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Ongoing Projects... AKA updates

Ongoing Projects... AKA updates

Continuing to work on the drill press table but Christmas, traveling to Iowa to visit relatives, cold weather, and supply issue have conspired to slow the work. I had to order more miter slot hardware and with the Christmas rush it took awhile to get here but as usual Peachtree woodworking came through. This is full sized miter slot channel with a t-slot for fixturing so it is worth the wait. Hopefully I can get more done soon and wrap up the drill table.

I am revisiting the adjustable workbench to put a new and more accurately bored top on it. I have a jig made in England on a CNC machine that should allow me to get the accuracy I want. The accuracy and precision that was sadly lacking in my first attempt on the big adjustable workbench. I will eventually post pictures of the bench before and after as well as the jig and any issues with it. (Hey it took time to find a solution and more time to get all the stuff together... sigh)

I am still scheduled to make a box joint jig and finger jointed tool boxes.

Sometime I have to make drawers both for the workbench and the tool boxes. (thus why I made the bench top router table)

We come to distractions...
I have been working on my fathers smart watch and telephone combination. He has what looks like brain damage that happened about the time he had heart bypass surgery. It presents as dementia where he can not remember recent events. The watch is to help him keep in touch and ask questions of Google assistant. It will be his personal assistant going forward I hope.

I have also been working with amazon echo as a home helper for my parents. My mom cant have a smart watch very easily since they interfere with here pacemaker. She is fairly tech intolerant so it has to be pretty bomb proof. It looks like both my parents can get the verbal interface of Amazon echo and Alexa to work for them. It will allow them to play music and make verbal calls to me and my brother by name. Awesome stuff... but time consuming.

Lastly and the most recent distraction is the reoccurring recumbent trike build. I keep failing at getting the problems worked out and I keep shelving the project. Most recently though I came across a build on Pinterest called the XYZ space frame vehicle. It is a European design and looks like it would work for my needs without being a crazy molded one piece carbon fiber design. Here is a picture.

The vehicle's design consciously incorporates the use of aluminum

There are many design issues in this first build that have been addressed and have just about all been eliminated.  The original design can be down loaded from the following link: http://www.n55.dk/MANUALS/SPACEFRAMEVEHICLES/DIY.pdf .
The problems that have been solved are seat issues, boom length issues, chain ring bottom bracket issues, turning radius issues, steering type issues, electric motor issues, and geometry/height instability issues. All of these are solved and surpassed in the German forum https://www.velomobilforum.de .I believe there is only one issue that I may have with the build and that is weight. This may actually be solvable using carbon fiber square tubes. This may be doable over a solid core like balsa or foam using a wet layup. I spent the time to document the issues and solutions and this will be a future report.
 
So there is what I have been doing other than working for money, eating, sleeping and such. Is it any wonder not much has been happening lately in the garage/shop?
Well TTFN for now.
Ceeann
 
 

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