What's on everyone's workbench?
 

It's been relatively dead around here lately, usually a lot more conversion talk going on.

right now I've got a lot of projects going on that usually get the back burner but a couple are getting progress.

I have a newly acquired trainer type plane that came with a 19cc poulan featherlite blower engine on it, plane was too big for the engine (ok, so I made that decision without flying it) but it was a stock 19cc engine with a 1/2" venturi carb, didn't have a gasket under the carb, muffler held on by a bent piece of allthread with nyloc nuts and a 3/8' copper tube soldered onto the stock muffler, not the best conversion, that and they had a music wire throttle linkage. That engine got replaced with a ported 21cc engine with a 20/64" carb which should be sufficient, muffler is modified with two 1/2" tubes. If this engine isn't sufficient I just acquired the 25cc version which should work better. This plane should be a good platform to train people with, has a huge compartment in the middle to do candy drops or hold a camera or something, and it looks like it would make a good tow plane for gliders, has a top hatch that would be easy to modify for a tow setup.

I have a 50cc size Extra 330 that I converted a 52cc Pioneer chainsaw engine for that I intended to run on gas/glow but never got it working in that configuration, going to put one of my EI modules on it.

the other plane in the shop is a 40 size "easy stick" from ebay that I'm sticking a poulan 18cc on EI on, I'm not that far along on this one yet as it needs some modification to hold the weight. The engine is converted and stuck on the fuse, I made a new spar to remove the dihedral and widen the wing a few inches to handle the weight. Should be interesting, I'm looking forward to it.

I also have a 48" boat, but it's just the hull and engine right now, modded a homie 25 for it...

I have 5 engines on the shop floor to be converted to get some money in, 4 poulan's and a homie, 2 poulans are ready to be ran, the rest are stripped and ready for cleaning and porting to comence. as per the standard engine converting junkie I also have a good 20 power heads in various state of disassembly and a good 10 still in weedeater form :). I have a Poulan 46 that I just need to figure out the carb adapter and it'll be done

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

Sounds like you're on a roll. I have a ton of engines to play with, but have been very short on time. Got a second BME twin cylinder 23.6cc x 2 engine going together, but with 25cc cranks and more porting this time. Should be interesting. Got a little McCulloch 21cc apart. It has roller bearings but I made up some bronze bushings to take up the thrust. It should come out super light, but it needs a bunch of porting as the ports are really tiny. We'll see... Did a 58cc Echo a while ago. It runs a 22 x 6-10 prop at 7000 rpms on Gas/Glow.

Just got in a whole batch of cool engines. A number of Stihl engines, both two and four stroke that look very interesting, and other engines from 19 to 118cc's! I also am looking at doing one of those Featherlight engines. I have one that is a 25cc if I remember right, that looks easy to convert and will come out light. Will be interesting to see if it will make any power with porting changes. I'm supposed to have a BME block on the way to use with my 62cc twin Echo parts. I'm kind of anxkous to get that one together as it will go into my new 29% Extra.

I've got an old partially finished Big Stick kit that my brother gave up on building. I am going to bash it into a low wing Super Sportser look alike, and put one of the lighter gas conversions on it just for an easy to transport "knock around" plane.

As usual, too much to do and too little time... but it's all fun!

You are right, it has been really dead here in the forum lately...

AV8TOR

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

that reminds me, I came across a Stihl chop saw that's missing a bunch of the parts needed to be a functioning machine (perfect for converting and making a couple bucks on the spare parts), for the price of tuning up a guys 40cc poulan saw, that and ended up with 4 Ryobi weedie's from him too... If I remember right those chop saws are around 100cc. Also ran across a lawnboy mower engine, already have some larger HDC and Tillotson carbs off of old saws sitting around that should work good on that guy

I understand the being short on time thing, I just moved starting January first and am just getting settled in to the point where I can do stuff, went flying for the first time this year a week ago. Shortly after I moved I fried my computer and my bank account hasn't recuperated since the move yet so I haven't had any money to do anything fun, just enough for food and gas, luckily I just got a commuter car to save me on gas... I'm hoping my modified "easy stick" will fit in the Justy :). Sometimes it seems like EVERYTHING I own is a project... it can be fun but frustrating at the same time, I have a complete new drive train to install in my truck (well just axles, lift, transfer case and tires), but to do that I have to swap the front diff out of my explorer to match the rear so I can regear what's in the explorer now to put in my truck... I REALLY need to get a lawnmower working as I actually have lawn now... the problem with having a good engineering mind is you have all sorts of good ideas and never seem to have the time and money to complete them all

I'm finally getting a half decent stockpile of Echo engines, got a second 21cc echo the other day, other than that I have a couple of the 16cc and a 13cc, might have one of the 23.6's at my mom's... and there's the 19.X stihl and the rest of my engines are poulan, homie, mac, and ryobi

I machined bronze or oilite for the first time the other day, man that stuff is ABRASIVE! I had to sharpen my HSS tool several times to make the 2 car door bushings I was working on... hey, the bushing was free from the trimmer shaft that was otherwise scrap... that and I have the lathe, it might as well be put to use :). I stripped down all of the shafts I had around and now have a handful of nice bushings, the ones from the featherlites are perfect for the shank of a 3/8" bolt which came in very handy when I fixed the worn out lower hinge of the Lincoln.

I remember back when there would be half a page of active topics to read when I got home from work, now there's one or two, thought I'd get something going :)

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

Man, you sound like me.... Way too many projects. And you are right; when a person knows how to repair most anything, they find themselves WAY too busy doing so all the time. Then, also as you mention there are the things you invent for yourself to do besides all that!

Well, don't know why it has been so dead in this forum. It often happens around the holidays, but it is like it slowed down for Christmas/New Years, and just never picked back up.

AV8TOR

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

Well, there is always something going on, but when it gets to cold to go flying they get shoved on the back burner. Just today, I finished up aa 19cc John Deere on a Senior Telemaster. Have been reporting this on the Tele thread. The engine is turning over 8000 with a 14X8 prop on it. Just starting to break in, so if tommorow starts out decent, I am going to try it. We cleaned out my brothers garage out a while back, and came up with 2 original first string trimmer engines. These engines have a reed valve mounted on the bottom of crankcase at a 90 degree angle to the cylinder. One of the trimmers is complete. The engine is mounted on the bottom of the handle. The fuel tank is in the handle. I believe them to be 30 cc engines. Other projects (trying to keep the wifey in a good mood by putting in new flooring, and spoiling Grandkids have kept them on the shelf, but have them soaking to clean them up so I can plaw with them more. A 40cc John Deere chain saw engine is being mounted on a ULTRA LITE Stick, and that should be ready in the next week or so. A Cap 232 is itching to get a souped up RYOBI on the front of. Spring break is comming, so that means the 26 Model T Touring car beter be ready when the Grandkids get here. Better get to work. Flathead 4

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

yeah, those old homelites with the gas tank in the handle are kinda wierd, I have one of those too...

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

I'm trying to finish up a tree hopper going to put a 25 homie on it to start. I just picked up a troy built four stroke weedie have to figure out how to mount it. I also have soooooo many more no time until summer:D Erik

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

A Belanca Skyrocket.

It has a converted 72cc Partners concrete saw mounted in her.
I'm installing 180 oz. inches servos in the wings tonight.

I probably have a good 30 hours left to go but it's further along than last year

She happens to have a 12 foot wing span, and yes it was love at first sight.

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

Wow, that's quite a project. Neat! Keep us posted!

I think this picture says it all. My little girl Sofia. She has the "look" that represents the feeling I have when getting a new engine out of an old machine!!

AV8TOR

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

AV8TOR, Your little girl reminds me of the same feelings I usd to have on getting about any new or used engine. I got to get to flying more...4 sure! Best Regards Capt,n;)

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

She's a charmer for sure

RE: What's on everyone's workbench?
 

Thanks guys. I was waiting for someone to notice the photo was "staged". The engine in her hand is a Poulan, and the dis-assembled saw on the floor is an Echo.

However, she actually did take the Poulan saw apart and take that engine out! I just broke loose all the bolts and nuts and told her what to take off, and she did it. Then she wanted to do another, so I gave her the Echo to play with. Kind of amazing, at least to me, as she just turned four years old at the end of December. She looked so cute working away on the engines, I just had to grab the camera. She's "daddy's girl!"

Thanks for the compliments guys!
Take care,
AV8TOR