Thursday, January 14, 2010
2010 is here, new decade, new models!!
Friday, December 11, 2009
A New Automata Designer
We have been asked to promote a newcomer to the world of automata design so I have asked Sophie to introduce herself.
I also need to try and get better with updating the blog, I will put it on my 2010 resolutions list!!
I'm Sophie Catherine Naylor and I'm an Illustrator and Automatist based in Derbyshire in the UK. I graduated from Loughborough University, in 2009, with a BA Hons in Illustration and Animation. In my final year I was able to experiment and specialise In automaton. I take inspiration from British Culture, historical inventions, gadgetry, contraptions, and nostalgic eras. My automata's depict British ness, in a eccentric, quirky, humorous context. These automata's are created from a wide range of materials, of which roughly 90% are recycled from house hold waste. I enjoy taking disused materials, old clock parts, beer cans, scrap wood and transforming them into something beautiful, and contextually engaging.Over the past few years, I have had illustrations of classic cars published in various MG magazines.In 2008 I was commissioned by Martins World Group in collaboration with the Norwegian Tourist Board to produce a illustration of a Lynx on location, while being filmed. The footage was edited into a DVD, with Chris Tarant as the presenter.The DVD is part of a tourist information package. Christmas 2008 I was awarded a merit within the American 3x3 Illustration Competition, my winning entry "Go Organic, Plop 'N' Grow" automata will be published in the 3x3 Illustration Annual No.6.Spring 2009 I was one of six finalists to get through to the Northern Design Competition, where my entry of the Worthing Birdman automata, was exhibited in the city of Leeds at the Rose Bowl.
Autumn 2009, my automata's will be featured on ITV Central News as part of a cultural series. -
Sophie Naylor http://www.sophienaylor.co.uk/
I also need to try and get better with updating the blog, I will put it on my 2010 resolutions list!!
I'm Sophie Catherine Naylor and I'm an Illustrator and Automatist based in Derbyshire in the UK. I graduated from Loughborough University, in 2009, with a BA Hons in Illustration and Animation. In my final year I was able to experiment and specialise In automaton. I take inspiration from British Culture, historical inventions, gadgetry, contraptions, and nostalgic eras. My automata's depict British ness, in a eccentric, quirky, humorous context. These automata's are created from a wide range of materials, of which roughly 90% are recycled from house hold waste. I enjoy taking disused materials, old clock parts, beer cans, scrap wood and transforming them into something beautiful, and contextually engaging.Over the past few years, I have had illustrations of classic cars published in various MG magazines.In 2008 I was commissioned by Martins World Group in collaboration with the Norwegian Tourist Board to produce a illustration of a Lynx on location, while being filmed. The footage was edited into a DVD, with Chris Tarant as the presenter.The DVD is part of a tourist information package. Christmas 2008 I was awarded a merit within the American 3x3 Illustration Competition, my winning entry "Go Organic, Plop 'N' Grow" automata will be published in the 3x3 Illustration Annual No.6.Spring 2009 I was one of six finalists to get through to the Northern Design Competition, where my entry of the Worthing Birdman automata, was exhibited in the city of Leeds at the Rose Bowl.
Autumn 2009, my automata's will be featured on ITV Central News as part of a cultural series. -
Sophie Naylor http://www.sophienaylor.co.uk/
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sawdust and Shavings
Well that didn't take long did it, just over a month!! Not the most active blogger on the planet and hardly a candidate for Twitter.
Armed with my collection of carefully measured pieces, associated drawings and unbounded enthusiasm I headed for the workshop, donned my safety glasses and set to work. Very quickly I discovered that some processes are very easy, or so it seems (more on this later) so I happily set to work cutting wood to specific lengths after having "ripped it" on my shiny but terrifying new table saw and put it through the planer. Now if you want to make a mess in a workshop the table saw and the planer will pretty much take care of that for you in short order
Fairly quickly I had a pile of pieces that represented the center beam, the side and center supports and the upper and lower cross pieces. Holes were drilled, grooves were routed and all seemed well, now to move on to some of the smaller pieces. plywood selected for the sides of the windlass, pine for the trigger and the standard Timberkits assortment of drilled dowell washers and spacers.
Now, looking around at the piles of pieces and sawdust and shavings it did cross my mind whether I had created more waste than parts and I began to reflect on the challenges. Have you ever tried to drill into the end grain of a soft wood like pine? The drill has a tendency to wander off into the softer wood so drilling precisely is very difficult. If you are not really accurate with the inner and outer supports the Ballista looks a pretty strange shape. The axle was another challenge and this was solved using a square section of hardwood and brad point drill bits. So what is left, oh yes, the ratchetts!
Sinking feeling.................how am I going to make the ratchetts?
Next time.............dowell, routers and decagons!
Armed with my collection of carefully measured pieces, associated drawings and unbounded enthusiasm I headed for the workshop, donned my safety glasses and set to work. Very quickly I discovered that some processes are very easy, or so it seems (more on this later) so I happily set to work cutting wood to specific lengths after having "ripped it" on my shiny but terrifying new table saw and put it through the planer. Now if you want to make a mess in a workshop the table saw and the planer will pretty much take care of that for you in short order
Fairly quickly I had a pile of pieces that represented the center beam, the side and center supports and the upper and lower cross pieces. Holes were drilled, grooves were routed and all seemed well, now to move on to some of the smaller pieces. plywood selected for the sides of the windlass, pine for the trigger and the standard Timberkits assortment of drilled dowell washers and spacers.
Now, looking around at the piles of pieces and sawdust and shavings it did cross my mind whether I had created more waste than parts and I began to reflect on the challenges. Have you ever tried to drill into the end grain of a soft wood like pine? The drill has a tendency to wander off into the softer wood so drilling precisely is very difficult. If you are not really accurate with the inner and outer supports the Ballista looks a pretty strange shape. The axle was another challenge and this was solved using a square section of hardwood and brad point drill bits. So what is left, oh yes, the ratchetts!
Sinking feeling.................how am I going to make the ratchetts?
Next time.............dowell, routers and decagons!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
There is building a model and Building a Model
Since the first Timberkit I built some 15 years ago I have always had great admiration for the design skill that Eric Williamson has. In my many meeting with Eric in the last few years I have come to know some of what he has had to accomplish to bring these seemingly simple models to us.
In the early days not only did Eric and Alison design the models, they also had to design and make some of the machines to make the parts, most notably the small wooden washers of various sizes that all the kits have. So when the word came from the UK that due to falling demand the Ballista kit may not go to the factory for production I decided to fill the gap!! My son who is a very wise 30 years merely nodded in support but I know had concerns for my mental wellbeing.
How difficult can it be I thought, how simply naïve I turned out to be. But with keen interest I set about the business of making a limited number of kits. Initially I had no production drawings for the Ballista so my solution was to take my last kit and set about carefully measuring and documenting all the parts in terms of material, size, thickness, quantity....
I began to collect reams of paper with drawings, measurements, notes, coffee stains and decided that the approach needed to be digital, oh dear, now I have as many spreadsheets as I had pieces of paper. Undeterred I soldiered on collecting a fine array of woodworking tools (which my family will tell you as they believe it, was the whole purpose behind this exercise!). I eventually reached the point where I was convinced that it was time to make sawdust and shavings!
The next installment...Sawdust and Shavings
In the early days not only did Eric and Alison design the models, they also had to design and make some of the machines to make the parts, most notably the small wooden washers of various sizes that all the kits have. So when the word came from the UK that due to falling demand the Ballista kit may not go to the factory for production I decided to fill the gap!! My son who is a very wise 30 years merely nodded in support but I know had concerns for my mental wellbeing.
How difficult can it be I thought, how simply naïve I turned out to be. But with keen interest I set about the business of making a limited number of kits. Initially I had no production drawings for the Ballista so my solution was to take my last kit and set about carefully measuring and documenting all the parts in terms of material, size, thickness, quantity....
I began to collect reams of paper with drawings, measurements, notes, coffee stains and decided that the approach needed to be digital, oh dear, now I have as many spreadsheets as I had pieces of paper. Undeterred I soldiered on collecting a fine array of woodworking tools (which my family will tell you as they believe it, was the whole purpose behind this exercise!). I eventually reached the point where I was convinced that it was time to make sawdust and shavings!
The next installment...Sawdust and Shavings
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Timberkits makes the national news!!!
On the evening news on May 12th, during a report on the tragic shooting incident in the stress clinic in Camp Liberty, Iraq, we noticed something that caught our eye. Quick thinking produced a picture of the TV screen showing an Ocean Motion sitting atop its box somewhere in the treatment facility. Now the search begins for how and why it is there, are the instructions causing major stress in our customers? well we think not, we prefer to think it is used as a therapy tool. If anyone can provide any information, let us know at sales@timberkitsus.com please
To see the full report go to
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7571356
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Newly volunteered as the Blogmaster!
I thought that I had successfully avoided the likes of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter when we decided recently to start a Timberkits Blog. What a great idea I said, who will maintain it..........all eyes in the room turned in one direction and I looked behind me!! They were looking at me!!
Well why not I thought so here I am with my first post. I thought text would be a good place to start with video and images to follow. But what do you put in a blog? well I guess anything you want to so watch this space and as things of interest occur to me I will post them..............
Well why not I thought so here I am with my first post. I thought text would be a good place to start with video and images to follow. But what do you put in a blog? well I guess anything you want to so watch this space and as things of interest occur to me I will post them..............
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