Large Scale Central

Dexter-Turbine Windmill Project

Modeling
#141

I blew most of the day on the roof, which started out as a core of plex.

Here’s the various parts…

And finally, the finished roof. It will be secured to the turbine frame with flat head brass screws eventually, but for now all the big chunks need to stay separable for transport.

Speaking of transport, this will be the first time I’ll be able to bring a “winter project” to the Drag and Brag, 'cause every other one bled into spring and summer! (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

I hope there’s a D&B, so far we’re just meeting in the hotel atrium / bar area. Gonna be real weird dragging this thing into a bar… But I’ve done weirder things. (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)

#142

It’s loverly! Looks nicely structured to hold up to abuse. Like wandering into a bar.

#143

Cliff, if you’re gonna take that thing into a bar, you need to come up with a good story (cause you gonna get lots of questions and funny looks) and not the real one. Drunks don’t want to hear stories about a windmill. Maybe some type of prototype energy generator for NASA’s trip to Mars or maybe the spinning of the vanes creates a soothing sound and vibration that seduces … fill in the blank. Something like that (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)

#144

Great job on the roof! How did you do the shingles?

#145

Jim Rowson said:

It’s loverly! Looks nicely structured to hold up to abuse. Like wandering into a bar.

Thanks Jim! Yeah, that, and also stumbling out of the bar while carrying the thing, haha!

#146

Dan Hilyer said:

Cliff, if you’re gonna take that thing into a bar, you need to come up with a good story (cause you gonna get lots of questions and funny looks) and not the real one. Drunks don’t want to hear stories about a windmill. Maybe some type of prototype energy generator for NASA’s trip to Mars or maybe the spinning of the vanes creates a soothing sound and vibration that seduces … fill in the blank. Something like that (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)

Dan, I like how you’re thinking. Maybe a little fortune telling? With a fee of only one beer to demonstrate? (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif)(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

#147

Ray Dunakin said:

Great job on the roof! How did you do the shingles?

Thanks Ray! The shingles were lasered out of green 1/32 “ADA acrylic” from Johnson Plastics. They’re in a stack in the 2nd photo.

#148

The water tank started as a plastic core with a wrapper of off-white acrylic staves. I did a couple washes of flat brown and black, then wiped / sanded to bring the white back out. It’s supposed to look like it had a white paint job several years back.

The hoops are 1/64 x 1/8 brass strips, drilled and connected with #0-80 hardware, then blackened with Jax.

Here’s the tank in the just-stained turbine frame, with the floor above the tank removed.

Now on to the shutter mechanism…

#149

Really nice. I particularly like the hoops for some reason. Nice detail.

I have a question for you. It may be just the lighting on your photos but some of the materials seem to be a bit shiny. Notably the ladders. Am I seeing things? If not, are you planning to tone that sheen down?

Great work as always, Cliff!

#150

Thanks Jim!

Good eye, and yes, several of the acrylic parts are still shiny, and I need do more painting on those. I’ve done the bulk of the painting, but I think I’ll put off the final round of paint and weathering till when everything’s done.

#151

Cool. I like how precise everything is – a huge advantage of using CAD and laser cutting.

#152

Ray Dunakin said:

Cool. I like how precise everything is – a huge advantage of using CAD and laser cutting.

I agree Ray; those sorts of tools enable far more precision than folks like me have the manual skills for.

#153

Wow Cliff - This is amazing. Thanks for sharing with us.

#154

Thanks very much Jon!

Not much to show today, because I’m doing more part prep on the shutters and brass parts. But I wanted to mention these 3d printed (from Shapeways) brass cranks. They’e an inch long and have to be detachable from their shafts. So I modeled the #2-56 threads into them, to accept 2 set screws each. And they threads actually printed! But a little small.

I chased the threads with a new tap, and it wore out in the process; so had to get a second tap. Point being, this brass isn’t like sintered or powdery, it’s really tough stuff. With a nice finish.

#155

The various subassemblies are all done now, with their various bushings, bearings, couplings, and so forth.

Final assembly is next, but that’ll have to wait till next weekend.

Thanks for viewing,

===>Cliffy

#156

Hey Cliff, another silly question.

On the largish subassembly in the middle of the bottom row in your photo, there are 2 “vertical” bits on the left and right that are strangely asymmetric (i.e. they extend down but not up in the photo). What are those and why the asymmetry?

Cheers!

#157

Thanks for asking, Jim. They support the beam just to the right, which pivots in the hole between those supports. Here’s the patent figure, showing how two opposite shutters are actuated from that beam, which is in turn moved by ropes.

The two opposite shutters are daisy-chained with a peripheral linkage to move the rest of the shutters.

As you can tell, I’ve taken a lot of liberties with my “framing” up there.

#158

Cliff the shingles look really great. , Food for thought, when cutting multiple angled roofing, lay out each row in CAD and cut the end angles on the laser, Like you have 10 rows, you can layout one side that fits all four. I have done my water tanks that way, really makes it quick and simple. The corners almost fit perfectly, I still cover like you did.

Your Windmill/water tower is really looking great, really cool design.

Dennis

#159

Hi Dennis, and I’m very please you like the result!

Thanks for your shingle thoughts. At first, I didn’t think it would be worth the trouble, because my shingle widths are random, and I use the manual process of shifting the rows so that the gaps of the new row don’t line up with gaps on the lower. But then I’m stuck with dealing with the ends, and sometimes little triangles have to be fitted. It’s messy.

But the more I consider your suggestion, I’m liking it. Not in the 3D model, that would be too hard (I don’t model the shingles in 3D, and don’t want to – especially with the random shingle widths). In 2D CAD though, I can see laying the rows out. And, where the ends get cut off otherwise, I could eliminate the gap there, to make an extra wide shingle that wouldn’t leave an orphan triangle.

I’ll have to try that. Thanks for the suggestion, Dennis!

#160

Hell I can’t do it so I’m gonna call it Women’s work !

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)