Show us your workshop & equipment
Just finished making a simple V-block stand for setting up the runnout on Happy Time style crankshafts.
In my area, it certainly seems like i'm surrounded by people who have no idea about the fundamental aspects of 2-stroke design and mechanical setup.
I visited a seemingly respected engineer in my area about balancing a 2-stroke crankshaft. He said that the piston and connecting rod do not need to be taken into consideration when balancing a crankshaft as the piston and rod move up and down and not round and round. He was only going to put the big end bearing on the crankshaft and balance it on a set of knife edged bearings - I am absolutely serious here - this guy was charging a rate of $120 per hour + any parts.
I've had a gutful of people charging 4 - 6 times my hourly wage rate yet having not a d.a.m.n clue of what they're talking about or how they are going to perform required machining or setup.
Having said that, ignorance is not an excuse for deferring personal responsibility onto someone else, when you can improve your knowledge base and do the job yourself; possibly even achieving a better outcome.
Over the time of getting my motorised pushbike up and running, i've learnt a heck of a lot, from my own research and from other people on this site.
Confidence is now high enough to tackle the job head on and leaving the incompetence of some people who are getting paid big dollars well and truely behind me.
Having said that, one of the issues stopping me setting up a Happy Time style crankshaft after replacing the big end bearing was the lack of V-blocks, surface table and a dial indicator.
Basically i was stuffing around going to other people just because i didn't have these items.
After having a gutful of some peoples incompetence, i decided to get cracking on the workbench and make something pertaining to the concept of: keep it simple and functional.
This isn't an easy concept for everything i do turns out to be a 9 month undertaking with ever increasing complexity, my workbench being an example, employing an avant garde version of suspension bridge technology, complete with cable car tool carries capable of "in series or in parallel" air delivery with a clear perspex base so you can see what kind of tools you have in the tool carry, when looking up - was it necessary "no it wasn't" but i wanted to make something a little unique.
The V-block jig cost me nothing but 20 mins and works perfectly well without requiring a surface table.
After making the jig, my thoughts were of what other peoples workshops look like or even what kind of creation they've made in the pursuit of making something unique or special.
OK,,, i'm curious to see what kind of interesting stuff is hiding away in peoples garages for show and tell.
Cheers Fabian.
Last edited by Fabian; 11-07-2009 at 07:52 AM.
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