25 Years of Great Ideas - What's Your Favourite?

I'm hoping to be able to produce a special next year to celebrate 25 Years of Model Engineers' Workshop.

I'd like to make sure that a large part of the publication will be the full text and plans from some of the best and most useful tool builds that have appeared over the years, as well as good sprinkling of practical tips and advice.

I have no doubt there will be great clamour for Harold Hall's improved grinding rest to make another appearance. But what other tools build would you like to see featured? Bear in mind that they have to be relatively short (as they have to appear complete), relevant to current readers and use materials and components that are still readily available.

Discuss!

Neil

To save leaving out all but quite simple tools due to having to print short articles could you not put say the text and a general arrangement drawing in the mag and make the rest available here for subscribers? Otherwise you risk it becomming 25yrs of weekend projects.

Edited By JasonB on 04/11/2014 16:21:48

Neil, I am only an occasional poster and I for one applaud your intention to publish a "special" celebratory edition, however, and there is always a however in these things can I suggest the following.

Firstly you list the list with photo(s) and brief description of ,say, 25 tools. It is the 25th anniversary after all.

Secondly get either the magazine or on-line subscribers or both to vote for (say) the top 5.

Thirdly publish the articles on those items in a single edition.

Fourthly perhaps publish the remainder over a set period at the rate of perhaps 2 per month.

That way you will probably be able to contain the articles in single deitions and also satisfy those that didn't vote for the top 5. A bit of a win/win situation coupled with real editorial pragmatism. Feel free to tell me to p**s off if you don't like my idea. Other opinions are available somewhere in the ether.

I should make it clear this will be a stand alone special publication, so this makes it problematic to have any content that isn't complete.

It will be bigger than an issue of MEW, so there will be room for some longer articles and some shorter ones.

In first 15 years of MEW most of the build articles were single instalments, in line with Stan Bray's original vision, and many of them were much more than 'weekend projects'. Issue 1 had power hacksaw in 8 pages, Harold's updated grinding rest was six pages (plus a page on modifying milling vices).

Ultimately the challenge will be to include projects with various levels of challenge and reflecting the way the magazine has evolved.

The option of revisiting one or two longer classic projects in the magazine proper is there, we will certainly have a few 'blasts from the past' over the year, although my preference is to have mostly new content in the magazine and make such extra content available digitally, so long-standing readers don't feel short changed.

I discussed one or two possible birthday bonuses with MTM, but for now these must remain a riddle, wrapped in mystery, inside an enigma...

Neil

OK I vote for tangential turning tool and variations on it!

Followed by finger plate issue 83, never got round to it yet but.....

Regards Ian

Any article on making tools and/or improvement for the Mini Lathes. Not interesting to all but a great help for people starting with this equipment without an engineering background.

regards Barry.

There ought to be a facility, such as a sticky or a catalogue for these tooling ideas. Conveniently located on the forum (and not just for digital subscribers) Referance HaroldH`s excellent submissions.

Agree with Ian regarding the tangential tool.

Having read a few old ME's which had some very complex ideas on one small page I have come to the conclusion that modern men need a lot more detail. eg. exact sizes and fits, numerous photos of holes being drilled etc. so the article runs to 8 or 9 pages over 3 issues I have no idea why this is so, any ideas?

Neil,

You must, I think, feature something from Issue_1

There are several good articles to choose from, but I nominate Mr Loader's "Attachments for Dial Test Indicators" as being both instructive and useful.

MichaelG

.

Edit: Picking up on Gordon's point ... you may need to issue a 127 page supplement explaining how this could be adapted to Metric. 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 05/11/2014 10:20:34

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 05/11/2014 10:27:16

Hi Rod,

There are various indexes that fulfil the function you want. I've created an article HERE with links to all the different indexes.

Neil

My vote goes to the bandsaw which was in one of the first issues. But please with better blade guides (ball bearings)... I drive mine with a cardan shaft from the lathe.

Re the ubiquitous tangential tool holder: Don't beat a dead duck: a Wimberley holder is the real McCoy!

Regards, HansR.

I haven't had a great deal of workshop time since the New Year. Among other reasons one is wading through my back copies of MEW, as the 25 Years of MEW Special will be appearing in the late Spring/early Summer.

I've found a few real gems - even within the constraints of having to keep to roughly 6-page articles as a maximum length, in order to be able to cover a good range of the magazines content over the years. One thing I like is that I've found some really useful tool builds that are either from stock items or you can still get the castings etc.

There are also some topics that have been really well explained.

The hardest thing is avoiding it becoming 'The very Best of Harold Hall' - perhaps that's the next one? Seriously though, I'm trying to ensure a good range of writers.

It won't just be reprints, there will be some context and reasons why articles have been chosen - and a few surprises.

BUT

Although I have found more good content than I can shake a drawbar at, I still won't finalise the list for a couple of weeks, so I'm still open to suggestions for articles to revisit (and yes, I have looked up all the ones mentioned above - and even got my hands on a Wimberley).