lo-fi Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Hello I recently undertook and documented an LT85 gearbox rebuild. Discussing the merits of DIY with various members got me thinking about where I learned enough to consider myself competent to undertake it. I'm not a professional engineer and have had no formal engineering training, but the knowledge has to come from somewhere. I have a feeling many members are of the same background, so I thought I'd start a discussion on resources we use for learning. Might be YouTube channels, forums, books, magazines, other hobbies, TV, podcasts or radio... The amount of free learning material is nearly limitless these days, and I can't help but revel in it! Here are some of my top picks - please chime in with your favourites YouTube: Abom79 An American pro machinist with an impressive home shop. Has a lovely style, edits well and explains superbly. ThisOldTony A home tinkerer of excellence. He makes videos of various home workshop projects spanning machining, fabrication, CNC and much more. Again, really well edited and has a fantastic style. AvE A Canadian who loves to take stuff apart and find out how it works, how it was engineered, and how it was inevitably "value engineered". Lots of useful tips, tricks, projects, ideas and tinkering. Has quite a warped sense of humour, but hugely entertaining as well as educational. AgentJayZ This guy works on full size jet engines for a living, and his employers are enlightened enough to let him film the work and talk through it. Aero engineering is fascinating, and a masterclass in putting quality over cost. BadObsessionMotorSport The home of Project Binky - a fabricators dream or nightmate. I suspect many of you know about these guys already. ClemWyo This chap is like Bob Ross with metal. Lovely projects of this and that, oddball techniques and the most relaxing voice on YouTube. MyfordBoy No nonsense casting and machining. No list would be complete without - a wealth of learning available here. Forums and websites: LR4x4 Of course Though being serious, I read a lot on here. My interest is in Series really, but lots of great discussion goes on across the board. Jet and Turbine Owners There are some seriously good engineers over here. Anders' projects are particularly inspiring and well documented and cover a vast range of topics. Mig-Welding.co.uk Covers much more than welding, and lots of knowledge locked up in there. My Google searches often end up there. Khan Academy Free maths tuition! Might seem a little dull, but this guy is so good at explaining maths, he gave up being a hedge fund manager to found this non-profit. If you need to brush up on some trig for making awkward panels, a simultaneous equation for gear ratios or suchlike, this is where to brush up. I often look here if I need a refresher. OnShape Basically free Solidworks. I use this making drawings of all sorts before I begin cutting anything. Even silly stuff made of scrap! Their tuition videos are excellent, and will get you up and running in no time. Don't be afraid of CAD! I cannot overstate how helpful it can be, even if you're on of the old school "I'll just wing it" types (of which I count myself one). TV: How it's Made The YouTube versions seems to be American voice over, but it's on UK TV. Either way, the voiceover is usually useless, and not all topics are of interest, but they show some amazing the footage of how stuff is manufactured. Books: I won't go into detail of specific books, but Camden have books on just about every aspect of engineering that might be of interest to the hobbyist. Hobbies! This is probably where I've picked up the most. I tinker with literally all sorts, but maybe the most beneficial has been getting involved with steam loco restoration projects, and I'd encourage anyone with an interest in engineering to get involved. This is a community of people who can't just buy parts - you can't even get a pre-made gasket for these old things - so everything has to be manufactured one way or another. It's an industry that's gone from most things being thought impossible without the support of the railway workshops, to literally anything being within reach. The best bit is that volunteers are welcomed with open arms, and attracts all sorts who've worked in industry and love to continue their trade in retirement. I've met and learned from some incredible people. It's also a melting pot of new and old, with cutting edge technology and techniques (lost CNC cut foam casting) mixing seamlessly with 19th century (old boy with a capstan lathe and a pile of hex stock) methods and machinery. This also leads me on to another interesting subject: Learning Transfer. The art of carrying skills between disciplines. A particular master of this is Elon Musk. That article explains why the old paradigm "Jack of all trades, master of none" doesn't fit in the modern world, and why studying widely outside your field is very beneficial. My many hobbies: model making, 3D printing, machining, classic cars, Land Rovers, steam engines, electronics, programming, computing, fabrication... all feed into each other one way or another, and I'd like to think I've now got a pretty decent skill set that for the most part I didn't pay a penny for, and had a huge amount of fun accumulating. So what do you guys get up to, and what on or offline resources do you find helpful in the pursuit of hobby shenanigans? /Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vogler Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 There's LRTV on youtube of course, which helped me to grow confidence as a beginner nd is specific forandrovers. Good and clear explanation by a professional and well made. Also just recently started to appreciate Jafromobile on yt, who's mostly into tuning 16valve japanese engines. So mostly into perfectionism: porting, polishing etc but very interesting to see what contributes to optimisation. Shane Conley, an American teacher on motorcycle mechanics. Has some interesting videos on discipline in wrenching. Nice thread. Love AvE, bonkers as he is! Joris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 If you like Abom and This Old Tony, check out these: ClickspringKeith FennerTom LiptonRob RenzettiStefan Gotteswinter Finnegan's Garage is also nice, it's with Mike Finnegan from Roadkill, but about his own cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 It's slightly shady but I've just found a Russian Library site where you can download the excellent Bosch technical books (£100+ to buy!) as PDF's: http://gen.lib.rus.ec/search.php?req=Bosch+Automotive&lg_topic=libgen&open=0&view=simple&res=25&phrase=0&column=def You need to download as "Single file in torrent" (using uTorrent / Transmission) for it to work but it's worth the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 When was 'just found'? The current response to that link is: Access to the websites listed on this page has been blocked pursuant to orders of the high court. More information can be found at www.ukispcourtorders.co.uk This seems to confirm the 'slightly shady' status you mention, Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Works for me, your ISP must be more frit than ours when it comes to court orders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Yep, works here, suspect David is on BT... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 I only recently heard of LRTV myself after a thread on here, actually! I'll go check out the other links (thankfully I'm not on BT) - thank you all for chiming in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 14 hours ago, David Sparkes said: When was 'just found'? The current response to that link is: Access to the websites listed on this page has been blocked pursuant to orders of the high court. More information can be found at www.ukispcourtorders.co.uk This seems to confirm the 'slightly shady' status you mention, Regards. Hey look, someone still using their ISP's DNS! Google DNS is your friend, 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4, no silly blocking by the government. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Mighty Car Mods is another good Youtube channel with information alongside their projects. They've also done lots of good mythbusting type videos. Engine Masters - Part of the Roadkill/MotorTrend on youtube but really good information in them, David Freiburger is a goldmine of information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.