The Piano Man

I assume that our Superform bending plywood was used to case the new digital Roland RD-700GX piano kit,it looks like Roland only supply the electronics as a kit CKD Boats cc can supply the actual Piano parts as a kit.
Roland introduced the RD-700GX SuperNATURAL Piano Kit (K-RD700GX1)

Boats,then Toylanders,could Baby Grand Piano kits be next!
Our Superform bending plywood is the secret to the ease of build of course,we will be looking at instruments like Guitars next.




Hi Roy

You may recall that I bought a sheet of bending-ply from you late last year, muttering something about building a piano case to house a digital piano. Well, it's taken a while to complete although that was mostly waiting for the electronic components to finish the amplifiers. In fact, the carpentry only took four weeks working over weekends and in the evenings. Suffice to say that I would never have attempted it if I hadn't discovered your ply. Thusly, thanks for that and I'm pleased to say that it even sounds pretty good. I don't think it'll float though.

I ended up slicing up the ply sheet into three to form the three-layer sides that were attached to a frame to form the piano shape.

Attached are a handful of photographs to prove it exists and for your scrapbook :)

All the best,
Paul

Painting of Didi mini cruise rudders

Johns rudders now have International Paints Intergard etch primer sprayed on one side,when the second side is done we will plastic wrap the foils to keep them clean prior to packing and shipping to England.

The SA Toylander factory

Toylander moulded panels use the special jigs we made,plus two layers of Superform 3mm bending plywood and our 816 epoxy,the plywood is water proof,so is the epoxy,when painted these panels will last a very long time.


With many orders to fill its been feeling like that this week,we now have made four sets of front wing corners and engine bay bonnets,each kit we sell will include these items as part of the package.We can produce a set within a 24 hour turn around.
Left click to see in a larger size.

Sanding rudders

Sanded with 40 grit paper and spot filled,a final sand with a 60 grit disc will have them ready to spray paint tommorrow with Internationals Intergard white etch primer.

Sanding was a breeze using the Bosch GEX 125-1 AE orbital sander.

Toylander engineering parts

Mass production in the motor industry? not quite but we do have three sets of engineering parts being made to suit the Toylanders we are selling,all flat plate parts are CNC cut,then worked on as far as bending and drilling when required,parts will be electro galvanised prior to delivery.

The hard dodger blends to the rest of the boat

This new design was worked on over the period of a year,we wanted it to be a complete kit,so by building it ourselves we would then understand what was required in the process,we supply a writen builders guide with each kit too.The kit includes the CNC cut panels,a jig to laminate the roof on,plywoods,epoxy,glass tape,micro ballooons,timber to laminate the top cross beam on the roof and inside corners,plus the 6mm toughend glass in either clear or tinted,with the Dow-Corning 813 silicone sealer to stick the glass in with.We can ship as a flat pack world wide,with one kit already in New Zealand and another to Japan pending.Sizes can be made larger or smaller to suit your boat.The vent hatch and teak grab rails are optional extras.

Space and comfort is what this is all about,the vision through the clear toughend glass is better than with plastic too.

Bonding and epoxy filleting the joints with a putty made from micro balloons (provided) and our 816 epoxy cleans up the joint lines.

At this stage International Paints epoxy Intergard has been applied by brush,it sands very well,when the sanding is done a top coat with white polyurethane will be sprayed on.

A job in process is nearly complete.

Nandi does the Cape Town Sailing Week

My thanks to Justin who I assume took the pictures and wrote the words? Nandi was built by Nick in very short time from one of our Didi 34 kits.



Cape Town Sailing Week

Day 3 of CTSW saw the fleet come over to HBYC after two days of sailing in light but very pleasant conditions in Table Bay. Great hospitality and organisation to boot! Conditions for the return race were fresh but variable. Starting off on a spinaker run off Clifton, the wind soon freshened and came on the nose, and most of the race was an exhilirating beat into quite a fresh South Easter. HBYC's Nandi gratefully inherited the crew of Aquamaniac, and was able to place a good few more pounds on the weather rail than usual, leaving Dudley and Allistair on the bridge. We managed over 7 knots on the beats, and 9-10 knots coming back from the finish near Kommetjie! What a ride!

Units of measurement

Checking the depth of the Toylander engine bonnet this morning,stated at 16 1/2" I had to get one of my Imperial tape measures out to see what it was in metric,that got me thinking on why we use the various systems we do?

My thanks to Wikipedia for the following,there is a lot more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_measurement

Earliest known systems
The inhabitants of the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3000–1500 BC, Mature period 2600–1900 BC) developed a sophisticated system of standardization, using weights and measures, evident by the excavations made at the Indus valley sites.[1] This technical standardization enabled gauging devices to be effectively used in angular measurement and measurement for construction.[1] Calibration was also found in measuring devices along with multiple subdivisions in case of some devices.[1]

The earliest known uniform systems of weights and measures seem all to have been created at some time in the 4th and 3rd millennia BC among the ancient peoples of Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, and perhaps also Elam (in Iran) as well. The most astounding of these ancient systems was perhaps that of the Indus Valley Civilization (ca. 2600 BC). The Indus Valley peoples achieved great accuracy in measuring length, mass, and time. Their measurements were extremely precise since their smallest division, which is marked on an ivory scale found in Lothal, was approximately 1.704 mm, the smallest division ever recorded on a scale of the Bronze Age. The decimal system was used. Harappan engineers followed the decimal division of measurement for all practical purposes, including the measurement of mass as revealed by their hexahedron weights. Weights were based on units of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500, with each unit weighing approximately 28 grams, similar to the English ounce or Roman uncia, and smaller objects were weighed in similar ratios with the units of 0.871.

Other systems were based on the use of parts of the body and the natural surroundings as measuring instruments. Early Babylonian and Egyptian records and the Bible indicate that length was first measured with the forearm, hand, or finger and that time was measured by the periods of the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies. When it was necessary to compare the capacities of containers such as gourds or clay or metal vessels, they were filled with plant seeds which were then counted to measure the volumes. When means for weighing were invented, seeds and stones served as standards. For instance, the carat, still used as a unit for gems, was derived from the carob seed.

Bentley white ash body frame works

Kevin will clad this Bentley body he is making on a Sunbeam chasis with our Superform bending plys,in a similar manner to the Toylander he will do laminations with clear thin epoxy to glue the cars body skin together.

Toylander bonnet panel production

Two layers of Superform 3mm bending plys and our 816 epoxy worked a treat in making a bonnet to the right size and profile required,the front still needs a final plane down to make it a little lower,the rear fits the 12mm ply we profile we pre cut.The bonnet and the two front wing corners are a part of our Toylander kit offer.
Left click pictures to view full size.



Toylander I & II Wooden toys

Based on Land Rover® Series 1: 1948; Series 2: 1958


TOYLANDERS are a straightforward build and can be assembled in around 50/60 hours prior to painting and detailing. Children from 3 through Adult [85 at last count] enjoy the features of a real car in miniature including forward, reverse, foot and hand brake, lights, horn; folding screen and opening tailgate. Both are identical in weight, size and performance, the difference is only cosmetic.



Motive Power: Power is provided by one or two powerful 12 volt 180 watt air-cooled, continuous rated, reversible, permanent magnet DC motors, driving through a 25:1 ratio gearbox. The cars will run on one motor and a 12v battery at a speed of around 4 mph depending on the size of the load and the terrain. Final drive is by chain to one rear wheel if one motor is fitted or both wheels for two motors. Forward or reverse is selected via a switch.



Transmission Options:
•Basic is Direct Drive: 12v straight to the motor. [not suitable for open centre tyres]
•Half start control: ramps speed up to full over three second period.
•Speed Control operates through a linear potentiometer for a real throttle response from crawl to top speed.
•Buy an extra battery and motor, wire in series, drive both rear wheels and get a 'diff effect. This level of control allows you to teach proper reversing of a small trailer. Also ideal for paddock use. (All turn key toys are supplied with two motors and electronic speed control)
•Remote control by hard wire. For / Rev and speed control from box in hand; sat inside or walking behind.



Front Axle: Better than the basic set up: a swing axle helps the driving wheels to maintain ground contact.



Increased Speed: Speed control set up, 24 volts and two motors achieve a top speed of 6 KPH, even with an adult on board. This is the legal maximum in public. i.e. pavement, car show or steam gala and the local park. Public liability insurance is required by most show organisers and a good idea too.

Body Construction: The immensely strong body is of monocoque construction; cut from 12mm (1/2") thick panels in Birch Ply, MR (moisture resistant) MDF using our paper patterns and plans. No chassis required, axles and other fabricated parts simply bolt directly under the wooden floor. [Marine ply is a possibility but needs more finishing].

Fabricated Parts: The steel parts can be either made in your workshop from the simple working drawings shown in the Build Manual supplied. For those who need the quicker build all parts are available from our full stock list.

Assembly instructions: The assembly instructions are easy to follow; each stage is explained in plain English and illustrated with simple drawings. Workshop support available should it be required.

Wheels: The wheels supplied are road quality pneumatic tyres on 3.50 x 8 inch dia. steel rims running on 1" (or 25mm) roller bearings. Total tyre diameter is approx. 15" (380mm) for Toylander 2 and 16" [401mm] for Toylander 1. The drive wheel is supplied with an extended hub, an extra bearing and fitted with a drive sprocket. Wheel rims have smooth rolled return edge to comply with toy safety and use the flat of the rim for the braking surface. A choice of tyres are available.

Battery: A 12v car battery is normally sufficient but if buying new or using electronic controls, a sealed 'deep-cycle' semi-traction battery (golf trolley style) would be preferable for ultimate performance. We currently use a 35 or 33 amp hour fully sealed mobility battery. The alternative is an 85amp/Hour leisure battery [only use one with a looped overflow pipe to catch acid]. Make sure your charger is suitable for these batteries.

Curved Sections: The extreme forward ends of the front wings are formed from small curved aluminium sections. The bonnet is also formed from another piece of aluminium. These can both be supplied ready rolled if required.

Duration: Continuous play value in stationary form; up to four hours driving time; all day in flat garden. This varies according to load carried, terrain encountered and battery size measured in ampere-hours. Twin motor set up is around 7 hrs or more according to the load and terrain.

Measurements:
Wheelbase TL1 38" [965mm]
High: screen folded, steering wheel ht 29" [740mm]-L: 67" (1702 mm)-W: 29"(737 mm).
Wt: Basic kit inc. packaging: 38kg. [83lbs] Ready Cut panel set: 41kgs [90lbs]
Basic car, without battery: 75 kg. [165lbs] Twin motor model, without battery: 85 kg. [187lbs]
GEL battery 33AmpHr:10.5kg

Kens on holiday?

It was my good fortune for Ken to be in the harbour yesterday,he was just the man to handle the mast winch to help me raise my roller furler genoa back onto the Harken Mk3 drum foil.Ken is in Hout Bay with Audrey taking a break from his yacht which is in Thailand,they started out from Hout Bay some years ago and have sailed the world ever since.