Wooden Gears

A philosophical question, which probably only Mick H’s son can answer:

Does ready-made ply qualify as ‘wood’ ?

... or, as an ‘engineered material’ would its use be considered cheating ?

MichaelG.

This may be of interest - https://woodgears.ca/air_engine/, seems to run nicely and plans are for sale quite reasonably.

There is also a nice gear template generator on the site (as you might guess from the name!)

edit: oops, missed earlier reference, but the air engine specifically is worth an extra mention.

Edited By Adrian R2 on 15/06/2020 13:16:15

Having just finished my very first attempt at carving, a love spoon as an anniversary present, I can vouch for the hardness of hornbeam. It started as a branch on my woodpile that was there for a couple of years, so was well seasoned and has come up with a great finish.

I have read when it is green it is easier to work.

Hmm, a wooden boiler, now that sounds like an interesting challenge, after all, you can boil water in a paper bag over a fire.

Adrian

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It was specifically coppiced for the manufacture of gear teeth ... so preliminary shaping almost certainly worked green.

MichaelG.

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P.S. __ When I worked in Stevenage, the coppice was my lunchtime walk.

http://www.stevenage.gov.uk/landscape-woodlands/25612/

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 15/06/2020 19:49:49

As I understand it, most woods will carve or cleave better when they're green, as the cellulose in the structure is still essentially liquid. As the wood dries out, the cellulose hardens and the moisture dries out, gluing the cells together, making some timbers like concrete.

Hi, just for interest, this was a display at the 2017 MMEEX. I don't know if it was aimed to be a static display or whether it was a working model. I guess it could only have one fire up display though.

Regards Nick.

Plywood gears? - no problem.

https://youtu.be/tVbh_FEiF2E

https://youtu.be/IvUU8joBb1Q

Edited By Roger Best on 22/08/2020 01:03:00

Well it's called plywood.

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Or you could put the emphasis on ply instead of wood

It is an ‘engineered material’ constructed from wood.

... Hence my question.

MichaelG.

Is a boat made from marine ply a wooden boat?

That probably depends upon the the constructor’s and/or the examiner’s opinion.

... Which was the very essence of my question:

A philosophical question, which probably only Mick H’s son can answer:

MichaelG.

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Unless you happen to be Mick H’s son ... can we leave it at that, please.

Enquiring minds want to know.

O.K. ... if you must labour it, Hopper

My personal opinion is that factory-made plywood does not qualify as wood.

The reason for posing my question was that [not knowing Mick or his Son, or the circumstances], I am not aware of whether this is a ‘fun project’ or a ‘design & manufacturing’ exercise. ... It may, for all I know, be subject to assessment.

Many years ago, I made some hair-slides for my wife : These were laminated, by me, from layers of wood veneer.

As such : I would say they were (a) made from wood, and (b) demonstrated my understanding of how wood can be ‘engineered’ to make better use of its characteristic properties.

IF the gears in question are to be ‘assessed’ then I would expect the ‘plywood’ to be manufactured, not bought-in, by Mick’s son ... to demonstrate his understanding.

Your opinion may differ, and I respect your right to hold it

MichaelG.

I hope you cut your own veneers Michael as bought in would see you loose a few points

Which brings up the question of where to draw the line between "factory-made" and home made, should Mick's son be buying in prepared timber, cutting from sawn boards or starting with green wood and planking and drying his own?

All of which takes me back to my original:

[quote]

A philosophical question, which probably only Mick H’s son can answer:

Does ready-made ply qualify as ‘wood’ ?

... or, as an ‘engineered material’ would its use be considered cheating ?

MichaelG.

[/quote]

...or planting the trees from hedgerow harvested seed..

...then you have the problem of glue, rearing your own animals to harvest the hooves...

..or pine resin glue

pgk

Edited By pgk pgk on 22/08/2020 10:38:20

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PostScript: For use in wooden gears, I would also hope to find some of the plies to be arranged as ‘pie segments’

MichaelG.

The pie segments approach would also serve for a wooden pulley.

Pine resin: is the YouTuber right to call it epoxy?

As somebody once said, "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe".

The issue is making the best of the resources available, not being restrictive; innovation is king in the real world.

I say ply is wood enough.