Engine Tuning: Two-Stroke Porting
Managing raw lumber demands reliable heavy machinery. To maintain logging gear, I learned to tune, overhaul, and repair internal combustion chainsaws. This practical focus led me to study internal **cylinder porting**: the manual modification of intake and exhaust ports to optimize scavenging loops and maximize torque. I now apply these exact porting adjustments to gas engines on my scale RC model airplanes.
Welding & Metal Shaping
My building lab handles multiple disciplines for hardware fabrication:
- Steel Arc Welding: Recent experience with stick/MIG welding to construct robust workshop benches or structurally repair heavy implements.
- Tin Soldering: High-precision electronic assembly for flight pack wiring, servo bus links, and RF antenna connections.
- Bench Refitting: Machining and custom fitting metal sleeve bushings or specialized mounting spacers.
Restoration & Hardware Recovery
I operate on a recovery philosophy. I enjoy buying broken second-hand tools, mapping their flaws, and completely stripping them down to upgrade their performance (such as implementing modern variable-speed VFD control loops on mechanical belt drives). I see these teardowns through as far as my workshop schedule permits.
Photo Gallery - The Bench
