Day 5 - Mini-update
Friday July 25th 2008, 9:15 pm
Filed under: diaries

Our push to finish the motorized vehicles has gone on late into the evening. We had a major setback right before dinner when we discovered that the weed-whacker motors did not have an integral clutch, and had an idle-speed much higher than the wheels and gears we were using could possibly handle. Needless to say, we were only momentarily daunted. We rallied in the metalshop after dinner and after some major refactoring, managed to get the infernal machines running safely - but there are a few more things to do before we can drive them in the morning. So, after an ice-cream last-night celebration, we are returning to the shop. More updates tomorrow and Sunday.

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The Dorkfest Car

The Dorkfest CarThe Red team, having rejected their earlier name, have adopted a new name: Dorkfest. Gabe (visiting from the Bad Dogs team), Spencer, Leo, Jiro, Theo, and Maxine are working on the single most sophisticated vehicle in Tinkering School history - brakes, gas, rack-and-pinion steering, metal emblem, rear-mounted motor - it’s amazing.

Bad Dog Chopper

Bad Dog ChopperDespite an incredible list of minor set-backs, the Bad Dogs get the chopper working - one of the more elegant and simple designs in Tinkering School history. The biggest problem is that the drive has to hang way off one side.

Complicated Parts

Complicated PartsEvidence of the complexity of the build today is evident by the kinds of parts we are using.

The New Fun

The New FunTheo demonstrates the proper tubesledding form.

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Another Big Tink
Thursday July 24th 2008, 11:00 pm
Filed under: school news, diaries

We started pretty early this morning, and kept it up all day, and then into the night after dinner, finally wrapping up at 9:45 - almost 13 hours of building. Despite being exhausted, we get back up to the house for hot chocolate and more discussion of the project.

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Sun Seeker

Sun SeekerLeo catches the early morning rays (yesterday).

Last Night’s Design Pow-wow

Last NightIt’s time to discuss tomorrow’s build - motorized vehicles. Very exciting, but also many ambiguous design trade-offs to weigh.

Rack and Pinion Steering

Rack and Pinion SteeringGever accidentally suggests and then has to sketch possible ways to build simple rack-and-pinion steering mechanisms. The sketch turns out so good, it convinces one of the teams to try it. He fervently hopes that this is not a repeat of the flap-drive proposal.

Trikes and Motorcycles

Trikes and MotorcyclesDown at the other end of the table, the Bad Dog team discusses the pros and cons of building a PVC tubing chopper.

Fundamentals of Motor Vehicles

Fundamentals of Motor VehiclesGever and Jiro take the tinkerers through the basics of internal combustion, clutches, transmissions, and differentials - of which, the latter two will not be found on our vehicles since we are using scavenged weed-whacker motors.

The Patient Will Live

The Patient Will LiveJiro takes Isaac, Gabe, and Spencer through a tear-down, clean-up, and rebuild of a faulty fuel system on a two-stroke Craftsman weed-whacker motor.

The Rules

The RulesBefore we begin to build, the officials from the TSRL (Tinkering School Racing League) review the the requirements with the teams:
- Must have brakes.
- Must have steering.
- Must not have impalements.

Layout

LayoutMaxine and her team do some pre-visualization of their vehicle to make sure that it will fit every person on the team and all of the required elements.

Steering Design

Steering DesignJacob and Gever refine the steering design for the Bad Dog chopper.

On The Rack

On The RackLeo and Theo (of the team that couldn’t pick a name so let’s just call them the Red team for now) work on the steering system for the Red team’s four wheel F1 derived car. Maxine is waiting for the drill-press so she can finish mounting the drive wheels.

Seat Testing

Seat TestingDespite the amazing comforts of the scavenged Ikea steam-formed plywood seats, the Bad Dogs decide that they are just too heavy for their super-light chopper.

Chassis Check

Chassis CheckGabe hangs on to the chopper’s drive wheel while Isaac checks the length of the chassis. There is a lot of discussion about the proper length - room for a seat, the steering, places to put your feet, a fender to protect the rider from the wheel - it’s a lot of stuff, plus there are concerns about the rigidity (or lack thereof) of the PVC.

Rear End Work

Rear End WorkUsing a classic box-frame to pinch the wheel axles, Maxine gets the Red team’s cart up off the ground and into the it’s-a-little-bit-hard-to-work-on-now-that-it-rolls phase of construction.

Commitment

CommitmentThe Bad Dogs have settled on a length and they are drilling screws to prevent any further discussion. Gever steadies it, Gabe centers the tubes vertically, Hanna keeps the nose of the chassis aligned, and Isaac drills guide holes and drives screws.

Removing the Pokey Bits

Removing the Pokey BitsThe Red team’s front-end has a half-dozen screw tips poking through that require the angle-grinder to remove. Gever loves his angle-grinder and is only too happy to make pretty sparks.

Whee!

Whee!Gever loves sparks and he recommends opening this picture for a closer look. Just marvel at the mid-air explosions - it’s fantastic!

Amber Waves of Sparks

Amber Waves of SparksIt appears that he just can’t get enough of these beautiful spark pictures.

Drive Shaft Checks

Drive Shaft ChecksThe weed-whackers have an amazingly simple, but also very awkward way of connecting to the drive shaft - a spinning shaft that ends two-inches shy of the outside of the motor housing has a square hole in the center where the drive shaft is supposed to be held in by external forces, perhaps some kind of magic, or divine intervention.

Chopper Refinements

Chopper RefinementsIn last night’s design session, the Red team arrived at the novel idea of mounting the motor on the front fork of the chopper to create a front-wheel drive motorcycle. This idea fell by the wayside as the logistical problems of mounting the motor became evident.

Bad Dog

Bad DogIsaac checks out the stability of his team’s chopper. They will have to stiffen the chassis tomorrow, but otherwise it’s looking, and feeling, bad (as in good).

Motor Mount Issues

Motor Mount IssuesThe weed-whacker motor housings are a little hostile to external mountings, so the teams will have to create wooden harnesses that accommodate the strange shapes.

Red Five, Standing By

Red Five, Standing ByLeo, Maxine, and Theo discuss steering wheel placement on the Red team car while Isaac tries not to think about the fact that their motor is 1cc larger than the Bad Dog motor.

Generic Hero

Generic HeroAble to help out in many ways, leaves a very small carbon footprint, pretty good with a screwdriver and drill, it’s H the generic Hero. Who can this very useful, friendly, funny, smart, talented person be? The world will never know…

Surprise!

Surprise!Oh wait, it’s Isaac!

The Night Welders

The Night WeldersAfter dinner everyone has made their way back down to the studio for some casual tinkering (Jacob and Spencer are making tiny amounts of hydrogen by electrolysis, the Red team is making a plan for the next day, the Bad Dogs and working on a new steering bearing) and Gever, Isaac, Theo, and Jiro head to the metalshop to finish up the drive shafts (pictures of those tomorrow).

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Your Moment of Steering Zen



The Call of the Sea
Wednesday July 23rd 2008, 11:18 pm
Filed under: school news, diaries

I had some Flickr troubles with the media upload tonight, so it’s kind of a short story today. As I get the rest of the media up tomorrow I’ll make sure that no choice moments were lost.
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The New Addiction

The New AddictionRobyn (who will be quick to point out that it was actually Gever) has introduced Tinkering School to the game of Mexican Train and it’s become somewhat of an epidemic.

Bow Stitching

Bow StitchingMaxine takes a turn at sewing. Our hope is that we can hold the seam closed with thread, but then weld it water-tight with wax.

Steady Hands

Steady HandsMaxine claims that she really prefers repetitive tasks that allow her to get something cool done with out having to make a lot of hard decisions along the way. “You just like to space out,” counters Hanna.

Sleepy Team

Sleepy TeamGabe is determined to get the foot-pedal steering system working, but his teammates are just a little too sleepy to concentrate on the problem.

Happy Stitchers

Happy StitchersIsaac takes a turn at the needle to sew tops onto the catamaran pontoons. There is some concern that the pontoons will sit too low in the water and have a tendency to fill up and sink if the tops are not closed.

Waiting For Her Ship to Get In

Waiting For Her Ship to Get InThere’s a little bit of a backup in the wax application process, so Maxine is waiting patiently (and probably spacing out a little too).

Once Again, Wax

Once Again, WaxIn an effort to get done before lunch, we put four brushes to work on the biggest boat. Maxine, Gever, Gabe, and Jacob are all old hands at this now, and the boat gets done in record time.

Exhaustion

ExhaustionIt happens to first-timers. They just don’t know how to pace themselves for the non-stop building frenzy that is Tinkering School. Leo has fallen asleep on the deck of the studio, wrapped in a piece of canvas and surrounded by half-built rudders and paddles.

More Cutting!

More Cutting!Hanna gets the task of cutting out the deck plates for the catamaran.

Fleur de Lis

Fleur de LisThe outrigger has been decorated with thornless blackberry leaves.

Napping Boats

Napping BoatsWe move the hulls to the shade while we take a break for lunch. Left to right, outrigger main hull, outrigger, pontoon, pontoon (the latter being the basis for the catamaran).

Fleur de Lis

Fleur de LisThe outrigger main hull also has it’s own decorative motif.

Nap Attack

Nap AttackYou never know when it’s going to sneak up on you. Leo seems particularly susceptible.

Another Boat Load

Another Boat LoadFitting two twin-hull water craft and a kayak on the truck and trailer turns out to be a little complicated. Jacob takes a moment to adjust a paddle.

Helping Hand

Helping HandTheo’s father, Michael, stops by to watch the boats get put in the water - we enlist his help in getting all the parts down to the beach.

First Full Assembly

First Full AssemblyUntil now, neither of the boats has been fully assembled. There turn out to be lots of little issues - like how one of the paddle wheels hits the connector bamboo that holds the outrigger at the right distance.

Checking the Alignment

Checking the AlignmentLeo and Jacob collaborate on the paddle wheel setup.

Laying Deck

Laying DeckHanna and Theo tie the new decks on for the first time while Maxine talks smack about their catamaran.

Trim Job

Trim JobMaxine trims off the excess on one of the bamboo cross bars.

Paddle Refactoring

Paddle RefactoringThe blade on one of the paddles is spinning due to a naive lashing attempt. Gever demonstrates the proper technique for securely attaching a stick to a board with line.

Maiden Voyage

Maiden VoyageIsaac and Spencer have been chosen to take the catamaran out for it’s first sea-test - mostly because they are the lightest and there are some real concerns about how low the pontoons will sit in the water.

Boats at Play

Boats at PlayMaxine and Jacob literally drive circles around the catamaran - which sits dangerously low in the water, and whose innovative flap-drive doesn’t seem to work at all.

Pontoon Drain

Pontoon Drain(that title is a play on the lyric “monsoon rain” - does that make sense or is it just so late at night that it seems clever to me? -ed)

The pontoons only have an inch or two above the waterline, and one of the tops is letting in a lot of water. The team will address this problem back at the studio by possibly adding another layer of canvas to the top.

Paddlewheel Surprise

Paddlewheel SurpriseDespite the fact that the crank didn’t get fully glued, and one of the paddlewheels had to be severely trimmed, the paddlewheel outrigger is surprisingly quick in the water. The catamaran team has decided to junk their flap-drive and build a paddle wheel for their boat too.

Your Moment of Paddlewheely Zen

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And the Boat-making Continues
Tuesday July 22nd 2008, 10:33 pm
Filed under: school news, diaries

Some complexities arose in the boats, and we ran out of gas for the wax melting stove, so we’re about half a day behind schedule. Many interesting problems were surmounted though, and it gave us time to re-think and improve a couple of early design choices. Tomorrow the sea!

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Morning Bulkheads

Morning BulkheadsIt is determined that the distances between the struts are too far for the strength of the canvas, so Spencer and Theo build styrofoam bulkheads to act as non-structural canvas supports.

The Loneliest Boatwright

The Loneliest BoatwrightGabe is working on a foot-pedal steering mechanism for the outside team’s boat. It’s complicated because there is no floor in the boat yet.

Drill Master

Drill MasterAs part of an ongoing theme, Jiro and Leo collaborate on this daily picture of “The Drill Master”.

The Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the PussycatThe outdoor team has decided to use a beautiful pea-green for their outrigger. Turns out Maxine has a knack for applying wax.

Getting Ready To Drill

Getting Ready To DrillTo allow for changes to the rudder mounts on the catamaran, Theo must build plywood bulkheads to attach the canvas skin to (instead of the rudder mounts). It’s a tough drilling operation because round notches to accommodate the PVC tubes must be drilled out of each corner of a triangle, so he’s using clamps liberally. Leo is just hanging around the drill press to look cool.

The Little Blossom

The Little BlossomAmong the debris of boat construction, a beautiful wildflower has blossomed.

Precision Wrapping

Precision WrappingSpencer is striving for a perfect, wrinkle-free, wrapping of the last pontoon of the catamaran.

If It Doesn’t Fit

If It DoesnTheo hammers the new plywood bulkheads into place.

All Tools On Deck

All Tools On DeckYou know it’s a busy building day when all the major power-tools are on the deck before lunch. Maxine at the chop-saw, Theo at the drill-press, and Hanna on the jigsaw - Spencer waiting his turn.

The Superheroes of Wax

The Superheroes of WaxEveryone agrees that Theo and Hanna manage to lay down the best wax job ever.

Seat Test

Seat TestThe sun comes out while Maxine and Gabe develop a hanging seat in the big outrigger. As you might imagine, it’s a bit tricky to put a seat in a boat with canvas sides.

Paddle Builders

Paddle BuildersThe teams have mutually agreed that they all need paddles in case their propulsion systems fail. Maxine and Leo make a couple of paddle blades before going in search of suitable handles.

Turtle Crew

Turtle CrewSpencer and Isaac take one of the waxed catamaran pods back to the studio for rudder work.

Note the piece of blue high-pressure gas pipe on the ground.

Sledding Break

Sledding BreakEveryone needs a break from boat building so we all go outside to see what fun can be had during the break in the fog. We spy the blue gas-pipe and note how well it slides on the pine needles…

Spencer grabs nine feet of it to make a stand-up sled.

The Brothers Shred

The Brothers ShredLeo and Isaac discuss the relative merits of wood and pipe. Like skiers and snowboarders, they fail to understand each other.

Schralpin’

SchralpinIsaac shows us how it’s done west-bay style.

Mush!

Mush!Maxine sprints down the hill with a wide-eyed Theo in tow. Hanna is more dignified than all that.

Faster!

Faster!No handles, no brakes, no steering, and just too much fun. Theo zooms past as Maxine pours on the speed.

Faster!

Faster!It’s the only thing anyone yells beside “whoa!” or “aaaahhhh!” on the downhill sled ride. Theo is not pulling as hard as Maxine did, so Leo is yelling “Faster, faster!”

Tired Sled Dogs Sleep in the Snow

Tired Sled Dogs Sleep in the SnowMaxine, exhausted from pulling the sled, takes a little nap on the porch, nestled among the pliers, paddle wheels, lashing twine.

Try the Hand Tickler

Try the Hand TicklerSpencer has invented a new toy which tickles your hand. Sure enough it elicits giggles from Maxine as well as everyone else daring enough to try it.

Foot Pedals Revision #2

Foot Pedals Revision #2After his first prototype failed to pass inspection, Gabe digs in and starts work on a new design that is larger, simpler, and has more throw. Jacob helps him hold the stapler down.

Fancy Pants

Fancy PantsThe big outrigger requires a new technique for stretching the canvas skin tight, since passengers must be able to sit down inside the boat. A strong-line is run from bow to stern down both sides, then the pink canvas tensioning lines are tied to it, which creates some nice spiderwebby patterns inside the boat.

Dinner

DinnerTonight it’s chicken enchiladas, salad, and chips with guacamole - and of course, as much fruit as you can eat.

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Your Moment of High Pressure Gas Pipe Zen



From Sketches to Boats
Monday July 21st 2008, 10:53 pm
Filed under: school news, diaries
Boats, boats, boats.

Boats, boats, boats.It’s already almost 9 and we’re still doodling about boats. Will it be eight tinkerers in one boat, four boats with two each, two boats with four, two boats with two, or maybe one? The kids seem to enjoy the fact that nothing is decided until we start building.

Fresh Supplies

Fresh SuppliesRobyn has brought fresh PVC - the essential ingredient in PVC boat building. We’re not using any glue, so 95% of this tubing will show up in next years projects (we wanted to use bamboo, but we didn’t get good structural pieces in the load that we got).

Getting A Feel For It

Getting A Feel For ItJacob, Leo, Maxine, and Gabe make up the outdoor team. They begin by playing with some ten foot lengths of PVC to see what kind of boat shapes they can make.

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile...Isaac, Theo, Hanna, and Spencer of the indoor team are considering some very long, thin pontoons arranged as a catamaran.

Strong Triangles

Strong TrianglesThe outdoor team has decided on an outrigger design with a fairly deep keel, but are currently experimenting with bow and stern designs.

Fun With Drills

Fun With DrillsBack with the indoor team, Theo, Spencer, and Isaac are enjoying putting one of the bow braces together.

Cutting Gussets

Cutting GussetsLeo is mastering the jigsaw, cutting out bow and stern braces.

Beautiful Curves

Beautiful CurvesMaxine, Jacob, and Gabe are shaping and tinkering with their hull design before committing it to canvas.

Bow Brace Details

Bow Brace DetailsTheo and team have a factory going which produces bow and stern braces. The keel pipe has to be slightly compressed to make it push the upper deck and make it flat.

The Jigsaw Master

The Jigsaw MasterLeo is ready to cut any thing you need.

Chopsaw Precision

Chopsaw PrecisionTheo and Isaac are getting some pointers from Gever about how best to clamp and brace a complicated shape in the chop-saw. They almost needed to temporarily screw it to a larger piece of wood, but then figured out a way to turn the piece and change the angle of the cut that allowed the clamps to hold it securely.

Masters of the Drill

Masters of the DrillMaxine and Leo have moved up to the big drill and shown them selves capable of drilling one their own.

Working Out the Details

Working Out the DetailsJiro and Gabe discuss alternatives for mounting cross braces to attach the outrigger to.

Trade Secrets

Trade SecretsFor better or worse, Gever has convinced one of the teams to try building a “flap-drive” - hinged panels on a centerboard push water in one direction but lay down flat when moved forward.

Some Math Leaks In

Some Math Leaks InTo ensure that the sizes are right, some displacements are calculated for the complicated hull shapes. Looks like the current boat implementations will be able to carry two passengers.

Measuring Displacement

Measuring DisplacementTo illustrate that the catamaran hulls are not displacing much more water than a person, Gever gets Spencer to try one on for size.

Not Good With Knots

Not Good With KnotsMaxine does not really care for doing knots, but she’s gotten much better at it since last year.

A Good Fit

A Good FitSpencer is 98% water, and it’s clear that the hull is sufficiently larger than he is.

New Bow

New BowLeo’s team has refined their boat shapes for the last time and settled on a bow-plate design somewhat similar to the other teams’, but with out the keel complications. The teams often riff off of each others approaches.

Boat Skeletons

Boat SkeletonsStill a ways to go, but Jacob, Gabe, and Maxine are justifiably proud of their outrigger implementation so far.

Factory Workers

Factory WorkersIsaac and Theo crank out another perfect bow assembly.

Pre-visualization

Pre-visualizationUsing a 2×4, Jacob, Gabe, and Maxine, start to get a handle on some of the complexities of joining two differently sized boats together.

Professor Gabe

Professor GabeGabe has an idea for the outdoor teams propulsion system, but he needs some space to draw it out for his team.

Perfectly Clear

Perfectly ClearAs you can see in Gabe’s illustration, two people sit face to face in the boat, each holding the offset handles of driveshaft which turns two paddle wheels. Note the rudder at the rear of the boat - it will be operated by a set of foot pedals.

Snake Break

Snake BreakA beautiful snake is spotted making it’s way to the bushes. Gever and Spencer appreciate it’s elegant design and intriguing physical abilities.

Paddle Wheel Makers

Paddle Wheel MakersJacob and Gabe are tasked with implementing Gabe’s drive mechanism.

Catamaran Alignment

Catamaran AlignmentEvery 50,000 miles, you should bring your catamaran into the shop where Theo, Spencer, Isaac, and Hanna can ensure that the boats are perfectly aligned, the keels are straight, and the decks are flat.

Hydrodynamics

HydrodynamicsThis is the episode where Jiro explains basic hydrodynamics to Maxine using a wooden bone to illustrate the idea of parasitic drag.

Man Dude

Man DudeYou can never tell when someone’s nickname is going to appear, but today when Gabe said “Hey, uh, Man Dude, can you hand me that drill?” we all knew that Jacob’s name had been found.

Flap Drive

Flap DriveHanna and Issac the the blades of the flap-drive mounted on to the centerboard. Different length blades will hopefully deliver logarithmic power to the stroke - or at least that’s the idea.

Alternative Drive

Alternative DriveDespite the fact that Maxine is teasing his team, Spencer continues working on his backup propeller drive system just in case the much-vaunted flap-drive should fail.

Stretching Canvas

Stretching CanvasMaxine and her team finally get to the stage where canvas is applied to the hulls.

Final Cut Pro

Final Cut ProIsaac gets the last cut of the evening in as he prepares a crucial piece of the rudder system that he and Theo have been working on.

Canvas Crew

Canvas CrewIt’s all hands on board to get the canvas centered, folded and stretched onto the outrigger.

It’s Actually Possible

ItGabe explains to Robyn how to build a ball-joint out of PVC tubing and fittings.

Tah Dah

Tah DahWe started at 9am, we finish the first skin at 9:30pm - and instead of being exhausted, everyone is feeling an kind of post-concert euphoria. It’s been a long days tink.

Your Moment of Didgeridoozen

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