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surprisetalk / wigwams

curated list of alternative projects
https://wigwam.directory
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Wigwams that won't exist #4

Open jamesliudotcc opened 7 months ago

jamesliudotcc commented 7 months ago

affordable DIY motor vehicles

Nope, not even remotely possible. Small engine repair is a semester long course, and small means a single cylinder.

Try instead, a bicycle. If you are handy with electric motors, an e-bike. But e-bikes have only become really plausible technology with lithium-ion batteries, so good luck DIYing that. Or for that matter, a bike chain.

That said, one can order a bamboo bike frame kit to build at home: https://calfeedesign.com/calfee-bamboo-diy-kit/. Bike wheels can be built at home as well. Complete bikes from fork, frame, wheels, drivetrain, and touchpoints can be done in an afternoon or a few evenings.

tools/guides for "kit" homes that can be constructed from nearby materials, e.g. how to clear patch of forest and build cabin with lumber

To make a "log" into "lumber," one needs a sawmill. Actually, a DIY small sawmill is probably easier to create than a DIY brushless electric motor.

surprisetalk commented 7 months ago

affordable DIY motor vehicles

Thanks for the info! I definitely also had e-bikes in mind, but didn't want to be too restrictive. Saying "bicycle" really limits the imagination.

Building batteries and bike chains from-scratch is wayyy out of the scope of this project.

E-bikes already seem to have good batteries, but all of them seem to have proprietary plastic covers and connectors. Wouldn't it be nice if they were more like golf-carts, which don't have vendor lock-in? And what about motors? How easy is it to interchange motors? I don't have an e-bike, and wasn't able to find good information on these questions, but it doesn't mean they don't exist.

Related: How difficult is it to set up a bike repair shop in one's garage? There seems to be good books, but is it something like precious plastic that would benefit from some grassroots work? Maybe a local directory?

To make a "log" into "lumber," one needs a sawmill. Actually, a DIY small sawmill is probably easier to create than a DIY brushless electric motor.

Yeah, completely agree that brushless electric motor is out of scope.

I think I saw something a while back about how to turn a conventional hand drill into a very small saw mill. If such a jig could exist, I think the world would be better off :)