tools, materials & knowledge for model makers
Workshop humidity is a problem in that it can result in rust. Especially an issue on the surfaces of precision tools. The humidity in the air comes from a number of sources: atmospheric, gas fire, blow torch, breathing and of course from some processes. Such as steaming wood, this will generate a lot of water … Read more
Sometimes I have a model where lots is achieved and then slow progress. However, I got reminded this week by Google Photos of what this model was like 2 years ago. This is my 1/20th scale Burrell traction engine. As you can see, I had bought the blanks for the wheels and sat them on … Read more
Room acoustic modes occur at frequencies at which sound waves in a room resonate (in the form of standing waves), based on the room dimensions. The acoustic modes will “colour” the sound, ie enhance certain frequencies and dull others. Therefore, the standard modal approach for designing a room with good acoustics is to create as … Read more
Things to think about when looking at home workshop insurance. I thought I would write a list of good practice, things to ask the insurer and some further reading: Security Lock your workshop up. Don’t make it easy for anybody to just walk in and pick something up. Even if they don’t clear you out … Read more
My workshop is quite small and bench space is at a premium, the length of the milling machine table can have quite an impact. So, do you go for a long table or a shorter table? My Sieg SX2.7 milling machine has a table that is 595 x 140 mm. This is the standard table. … Read more
Angel Eyes in the Workshop is a strange name, but these are the circular lights that you see most commonly on a BMW during the daytime. The reason for me buying them is to create a worklight that will sit around the chuck of the milling machine. I searched ebay and bought two sizes, 80mm … Read more
The Workshop Calculator is an excel workbook that contains a number of themed worksheets. I often create a simple calculation on an excel spreadsheet, this allows me to check the numbers, compare results etc and I find this really useful. Therefore, I thought it was about time I share this with everybody else and so … Read more