This was an exciting week for me in the shop. I made a lot of progress on several different projects. My first task this week was to continue work on building the test bed for the rocket motor for my mentor’s Intro to Rocketry class. The bed is built out of steel unistrut, which I had to measure and bandsaw into its proper size. Unfortunately, we did not have enough connectors to complete the project this week. We ordered some new ones and I will complete the project in the next week or two, whenever they arrive.
I also learned how to use the knee mill and the toolroom lathe. The knee mill is a type of machine which is computer controlled in the X and Y directions, but not the Z. This means that you have to manually adjust the height for every cut you want to make. I used this tool to cut out a pair of supports for a vacuum chamber that will be depressurized to conditions extremely similar to those found in outer space. This project was for the hypersonic lab in the building, who are doing research on how to achieve hypersonic speeds. I used the knee mill to cut semicircles in the stainless steel so the tube could be supported properly.
I also learned how to use the toolroom lathe. The way a lathe works is that you attach your part to it, and it spins your part very quickly (typically around 1000 rpm, although this varies by material), allowing you to create perfect (or nearly perfect) circles, drill holes, bore holes to make them wider, and add a nice finish to your part by turning or facing it.
Finally, I also designed my yoyo, and I will be beginning the fabrication process this upcoming week, which I am very excited for. I designed my yoyo in a manner that will be as simple to manufacture as possible, without giving up some of the design choices I would like.
I am a dedicated motorsports fan, and this week was the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most important race in the world, and this was it’s 100 year anniversary, so I, along with my host family who also enjoy watching racing, watched the race. They only watched a part of it, but I was able to watch most of the race, which was a ton of fun.
It sounds like you are having your brain stimulated in and out of your pinternship. Has designing a yoyo always been something you wanted to do or did the opportunity present itself? Keep up the great work!
Designing a yoyo is something that I have had in the back of my mind for some time, but now the opportunity presented itself and I was excited to take advantage.