimneys. This leads on to some of his TV work and discussions with a German TV company make Fred reminisce about his time in Germany on national service and how he managed to get out of peeling potatoes.

Although he enjoyed the TV work it did have drawbacks and fame meant that he got rather more visitors that he liked. It did however mean he had some generous fans, one who provided an old steam roller manual which is included in full in the book.

The penultimate chapter has a short history of the use of steam in the Bolton area, Fred's home town.

The book finishes up with a scrap book full of photos and letters collected over the years.

Don't expect to be able to become a steeplejack or build a steam driven workshop by reading this but do be prepared for an entertaining read in Fred's distinctive style.

Review of the year 2011

Due to other commitments, I've not had as much time in the workshop this year as previous years.

However I did complete a couple of projects, in February, I got the magnifiying glass out and assembled a surface mounted tachometer kit and in May got myself a mention in Ikea Hackers with my Portis shortening project. I also managed a tiny amount of welding this year with an experimental venture into build up welding and some metal was ordered for a project early in 2012.



The big project of the year was replacing the shed roof, several months of planning got my materials list as low as I could get it then over a long and hot weekend at the end of September the old roof was stripped off an a new insulated one was put in it's place. It's interesting to see how the frost stays on the roof for quite some time in the morning demonstrating a good thermal mass and insulating properties. Hopefully over the winter I'll have a better idea of how well it's performing.



Whilst not in the workshopshed, I've been travelling about, March saw a trip to the Kew Bridge Steam museum to see the Stirling Rally and some excellent crafts were seen at the Knebworh Country show in the summer. The end of the year saw the model engineering show and although I did not spend as long there as previous years I still saw many interering models. Whilst wantering around London I saw some interesting things and admired the ironwork of St James and Mayfair.



Some of my most popular articles this year were actually provided by others, in February, the chaps at the Mig Welding forum inspired Barry Wood to write me a piece on the history of their company. J and C R Wood make the Metalcraft range of metal forming tools. Later in the year, Marc Van Goozen's Meccano Crane proved very popular with readers.

I managed a few interviews this year, a high tech interview with Australian Space invader builder Victor Coleiro. Wooden Bike and Rammed Earth Expert Michael Thompson told me about his building and bike projects. Blacksmith and Etsy shop team Sam and Melanie from Sams Welding told about the interesting items in their shop. I also wrote a short article for UKToolCentre on wire strippers.

Looking through my keyword searches, there were no surprised like previous years, "how to knurl a bent steel bar" or "train to be a blacksmith in milton keynes" just lots of people looking for "Tig vs Mig", "the salvager" and flowerpot furnaces. There was also a peak in April of people looking for the 1902 State Landau. The reason people were looking for The Salvager was that he brought out a new EZine this year which has proved good reading.



Other things I read this year were "Made Simple Made Easy" by H. Maurice Turnbull, "Trustee from the Toolroom" by Nevil Shute and Ivan Law's workshop practice series #6 "Measuring and Marking Metals". I also reviewed the Axminster Cross vice some Tig welding Gloves and a model engineering dvd.

2011 was an interesting year. When I started writing this review of the year I initially thought that not much had been happening but when you add it all up there were lots of little projects and activities going on. I do have some items planned for 2012, hopefully starting off with some welding to get back in practice and possibly a look at some CAD software. Wishing you all a jolly and productive 2012.

Shed loads of storage

Over the last few weeks, I've been sorting through some boxes of decorating kit and the "paint store" chucking out all the old and broken stuff and quarter cans of paint that had turned to jelly. I've managed to free up some space for a welding project I'm planning for a mate. However, throwing stuff out (or giving it away) is not always desirable so I quizzed Drew Davies on the possibility of using self storage.



Workshopshed: When you first think of a self storage, it's moving house or going travelling that springs to mind. How is self storage relevant to someone working out of a shed or in a workshop?

Drew Davis: Self storage is one of those strange industries that doesn't really fit into any niche. We have a lot of people storing personal belongings, but we're actually seeing a shift towards more business and industry-based customers.

For someone working out of their shed or garage, or using a workshop, self storage can become an extension of their workspace; freeing up room for a particular project or as a place to store things during a bigger renovation. If you rarely use some welding equipment, for example, but need to keep it someone safe - you can use a self storage facility to keep it out of sight until its required. And as you take back some of the equipment, you can move to a smaller room that fits your new space requirement.

Workshopshed: How else can it help with a project?

Drew Davis: Self storage could also help with deliveries you don't want clogging up the workspace. Once you've organised your storage unit, the Manager can even sign for the delivery when it arrives (best to check with them first, and make sure your customer name and unit number is clearly marked on the goods). Then you can swing by (the UK now has as many self storage facilities as it does McDonald's restaurants – around 1,200) and pick up what materials you need that week, leaving the rest until it's required.

Workshopshed: You mention moving from a larger to a smaller room. But what about the room itself - how can it be set up? Can things be attached to the walls, for example?

Drew Davis: We have approximately 20 different sized rooms at each of our locations - so a good tip is to ask the Manager to show you several sizes to see which one is the best fit. If you have extra heavy equipment, take into consideration any issues with access (you might not be able to use the lifts for transport, so a room on the ground floor could be the ticket. There are pallet trucks available at each Facility). If you take multiple rooms next to each other, we can remove the partitioning walls to create a bigger space (if both rooms are available). The storage unit is a blank space so can be adapted to your requirements - however, nothing can be attached to the cladding itself.



Workshopshed: Many of the things people might want to store will be metal. Could there be any issues with humidity that might lead to rust?

Drew Davis: The temperature within stores remains fairly constant, notwithstanding the season. Our buildings are modern and well insulated so they're never too hot or cold, and they're obviously very dry, so rust shouldn't be an issue (it pays to check periodically, just to be safe).

Workshopshed: And what about security?

Drew Davis: Security is paramount when it comes to self storage, and one of the big benefits. In the "old days", you might hire a small warehouse, which would usually be a converted office block or barn with very little security.

Our Storage Facilities are purpose built (never converted barns or buildings) and the security features are top notch. As well as 24 hour CCTV, every room is individually alarmed, with electronic gates and perimeter fencing around each Facility. When you sign up for a storage room, you'll be given a unique pin that gives you access to the lifts. Sensors in each room indicate when the rooms are accessed and if they are occupied (so if someone opens your room without having first used the unique pin, an alarm will go off).



Workshopshed: Location is important though too - it's no use storing equipment somewhere safe if its miles away?

Drew Davis: Agreed. We have 74 Storage Facilities (at last count), many in London and the South East of England, but more and more spread across the UK (including Edinburgh, Sheffield, Hull) with locations added each year. Full list of Storage Facilities.

Our stores are often at strategic locations (such as the Staple Corner Facility on the North Circular), which is especially useful for lorry deliveries.

Workshopshed: Do you have any storage tips for engineering or gardening tools?

Drew Davis: If you are planning on storing metal objects, it's a good idea to treat them with rust protector first, or at least wipe them down with an oily rag. You can use the cheapest oil available; it all does the same job.

Before storing your garden tools, scrub off any dirt or mud - if it's really covered in dirt, you may need to soak the tool in a bucket of hot water first. Make sure to wipe off any excess water with an old rag and let it dry thoroughly to prevent any rusting. Treat the wooden areas of your tools by sanding any rough or splintery places with sandpaper and then rubbing it in wax.



Workshopshed: One question from the readers of "Stationary Engine". Because their engines are heavy they would want to put them onto a trailer before going to a show and drive to the show early in the morning. Would the facilities allow them to do that kind of thing?

Drew Davis: Engines are a bit of a grey area because they’d need to be drained of all flammable liquid to be stored, so it might not be viable. The good news is all our stores have access for an articulated lorry and all of them give you free access to trolleys and pallet trucks. There are also forklifts and trained forklift drivers available (at a cost of £5 per load, or if big quantities are involved an agreement can be made with the manager. Prior notice needs to given where possible).

In terms of early morning access, our storage facilities are open at Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 6pm Sunday 10am - 4pm However you can also arrange extended access between 5am - 11pm - for a small additional charge if that's what you need.

Many thanks to Drew and Big Yellow Business Storage

Additional reference:

Tips and tricks - How to make space for your tools
Tips and tricks - Diy around your home
Tips and tricks - How to Organise your Garage

Photos from the Model Engineering Show

A selection of photos from the model engineering show at Sandown last weekend. Engines big and small, jet, stationary, marine and traction. There were railway trains, trams, model houses, a fine selection of carriages and wheels from the Guild of Model Wheelwrights. There were some fine Mechano models, clocks and orrey's on show too.
Outside was a steam lorry (with a mini-me version in the club room) and a fine selection of 6in traction engines all steaming away. There were also a few pieces of tooling and equipment, I'll have to enter some of mine one year (once I've finished it).