Tim from Telford, UK

[Tim Hooper]

Hi there!

I'm just dipping a toe in the water at the moment, so bear with me, OK?

I'm spiralling towards retirement in a couple of years, and will need an engaging interest to keep me mentally active. With this in mind, my wife and I have commissioned an outside workshop; she's interested in woodworking and turning, whereas I'm more inclined towards metal machining.

I'm a life-long aeromodeller, and have been designing and fabricating balsa models for decades - mostly electric powered. However in the last couple of years, I've regained my childhood fascination with model diesel engines, and now have several R/C diesel models in my hangar. You can see where this is going, can't you?

Sooo....in the coming months, we'll be outfitting the new 16x7' workshop (insulated, boarded and electrified, etc) for a carefully selected number of machine tools, and then I want to start learning how to machine metal correctly. Predictably, I'm to hoping to eventually produce one of the several diesels that are published as drawings on the internet. The Outerzone now has quite a number of engine drawings for free download;

Oz : Search for [Engines] found the following free plans

I've enrolled as a part-time, senior student at the local college to do a short course in machining, starting in May. I'm also devouring YouTube videos by the dozen - particularly the series by Blondihacks.

So there we are. This is a staged adventure, that'll see me busy for a long time to come.

Besides the toy aeroplanes, I'm very involved in amateur music; making my own guitars and ukuleles (in a cigar box ethos), and performing in a number of groups locally to the detriment of the general public.

I'll attach a photo or two.

Thanks for having me!

Tim

 

[ZebDog]

Hi Tim and welcome to the group

 

[SmithDoor]

Welcome to the group

Dave

Hi there!

I'm just dipping a toe in the water at the moment, so bear with me, OK?

I'm spiralling towards retirement in a couple of years, and will need an engaging interest to keep me mentally active. With this in mind, my wife and I have commissioned an outside workshop; she's interested in woodworking and turning, whereas I'm more inclined towards metal machining.

I'm a life-long aeromodeller, and have been designing and fabricating balsa models for decades - mostly electric powered. However in the last couple of years, I've regained my childhood fascination with model diesel engines, and now have several R/C diesel models in my hangar. You can see where this is going, can't you?

Sooo....in the coming months, we'll be outfitting the new 16x7' workshop (insulated, boarded and electrified, etc) for a carefully selected number of machine tools, and then I want to start learning how to machine metal correctly. Predictably, I'm to hoping to eventually produce one of the several diesels that are published as drawings on the internet. The Outerzone now has quite a number of engine drawings for free download;

Oz : Search for [Engines] found the following free plans

I've enrolled as a part-time, senior student at the local college to do a short course in machining, starting in May. I'm also devouring YouTube videos by the dozen - particularly the series by Blondihacks.

So there we are. This is a staged adventure, that'll see me busy for a long time to come.

Besides the toy aeroplanes, I'm very involved in amateur music; making my own guitars and ukuleles (in a cigar box ethos), and performing in a number of groups locally to the detriment of the general public.

I'll attach a photo or two.

Thanks for having me!

TimView attachment 135406View attachment 135407View attachment 135409View attachment 135410

 

[GreenTwin]

Hey Tim, welcome,

Be sure and leave room for the foundry equipment in your new shop.

That is a really nice RC plane.
I family friend gave me one very similar to that many years ago (maybe 1968).
It had a single tube receiver in it, and an escarpment mechanism with a long rubber band?, which I did not know how to make work, so I flew it control line.

I did not have enough rudder trimmed into it, and so on a high climb, it turned into the circle and smashed hard into the ground, shattering into a million pieces. That was a sad day in model airplane land for sure. The coverings were translucent silk, and the balsa was the good stuff, and very low mass.

I always wanted to get back into model airplane making, but alas the model engine thing has taken over my life, as well as the foundry thing.

Good luck with your new hobby.
Post lots of pictures.

That wing you have it just too much.
What a beauty !

Pat J

 

[propclock]

Welcome and I am sure you will be very active.
Rc, wood, and metal, and engines
I am not sure if MEN Model Engine News is still on the archive web but they were a great source of airplane engine machining info
Worth a search but there is also a lot here on HMEM.
Beautiful plane. Never managed rc flying without crashing. Oh well.

 

[Jamie Barton]

Hi Tim,
Welcome. I've just completed my first diesel and went with the Boll aero 18. It was a joy to build and runs fantastic with very little fettling required. Only hiccup I had was too much compression so I shave a tad off the contra piston. Definitely a good choice for a first diesel as there's no castings or complex shapes yet it still looks nice

 

[Steamchick]

Hi Tim, not sure you'll fit in well with some of us odd-balls... too much common sense being applied here with your plans to do a college course on machining! That's a really good idea, that will get you going so you'll have lots of hard questions for us! But (I exclude myself) there are some very clever, knowledgeable, experienced and skilled contributors who will willingly sort you out.
I learned this 'trade' in my Dad's shed, at school, then in a machine shop, before college and real work. But there are guys here who have done 'the job' for over half a century who have taught me lots! So you are in the right place.
The modelling you have done on planes will stand you in good stead for the mind-set required.
So ask-away!
K2

 

[awake]

Welcome!

 

[Tim Hooper]

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

Progress will be on the slow side - to begin with. The new shed/workshop arrived yesterday, so that's a major leap forwards. I'm part way through installing insulation, lining, flooring and ventilation, so it's a project in itself.

My wife has ear-marked territory for a small woodworking lathe, and a hearth so she can resume her silversmithing - something she's been unable to do for a few years now, due to house moves, etc.

I will be looking for guidance with machinery. At the moment, I'm leaning towards a combination lathe/milling machine. Yes, it'll be a compromise (the worst of both worlds, perhaps?), but space and cost are issues.

Anyway, again thanks for the welcome, and I'll browse the forums here absorb some knowledge.

Tim

 

[awake]

Tim, it sounds like you already know the response you are likely to get about a combination machine. There are a few models that are fairly well regarded (Emco Unimat, for example), but the generic "3-in-1" import machines generally get poor reviews. There are exceptions of course; for someone who has never used anything else, a 3-in-1 will be the best machine they've ever had. I have to confess that I have never used a combo machine, so I can't speak from personal experience ... but let's just say that I have been extremely glad, through the years, to have separate lathe and mill.

 

[SmithDoor]

The combination lathe/milling is great for small spaces.
You find more that one RC person he too. I started building RC about 1966.

Dave

Thank you all for the warm welcome!

Progress will be on the slow side - to begin with. The new shed/workshop arrived yesterday, so that's a major leap forwards. I'm part way through installing insulation, lining, flooring and ventilation, so it's a project in itself.

My wife has ear-marked territory for a small woodworking lathe, and a hearth so she can resume her silversmithing - something she's been unable to do for a few years now, due to house moves, etc.

I will be looking for guidance with machinery. At the moment, I'm leaning towards a combination lathe/milling machine. Yes, it'll be a compromise (the worst of both worlds, perhaps?), but space and cost are issues.

Anyway, again thanks for the welcome, and I'll browse the forums here absorb some knowledge.

Tim

 

[Sprocket]

Plan a way to separate wood dust from metal chips/oily machines.
Otherwise, sounds like fun!
Doug

 

[Charles Lamont]

Hello Tim.
It is still hard to beat a Myford lathe for handiness, adaptability and range of accessories. A Super-7 is a lot better than the standard ML7. Very good condition second hand ones are always available. I did all my milling in the lathe for for over 40 years, using a vertical slide. I do have a mill now, though.

 

[methuselah1]

As Charles says. The Super Seven is "super" because of the superior headstock design, and worth having.

However, EVERYONE who knows NOTHING about model engineering, knows they MUST have one, so the prices are extortionate; ditto for spares.

I favour the Drummond/Myford "M" type lathes. Very solid- like resist a nuclear strike, solid. They are what the ML7 series were designed to replace, as they were cheaper to make. Things like Myford vertical slides fit straight on.

The best part is that you can pick up a decent one for around the £300 mark. The perennial problem used to be getting changewheels- but even that has been resolved now, as a guy on this group, *[email protected]* is 3D printing spares. That and a vertical slide will come in at less than the cost of a combination machine- which I would personally avoid like the plague.

Best plan is to keep reviewing your options! Join the drummond group, too- it's the friendliest one I know; for ideas and advice, if nothing else.

 

[methuselah1]

As an aside, where are people getting their diesel fuel from these days?

 

[Peter Twissell]

+1 for Drummond lathes.
My roundbed is close to 100 years old and I can still produce parts to the precision required for small IC engines on it. See my thread "A 15cc sidevalve opposed twin" for some photos of my Roundbed in action.

 

[Steamchick]

Hi Tim,
Having "struggled" with the limitations of milling in the lathe, and having been through half a dozen small lathes, including a Myford ML3, I am currently on a Chester DB7VS lathe:
DB7VS Lathe - Metalworking Bench Hobby Metal Lathe (chesterhobbystore.com)
A great COMPACT lathe. Being new, for less than the price of a second-hand worn-out Myford, I am happy with what I got for the money. But using my Mates Myford, I realise how good that was... but isn't so precise now as mine. - Whuch is basically the modern equivalent. I would not swap the new one for the Myford. But that is a personal opinion, so please gather a few more.
I also have a worn, second-hand drill/Mill. MUCH better than the combination machine I used at work. But I would choose a better design of Miller, as a "converted pillar drill" does not really have the stiffness of a proper Mill frame.
SOmething like this should suit your needs?
Conquest Super Mill - Mini Hobby Metal Mill (chesterhobbystore.com)

 

[creast]

Hi Tim. Welcome from another UK member.
It's really good that as a couple you both share practical interests, not often the case .
I would add to another member's comments about wood work in a metal working environment. I have done it (still have to) and it can be a nightmare clogging up lathe parts etc. So do make or get some covers.
My ML7 has served me well but agree that prices seem to have gone silly.
Best of luck with your endeavours.

 

[Gary C]

Hello Tim, welcome from another aeromodeller. I'm managing with a revised ML10 and a Rishton VM60. Both fit for purpose after setting up and bringing the tooling up to scratch. Great looking model by the way.

Best regaards

 

[Tim Hooper]

As an aside, where are people getting their diesel fuel from these days?

I don't know your location, but in the UK, it's still readily available from several model shops - some will even mail order by domestic courier. A couple of manufacturers have recently retired, so Optifuel and ED have picked up the reins.

Steamchick,
Mrs Hooper and I visited the Chester Hobby Store a couple of weeks ago, and had a good look around. To a numbskull such as myself it was a real eye-opener. Looking at independent videos on YouTube afterwards brought things back into a more realistic perspective.

All,
Many thanks again for your inputs and advice. I'm still inclined towards a new, imported 3 in1 machine, but I'm opening my options towards a used, older machine as well.

Tim