Small Projects....

This is the place for posts that don't fit into any other category.

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Small Projects....

Post by Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur »

in the course of modifying a Sack Truck, yesterday's 'small project', I was wondering whether there 'd be any interest in an 'Off Topic' 'Small Hobbies' post.

What are you up to?

Details of this one: as usual, designed by idiots. Grr !!
Due to the front face of the wheels being approx 12mm forward of the back of the load bed, anything wider than the bed fouled them. Some spacers on new longer bolts and we were sorted.
Explanatory pic....

Also Grr, why do I so often find that manufacturers like to drill a hole that's much too big for the size of the bolt used in the fixing? Does anybody know what they're doing?!
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by CitroJim »

I have a pair of sack trucks made from the handles and wheel of an old lawn mower. Dad made it possibly 50 years ago now for moving Calor gas cylinders around...

I've not done anything that could be described as a project for ages now. Been far too busy running and cycling. Now that winter looms that will change...

I do have a small project to do for a fellow forum member involving a bit of brazing and lathe work in connection with a sphere tester he's making. I need to make the gauge adaptor... Must do that soon as I'll be seeing him next weekend...
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by white exec »

The ideal indoor project, Jim. :wink:
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by CitroJim »

white exec wrote: 30 Sep 2017, 18:04 The ideal indoor project, Jim. :wink:


Absolutely Chris :) I will enjoy firing up the lathe and the blowtorch again... It's been a while...
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Well I think this qualifies as a small project, and which even my hamfisted attempts at, have produced a considerable amount of entertainment for both me and the younger generation wonderfully receptive to faffing about gluing and the joy and wonder of switching something on and off which makes a noise and goes whirr! and whizz!

Not having a motor lying about I did invest in a £1 electric fan from poundland. 9V batteries are a bit beefy for the electric fan motor, so 2 1.5V AA's provide the power.



Now there could be a small project D.I.Y. electric car challenge from household objects....there are many variations to choose from



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Re: Small Projects....

Post by bobins »

I have a whole shed full of small projects, with a barn full of potential projects lurking in the sidelines :lol:

Various industrial mowers in the shed needing modifications - mainly overhauls with different engines to be fitted..... but nothing is ever simple, the old engine dimensions never match the new ones so new mounts to be fabricated and drilled out, new pulleys to be measured up and fitted, then measure for new belts, then... then.... :roll:
I've also got an old Dunlop three leg tyre changer in need of modification - I need to extend its arms so it can take larger wheels. I've already widened the bead breaker part to take wider wheels :)
Once the wheel changer has been modified, I can turn to getting a big old spiker I've got working. New guards to be fabricated and a replacement engine to be sourced and fitted. Anyone got an old Briggs or Honda GX engine with a 6:1 reduction box to spare ? :)
A very long term project I've got is to get around to mating the flail head from one mower onto the motive unit of a completely different one - but that's a project that can wait for a while longer. 8-[

....Oh, and then there's my Land Rover that needs the old engine removing and the new one putting in. I can't start that until the shed is clear though :rofl2:
Last edited by bobins on 30 Sep 2017, 19:52, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by myglaren »

Your projects list is an industrial version of mine.
I have on my desk a small project that has been ongoing for thirteen years.
I did resolve one recently that was begun in 1979 :)

Still quite a number hanging around though.
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by bobins »

One thing I've found over the years is that projects will expand to fill the available space :)
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by myglaren »

And frequently spill over.
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur »

Running & cycling eh Jim. Takes me back. Reckon I’ve done a good many thousands of miles on a bike over a period of years. Getting on the bike to go to the Amusement Arcade seemed a lot simpler than pestering Dad for a lift as a kid, and kept at it even after I passed my test, long time ago; including a number of years when I simply couldn't afford to run a car at all.

Nice to have a Lathe and be able to help others out; life is about more than just oneself and it'll be nice to 'leave something behind', share skills, knowledge that kind of thing. I know a lot of mine (knowledge) is hard come by, be a shame for it to die when I go (should have a good few years in me yet mind)

Luv the toy car projects Neil: not for me, partly due to my appalling soldering skills, cute though!

No chance of making the handles of our old Lawnmower into a Calor Gas trolley as its been back in use the past year or so, worked out how to fix the carb’ using a Youtube vid and got it going, much more suitable for our large garden than a Hover, a couple of the fittings for the cables were shot so I had em off entirely, makes it easy to remove the handle and store it separately to take up a minimum of storage space in the shed.

Sounds like you’re into your Lawnmowers Bobins; did you know there's a Museum for them (straight up!) in Southport, most interesting it is; nice part of the world too.
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur wrote: 30 Sep 2017, 21:48 Sounds like you’re into your Lawnmowers Bobins; did you know there's a Museum for them (straight up!) in Southport, most interesting it is; nice part of the world too.


..and the company which was to eventually become British Leyland, the Leyland Steam Motor Company produced the steam powered Lawn Mower in the 1890's.

Story here only for the very curious!

Regards Neil

PS one of the few surviving examples according to the article is in the University of Reading. Major kudos to anyone in the area seeking out and photographing said Steam Lawn Mower and putting it up on POTD!
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by CitroJim »

Some really interesting stuff coming out in this thread :) Keep it coming please. Really enjoying!
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by Gibbo2286 »

I've been fixing all sorts of stuff, mainly for friends and neighbours, a Dyson vacuum, for a lady two doors away, her husband says she eats them, a food mixer for another friend, a vintage scalextric set.

One for myself, I spotted an Acer Aconia One - 10 tablet on Ebay for £25, only nine months old, PCW told the owner he'd damaged it so no guarantee cover, the charging usb connector forced into the motherboard (they said), they quoted him £104 to fix it, seemed like a simple fix to me a few dabs of solder is usually all that's needed.

Took the back of and could find no damage, turned out to be just the short usb charger cable faulty, dug a spare cable out of my stock and the things as brand new.

Now my TV's on the blink so that's next..............after the Citroen C5 (On my walk) which is nearing completion, had a drive up and down the close in it, no insurance so can't give it a proper run, need to sort out the ABS/ESP fault and it should then be fit for MOT.
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by bobins »

Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur wrote: 30 Sep 2017, 21:48

No chance of making the handles of our old Lawnmower into a Calor Gas trolley as its been back in use the past year or so, worked out how to fix the carb’ using a Youtube vid and got it going, much more suitable for our large garden than a Hover....

Sounds like you’re into your Lawnmowers Bobins; did you know there's a Museum for them (straight up!) in Southport, most interesting it is; nice part of the world too.


As a wild guess, was your mower a Briggs and Stratton engined one, and the problem was the diaphragm in the pulsa-jet carb had aged ?

I know of the mower museum - but never been there. My preference is for big old commercial British mowers from the 1970s to late 80s. They're still very useable, and very fixable - I work on the principle that they were fabricated and assembled by blokes in engineering workshops, so they can be repaired by this bloke in a shed :-D I've got a couple of heavy old Wolseley and Allett mowers - they're recognisably made from various lumps of steel, so replacement bits can be readily fabricated for them :) They're both still in regular use - simple but effective tools........ bit like their operator :rofl2:
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Re: Small Projects....

Post by Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur »

bobins wrote: 01 Oct 2017, 14:59 As a wild guess, was your mower a Briggs and Stratton.... diaphragm in the pulsa-jet carb
....fabricated and assembled by blokes in engineering workshops, so they can be repaired by this bloke in a shed :-D
....simple but effective tools
Clearly a common problem: yes indeed. That and a Jet that was full of cr**, on a B&S Quattro 40. Definitely a simple & effective tool itself now, and no longer guzzling a tank of petrol in 10mins.

Do try to get to the Mower Museum sometime: its not a busy place and proprietor Brian chatted amiably to me a while. Take in the Museums of Liverpool (Beatles, Maritime, Ford Car Manufacturing, all sorts, fabulous city!) and the British Commercial Vehicle Museum at Leyland – less than a mile from M6 Jn28.

I took a look at my pix and the Ride-On Atco (big beast of a thing) gifted to Charles & Di on their wedding in 1981 would fit well with your preference I should think, can't imagine either of their Bums ever on the seat! Happy to send pix if of interest, but not as attachments here, wouldn’t be right, could cost Brian custom and technically, I guess he could sue.... 'personal use only' kinda thing.

I do like your “blokes in engineering workshops, and bloke in a shed” principle; very true of cars of the era, but rather less so ‘modern’ stuff. I started out with the mindset that a car was nuts & bolts, same as a bicycle.... a very flawed concept, but with a grain of truth on a 1256cc Viva (utter rubbish!), no longer the case now. I’m convinced that, eventually, the old & fixable stuff will be really sought after and appreciate in value for that specific reason.
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