The first years of MetalMeet

[Wray Schelin]

After reading all of the glowing reports from MM05 it is very apparent to me that my hope of bringing the community of sheetmetal shapers together has been achieved.
http://www.metalmeet.com/about.htm

We now have a momentum that will only get better with time. Everyone's skills continue to grow to new levels each year. We have helped many new small businesses get established and with them have come higher quality tools.

We now have a dedicated group of core community supporters that help out wherever they can and best of all
they are not afraid to type. :D We have had in the past many enthusiastic supporters but they never posted anything in support of the community. I think we have turned a corner here. :D

I think the progress in the next five years will amaze us all. We'll gain new skills, we'll build new and better tools, and our community will continue to grow.

I think the one area we really need to expand our skills is the area of developing plans for projects. That is where I will devote all of my time that I spend with the group.

We've learned about the tools, we've learned the techniques, now we need to learn how to develop new projects.

Quite a few have been following the Bugatti build, which of late has been stalled but it will progress again.

This weekend I intend to take some pictures of some fullscale drawings that I recently made of the Bugatti.

Watch for them. Remember the Bugatti build is not about building a Bugatti, it's about how to develop an idea into a plan. That is what we need to learn to unleash our potential.

[Dick Bear]

Hi Wray

If you have had the opportunity to view the McBearen thread you will have noticed that the process you've described is exactly what i have been trying to do. Posting pics that include my innitial designs, concepts and ideas to now including the hardrock stuff of actually building something based upon those ideas is the purpose of the build.

Manytimes I have seen ideas posted here for interesting projects but no action is taken beyond filling the thread with other ideas. Hopefully, as the McBearen build unfolds in real time (for real) others will find that doing similar projects are not only exciting but are actually accomplishable.

Dick Bear

www.marketpointproductions.com

[Wray Schelin]

Hi Wray

If you have had the opportunity to view the McBearen thread you will have noticed that the process you've described is exactly what i have been trying to do. Posting pics that include my innitial designs, concepts and ideas to now including the hardrock stuff of actually building something based upon those ideas is the purpose of the build.

Manytimes I have seen ideas posted here for interesting projects but no action is taken beyond filling the thread with other ideas. Hopefully, as the McBearen build unfolds in real time (for real) others will find that doing similar projects are not only exciting but are actually accomplishable.

Dick Bear

www.marketpointproductions.com (http://www.marketpointproductions.com)

Hi Dick,

Maybe what is needed is after a thread such as your McBearen build is over we can copy the best content and place it in a locked Project Development and Build Forum. TinMan's Cycle cart build also deserves it's own forum.

I haven't take the time yet to go through your whole thread or comment on it but I will. I did notice you linked the photos rather than inserted them which hurts the value of the thread. Inserting photos that self open adds so much to the presentation of the material.

Thanks for your efforts. It would be great to bring to MM06 ongoing and finished projects like James Bowler did this year and Tinman and James did the year before last. I'm sure that will inspire quite a few members.

[jlrussell4]

Hi Wray,
Thanks for your efforts. It would be great to bring to MM06 ongoing and finished projects like James Bowler did this year
There is something no one, including me http://206.125.208.236/forum/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif , commented on. I should be subjected to 20 lashes for this oversite http://206.125.208.236/forum/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif . James drove his handbuilt car to Metalmeet from Virginia. It was great to see the project near completion.
Nice going James.

As far as the midget goes....well I gave up on the cowl area after trying three different times to get enough stretch into the cowl. I could have continued on by piecing the area together, but didn't. I needed your guidance on this one!!!

[tdoty]

Yes, yes, yes! James put over 1100 miles on his handbuilt car coming to MetalMeet - plus miles racked up giving rides and his trip home!

Certainly inspirational! Got to spend the winter working on my car!

Tim D.

[1969robinhood]

Yes!!!

That is great looking car and a lot of fabulous work...!!

James... I didn't get to see it in person the previous years..but from what everyone said the progree was amazing !!!

Congrats on a great looking ride!!!!http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gifhttp://www.metalmeet.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gifhttp://www.metalmeet.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gifhttp://www.metalmeet.com/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

[weldoneinc]

Thanks to all of you I could not have built the car without the ideas i have learned from this site and being a part of this group.Yes there where times i thought of kicking the door in and quitting but like the tortoise and the hare just keep pushing on and you would be amazed at what you can accomplish. So many people came up to me at mm05 and said " i remember when that was just a little car body, I am going home and finish that project I started or start that dream car I was always wanting to build." I think in the years to come we will see more finished projects.
James

[Oldtin]

Thanks to all of you I could not have built the car without the ideas i have learned from this site and being a part of this group.Yes there where times i thought of kicking the door in and quitting but like the tortoise and the hare just keep pushing on and you would be amazed at what you can accomplish. So many people came up to me at mm05 and said " i remember when that was just a little car body, I am going home and finish that project I started or start that dream car I was always wanting to build." I think in the years to come we will see more finished projects.
James

"like the tortoise and the hare" James, I think your build was more like the hare. You managed to go from a few 2d views to a miniture to a driving vehicle in short order. There are pros that cannot accomplish that. Hell there are tons of kit car builders that cannot accomplish that.
That car was a big task and you handled it well. I wish I could have made MM05 and seen the car first hand, but from the pics it looks good.

Now that your nearly done with this car whats next, They say the next one is easier!!:-)

Les Edmundson

[weldoneinc]

I am going to build a few tools for the next couple of years ,then i am thinking about a mid engine car.
james

[Boogiemanz1]

Hey James, did your cruise control work OK on the trip home?;) ..............john.

You have the honor of the first scratch built car completed by anyone on this site I believe. A lot of us need to catch up. I'm Waaaaay back there.

At MM05 the Amphicar guys' battlecry was "If he can build a car, I can build a quarter panel!!!".......with that inspiration he built SIX quarterpanels! I think we can all draw inspiration from your accomplishments..........Good Job.................john