Thread: First glmpse of the "Alien 4 ***"!

Love it!! definitely worth the wait, and the wheels are as Mutawintji said "GENIUS".
cheers, Ian

Originally Posted by Leo_3344

I'm sorry guys, got a little carried away. Had a real bad day, half the wheels went down the bin and I made some last-minute changes. To satisfy everyone I've taken a picture of the whole thing. It's the "Alien 4 Super Grader". The gears are to lift and turn the blade. The domed cabin is the steering wheel, and is connected to the front wheels ( not visible, on the right side). The rear wheels can lift in front or back, the front wheels tilt left or right. The plates behind the cabin are a sort of grill, giving it an organic look. My humble apologies to all those offended by my keeping you on edge.

Oh my goodness me, what an awesome new toy.....Love it, well done!!!
Leo, pay no attention to all our impatience, as for me personally I was just greatly intreged at what your imagination and skilled ability was creating, so no offence was given to me, just boy-ish impatience.
Cheers, crowie

PS - One can't rush genius......

Wow Leo. Bloody fantastic. What ingenious design. And you say the cabin turns the front wheels. Can't wait to see what you crank out next. Bret

Totally awesome you make the best toys i have ever seen.

Took some detailed pictures of the steering mechanism and the headlights.

A week... the flu has been unmerciful and put me in bed for several days. It gave me time to think about the steering mechanism I wasn't completely happy with. So I changed it, with difficulty 'cause some parts were allready glued. Put the headlights -also changed- on the front axle: they turn with the steering. Cut the lifting beam a bit and the wheel to turn the shovel. Now just the rear wheels and it's finished...

Sorry to hear about the flu Leo. My whole family went through that twice in a month's time. Can't wait to see this thing finished. Is there a part 5 to the series after this one?

Bret

Originally Posted by bj383ss

Sorry to hear about the flu Leo. My whole family went through that twice in a month's time. Can't wait to see this thing finished. Is there a part 5 to the series after this one?

Bret

Twice in a month is way too much, I'd probably be in the hospital then (or somewhere else) with my health not being 100 % on good days! My next post will be the last on this one, but not the end of the series. I'm making schetches for the next one, but am not sur how some things will work out. Also, there's some work around the house for which my wife is haunting me! But, it could be I'll be teasing you all for some time...

I've been sitting on thee sidelines waiting!!

That is just bloody terrific Leo!!!bravabrava

I hate making wheels! I know it's a part of the job, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I found out with the first series that the grooves weren't spaced apart far enough. I made them 15°. After many failures I decided to alter it to 20°, which worked better: Ive thrown too much in the bin already! So this is how I make them: First I cut the out with a holesaw, for each wheel 3 full circles and a ring. I glue them in pairs, then cut the grooves with the little jig I made specially for this job. Then I clear out the residue and glue the wheels together. The last step is the sanding.With the pictures it should be clear. And yes I do have a router: it's a little Proxxon, but it isn't good for this kind of job, the height tends to wiggle away without the knob installed over it. Next post will be the final one on the Alien 4 Super Grader, with the pictures and the plans!

Hello guys. He's finished: the Alien 4 Super Grader! The latest pics and of course some plans. The gears I didn't draw myself: I used Matthias Wandel's free gear generator. It gave me the opportunity to see how big the gears would be, and an easy way to alter things. The plans are guidelines, to be adjusted during work or at your pleasure. The plan for the dome is exact! The next one, the no 5, is just some sketches at the moment and it will take a while before I even can start. If I don't start doing things around the house my wife kills me! Of course, I might be teasing you all with bits and pieces...

Excellent !!! It really is an 'alien' and it looks superb !!!!

And the photography is awesome as well. What did you photograph it on ?

ClGreg

Wow Leo,

It turned out great. And thanks for all the build notes and pictures and explanation of your jigs. I am blown away by your plans. I wish I had the patience to learn how to use the computer for drawing but I just haven't been successful. Give me a ruler, pencil, and paper!

Hurry up and get all the chores and honey-dos for the wife done so we can watch you build the next great one!


Bret

Originally Posted by Mutawintji

Excellent !!! It really is an 'alien' and it looks superb !!!!

And the photography is awesome as well. What did you photograph it on ?

ClGreg

I used 2 plates of matt black MDF. My son had them in his stash ans no use for them yet, so I borrowed them. It surprised even me the photo's came out so good!