Engineering group idea - thoughts please

[freeridenick]

Hi all,

I've been thinking about this for a while and feel like it's a good idea but I also feel as though, if it really was, someone else would have done it by now. So what am I missing where should I go with this?

The idea is to form a sort of informal group of people with an engineering interest. With a bit of luck we'd end up with a communal workshop. Or at least being able to borrow equipment, or visit members to use theirs. If not that then certainly it would be a place for people to discuss ideas and get some help. And/or just a place to hang out and chat. This forum is great but it's not the same as being face to face.

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[MacV2]

It's a good idea however...

...Workshop days already a thing...

Like minded souls gather for a natter & work on bikes...

Even get a bacon sarnie at mine...

When say natter really mean talking bol acks...

Having said that my idea of engineering is hit with a hammer & if that don't work use a bigger one...

[tony.mon]

I like the idea. We'd need a lathe with screw cutting in metric, a vertical mill ( with an indexing table) surface grinder, power hacksaw, Tig and MIG welders, bike ramps and tools.
Oh, and a Dyno....

Flow bench would be nice, too.

[freeridenick]

Thanks for the feedback. My thought was for something more general than something centred around the forum but I can easily see forum members feeling the benefit. Basically exactly what Tony said only probably just a lathe and MIG and/or TIG as a starting point.

There have been a few repair days started local to me but they focus on small electric goods and bicycles. I've got myself on an engineering course at the local college and tidied up some engineering parallels that were rusted and not much good. Next up is making a steering damper shaft to replace a bent one then a couple of other bits to fix broken stuff. That feels like something that loads of people could benefit from.

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[firestorm_al]

Thanks for the feedback. My thought was for something more general than something centred around the forum but I can easily see forum members feeling the benefit. Basically exactly what Tony said only probably just a lathe and MIG and/or TIG as a starting point.

My dad is into woodwork & woodturning and recently joined a group like that local to him called "The Shed" where people bring in furniture and the like and the members repair and fix the items up. It has been a real boost for his mental health being able to share ideas and work with the other members and also get access to machines that he doesn't have for his own projects.

Al.

[AMCQ46]

I think Kev left his old job with most of the kit we need, we just need to move next door to him and we are sorted.

[freeridenick]

Thanks for the feedback. My thought was for something more general than something centred around the forum but I can easily see forum members feeling the benefit. Basically exactly what Tony said only probably just a lathe and MIG and/or TIG as a starting point.

My dad is into woodwork & woodturning and recently joined a group like that local to him called "The Shed" where people bring in furniture and the like and the members repair and fix the items up. It has been a real boost for his mental health being able to share ideas and work with the other members and also get access to machines that he doesn't have for his own projects.

Al.

Thanks for this. Men's Sheds seem to be an Australian idea and it's pretty much exactly what I was thinking, except in woodwork. I found an article talking about a guy who set one up in Barnsley. That's not too far away so I think I'll contact them and find out how they got started. Lottery funding was involved and I know nothing about that.

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[freeridenick]

I think Kev left his old job with most of the kit we need, we just need to move next door to him and we are sorted.

Lol. Conveniently he lives very close to me.

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[Pete.L]

I think Kev left his old job with most of the kit we need, we just need to move next door to him and we are sorted.

Lol. Conveniently he lives very close to me.

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Yep but he'll be moving nearer to me

[freeridenick]

I found out that my local FE college runs an introduction to engineering evening course: Turning (brass and nylon headed hammer), milling (v-block with clamp) and fitting (small hammer head hand shaped) are covered. I'd have signed up anyway but it was free, so a no brainer.

It turned out that the tutor didn't care what we made so I've been working on parts to repair damaged stuff, which is exactly what I wanted out of the engineering group idea. I've sounded a few people on the course out and they're like it so I'll keep exploring options.

Two pieces I've finished so far are below. The first is a replacement shaft for a steering damper. The lower one in the pic is the original and the threaded end has been bent and then straightened. You can sort of see the deformation. I couldn't tell when I bought it so it's been dismantled in a box for years.

The original is chromed but that wasn't possible. It's made from silver steel instead. Given the loading the tutor thought it would be strong enough and if it does bend then not much lost but lots of knowledge gained in the making.

The brass bits are to replace a valve cast from cheese. It's from a cycle track pump that can be pressurised to allow a large volume of air to enter the tyre quickly. Essential for seating the bead on tubeless tyres. The valve had a lever to rotate it but it snapped off after about a year. The brass piece has a nice large knurled section instead. I had to do this one twice as the first time I got the space between the two o-ring grooves wrong and it didn't quite seal correctly. On the plus side I worked out a way to modify it tonight. Now I have two.

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[tony.mon]

Nice work.
Thread cutting on the lathe next?
( not the cheating way, using a die against the headstock!)

[fabiostar]

Thats some nice work Nick

[sirch345]

Nice work Nick

Chris.

[freeridenick]

Thanks guys. The damper shaft was just a bit of M8 rod with the ends turned and tapped. The brass pieces were more satisfying as I had to grind tools for the grooves.

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[sirch345]

Thanks guys. The damper shaft was just a bit of M8 rod with the ends turned and tapped. The brass pieces were more satisfying as I had to grind tools for the grooves.

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That side of it would have interested me too, as I used to grind tooling for the wood machining industry many moons ago

Chris.