Hello all,
I am a retired programmer from the days when computers were computers, spiders wove webs, and fishermen used nets. I have always built models of one sort or another.
I do remember how to make a rocket from a piece of foil and a wooden match, or a dart from a pin, a matchstick, and an index card.
Motors, engines, clockworks, electronics, and many other things fascinate me.
Years back I acquired one of the Robert Sher made import lathes from a friend. More recently I bought a Sherline mill to go with it. That and some tooling is my precision stuff. I also have a radial arm saw, drill press, band saw, bench grinder, and a small horizontal band saw from Harbor Freight.
Although I would struggle to build something big, by focusing on small stuff I can keep the cost of materials down, which is a blessing.
In addition to little engines, I'm interested in tools to make little engines.
I've been at this for a handful of years. So far, that has produced four little (air) steamers. I find that they are quite forgiving since none have been made for endurance or efficiency. Still, with each one I try for better fit and finish. Although they are fun to build and run, after a few more I'm going to try my hand at IC. To keep it cheap I'll probably try for something like a miniature hit and miss engine; since everything doesn't scale equally there will probably be a good bit of experimentation here and so I want my machining to be pretty good first.
Alan