They can do it for you...

[jackpilot]

Ok This looks like nothing more than a Shaft Collar, BUT... it is a custom made item, with precise thickness, diameter, and  a  lot of unique features nobody but me can appreciate. Why? because even if I have the plan well mapped, I do not have the tools and even worse , I would never be able to make it to such exacting standards .
Here is my point.
Wherever you are in the world, you can locate one of these endangered species, ie:
The Local Welding Machine Shop.
These guys have been around for decades and usually are "close to closing shop". Pretty sure you have seen them somewhere, skullcap, dark blue overalls, welding goggles on the forehead, against a background of incredible dusty machinery, big huge, outdated, solid as a mountain, greasy, darkish... press drill, sheet metal bender, lathe, etc, and all this machinery that probably used to cost zillions of dollars when new is now basically only worth its weight.
But they know how to operate it and, with a cigarette butt hanging from the right corner of their grin, they will tell you : "Of course I can do it"...whatever the odd request is.
I know, now we have CAD, laser, CNC, and these do wonders (wink, wink, Gwyn, my flaps gate).
They serve another purpose.
But, as a tribute to all this knowledge that is going to disappear, please Guys, instead of trying to replicate things for your Pit out of MDF or other convenient but inappropriate material, go to these Machine Shop wizards, you may be surprised by the kind of enthusiasm they will show for your project if you explain the details of it and your passion for it.
Find these guys...they will make gear, shafts, rudder pedals, brackets, name it, they can weld aluminum, steel, etc....and they may even suggest a better way to do things...Go..

[Trevor Hale]

Jack,

I couldn't agree with you more! In many cases there is always someone to help you along the path you choose to go.  What is even greater is the fact when you walk into these places and tell them what it is you are doing, in most cases they are intrigued by your project and quite often will offer you some sort of a discount just because what you are doing is "neat to them"  I for one got my seats for cheap when I went to the local junk yard and told they guy what I wanted them for.  he nearly fell off his chair knowing what it was I was installing them into.

You can do it as well.

And always..  Feel free to thank them in public for their efforts.

Trev

[XOrionFE]

Very good post Jack.    While I was working on my Learjet I needed to have the MIP which was made out of 1/8th aluminum bent in 4 spots to precise angles.   One of my customers makes steel cabinets....woalla!

I brought in the panel and some old codger with a leathery hands and a huge smile was  happy to take his giant 8 ft long precision hydraulic bender and put it to the task.    Total charge....a case of beer, a smile, and a sincere thank you.    Those guys are great!!

I do need to find a machine shop near buy though and I have seen one small company in a nearby industrial park called "laserworks steel fabricators"...hmmmm...could be of use.   I just need to stop the car one day and go inside.

Thank you for posting and reminding me....

Scott

[Joe Lavery]

Hi Jack,

I wish I could find one of those shops here in the UK. I went to three in the docks area of Cardiff, all frequented by exactly the sort of animals you speak of. Saldy after explaining what I needed and giving them a CAD drawing of a 737 flap lever and a speed brake lever, they came up with the princely sum of £300, that's about $450 US. Which is why I bought a second hand lathe/milling machine off eBay  .
Now I'm learning to use it, chewing up odd bits of aluminium stock. Luckily I work in the double glazing industry so offcuts are easy to come by.

All the best
Joe.

[jackpilot]

The first quote I got for cutting my throttle levers was $400+ !!!
Had it done nicely for $25.
Try your luck in the countryside...where they deal with farm equipment.

[ak49er]

Just a note on vintage equipment/methods, I operate a few peices of machining equipment here at our "vintage" power plant, one of them being an engine lathe,  which is an old Cadillac from 1943, government surplus, with the US Army Official stamp on it, a Vertical Boring Machine that stands over 40 foot tall, (LArgest in Alaska) and can "swing" a 82" inch piece, from 1951, improted from Hungary in the 60's, (you ought to see the controls on this thing!) and a Sari Engine Lathe, also imported, and difficult to run as the control tags are written in "Heiroglyphs"

But most of the machining is now being done on a HAAS VM 3 CNC mill. There is something beutiful about using a Variable Macro Program and turning a part out in no time flat. But on the other hand it is odd not to have your "hand on the machine". It's just weird to stand there and watch the machine do it's thing, without any additional input.