After 20 minutes of taking measurements off of someone's A5-Lux, I had all the dimensions I needed to do another round of sketches. Then I moved to Google SketchUp and made a full 3D model. Even though the nitty-gritty construction details were not 100% accurate in the SketchUp model, I used the model to figure out the different stock aluminum I needed, and specific cut lengths for some pieces.
Later on in the build (about 5 months later) I learned SolidWorks in an engineering class. By this time in the build, I had most of the pieces made, so making an accurate model was much easier this time around. I used this model to figure out the exact length and placement of the "folding support bar", but I'll get into that later. However, I'll open each step from now on with a picture of the part from the Solid Works model.
Once I had my SketchUp model, I made a materials list and ordered all of the aluminum from Online Metals. I also took time to figure out generic screw sizes, and ordered these from McMaster-Carr.com. I used mostly 8-32 socket-head and 8-32 button-head, with several 5-40 button-head screws for the little things.
I was originally going to purchase the replacement 8 inch A5-Lux wheels from the Razor store, however, I decided against it after I found out they were back ordered and 60 dollars. After much online research, I found that large wheel-chair casters are cheap, durable, and pretty available. I got two 8 inch wheels from some guy on eBay for less then 20 dollars.
Early on I decided I wanted the deck to be clear acrylic, so I also ordered a piece of 1/4 clear-green acrylic from E-Street Plastics. I'll use my school's laser cutter to cut out the deck. Laser cutting acrylic is great because it likes to crack and chip when you machine / cut it with regular saws, and the laser cutting also 'flame polishes' the edge when it cuts it, so it's just an all-around great way to cut acrylic!
Every meat-eater I've ever met has a very special place in their belly for bacon. Quite simply, it is delicious, almost any way you cook it. In fact, we love it so much that we raise a couple of pigs each year to meet all our bacon needs, not to mention ham, lard, sausage, pork chops, ribs, etc.
Here's a few facts about pigs for those of you who are considering raising your own pig or finding someone else to do it for you. The size of a litter varies with each sow, her age and breed playing a big role. But let's say the average is 8 piglets. Of those 8, there will normally be a runt (which will always be on the smaller side and is best to avoid buying if you can) and a couple of extra big ones. The latter is what you want ideally when buying a piglet to raise.Any pig will produce bacon, but a Landrace is usually longer than most breeds and thus will produce more bacon. It is also a fast growing breed.Piglets are usually weaned between 4 and 6 weeks, and this is when they are sold to people to feed up. Prices for a feeder pig vary according to your location. Near us, they sell for about $40.The perfect butcher size for a Landrace is about 240 lbs, which will give you about 150 lbs meat. A healthy animal on a good diet can achieve this weight at 6 months old, so 4 1/2 months after purchasing a Feeder pig.If you have to buy all the pig's food (no pasture, kitchen scraps, etc.) you will need between 650 and 750 lbs of feed, costing roughly $150. This puts the cost of your meat at about $1.30 a pound, for all kinds of different cuts.Pigs are omnivores, which means they eat a large variety of food, including grass, weeds, vegetables, grains, all sorts of kitchen scraps, any slaughter wastes from other animals (like poultry or rabbits). To grow well, they need a fairly high percentage of protein in their diet. So if you can't give them something like slaughter waste or meat scraps, give them a high protein plant like soy. For one or two feeder pigs, you can supplement their food considerably by picking weeds for them and giving them scraps. This will bring down the cost of raising them, and pigs love the variety.Pigs are easy to house. They don't need much shelter really, except when they're small or about to give birth. They do however get sunburned, so shade is absolutely essential. Rain isn't much of a problem - our pigs always run out in the rain to play in the mud.Pigs can't climb, so you don't need to make your fencing very tall. We use a three-strand electric fence, which they respect very well once they learn what it is. Pigs are very intelligent and usually learn fast.For more information on managing, breeding and feeding pigs, click here.
My room is fairly small, and it's a squeeze to fit things in. So when I found I needed a desk to do many of my projects, I had to think about space conservation. I decided to affix the desk to the side of my Ikea bookshelf. It's heavy, thick, and wide enough to attach a decent sized desk to.