IN THE BEGINING

I have been tinkering with all things mechanical ever since I was a child. My first memories of actually making something was in my grand farther's shed- he was an engineer, those were in the days when people still made things.  I think that the thing I remember most keenly is was the smell: wood shavings, oil and the lingering aroma from his pipe which was an object of fascination to a small boy. 

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I was allowed to use his tools and was encouraged to experiment, naturally my first efforts were not things of great beauty, but with his encouragement I learnt how to sharpen tools make joints in wood, saw and file metal. Power tools were not common then so everything was made using hand tools.

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I soon started taking things apart to see how they worked, this was not always a great idea but my grandfather was usually able to help me. Meccano, model aircraft, Mamod steam engines were all part of my childhood. Bicycles became motorcycles and then a car was acquired. I used to spend more time fixing these early modes of transport than riding or driving them. 

About 30 years ago I started restoring an old grey Ferguson TEA 20 tractor. I needed some spacers making for part of the breaking system. I took then to a local engineering shop to use as patterns for new ones. Several weeks later I went back to collect them only to find them untouched sitting next to the lathe of the chap who had promised to do them. A week later I had bought a lathe, a rather nasty Far Eastern import, but it did the job and I was able to make all the parts I needed for my project. This is how I became hooked on machining and hobby engineering.

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