Documentation of Project

Today, our teacher asked us about documentation and I went like:

I didn't now what to do, I was just like the left shark at the super bowl half time show.  Along the way, I have been taking photos every now and then when I remember to.  Besides that, I have my blog which has been documenting most of what I have been doing.  When it comes to actually building the skateboard, I will be taking more photos.  By then, I should have more control over the project just like the catch of the year from the super bowl.

Progress Update

Well I have been chugging along recently on the motorized skateboard project.  I recently ordered the rear trans axle.

 It is a rear axle off a MTX riding lawn mower.  I did not know that it came with 20" tires, but that's what I got to work with.  Main reason why I want to use this trans axle is that it converts horizontal shaft to vertical motion, needed for my horizontal shaft engine.  Hopefully, I will be making a trip to the local steel supplier here in town soon to get the steel that is needed.  As long as death does not come down on me because of this project, this will be a beastly skateboard.

Hanging out with friends, online.

Instead of going off on our projects solo today, we actually got to socialize a little bit and see what others in English class were doing for their projects.

First stop was Sarah's blog.  For her project, she is learning HTML5 and writing about what she knows.  I sit next to her in English and see everything she codes and it's just plain amazing.  Every time she does a blog, it is written in HTML before it is posted.  Code is just something amazing I have never bothered to learn and is witchcraft to me.
Next stop was Matthew.  In his project, he is researching the brain and how it's nerves/emotions work with it.  Now let me say first, his use of GIFs was brilliant and fun to read.  I have always been interested in the brain and its functions in social situations.  It will; be interesting to see what he finds.
Last was my little/older sister Beth.  I do not get to see her much but it was nice to see what she is doing for her project.  She is looking into female role in video games and to see what effects they have on people.  It is very interesting topic and very under-rated in my opinion.  Not many people look into the psychological effect of video games on people, but people play them constantly.  Even kids as young as 5 play them.

Back to School

Well we had a good three week break for Christmas.  Time to go back to school!  Over break, I actually ended up changing up my project a little bit.  Now I decided to go for a motorized skateboard.  After much time looking into the purchase of the a old car, the harsh reality hit me that I would never be able to afford a project like that for a while.  I ended up settling on a lower-budget project that would still correspond to what I want to do.  I settled on either creating a go-kart or a motorized skateboard (both of which are super sick).  Over the break, through some deals I made, I got my hands on a small trans-axle from a riding lawnmower.  Why my friend had one sitting around, who knows, but I have it now!  With this and the engineering skills I have learned from friends and through Blueprints to Brilliance, hopefully I will be able to make one of these dreams a reality.  Future, here we come!

The End of a Long Road :(

First semester has come and gone; the wind taking it away.  Considering the fact that our class has been doing Blueprint to Brilliance for half a semester, I feel like I have came a far way in my project.  I started off pushing a broken-down lawn mower down the street off the side of the road home to fix up.  Also, I magically got the lawn mower working again and it runs cleanly now (besides the fact the exhausts creates a horrendous smell, but that does not matter).  In the beginning, I wanted to end up fixing up a car for my end project.  Realistically, I don't think that will happen.  Instead, I think I will end up making the lawn mower into a go kart of some fashion.


Sounds ridiculous, I know.  Even my parents are questioning my sanity when I bought a 10 inch pulley for the lawn mower.  Hopefully this will tun out ok without any problems or any fire.



And by the way, Happy Christmas and Feliz Navidad!

Time to become fat!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means its time to get fat! Less importantly, it is also time to be thankful.  With Blueprint to Brilliance, I have learned to be thankful for the little things in life.  I have found out the importance of a portable heater along with  garage space.  Without these two, I would probably be frozen solid working on some dinky lawn mower outside in the snow.  Instead, I am alive!!!  I am also thankful for all the stores around the area.  Thankfully, I have not needed to ship any parts yet; I have always been able to purchase them. It is a little awkward to walk into a construction store as a kid though.

Lets start!

Now that I got the parents approved, I can start working on the engine.  I picked up a small 6.75 hp Briggs and Stratton push mower roughly 1 month ago. 

At the moment, it is in a non-operational condition and does not run.  Looking over it, it looks light I will need to go through and replace the spark plug.  Also, the carburetor looks like a mess so I will need to rebuild that.  While I am at it, I may want to check the piston head to let me see how well maintained the motor because who knows how stupid the people who owned this beforehand were. Who knows, maybe I can fiddle around with the exhaust to make it sound like a Ferrari! The possibilities are endless...