Universal Grinding machine construction series?

I only subscribe to MEW because I'm not the model building sort. I like reading about other people's exploits and seeing the results. Ever since MEW came to be, it's the one I'm happy to subscribe to. By and large I'm happy with the content.

I have to say I doubt many people would actually build such a beast, so you could probably miss out on all the detailed drawings and concentrate on the narrative and pictures. I think I'd rapidly tire of endless detailed drawings of a home made grinder which would seem rather pointless given the limited or possibly non-existent number of people who would do anything with them. Spending months drawing all those parts up seems a significant exercise in its own right.

Although I would admit to being more of a tool maker than a model maker, if I wanted a grinder I'd generally go and buy a used industrial example and then spend my time fettling and augmenting it. It's not as if they are ruinously expensive, whereas the materials to build a complete machine from scratch would be - you aren't going to be making one of these out of your scrap bin.

Like Andrew, I'd much prefer to learn about how to use a proper machine than watch someone attempt to reinvent the wheel.

Muzz

Muzzer, I would have to disagree, leaving out the detail, drawings etc would, I think seriously detract from the value of the article. MEW are still running the series on Alan Jacksons Stepperhead lathe, whilst I doubt that many, if any of these will be built, the included detailed drawings lend inspiration to other projects.

I already have T&C, cylindrical and surface grinding facilities in my shop however, I would still Be interested in the build methods and techniques employed which can only be effectively conveyed through the inc,usion of detailed drawings.

Graeme

Sounds interesting, maybe it's been offered to ME only for publication, so if it does not go in ME, it might not get published at all. Go for it Diane. Ian S C

I am all for it. But publish it on a scale that gets the message across quickly. Words, photographs and some explanatory GA drawings. The availablility of a download for the detailed drawings would keep the weeks shorter but make the full picture available to those that are really interested.

Personally I found the long running Stepperhead lathe article boring in length but interesting in the detail, the more so for having looked at the original machine. There again, a download of the detailed drawings early, would have been really useful.

Please avoid being too commercial by offering "full drawings are available at £XX" that would be quite off putting as regards wanting to follow the series.

Edited By KWIL on 21/10/2013 12:03:08

Hi Kwil

| " boring in length but interesting in the detail, .." precisely and succinctly put! - I concur.

Norman

Diane,

Just publish the surface grinding part, that will appeal to the flat earth society.

I can hardly believe what I'm reading here. Four LONG pages of editorship by committee. Diane, ask yourself: "What would I do with this article if there was no internet or forum?" Will it interest my readers? Yes - publish it. If not, don't. Pick up the 'phone and ask David if he'd like it for MEW, with the author's consent.

I only subscribe (at the moment) to MEW, so I'll probably not see it. Even more likely, I'd never get around to making one, even if I did. At my time of life, after one heart attack, I'm best off not starting any long projects - guess I'll never get to read War and Peace, either.

Rant over.

John.

Reading through this thread a few thoughts come to mind.

As background I only subscribe to a couple of magazines, although I do receive a few engineering and construction trade journals as well FOC.

I do subscribe to Circuit Cellar, It specialises in applied electronics for measurement and control. I mention this magazine because of the format they use. in particular the "Resources" file at the end of each article. These resources comprise support documentation Images and software. You will find the files under the "Magazine" tab on their website. as "article code and files" note how they are stored by magazine number and contributors name. A set of ZIP files containing all the documentation for each article in that edition. (Note how they use a simple FTP server to deliver the files. Very inexpensive.)

The proposal to publish a long article in this case a tool and cutter grinder is indeed a worthy one, as is the Stepperhead lathe, although I have not built one I have learnt a lot and it has given me inspiration for other projects.

Thinking about the Stepperhead project and the numerous plans published they certainly take up a lot of very fragmented space in the magazine. and if you do wish to construct one photocopies of magazine articles as working drawings for construction are certainly not ideal.

Proper plans are needed. A link at the end of the article to PDF files that can be printed to proper scale Maybe A3 minimum (Most self serve copy centres offer cheap A3 B&W printing, 17c in OZ). You just put the file on a USB stick take it to the copy centre and print from the stick . USB sticks only cost a few dollars these days.
The PDF's can still be printed scaled down at A4 on a home printer.

I guess some readers may not have internet connections. It would be interesting to know how many these days, I suspect not many. For the few that don't a mail out plan service could be offered at a reasonable fee. Or the reader could ask a friend to download the file.

If plans were online maybe very long articles could be condensed down to less issues. Wonderful as it is the Steperhead project is in my view too long. I know this would upset the article pricing model of so much a published page, that would have to be reworked. however it would allow more varied articles into the magazine. As most designs have a fair amount of bread and butter parts, for example simple brackets fastenings and the like, not very interesting to the reader if they are not building that particular project. The same applies to tables containing lists of fastenings etc. Most of us already have them. They can go online.

There are many advantages to adding an online link as mentioned above it will allow for more articles to be published, and also allow supporting documentation that never would have been published in the magazine(s) due to space requirements to be provided with each instalment. And most important it will add perceived value to the magazines.

Regards
John

Edited By John McNamara on 21/10/2013 14:06:38

I think perhaps you are overlooking one difficulty for the publishers. Many people would be quite capable of constructing the machine simply from the drawings. Simply putting all the drawings on an open website is tantamount to giving away the design to all and sundry.

It could be done by limiting access to the website to those with current magazine subscriptions but that means another level of complexity. And it would still fall into the same paranoia category that sees the publisher, rightly or wrongly, restrict the printing options of digital issues lest they show up on the internet.

And that doesn't even address the author's rights. Some people are vary wary of letting high quality copies of their designs get around lest they be used inappropriately.

Edited By OMG on 21/10/2013 14:37:33

I would be more than happy to supply additional files (pictures, pdf, video even), if these were of interest to readers, but these would be to supplement the published articles not to replace them. Not all authors feel this, so it has to be optional.

Many authors go on to sell castings/plans and putting them online free would undermine this.

Neil

Ha Neil!

Are you the mystery grinder-man then?

N

By the way - please tell me just what your new Avtar image is?

I've been trying and trying to figure it out!

Yours

Desperate of Devon

Edited By NJH on 21/10/2013 15:13:29

Hi OMG

I think the horse has bolted as far as copying is concerned, If someone wants to do it they can.... just photocopy the article at a library or dredge it up of the net; Bah Humbug to them......

However if a reader has purchased the magazine from a news stand or received it via subscription they have paid their way. I was not suggesting posting the entire article. And the supporting files and plans are only issued for each monthly part.

Hi Neil

I am glad you concur in principle, Of course it should be optional, It would not affect castings (Apart from selling more), I guess the few that sell plans could opt out.

To me the main thing is selling more magazines. and promoting light engineering. and model engineering. That follows through to the advertisers selling more goods. A scarcity mentality is not the way forward. you have to give in order to receive.

Regards
John

It's a macrarmie elephant made from old ML7, Drummond and South Bend saddle wiper strips

Well John I hadn't thought of that - maybe that WOULD be a suitable project to tackle after an extended visit to a local watering hole.

When I look closely at it though - not something I would advise incidentally - it seems to resemble a couple of blowflies attending a photography course. Neil - please put me out of my misery!

Norman

"...........Like Andrew, I'd much prefer to learn about how to use a proper machine than watch someone attempt to reinvent the wheel.............."

Muzz, my thoughts entirely.

The avatar in question is a rocket propelled ceremonial Indian elephant with a howdah. I 'spose it's relevant on this site as people here often explain howdah do this and howdah do that! The rocket bit? Well its near November 5th innit?

Rik

Edited By Rik Shaw on 21/10/2013 17:00:35

Edited By Rik Shaw on 21/10/2013 17:14:52

Hi There

I have not been offered this article.

If it was offered, I would have ran it.

I can only publish what I get offered.

As Diane is running tooling and machinery article series in ME perhaps it is time to start running models in Model Engineers' Workshop, not locomotives though. Perhaps a stationary steam engine or two.

I did pass the shaper article to Diane as well as a few other tooling articles to get her off to a good start with ME.

regards David

regards David

.

Comments inserted as bullet points.

MichaelG.

It seems to me that the senior management at MTM need to decide what market they want each of the magazines to appeal to. They have sister magazines in ME and MEW that should complement each other and between them cover most if not all of the "model engineering" field of activity. Up to now it seems that has largely been the case with ME in it's current guise concentrating on "models" and MEW on workshop techniques and tooling, each magazine appealing to a sub-set of "model engineers", and in some cases the engineers buying both magazines. As such the magazines can work together to try and corner the market and take readership from other rival publications. If the magazine content is now going to become "blurred" then the more likely outcome is that they will still appeal to those engineers that take both publications but will be of diminished interest to those who just take one or the other. The long term effect of that will be that the readers who just take one magazine will start to become disaffected and jump ship by cancelling, or more likely not renewing, subscriptions and then possibly then taking the other main rival publication to ME or MEW namely EIM. They are also quite likely to resort to just picking up the odd magazine now and then when they find something of interest while browsing it in WHS. So by going down the path of making ME and MEW "competitors" I think that MTM instead of boosting their readership will in fact almost hand readers to a rival publishing house on a plate, which seems a strange way to go about business.

Keith

Keith

You have articulated my thoughts precisely. If I am continue to subscribe I want to know that the workshop stuff and tools will be in MEW and the models in the other one. If not then I too will browse in WHS and make my choice on a monthly basis.

ME and MEW in competition for the same readership seems bonkers but there are many changes going on and frankly subscribers seem to be at the bottom of the pile. We are spoken of derogatorily by those in charge and our wishes ignored.

Pan Am had much the same attitude and where are they now?

John