I studied engineering many years ago but got side tracked into a computing career mainly because engineering jobs were low paid and difficult to find. The creative aspects within this new and emerging world of computing stayed with me until I retired. Unfortunately, whilst computers were and are fascinating, my true passion was always engineering. Despite a demanding job I had a basic home workshop and whenever there was time I was able to spend time making models and tooling. Now retired, my hobby is my main interest and decided to build some models and workshop tools. This brings me on to explain the 'creative' aspect of my engineering hobby.
It is quite enjoyable to build a model from acquired plans but sometimes the tools available in my workshop were 'limited' which often presented difficulties. The answer was to adapt my equipment and 'create' tools to overcome as far as possible the build of models. This aspect of the hobby is, for me, the most interesting because it is creative. To design tools and machines to meet a requirement presents many challenges but is very rewarding.
My most significant 'creative engineering' design and build is that of an automatic spur gear involute profiling machine. This machine operates using the concept used in the Sunderland gear machine. My starting point was just a single paragraph in one of my old text books describing the operating concept and a picture of the Sunderland machine. The operating concept is simple and by means of a 'generative process' it produces accurate complex involute curves. My machine is a small bench top version which adopts the same operating concept but thereafter the design is unique and all created from just a few words in a book. The journey from design to completion has taken several years with many obstacles needing to be solved but this is the best part of creating a new machine and then making it so that it works.
See my website for more information: http://www.gwhengineering.co.uk
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