Over-engineering

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RogerS

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Over-engineering.....Definition....to over-specify, over-egg, get out of proportion, all three.

LOML asked me to make her a couple of cold frames. Design discussions led me to use some of my air dried oak...and for it to be dismantleable after winter..which meant making effectively four frame sides with sturdy corner posts. Further design discussions led to having two of the side panels also glazed to get in maximum light and then I heard a voice suggesting that it would be very easy to make the top and side glazed panels double-glazed!

Which then raised the question how a 39" square doubled glazed lid (circa 25kg) could be made to open more easily...which naturally led onto gas struts and which is why I now am fiddling around with little models trying to work out where the hell I'm going to fix them and spending hours gazing at the gas struts on my car tailgate and scratching my head trying to see how they work and let the tailgate close...current thinking is that the struts, like tape measures and Stanley knives, disappear into the 4th dimension just as they disappear out of sight as the tailgate finally closes.

Ne'er was KISS so sorely missed!

Roger
 
Roger mine got some 2x1 and a plastic matress cover fastened off with staples and produced 12 cucumbers, masses of tomatoes and I dismantled it in less than five minutes a couple of weeks ago, no sweat.

PS the 2x1 s were some 50 year old roof battens .
 
RogerS":2g9d4uym said:
Over-engineering.....Definition....to over-specify, over-egg, get out of proportion, all three.

LOML asked me to make her a couple of cold frames. Design discussions led me to use some of my air dried oak...and for it to be dismantleable after winter..which meant making effectively four frame sides with sturdy corner posts. Further design discussions led to having two of the side panels also glazed to get in maximum light and then I heard a voice suggesting that it would be very easy to make the top and side glazed panels double-glazed!

Which then raised the question how a 39" square doubled glazed lid (circa 25kg) could be made to open more easily...which naturally led onto gas struts and which is why I now am fiddling around with little models trying to work out where the hell I'm going to fix them and spending hours gazing at the gas struts on my car tailgate and scratching my head trying to see how they work and let the tailgate close...current thinking is that the struts, like tape measures and Stanley knives, disappear into the 4th dimension just as they disappear out of sight as the tailgate finally closes.

Ne'er was KISS so sorely missed!

Roger

You could always use some of those linear actuators like you see on some gates. :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

I'll get my hat & coat.

Dibs
 
RogerS":2uoz3iu9 said:
Over-engineering.....Definition....to over-specify, over-egg, get out of proportion, all three.

LOML asked me to make her a couple of cold frames. Design discussions led me to use some of my air dried oak...and for it to be dismantleable after winter..which meant making effectively four frame sides with sturdy corner posts. Further design discussions led to having two of the side panels also glazed to get in maximum light and then I heard a voice suggesting that it would be very easy to make the top and side glazed panels double-glazed!

Which then raised the question how a 39" square doubled glazed lid (circa 25kg) could be made to open more easily...which naturally led onto gas struts and which is why I now am fiddling around with little models trying to work out where the hell I'm going to fix them and spending hours gazing at the gas struts on my car tailgate and scratching my head trying to see how they work and let the tailgate close...current thinking is that the struts, like tape measures and Stanley knives, disappear into the 4th dimension just as they disappear out of sight as the tailgate finally closes.

Ne'er was KISS so sorely missed!

Roger

Roger,

I think that you may be over simplifying this. What about a geodesic dome structure, allowing plants that bit of extra growing height in the centre?

LOL
 
marcros":3d0vgb7b said:
RogerS":3d0vgb7b said:
Over-engineering.....Definition....to over-specify, over-egg, get out of proportion, all three.

LOML asked me to make her a couple of cold frames. Design discussions led me to use some of my air dried oak...and for it to be dismantleable after winter..which meant making effectively four frame sides with sturdy corner posts. Further design discussions led to having two of the side panels also glazed to get in maximum light and then I heard a voice suggesting that it would be very easy to make the top and side glazed panels double-glazed!

Which then raised the question how a 39" square doubled glazed lid (circa 25kg) could be made to open more easily...which naturally led onto gas struts and which is why I now am fiddling around with little models trying to work out where the hell I'm going to fix them and spending hours gazing at the gas struts on my car tailgate and scratching my head trying to see how they work and let the tailgate close...current thinking is that the struts, like tape measures and Stanley knives, disappear into the 4th dimension just as they disappear out of sight as the tailgate finally closes.

Ne'er was KISS so sorely missed!

Roger

Roger,

I think that you may be over simplifying this. What about a geodesic dome structure, allowing plants that bit of extra growing height in the centre?

LOL

Bit like that Eden project? :lol:
 
Dibs-h":hmf2laj7 said:
RogerS":hmf2laj7 said:
Over-engineering.....Definition....to over-specify, over-egg, get out of proportion, all three.

LOML asked me to make her a couple of cold frames. Design discussions led me to use some of my air dried oak...and for it to be dismantleable after winter..which meant making effectively four frame sides with sturdy corner posts. Further design discussions led to having two of the side panels also glazed to get in maximum light and then I heard a voice suggesting that it would be very easy to make the top and side glazed panels double-glazed!

Which then raised the question how a 39" square doubled glazed lid (circa 25kg) could be made to open more easily...which naturally led onto gas struts and which is why I now am fiddling around with little models trying to work out where the hell I'm going to fix them and spending hours gazing at the gas struts on my car tailgate and scratching my head trying to see how they work and let the tailgate close...current thinking is that the struts, like tape measures and Stanley knives, disappear into the 4th dimension just as they disappear out of sight as the tailgate finally closes.

Ne'er was KISS so sorely missed!

Roger

You could always use some of those linear actuators like you see on some gates. :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

I'll get my hat & coat.

Dibs

Great idea! Then I could hook them up to a humidity/temperature sensor so that they automatically opened and shut. :-"
 
RogerS":1vfrd5rf said:
You could always use some of those linear actuators like you see on some gates. :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:
Dibs
Great idea! Then I could hook them up to a humidity/temperature sensor so that they automatically opened and shut. :-"

Could you not also make the whole thing rotate to follow the sun? :) :)
 
RogerP":2uyvmv76 said:
RogerS":2uyvmv76 said:
You could always use some of those linear actuators like you see on some gates. :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:
Dibs
Great idea! Then I could hook them up to a humidity/temperature sensor so that they automatically opened and shut. :-"

Could you not also make the whole thing rotate to follow the sun? :) :)


Now there's a spanking idea!
 
Roger you could then go organic and self sufficient.

The loady will need a water supply close hand for the greenhouse so get digging.
 
Roger.... Dibs is right!

An Equatorially mounted cold frame. Great idea. Especially if you tack on a small solar panel with thermostats and a feed back into the grid!

John :lol:
 
Benchwayze":1a9rsinc said:
if you tack on a small solar panel with thermostats and a feed back into the grid!

John :lol:

Never thought of making it pay. Awesome idea!

Dibs

p.s. The panel could also power the solar tracking feature and open\close the windows. Might be enough juice to switch sprinklers on and off.
 
Dibs-h":vhc21h8f said:
Benchwayze":vhc21h8f said:
if you tack on a small solar panel with thermostats and a feed back into the grid!

John :lol:

Never thought of making it pay. Awesome idea!

Dibs

p.s. The panel could also power the solar tracking feature and open\close the windows. Might be enough juice to switch sprinklers on and off.

Ah the power of imagination!

(I can't have solar panels on my house, so I believe. All roof surfaces face East and West.) :cry:

John :(
 
"(I can't have solar panels on my house, so I believe. All roof surfaces face East and West.) :cry:"

Of course you can John and here's the payback calculator. Also ideal to find how long before you are raking in the cash from your solar powered sun following double glazed cold frame Roger :mrgreen:

Edit : - :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: It must be an age thingy? I forgot to put the link in :oops: awfuleeeey sowwy

http://www.navitron.org.uk/page.php?id=139&catId=65
 
Don't forget the wireless webcam so you can monitor the growth from any location, plus the turret-mounted taser to keep critters away when the windows are open. Oh, and motion sensors for the taser, of course.

Kirk
(a) Thinking that if it's worth doing, it's worth over-doing
(b) Assuming a cold frame is sort of a temporary mini-greenhouse
 
OK...just to recap. I started this thread worrying about gas struts. However, I was missing the point.

I now need :

1) linear actuators linked to a temperature/humidity sensor
2) on a geodesic dome
3) that auto-rotaes to follow the sun
4) with solar panels to generate the power for the drive and feeds the surplus back to the grid
5) auxiliary power output to the garden sprinklers
6) a wireless webcam so I can monitor the growth
7) and a taser for vermin

Did I get that right? #-o
 
You have forgotten the plant nutrient solution delivered to the soil via a peristaltic pump, oh and the ph monitors which you could link to a display in the house (wireless of course).
 

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