Timmy! starts a website

Welcome to Timmy!'s Tech web extravaganza!!

I have ideas, many ideas. This site is the locus of those ideas. My intent is to offer my work for your enjoyment, education, and maybe inspiration. As of this writing this site is a place holder for the projects I have begun. You can look forward to growing photo galleries, how-to articles, technical articles and products you can't get anywhere else.

My focus for this site is what I call scale engineering, that is, reverse engineering real subjects into scale models. I use the term engineering because I am primarily a scratch builder and the process of scratch building is engineering. Over the last few years my projects have made extensive use of computer aided design and computer controlled manufacturing processes. A computer numerically controlled (CNC) vertical mill and a stereolithography (SLA) printer have arrived in my quiver of tools to produce parts for my models. I look forward to sharing the process of how to use these machines and their applications to scale modeling...err...engineering.

Much of what I build starts with “building” digitally in computer aided design (CAD) programs on my computer. Two of the consequences of CAD are worth noting. One is because CAD offers a high level of accuracy there is a pull to find more and complete research data to feed the computer design. In the CAD environment there is no limit to the amount of detail that can be added to to the design. If say you wanted to model every nut and bolt of a prototype, you can. If you want to model every washer that fits between that nut and bolt, you can. Replicating a high level of detail is the draw towards using a computer, but it's also a trap that can guarantee a model is never finished. Second, and related to the first, is the acquisition and use of research data. Photographic sources are often not enough to provide high levels of accuracy, that means delving into the use of engineering data plucked from models and engineering drawings of the prototype and converting them for scale subjects. The research process and use of these sources is not exactly straight forward and this site is place to learn more so you can incorporate their use in your model.

Timmy!'s Tech is about the integration of the digital models to physical manifestations of those models. Kit models are here too as they can benefit from this technology.

So strap in and join me as I brave new territory and tackle new techniques of scale engineering.

Again welcome, and thank you for visiting.

Timmy!

Please check out my FaceBook page for updates about this site and fun stuff I like.