Author: admin

Perception Sports Pescador 12 Kayak

I have a Tandem Kayak but had been looking around for a single person Sit on Top (SOT) fishing Kayak for a while. While researching which to get the Pescador came up quite often on forums as a good option.

Its apparently the older (2008) model Tarpon 120 from Wilderness Systems, but priced a lot less (it lacks the rail system, lever locking hatches and little storage areas in cockpit of the new Tarpon 120).

I ordered it from Amazon and it arrived the next day (thanks Prime).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ForT7qY94

It’s a short walk from my house to the river. I was going to buy a Malone Kayak Cart, but found a cheap knockoff at a local discount store.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfJwsvX62Sc

Using a Surf mount/GoPro HERO2 on the front to get rear shots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OpKOMW0mkc

Cart worked well, as did the Kayak. Strong current by the bridge was not much of a problem (its pretty tough with two in the Tandem). Pretty stable – will lean quite a bit and then stop unless you really push it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_K7ZmRHgn0

CNC & the Harbor Freight Mini-Mill

I wanted a small Mill and ended up settling on the Seig X2 / Harbor Freight Mini Mill. I already owned a Cummings Tool Mini Lathe so it matched the capabilities of that.

I alredy knew I was going to convert it to CNC so I’d purchased the Stirling Steele plans before the Mill arrived. Installation went easily enough, I was new to machining so it was a good learning experience and I picked up some tooling along the way too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a37Gqjg6GgA

I used it like that for a few months, then started looking at converting the X and Y to ballscrews. I could have altered the Stirlinge Steele over, but instead opted to go with a CNC Fusion Kit #3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf1awhU2UOc

The Ballscrews are so much faster than the Acme screws and the CNC Fusion kit is excellent.

I dont make anything fancy, and I’m still on the steep part of the learning curve.

Mach3 CNC Controller software has an option for using a webcam as an edge finder so that was one of my first projects and worked out quite well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIBJMOKUS0w

Contour ShuttlePro as an inexpensive Pendant makes jogging the mill easy and lets me use the mill as a “manual” mill with the benefit of a Digital Read Out (DRO) for quick jobs that dont need any CAM work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09HiUnPDeTY

Here’s an example of a simple part I made using CamBam+ CAM Software – I could have done it manually, but then there wouldnt be a video here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olcOdBj4CGE

 

Motoped Intro

The Motoped is a motorized bicycle that has a modified pit bike frame. Downhill Mountain bike parts, Honda CRF50 body panels and an XR50 or clone engine  finish it off.

I bought an $80 2 stroke engine and mounted it to an old mountain bike as a “what the heck, why not” type thing, then I saw a Motoped on a motorized bike forum and it was all the best (to me) parts of a mountain bike, motorcycle and moped combined. It was expensive,  I could have bought a used Dual Sport for less, but –

  • $20 moped registration a year, no insurance required
  • Light enough to carry up/down stairs
  • Easy/Cheap repairs I can do myself

I got my frame kit from motopeds in Fall of 2010 and built it up over the Winter making good use of eBay.

Slideshow of bike being assembled

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0STHFC7-nkA

Here is a quickparts list – Purchased from ebay unless noted.

  • Motoped DX Frame – www.motopeds.com
  • RST Sigma 8″ Travel DH Fork
  • Lifan Engine + included Misc Parts
  • Avid BB7 203mm Disk Brakes
  • XR50 Gas Tank/Cap/Petcock
  • XR50 Fender Kit
  • Syncros 1 1/8″ Headset
  • Syncros Riser Handlebar
  • Syncros DH Stem
  • Shimano XTR Brake Cables
  • Syncros Rim Tape
  • Slime Tire Liner
  • Front Mavic Wheelset
  • Rear SUN BFR Rim (48 hole, new ones are 36 hole easier to find)
  • Front Tire and Front/Rear Tubes
  • Arrow Racing LT Rear DH Tire
  • XR50 Skid Plate
  • XR50 Seat
  • Throttle, Cable, Grips & Killswitch
  • Motorbike Chain (#420)
  • Bicycle Chain
  • Z50 Frame/Engine Bolt set
  • BMX 14T Freewheel
  • Chainring Bolts/Washers/Nuts – Uneccessary if you buy a crank, I re-used
  • Curved Kickstarter
  • Carbon Stem Spacer
  • Kore RIM Tape
  • DT Swiss Spokes and Nipples
  • Gas Tank Vent Tube

And the bike a little later running

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9nMiaIx5aE