Cooperative design and build

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Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 09 5:38 pm Post subject: Cooperative design and build

A thought I've been having recently, sparked by the references to Vegplot's pig ark project. How about various Downsizers cooperate on working out designs for very useful thingies, like pig arks, chicken sheds, poultry feeders etc, and list them? If they were worked up properly, with cutting lists and designs, they could be refined over time, and it would also provide the chance for some members to supply part-kits so that people could buy the bits they needed and make the bits they felt comfortable with making.

For the actual design, these are often sold online for ten or twenty quid, so if they were offered to members for a nominal fee it would help defray running costs (maybe a fiver a throw).

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 09 6:39 pm Post subject:
Brilliant idea. Both aspects of it.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 09 7:18 pm Post subject:
Sounds like a good idea to me.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 09 9:16 pm Post subject:
Cold smokers!

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 09 9:33 pm Post subject:
The prototype will be done by the end of this week.

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sat Jan 31, 09 9:38 pm Post subject:
Excellent idea.

crofter

Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 2252

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 09 1:27 am Post subject:

Penny wrote:

Excellent idea.

I agree. I will explain how to build a poultry feeder for "free", you will need 2 containers - 1x25 litre plastic bucket + another bucket with a larger diameter. Plus a few power tools and nuts and bolts. And perhaps a spare 30 minutes or so. I have used various scrap containers, sheep feed buckets, even plastic dustbin lids to build these. The idea is to cut holes in the narrower bucket at the bottom using a holesaw, or even remove most of the bottom of this bucket with a jigsaw. Then drill holes to bolt the larger diameter "tray" below the bottom of this bucket. Suspend it from the roof of your chicken shed and you have a feeder which will hold a 20 kg bag per fill. I don't know how much it costs to buy a feeder like this nowadays, but am guessing it is more than 15 pounds.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 09 11:07 am Post subject:
Like this as a business idea BB. Self assembly weather vanes on the way. Were currently doing a garden gate with an inset stained glass panel......not as easy as it sounds, but the panels could be premade to an individual design which anyone could then have incorporated into a gate or security grille.

resistance is fertile

Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Posts: 1534
Location: The heart of North Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 09 1:14 pm Post subject:

BB I have been working towards something along these lines for various bits here, but never got round to sorting the 'pay nominal fee to download' bit.

Is this something that can be done on forum software?

Having spoken with you about various bits of kit, I think its a fantastic idea and could move alot of things forward that otherwise sit as a sketch in a drawer, or on a computer and dont provide the use they could.

The potential feedback would also be also invaluable as people suggested modifications and improvements.

Do any IT types know how people could provide downloadable sets of plans etc with the 'inventor/designer/supplier' getting a small fee (paypal?)

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 09 2:28 pm Post subject:

resistance is fertile wrote:

Do any IT types know how people could provide downloadable sets of plans etc with the 'inventor/designer/supplier' getting a small fee (paypal?)

We're working on such a system but due to more urgent project work it's been shelved for a few weeks.

oliveoyl

Joined: 18 Sep 2008
Posts: 425

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 09 2:31 pm Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

Like this as a business idea BB.
Self assembly weather vanes on the way.

Were currently doing a garden gate with an inset stained glass panel......not as easy as it sounds, but the panels could be premade to an individual design which anyone could then have incorporated into a gate or security grille.

Are you making the stained glass panels yourself? It sounds good... can you post a pic of it when it's done please... I'm being nosey... my hobby is making stained glass things.

resistance is fertile

Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Posts: 1534
Location: The heart of North Devon

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 09 2:47 pm Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

resistance is fertile wrote:

Do any IT types know how people could provide downloadable sets of plans etc with the 'inventor/designer/supplier' getting a small fee (paypal?)

We're working on such a system but due to more urgent project work it's been shelved for a few weeks.

Is that us as in Downsizer or us as in Vegplot Inc. ?

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 09 2:51 pm Post subject:

resistance is fertile wrote:

vegplot wrote:

resistance is fertile wrote:

Do any IT types know how people could provide downloadable sets of plans etc with the 'inventor/designer/supplier' getting a small fee (paypal?)

We're working on such a system but due to more urgent project work it's been shelved for a few weeks.

Is that us as in Downsizer or us as in Vegplot Inc. ?

It's us as a company, not Downsizer. We're designing it as a web service so it can be used on almost any web site (with a little platform specific coding).

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 09 3:10 pm Post subject:

Here's my prototype design for an pig ark (weaners). It's designed so the roof can be removed reasonably easily but I've not that detail in the drawing as I've yet to establish the best fixing method. The floor is 19mm WBP with a number of 3"x2" runners along with a pair of 6"x2" rail which lift the roof away from the floor to provide a little more space.

I think the whole thing might just be movable with two people but removing the roof will male this much easier The ends are also detachable and will probably be secured with galvanised coach bolts and wing nuts. I've yet to solve the problem of making the ridge rain tight.

The plywood costs around �100 and the other timbers a further �30. Fixings will add around another �20 or so.

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Sun Feb 15, 09 3:19 pm Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

It's designed so the roof can be removed reasonably easily but I've not that detail in the drawing as I've yet to establish the best fixing method.

Have you considered angle iron 'A's at the front and back, drilled and tapped so one can attach the plywood sheets with machine screws through holes drilled in the ply? The A could even be hinged at the top, allowing it to be folded for transport.

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