Author Topic: Ready-made engine bases  (Read 4643 times)

Offline mklotz

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2620
  • LA, CA, USA
    • SOFTWARE FOR PEOPLE WHO BUILD THINGS!
Ready-made engine bases
« on: August 08, 2012, 10:10:02 PM »
As part of the kitchen-remodel-that-will-never-end, SWMBO (I normally refer to her as my wife but, in this instance, the acronym is more appropriate) felt the need to obtain samples of every counter-top and flooring material known to the mind of man.

Once the final decision was made (note that I did not say "we decided"), I inherited all the rejected samples.  Turns out the samples of Corian and Corian-like counter-tops from Home Depot are neat little 1/2" thick squares with rounded edges.  One of them made a perfect base for my version of Elmer's Tiny.



This particular sample (Samsung "Staron") drilled easily with ordinary twist drills.  Still, I would suggest using your cruddy drills, not your good metalworking drills.  I expect that the material is somewhat abrasive.

I should point out that in the end SWMBO rejected all the collected samples and focused on something she had seen on the web.  She contacted the manufacturer and got a free one ft^2 sample - more than adequate for a larger engine.  (Having been married to me for 40+ years, she's hidden it away where I can't find it.  I can't imagine why.)


Anyway, it's something to keep in mind next time you need a project base.
Regards, Marv
Home Shop Freeware
https://www.myvirtualnetwork.com/mklotz

Offline zeeprogrammer

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6811
  • West Chester, PA, USA
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2012, 11:34:43 PM »
. (Having been married to me for 40+ years, she's hidden it away where I can't find it.  I can't imagine why.)

40+ years and you don't know her hidden places?

I'd worry more that there's a need for them.

I started this hobby just a few years ago. Posts like this one always remind me of all the things I've thrown out or given away that would now be useful to me.
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
"To work. To work."
Zee-Another Thread Trasher.

Offline rleete

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 179
  • Rochester, NY USA
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2012, 12:28:18 AM »
Corian machines quite nicely.  I also use it to make pens, as it polishes up to a brilliant shine.

Offline tel

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1657
  • Bathurst District, NSW, Oz.
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2012, 12:31:48 AM »
Quote
40+ years and you don't know her hidden places?

The hiding places get cunninger and cunninger with every passing year.
The older I get, the better I was.
Lacerta es reptiles quisnam mos non exsisto accuso nusquam

Offline steamer

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12697
  • Central Massachusetts, USA
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2012, 12:38:02 AM »
Corian is great for spark plug insulators....

Dave
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline Mel Larsen

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 12
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2012, 04:37:19 AM »
I have made a few engine bases and other things like a lid for our creamer pitcher.  BUT it seems to put off some toxic smelling fumes while drilling or machining.  I think one should be careful with it.
Mel
Hi from Wet, Wild, and Windy Waldport,OR.

Online Jo

  • Administrator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15295
  • Hampshire, england.
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2012, 07:20:07 AM »
My guess is that she has hidden it away as a pastry board.

I don't know why you chaps have problems finding these things :embarassed:, in my experience the best place to hide something is associated with a job that you have been asking your partner to do for some time or out in the open where it is too obvious to spot.

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Admiral_dk

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3752
  • Søften - Denmark
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2012, 10:13:04 AM »
Quote
Posts like this one always remind me of all the things I've thrown out or given away that would now be useful to me.

Well - that's another one of Murphy's finest .... :  No matter how long you keep something, you're not going to need until at least two weeks after you throw it out  :old:  :cussing:

Quote
I don't know why you chaps have problems finding these things , in my experience the best place to hide something is associated with a job that you have been asking your partner to do for some time or out in the open where it is too obvious to spot.

I'm not going to claim that I'm good at finding things, because I'm not - But I do know about hiding things in plain site .... and it goes for me too - If I want to hide myself at a party, I just enter the stage and plays all nite and no one remembers that they saw me at the party  ;)

Offline b.lindsey

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13860
  • Dallas, NC, USA
    • Workbench-Miniatures
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2012, 12:27:23 PM »
Marv, I'm assuming that the rounded edges along the top of the piece you used for Tiny were already there. Just curious if anyone has tried routing this stuff and if that works well, either with a rounding bit or a simple 45 degree chamfer bit.

Bill

Offline rleete

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 179
  • Rochester, NY USA
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2012, 01:59:50 PM »
Yes, it machines easily.  It is, after all, just a type of plastic.  I have used both 2 and 4 flute end mills on it, as well as HSS and carbide router bits for wood.  I also made several pens, and used my crappy Harbor Freight steel gouges to cut them.

Offline Lew Hartswick

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 273
  • Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Re: Ready-made engine bases
« Reply #10 on: August 11, 2012, 05:25:23 AM »
I took the factory training course at Avonite and the routers and bits were just common woodworking
ones.  Machines great.
   ...Lew...

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal