Entry-level "Scrapheap Challenge" on a budget
Posted by Locke Cole
Lads, I've got an idea.
There's a place near me called the "Resource Exchange Centre", which some of you have probably heard of. It's a big warehouse which stocks industry cast-offs which would otherwise be thrown away. Things like lengths of wood, steel drums, rolls of material, surplus machine parts, polystyrene blocks, etc. This warehouse stocks them and sells them to the public at incredible prices. For example, last week I went to buy 3 lots of 2ft x 4ft board to make a shelving unit, and some paint to touch it up. The whole lot cost me £2.50.
You can also pick up smaller items such as unused ice-cream tubs, corks, etc. in bulk; you can fill a standard-size shopping trolley with as many parts as you can, and pay 12 quid for the bulk lot.
Now, interestingly enough, the Centre also displays items built from scrap materials to the public, whether they be artistic or engineering pieces. This got me thinking about something that could potentially be great fun for the good people of the forum.
I was thinking of a mini-challenge in the style of Scrapheap, but on a very reasonable budget and being far more accessible to amateurs. There would be no metalwork or motors involved, just good, honest workshop construction.
We'd work in small teams of 2-4 people, each have a budget of just £25 between the whole team, and the freedom of the Resource Exchange Centre to buy materials. And trust me, £25 would cover the costs of a fairly hefty contraption! The only thing we'd need to provide is our own powertools, e.g. drill, saw, screwdriver, etc. We could dedicate maybe a weekend to the whole designing, building & testing process, so it'd be fairly efficient on timing, and cheap - and bloody good fun. Afterwards, we could donate our contraptions back to the Centre for display. I believe we'd each get our own little plaque proclaiming the success of our project, too.
Well, that's my proposal. I'm interested to know if anyone would be up for something like this on a weekend over the summer?
K*bots UK, specialist providers of 'fun science' Curriculum Enhancement days for Primary and Secondary schools in Britain.
Please find us on [en.wikipedia.org] for more information.
There's a place near me called the "Resource Exchange Centre", which some of you have probably heard of. It's a big warehouse which stocks industry cast-offs which would otherwise be thrown away. Things like lengths of wood, steel drums, rolls of material, surplus machine parts, polystyrene blocks, etc. This warehouse stocks them and sells them to the public at incredible prices. For example, last week I went to buy 3 lots of 2ft x 4ft board to make a shelving unit, and some paint to touch it up. The whole lot cost me £2.50.
You can also pick up smaller items such as unused ice-cream tubs, corks, etc. in bulk; you can fill a standard-size shopping trolley with as many parts as you can, and pay 12 quid for the bulk lot.
Now, interestingly enough, the Centre also displays items built from scrap materials to the public, whether they be artistic or engineering pieces. This got me thinking about something that could potentially be great fun for the good people of the forum.
I was thinking of a mini-challenge in the style of Scrapheap, but on a very reasonable budget and being far more accessible to amateurs. There would be no metalwork or motors involved, just good, honest workshop construction.
We'd work in small teams of 2-4 people, each have a budget of just £25 between the whole team, and the freedom of the Resource Exchange Centre to buy materials. And trust me, £25 would cover the costs of a fairly hefty contraption! The only thing we'd need to provide is our own powertools, e.g. drill, saw, screwdriver, etc. We could dedicate maybe a weekend to the whole designing, building & testing process, so it'd be fairly efficient on timing, and cheap - and bloody good fun. Afterwards, we could donate our contraptions back to the Centre for display. I believe we'd each get our own little plaque proclaiming the success of our project, too.
Well, that's my proposal. I'm interested to know if anyone would be up for something like this on a weekend over the summer?
I would also add my name ot the list, this sounds awesome!
edit: what about themes for our creations that *could* be done should we have enough people? garden furniture/objects/fashion?
Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2009 09:49PM by danm.
edit: what about themes for our creations that *could* be done should we have enough people? garden furniture/objects/fashion?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2009 09:49PM by danm.
I was thinking more along the lines of "moving vehicles", but meh. 
Suggestions welcome.
K*bots UK, specialist providers of 'fun science' Curriculum Enhancement days for Primary and Secondary schools in Britain.
Please find us on [en.wikipedia.org] for more information.
Suggestions welcome.Sounds interesting. Where are you located Locke?
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
moving vehicles in sculptural form you mean... since you said no metal parts? thus static objects.
ahh i think i get you know! that would be awesome, lol, a GT40 abstract sculpture out of cork board and paint lids lol!
Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it
ahh i think i get you know! that would be awesome, lol, a GT40 abstract sculpture out of cork board and paint lids lol!
If someone can buy me a ticket I'll be there.
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to. [www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 Central
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to.
[www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 CentralI'm based in the Midlands, in the UK.
@ Dan, maybe "vehicles" is too general a term, but I mean moving constructions that can perform a task, e.g. throwing machines, windmills, soapbox racers, etc. Obviously they'd be small-scale, but the concepts should be implementable without using motors or metal.
K*bots UK, specialist providers of 'fun science' Curriculum Enhancement days for Primary and Secondary schools in Britain.
Please find us on [en.wikipedia.org] for more information.
@ Dan, maybe "vehicles" is too general a term, but I mean moving constructions that can perform a task, e.g. throwing machines, windmills, soapbox racers, etc. Obviously they'd be small-scale, but the concepts should be implementable without using motors or metal.
ooh even better!
we could even have a little competition with them, adding competitiveness.
i like the idea of 'throwing machines'. its kinda like a scrap heap olympics, only what other things could these contraptions do?
i guess they could do all sorts, though if they were given a set agenda ie, like you said throwing, I use to go to engineering challeneges for my school and it was always great watching other guys' fail on epic proportions and those who went beyond the realms of what it asked and conqueored all tasks. just added a nice atmosphere of enjoyment, plus you got to do something after you built them.
the only similar sort of things I know of are on a much smaller scale, and less scrap heapy, things like pull back cars and getting aero efficiency/weight distrobutions and such and seeing whose went furthest. that is actually more of a skill than many think.
you could even look at making maybe a giant mousetrap style contraption whereby teams each made a 'piece' of an overall mechanism that say, shifted a stream of water aquaduct style, or a marble ball.
this springs to mind...
with this, there are endless possibilities and all sorts of options for creative flair.
Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it
we could even have a little competition with them, adding competitiveness.
i like the idea of 'throwing machines'. its kinda like a scrap heap olympics, only what other things could these contraptions do?
i guess they could do all sorts, though if they were given a set agenda ie, like you said throwing, I use to go to engineering challeneges for my school and it was always great watching other guys' fail on epic proportions and those who went beyond the realms of what it asked and conqueored all tasks. just added a nice atmosphere of enjoyment, plus you got to do something after you built them.
the only similar sort of things I know of are on a much smaller scale, and less scrap heapy, things like pull back cars and getting aero efficiency/weight distrobutions and such and seeing whose went furthest. that is actually more of a skill than many think.
you could even look at making maybe a giant mousetrap style contraption whereby teams each made a 'piece' of an overall mechanism that say, shifted a stream of water aquaduct style, or a marble ball.
this springs to mind...
with this, there are endless possibilities and all sorts of options for creative flair.
That advert is more impressive than anything Honda achieved in their latest stint in F1..
RedSam
Winner: Not the Nickv Comment of the Year 2009
Due to the voting system in Germany, Governments are always made up of coalitions of different parties. At the last election, an almost unprecidented result saw the CDU/CSU (rough equivilant of the Conservatives) go into Government with the SPD (rough equivilant of Labour)
Winner: Not the Nickv Comment of the Year 2009
Due to the voting system in Germany, Governments are always made up of coalitions of different parties. At the last election, an almost unprecidented result saw the CDU/CSU (rough equivilant of the Conservatives) go into Government with the SPD (rough equivilant of Labour)
Locke Cole Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm based in the Midlands, in the UK.
Oh I am in Lincolnshire!! The reason I ask is because for some reason I thought you were American :s!!
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm based in the Midlands, in the UK.
Oh I am in Lincolnshire
!! The reason I ask is because for some reason I thought you were American :s!!"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
Well there's limited interest here, but I guess this is a no-go?
K*bots UK, specialist providers of 'fun science' Curriculum Enhancement days for Primary and Secondary schools in Britain.
Please find us on [en.wikipedia.org] for more information.
It would be pretty cool..
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