AfriGadget

with just common hand tools. For machine construction, electricity can be replaced with “elbow grease” and the necessary material can come from discarded vehicle parts…” Afrigadget reports: Multi-machines are 3 in 1 machines based on old car engine blocks (a 3-in-1 machine is usually a combination of a metal lathe, mill and drill press). The machines are designed such that they use the tolerances and engineering initially used to

The boingboing picture is a little misleading because it shows storebought stuff on the MultiMachine that I used when I was developing it. The “How to Build” book on my Yahoo group site has great plans for building a version of the MultiMachine using only broken engine blocks, discarded driveshaft parts, steel bar stock, and concrete mix. Tooling can be made from broken drill bits. The bearings/bushings, etc., are simple castings made from pouring a mix of zinc and aluminum into holes in sand, a Bronze Age technique. Machining is done on a “temporary” lathe the builder makes, and holes can be drilled with a version of a blacksmith’s drill in use as far back as the 1850s that I “updated” so that it can be made from two tree stumps. Electricity is needed neither to build nor to operate the MultiMachine.

My message is simple: If you’re good at working with tools, opportunity may be close at hand - no matter how poor you are or what area of the world you live in.

Pat Delany

Little of intereset : Ice cream! I mine sko : Ein slags safari… ::::I’ve Left Copenhagen for Uganda:::: : Traffic Jam In Arua AfriGadget : Multimachine — truck-parts-based machine shop for Africa ::::I’ve Left Copenhagen for Uganda:::: : Parasites

Thanks for this post! What an interesting machine. I’d love to build one of these and get proficient in using it in the future.

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[...] and former aircraft mechanic. He thought it would be of interest to all the tinkerers out there. http://www.afrigadget.com/2007/03/26…op-for-africa/ You may have to go to the main site (just strip off everything from multimachine to the right) as [...]

[...] 24.195.98.16Respond to this messageReturn to Index This appeals to my cheapskate natureby ed http://www.afrigadget.com/2007/03/26/multimachine-truck-parts-based-machine-shop-for-africa/Posted on Jun 30, 2007, 9:39 AM from IP address 72.73.93.78Respond to this messageReturn to IndexI [...]

Thanks for this post! What a great machine. i would love to be able to build one of those in my spare time

[...] people in Africa have very little raw material, sparatic electrical power, equipment resources, and even less money available. But somehow they manage do build some of the [...]

[...] benefit of using engine blocks are, as Ntwiga of AfriGadget describes more articulately than I can: The machines are designed such that they use [...]

[...] blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/10/multimachine_op…. [Found on Google, Yahoo! Search] 11. AfriGadget " Blog Archive " Multimachine truck-parts-based machine shop for Afri… … it shows storebought stuff on the MultiMachine that I used when I was … to the main site [...]