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Happy New year 2026 !! (Year 7)

 Happy New year 2026 !! (Year 7)


Build Log – Reversing Lever

General Update

Happy New Year. It’s been a while since the last update, and now the festivities are out of the way it’s time to report on what’s been happening in the workshop.

Time in the Shed

I wouldn’t say machining stopped altogether. Odd bits were done here and there just to keep things ticking over, but between getting older and the fairly grim weather we’ve had, standing in a cold shed for hours isn’t always that appealing. More than once the pub won that particular argument.

Most of the recent effort has been on the reversing lever, which turned out to be more awkward than expected. I first tried working straight from the drawing and made a paper mock-up to check the folded shape. That quickly showed the angles were nowhere near right once folded up.

Revised Drawing

As a result, I went back and produced a proper drawing with all dimensions added, along with a flat pattern that should be useful for anyone else building one. The finished drawing and flat layout are shown below left.

Making the Part

The lever itself was made from 1.5 mm brass sheet. To be completely honest, forming was fairly agricultural — it was simply bent up in the vice. A bit of 3.18 mm round bar was used during bending to help keep the correct shape and radius.     

 





Feel free to leave a comment !!     stephen.meredith1@gmail.com

If you have any questions while reading these blog updates—I'm always happy to reply.

Whether you have a suggestion for a future post, a question about something specific, or simply want to say you’ve found the blog interesting, your feedback is always welcome. 

It helps guide the direction of future content and is genuinely appreciated.


Until Next month, stay safe, make swarf and be the best you can be.

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