Re: [ihc] Trusting homework

[Steven Stegmann <steve.stegmann@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greg,

I have a series of 7 small paperback books which
describe how to build a metal cutting lathe,
horizontal mill, shaper, drill press, dividing head,
thread cutting setup for the lathe including carriage
drive & back gears.  You make your own castings from
aluminum.  Shows how to set up a small furnace to melt
aluminum using charcoal.

You learn to scrape your own ways from castings you
made, use the lathe headstock & tailstock to bore each
other, make your gears with the shaper. 

He builds the whole setup in an order which allows you
to make the next tool.

The tools really work, but they're not very large, or
fancy.   It is a really great series of books.

As soon as I have time (after retirement I guess) I'm
going to build the whole series.  

I've studied the series and have other books by the
same author.  This will work he's not trying to sell
something.  It is all done from first principals, not
with modern tools and measuring devices.  Basically
the same way this stuff was built way back when they
first built them.

I think that for students in mechanical engineering
this would be a really good experience.  They'd learn
quite a bit that will take them years and years
without doing it themselves.

Steve



--- Greg Hermann <bearbvd@domain.elided> wrote:

> At 3:19 PM 8/7/04, Steven Stegmann wrote:
> >Greg,
> >
> >Sounds like you know more details about Europe than
> I
> >do.
> 
> I am one of those who believe that a requirement for
> ANY degree in
> engineering should be about 12 semester hour credits
> on the HISTORY of
> engineering. A great deal of this could replace the
> currently required
> liberal 'political indoctrination' courses with ZERO
> harm, in fact quite a
> GAIN to the overall value of the course curriculum
> !!
> >
> >I will make an observation about the engineering in
> MB
> >cars.  I personally think any engineering problem
> is
> >*much* easier to solve if you don't have to worry
> >about how much you're spending on the solution.
> 
> What ELSE is new ?? :-)
> >
> >And, is it really better or do they just do a
> better
> >job where we can see it.  I'm reminded of the MB
> >diesel in which they increased the stroke but not
> the
> >connecting rod length and at around 80-100k miles
> they
> >wallow out the cylinder bores.  I guess they're
> just
> >as cheap as anyone else.
> 
> I'm reminded of the Hanomag diesel in my loader.
> Originally had a pair of
> dowel pins (for alignment) between the two halves of
> the (crank nose
> driven, front cover mounted) oil pump. On the
> original design, it was
> possible for one of the pins to worm its way out and
> fall into the
> crankcase. No big deal, the mag drain plug would
> capture it, and the
> suction screen wouldn't let it back into the pump
> the wrong way--EXCEPT
> that the hole it left behind created an air leak on
> the suction side of the
> pump !!! This led to NO oil to the engine at
> idle/low speed, and VERY
> aerated oil when it was cranked up !!
> 
> On replacement pumps, they quietly fixed the
> problem. BUT--do you think
> there was ever even a HINT of a service bulletin ???
> :-)
> 
> This kind of thing can happen to ANYONE--but it does
> conflict pretty
> strongly with their overall 'Ve are perfekt !!'
> attitude !!
> 
> In my days racing Alfas, the rule of thumb was that
> you could get an
> equivalent part of slightly better design, material,
> and quality from Alfa
> vis a vis porsche for consistently one third of the
> price !!
> 
> Greg
> >
> >Steve
> >
> >Steve
> >--- Greg Hermann <bearbvd@domain.elided> wrote:
> >
> >> At 5:10 PM 8/6/04, Steven Stegmann wrote:
> >> >The problem isn't with the german engineering.
> >> That's
> >> >fine.  But something like a Tourage [or however
> you
> >> >spell it] isn't really a trailer puller. 
> Nothing
> >> that
> >> >short really is.  Not if you want to be
> comfortable
> >> >and safe.
> >> >
> >> >Steve
> >>
> >> I, on the other hand, think that the german
> >> engineering tends to be rather
> >> poor !! For GOOD  engineering on the continent,
> you
> >> need to go to northern
> >> Italy, Czechoslovakia ( I know, it's TWO places
> >> now), or Hungary !!! For
> >> example, Ducati, MV, CZ. Czech out who designed
> and
> >> built all the torpedo
> >> engines !!!
> >>
> >> The Poles, Finns, and Swedes tend to do better,
> as
> >> well !! (Wartsila,
> >> Nokia, Scania, for examples)
> >>
> >> Greg
> >>
> >> >--- Joel M Brodsky <jmbrodsky@domain.elided>
> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Jim,
> >> >>       Actually, I would be inclined to trust
> >> them.
> >> >> When VW is testing new
> >> >> models, usually about a year or two before
> they
> >> came
> >> >> out with the New
> >> >> Beetle, the Passat, the TDIs, the new
> Jetta/Golf
> >> and
> >> >> BMW with many of their
> >> >> car/motorcycle models, they (Chermans) often
> >> bring
> >> >> them out this way
> >> >> (during the summer, it's the closest thing to
> >> hell),
> >> >> and they often take a
> >> >> trip to Death Valley and back just for fun.
> >> Towing?
> >> >>  Well, I can't say
> >> >> I've seen them towing, but I do see lots of
> >> >> Manufacturers license plates
> >> >> around these parts, and they seem to be just
> >> driving
> >> >> around, in traffic,
> >> >> and such.  I've wondered if they don't select
> >> people
> >> >> to drive their cars
> >> >> for a while to see what
> >> breaks/overheats/burns-out.
> >> >> I'd love that job in
> >> >> addition to a daily.
> >> >>
> >> >>       I'm more inclined to trust them than
> not,
> >> is
> >> >> all.  I've been highly
> >> >> impressed with the Cherman Enchineering so
> far.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> JoelB
> >> >>
> >> >> Grammer writes:
> >> >> The vehicle's so new, and so few people are
> >> likely
> >> >> using them to tow with
> >> >> that I expect you won't find a lot of data
> yet.
> >> Do
> >> >> you trust VW to have
> >> >> done
> >> >> their homework?