Has anyone here ever done one of Dave Gingery's projects? I just ordered the first 4 books in the shop-from-scrap series and am curious if there is a forum of folks who have already done/moded these projects.

Amazon link to books

sounds pretty cool.

Have never done any of his stuff, but:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gingery_machines/
http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/lathe1.html

I built the furnace and metal lathe about 19 years ago. Fun stuff.

BTW, I still have the furnace and it still works great.

Bill

Hey - how you been? I swear I've gotten into this with you in the past??? Maybe in my ploD but I'm afraid to read that mess! Anyway, my brother-in-law has spoken to me several times about those books. He's like me though - one life and ten lifetimes of projects to work on!!!

Sounds exactly like me and my brother-in-law.
Right now we are working on a MAME cabinet.
A remote controlled lawn mower.
And a go cart.

So far that is it for this month.

yea I couldn't remember which plog I was in when I first heard of this stuff...
The other day I was being pressed for gift ideas and i remembered Gingery and searched him on amazon - so now I've got another few years of projects lined up.

MrBill - how did your lathe turn out? It just seems so crazy that it is possible to make precision tools this way.

The lathe turned out very well. I used it for a couple years then passed it off to a friend, as I needed something bigger. Very high precision tools can be made this way. It all comes down to the materials used and the time and attention to detail put into them.
BTW, with the furnace, be carefule of high magnesium content aluminum. I had melted down some motorcycle side cases with no problem but, one time I got the melt too hot and the magnesium caught fire. That was interesting. It was impossible to look at because it was so bright, all that could be done was let it burn itself out. Afterward, the pot was full of nothing but ash.

Projects - projector, 2 hovercrafts, bar in gameroom, mame cabinet, move walls for home theatre, new workshop out back. Now, if I just had the time and money I could get some of these finished.

Bill

My brother and a couple of friends did the foundry. Turned out very well.

Hay! Late reply - but yeah.. Even tho I got all six books a long time ago - I never did do any of the projects.. I am still having way too much fun casting other trinkets and stuff - Way cool! A guy CAN do anything as long as you are willing to work at it....

Oh and greeneyed: Are you making an electric go kart? Jes wunnerin.. I'd like to make an electric one after seeing them on Youtube..Way fun, way powerful, and way stable...