In this world of rapidly changing technology, sometimes we find the old tools work just fine. They may be slower, but they do the same work and they have a lot of advantages, too. My thoughts went off in this direction the other day when I saw a photo of a very recent Russian military training exercise. In it, a crewmember aboard a TU-160 supersonic bomber was doing … [Read more...]
Projects Not Credentials, Do It to Prove It
You don't need permission to learn You can learn anything you want, starting today. If you want to learn how to do advanced mathematics, TIG weld aluminum, create complicated CAD drawings, do computer programming, 3D print a complex piece of your own design, or anything else you don't yet know how to do, you can start immediately, no permission necessary, no application … [Read more...]
Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD CAM Software is Opportunity Knocking
Recently I suggested it was time to start moving custom building into the future, encouraging builders to take advantage of all of the powerful CAD, CAM and CNC tools available right now, learn new skills and do what the old school builders could only dream of doing. That idea was met with a bit of pushback, one being that everything you needed was really expensive. Well, … [Read more...]
Welding Can Be Common and Welding Can Be Art
Welding may be common, but the welder doesn't have to be. How you approach your work makes all the difference. You can be that guy watching the clock, putting in the time and collecting a check, or you can set a higher standard. Scott Raabe is one of the other guys, he takes his work very seriously and turns out welds that make you stop and take notice. Some time back I … [Read more...]
Building Model Formula One Racers from Cereal Boxes and Paper
When Paul Bischof was eight years old he got a paper model kit from his dad. After building it he continued with a few more, but then he thought he would like to build models of his own design. That was some years ago, he's now up to about 45 cars and these are not your average Camaro or Mustang, these are mostly Formula One racers built from photos and precise drawings he … [Read more...]
Do You Have a Future in Freestyle Mechanics?
If you're a mechanic, you should look into freestyle chess because you may gain some insight into your future. What's freestyle chess? It's a fascinating offshoot of the traditional game that appears to throw out all of the rules about cheating, you can get all of the help you want and the top level games that result, speak for themselves. Computers playing chess In the … [Read more...]