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Tiny (12cc) Hand-Machined V12 Is A Holiday Miracle
by
Edward Niedermeyer
(IC: employee)
Need an engineering project? Got 1,200 hours to kill with nothing to do? Take a tip from this heroically patient Spaniard, and hand-machine your own tiny (12 cc displacement) V12. This would be amazing feat of handwork even if it weren’t fully operational (using compressed air injection), but the fact that it works, runs and was made without a single CNC machine is nothing short of astounding.. If, as the book suggests, Shop Class is Soulcraft, this guy is like an engineering bodhisattva, inspiring us with his precision, patience and skill. In a world where not much is made by hand anymore, this achievement is worth taking a few minutes to marvel over… [Hat Tip: Dean Huston]
Edward Niedermeyer
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Published December 27th, 2011 10:25 AM
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At the Maker Faire in Detroit (at the Henry Ford Museum), I spoke at length with the fellow that built this 1/16 replica of the USS Monitor's unique horizontally opposed dual-piston steam engine, using the original specifications. All hand-machined. Truly mesmerizing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWn8gQ9Ykpk BTW The Henry Ford Museum has hundreds of 19th century scale-model steam engines - mostly used as salesmen's samples at the time. They had pulled out a few of the best and had them running for Maker Faire. Best part of the show.
Be more impressive it were a hybrid. But seriously: what amazing craftsmanship! Such a pleasure to see someone do something for the sheer beauty of it, and do it so well.
That is simply incredible...my hat is off to the gentleman for his incredible achievement.
Amazing; what a work of art. A similar model project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIsvW_yhhjs