Not everything can be bought in a shop. Here are the parts and tools our members built themselves, at the lathe and at the workbench: for each one, the photos, the videos and the story of how it was made.
Turbine balancing machineby Piero RastelloA machine for balancing model turbines, on both the compressor side and the turbine side, built starting from a German design. With construction notes, a step-by-step example and two videos.Photos: 24 · Videos: 2
12-injector ring for a turbineThe step-by-step construction of a ring with 12 injectors for a turbine, made from syringe needles.Photos: 12
Metal spinningA sheet-metal disc shaped on the lathe over a former, all the way to the finished part: the process step by step.Photos: 15
Oil-damped landing gear for the SIAI M311Oil-damped landing gear for the 1:4.75 scale SIAI M311: photos of the mechanics and a video.Photos: 13 · Videos: 1
Home-built radial engineby Vito CamattiHome-built radial engine: 7 cylinders, 70 cc in total.Photos: 9
Home-built turbineby Vito CamattiA model turbine built by Vito Camatti, fully working and proven on numerous models: the main parts, the test bench and the details.Photos: 7
Electric starter motorby Piero RastelloA home-made electric starter for the OS FS-120 Surpass II four-stroke engine of the Stinson L5 Sentinel: a pinion that meshes with the ring gear on the crankshaft, just like on full-size aircraft.Photos: 16
Eight drops with a single servoA multiple drop system for the Stinson L5 Sentinel: with a single servo it makes eight drops in the same flight, from parachutists and streamers to banners for towing.Photos: 21
Electric spot welderA home-built electric spot welder made from a 1000-watt transformer, which joins sheet metal from 0.05 to 2.5 mm thick.Photos: 11
F35 landing gearA pair of home-made landing gear units for an F-35 model: the legs with the wheels and the mechanics.Photos: 4