# Hello from Rockyview, AB



## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

I found this forum and was surprised to see many members from Calgary and the Alberta area generally.
Seemed like a good place to sign up to see what people in my area are working on, and how they're using their equipment.
I have a very busy day job, but on evenings and weekends I find it very relaxing and satisfying to be making things.

I'll be browsing about for a while, asking questions, and then I hope to come back to this thread and post a few pictures of my shop and past projects.

FYI, Rockyview is the county that surrounds Calgary on 3 sides, like a horseshoe.  I'm in the eastern arm of the horseshoe between Irricana and Keoma.


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## DPittman (Nov 27, 2021)

Welcome.  We have a wide range of metal hobbyists here, what are your preferences?


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

Let me try to attach a picture or two that should capture some of it...


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## DPittman (Nov 27, 2021)

Windmill of some sort?


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

So I have some eccentric hobbies, and one of the things I love about them is that they give me an excuse to buy tools and equipment that I then get to learn how to use.  
Then when I learn to use that stuff, I come up with even more interesting things to build.  And the cycle continues.

I have a Miller 180 MIG welder, plenty of drill presses, grinders, and hand tools for metalworking and woodworking.
I got this lathe as my "2020" project since I was cooped up at home all the time.


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## DPittman (Nov 27, 2021)

Neat stuff.  You build it all yourself?


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## DPittman (Nov 27, 2021)

SparWeb said:


> So I have some eccentric hobbies, and one of the things I love about them is that they give me an excuse to buy tools and equipment that I then get to learn how to use.
> Then when I learn to use that stuff, I come up with even more interesting things to build. And the cycle continues.


Well you've come to the right forum to enable your desires and interests!


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

The point is to do as much as I can myself - the underlying goal is to *learn* to make stuff.  Producing electricity is just a side-benefit.
This year's project has been to give the turbine a much taller tower than i than before.  Around me you can see trees, and they are still growing taller.  It's a bit of an arms race, really.

This tower has parts turned on the lathe, on a welded frame.  The screw piles were installed by a contractor, of course.


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

> Well you've come to the right forum to enable your desires and interests!


Yes, that's a good way to look at it - I seek out "enablers" of my expensive habits!


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## Tomc938 (Nov 27, 2021)

Welcome!  I'm still fairly new to the forum and have found it contains a great bunch of guys.

Nice lathe!

Tom 
Vancouver Island


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

A few years ago, a friend gave me one of these.
I wonder if you can guess what it really is...


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## DPittman (Nov 27, 2021)

Some sort of Pantagraph/duplicator thing?


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

It's called a duplicator.  Yeah, "pantograph" too.
A stylus is put on the left arm, and two cutters on the right cut identical parts.

When delivered to me, it was just a jumble of parts, from a guy who had seen it used years before and inherited it in pieces, but never put it back together.

I needed to give it a table, and then fix the collets.


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

Ended up able to do this:






That was just a dry run.  I haven't actually made real prop blades with it yet.  As you know, the prices of craftsman-grade wood like cedar have gone through the roof in the past year or so.  It's on its way down, but I'm not keen to buy a big stack just yet.


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## Susquatch (Nov 27, 2021)

Crap, you beat me to the reveal. I was gunna say wood duplicator. Now I'm just an also ran...... 



SparWeb said:


> The screw piles were installed by a contractor, of course.



"of course"??? 

You will find a mix of people here who would challenge that statement....... It's amazing what others do. I bet a full 1/3 of us would do that part too. 

Lest I forget, a huge big welcome to you from farm country south of Chatham Ontario!!


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## DPittman (Nov 27, 2021)

I've never seen one in real life and only a little bit in videos but those things look like cool tools from what I've seen so far.


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## 6.5 Fan (Nov 27, 2021)

Welcome from SK.


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

I'm really looking forward to using it "for real" soon.
It was just a gift from a friend, not really a planned project of mine, so it's here mostly looking for a job to do.
The original manufacturer of the machine still has a website but they don't make machines like this any more.
Any interest in suggesting a part to duplicate?  
Many examples online show it carving statues, animal figurines, gun stocks, and stuff like that.
Some inspiration from youtube (



) suggests that I can get a set of letter profiles, and after placing them on a board, the carver can make a one-piece profile sign.  Two at a time, in fact.


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## kevin.decelles (Nov 27, 2021)

Greetings from fellow rockyview resident.  I am about 30 south of you, east of Indus.


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## SparWeb (Nov 27, 2021)

Howdy Kevin, 
You're almost next-door, as things go in these parts.
Long ago, I took several flying lessons from the Winters in two of their ultralight Merlins.


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## historicalarms (Nov 27, 2021)

Gunstocks....definite income supplementer there making stocks for WW1 &11 arms that were sporterized after the war for hunters, now there are thousands of those guns with collector/re-enactor owners that want to return them to their glorious wartime costumes.


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## DPittman (Nov 27, 2021)

SparWeb said:


> Howdy Kevin,
> You're almost next-door, as things go in these parts.
> Long ago, I took several flying lessons from the Winters in two of their ultralight Merlins.


Do you still fly ultralight?


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## SparWeb (Nov 28, 2021)

Historicalarms:  I didn't think that would be much in demand.  

DPittman:  I considered buying or building one for a while.  Eventually decided against it.  Several reasons, but the primary one was that the chairperson of the family finance committee has a veto.
Taking lessons was OK, so I flew several ultralights, also Diamond DA-20 and Cessna 172.  Later got some brief opportunities to fly twins like a Navajo and a DA-42.
My logbook has variety, if sorely lacking in total hours.  
I might want to get back to flying, probably gliders, later in life, maybe after I retire.


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