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Heres a link to an online lecture from a science history museum in Oxford: http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/the-eccentric-turner/ About early lathe use. Its a recorded lecture which refers to slides, but some interesting history all the same. Mike

Just back from holiday where I read 'The engines of our ingenuity' by John Lienhard and 'Victorian engineering' by L T C Rolt in the 1st book: 'the modern propeller bladed windmill is 3 or 4 times more efficient than the advanced 18th century mills and 40 times more powerful' I'm thinking...

I should start by saying this isn't meant to be about setting a stopwatch against model engineering. We can (hopefully usually) take pleasure in working at a pace where we enjoy model making. A little story: years back I taught myself computer programming. Wrote many thousands of lines of code...

I've downloaded John Bogstandards excellent pdf book for his paddleducks engine. I have a Taig lathe with milling attachment (ok for very light milling). Any views if the paddleducks is do-able on a Taig? Also are there any CAD plans available and is there a material parts list? Mike

Anyone knowledgeable about microscopes...? I don’t know much about microscopes & am looking to get one. the fundamental choice seems to be between an 'old style' compound and a new style digital. for example these 2: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001EN6G8M/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20...

If you have difficulties playing some of the videos sonline, then at http://www.videolan.org/ theres a pretty good multimedia software program: to quote from their site it is "free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework, that plays most multimedias files as well as...

Less than 30 minutes ago I danced a jig around my workshop after this happened: http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/6273/3t8.mp4 First engine. Far too excited to do a coherent post, back later. Mike

My novice build of the littlemachineshop oscillating engine resumes… http://littlemachineshop.com/Projects/OscillatingEngine.php piston brass, a paper gasket , all else aliminium testing on compressed air. The engine turns only part of the way. Heres a link to a vid of it...

A few random pics from Midlands Model engineering exhibition: Sorry about the pic quality on the one from 1843.

My novice build of the littlemachineshop oscillating engine continues… http://littlemachineshop.com/Projects/OscillatingEngine.php piston brass,all else aluminium testing on compressed air, no long term plans for steam running. Here's a pic (prev posted) all assembled: Having , with help...

I've been reading about Joseph Clement , a machine tool pioneer who worked with/for Charles Babbage. In 1827 Clement won an award for his "self-adjusting double-driving centre chuck". Can't find much on the web about it. Any idea what one of those is /might be? Just curious, thanks in...

My novice build of the littlemachineshop oscillating engine continues… http://littlemachineshop.com/Projects/OscillatingEngine.php piston brass , theres a copper gasket , all else aliminum testing on compressed air, no long term plans for steam running a pic all assembled: Now in the...

Last October on advice in a book I bought a triangular scraper , but not used it yet. The book says it essential , a bit of an art in using but not much more on it. A web search didnt give me much about using one. Not sure if/when I should use it I'm on a novice build of an oscillator & now...

My novice oscillator build continues... Needed to tap m3 into a vent hole in the upright on an oscillator. Tapped the first hole fine, got blase on the 2nd hole & broke the tap (my only quality tap) in the hole. tried to drill out unsucesfully. Found a dispensible sharp thing (an electrical...

Never owned / used a bench grinder before. Will need in time to sharpen tools bits & whatever else might come in useful for. But... current guess minimal needs at present. So , more of a 'would like' than a 'need' , spotted this for £15 (pounds)...

On an ongioing novice build of the littlemachineshop oscillating engine http://littlemachineshop.com/Projects/OscillatingEngine.php I have a Taig lathe & a cheap & cheerful drill press & a cheap & not-so-cheerful airbrush compressor. My first attempted build, was abandoned , one of several...

On a novice build of the littlemachneshop oscillating engine http://littlemachineshop.com/Projects/OscillatingEngine.php I have a Taig lathe & a cheap & cheerful drill press. Will be test running on compressed air. I've drilled the two vent holes in the ali upright, for one hole drilled 2.5mm...

With a long-ish coach trip & later a holiday teed up, thought I'd ask you guys (& gals?) for reading suggestions. Of course I could just roam the amazon, but over a cup of tea, thought I'd ask here. No workshop how-tos books - I'm still learning from the 3 I already have. I'm interested in...

On a novice build of the littlemachneshop oscillating engine http://littlemachineshop.com/Projects/OscillatingEngine.php I've added a bearing & done the crankshaft differently, (pic below) Both the crankshaft & upright is ali. After some problems, I ended up d/t the flywheel centre with 6mm...

This may be my misunderstanding: Poll showing (what looks like) voting results to date, before login /voting ?? I voted in prev months but dont remember seeing the results to date before the close of vote. (just need a bug fix?) Mike