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Hello from Rockyview, AB

SparWeb

SparWeb

Active Member
I found this forum and was surprised to see many members from Calgary and the Alberta area generally.
Seemed like a good place to sign up to see what people in my area are working on, and how they're using their equipment.
I have a very busy day job, but on evenings and weekends I find it very relaxing and satisfying to be making things.

I'll be browsing about for a while, asking questions, and then I hope to come back to this thread and post a few pictures of my shop and past projects.

FYI, Rockyview is the county that surrounds Calgary on 3 sides, like a horseshoe. I'm in the eastern arm of the horseshoe between Irricana and Keoma.
 
Let me try to attach a picture or two that should capture some of it...
 

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So I have some eccentric hobbies, and one of the things I love about them is that they give me an excuse to buy tools and equipment that I then get to learn how to use.
Then when I learn to use that stuff, I come up with even more interesting things to build. And the cycle continues.

I have a Miller 180 MIG welder, plenty of drill presses, grinders, and hand tools for metalworking and woodworking.
I got this lathe as my "2020" project since I was cooped up at home all the time.
 

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SparWeb said:
So I have some eccentric hobbies, and one of the things I love about them is that they give me an excuse to buy tools and equipment that I then get to learn how to use.
Then when I learn to use that stuff, I come up with even more interesting things to build. And the cycle continues.
Click to expand...
Well you've come to the right forum to enable your desires and interests!
 
The point is to do as much as I can myself - the underlying goal is to learn to make stuff. Producing electricity is just a side-benefit.
This year's project has been to give the turbine a much taller tower than i than before. Around me you can see trees, and they are still growing taller. It's a bit of an arms race, really.

This tower has parts turned on the lathe, on a welded frame. The screw piles were installed by a contractor, of course.
 

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Welcome! I'm still fairly new to the forum and have found it contains a great bunch of guys.

Nice lathe!

Tom
Vancouver Island
 
A few years ago, a friend gave me one of these.
I wonder if you can guess what it really is...
 

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It's called a duplicator. Yeah, "pantograph" too.
A stylus is put on the left arm, and two cutters on the right cut identical parts.

When delivered to me, it was just a jumble of parts, from a guy who had seen it used years before and inherited it in pieces, but never put it back together.

I needed to give it a table, and then fix the collets.
 

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Ended up able to do this:


That was just a dry run. I haven't actually made real prop blades with it yet. As you know, the prices of craftsman-grade wood like cedar have gone through the roof in the past year or so. It's on its way down, but I'm not keen to buy a big stack just yet.
 
Crap, you beat me to the reveal. I was gunna say wood duplicator. Now I'm just an also ran...... :rolleyes:

SparWeb said:
The screw piles were installed by a contractor, of course.
Click to expand...

"of course"???

You will find a mix of people here who would challenge that statement....... It's amazing what others do. I bet a full 1/3 of us would do that part too.

Lest I forget, a huge big welcome to you from farm country south of Chatham Ontario!!
 
I've never seen one in real life and only a little bit in videos but those things look like cool tools from what I've seen so far.
 
I'm really looking forward to using it "for real" soon.
It was just a gift from a friend, not really a planned project of mine, so it's here mostly looking for a job to do.
The original manufacturer of the machine still has a website but they don't make machines like this any more.
Any interest in suggesting a part to duplicate?
Many examples online show it carving statues, animal figurines, gun stocks, and stuff like that.
Some inspiration from youtube (
) suggests that I can get a set of letter profiles, and after placing them on a board, the carver can make a one-piece profile sign. Two at a time, in fact.
 
Howdy Kevin,
You're almost next-door, as things go in these parts.
Long ago, I took several flying lessons from the Winters in two of their ultralight Merlins.
 
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