Working by hand.
It might seem a little odd to those who are not versed in the fine arts of machine operations, but it is important to do some work by hand now and then. It gives a renewed appreciation for the tools we use and how much sweat and strain they can save us and also makes it more of a visceral experience. And getting hands on with the creation of something that interests me, is a real treat, in fact, one of the few things that makes it worth getting up in the morning or makes quitting to go to bed a sad moment. I like to tinker, to make a part that does something I want done. Most times I'd rather fix a piece of junk, make a crazy little part to see it work again, than most anything else. It's a win win situation, it was junk to start with, broken, and if i can't get it to work, it was headed for the trash anyway, so there is little chance of it costing a lot for the entertainment value. Also there is nearly no frustration factor.
The secrecy factor.
Ok, this might seem a weird thing to bring up on the first page, but you have to keep secret what you can do in a home machine shop. So many people have no idea what can be done in a small machine shop, particularly engineers and automotive designers, and the majority of college educated people from engineering backgrounds. And this is a good thing for you, so keep the mystery alive.
If you go about, telling people what you can do, you will spend your life fixing lawn sprinklers and toasters that should really be thrown away. If you want to spend an evening fixing something for yourself that you can then chuck into the trash can just because you want to, that's fine. But you don't want to be hounded by the family cheapskate to save him a nickel, and cost you $50.00 in tooling and materials, and trust me, it won't be appreciated as it should be. So keep your capacities under the radar, "Yes, I have a small shop, for fixing widgets, and working on my lawn mower!" Never tell them you could make a steam powered spaceship, with wind powered phasers, guided by laser levels from the Dollar Store!
The real challenge
You are going to be able to make whatever you desire, including that 100 MPG carburetor, simply because you want to. You may find that there are things that you will be able to do easily, and some things you will need a little nudge to discover your own method of doing it. Occasionally this will be dependant on what machinery you have available and sometimes on the tooling. Most often if you have a mill and a lathe, or a combination of the two you can accomplish whatever you are determined to do. But we will discuss ways to accomplish projects with makeshift replacements even for these basic machines.
Another challenge, being as we are on the subject, is obtaining funds for the items required to keep the projects moving along. You may find it necessary to do a little "outside work" to fund the operation. Even raw materials are getting pricey today, and it's not uncommon for a single drill bit or cutting tool to cost in excess of $50.00 by the time you receive it. So start right now to design and produce a simple little project that will fund your shop. Ideas? How about custom replacement knobs for electronic devices, most of them today are plastic and break pretty easily. Or a simple little machine, that you can make a dozen of, for the local flea market, even if they are wood (rustic toys) the idea is to fund the operation.
OK, there are a few challenges that will be nearly insurmountable, one of which is, where are you going to get enough room to put all the equipment you need? And if you can find a way to get it, can you afford to heat or cool the building so that it is usable year round? I seem to accumulate a plethora of "good stuff" special tools or equipment that I can't seem to let go. I actually thought I threw something away a couple years ago that could be very useful, if I'd only known what it was, and what it was for, at the time. Fortunately while trying to find a couple tire's, I'm pretty sure I got rid of, I found it! And was I ever happy. It is a tool to dress valve seat grinding wheels for small engines, I didn't know what it was until I thought I had thrown it out. Rule "Never throw something out, or even get rid of it through other means, until you have identified it." I have parts that I have accumulated to build special tools and toys, and can't do it. Simply because I don't have the room to move things around in a building bigger than most peoples homes. Poor, Poor, Me, Right? Well I can't help it. It seems that I get stuff that just needs a little work to be worth something so I hold on to it till I get the part I need, from another cheap source, then all I need, is to find all the parts and get them assembled into the great item that they could be. remember that $10.00 toaster.
I know this isn't a BLOG but I will add as time goes on so stay tuned.
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