HWM Designs Ltd

Hidden Drawer

2019-04-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hidden Drawer by HWM Designs

This simple hinged hidden drawer arrangement utilises space under a workshop bench without cutting a pocket in the bench rail. The strength of the bench is protected and effective use of space in a small shop is made. Check out HWM Designs website for more details of this build and other workshop projects

HWM Designs YouTube Channel

2019-03-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

Check out our refreshed HWM Designs YouTube channel for your next workshop project. We have lots of builds and ideas to improve your shop.

Compressed air hose storage reels

2019-02-12T14:40:00.001-08:00

Visit our website at HWM Designs for more details on this build and many other projects. We love to use up-cycled materials in our projects.

HWM Designs Web Resources

2019-02-10T15:14:00.001-08:00

Workshop Projects from HWM Designs

2019-02-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

Here at HWM Designs, we've been busy adding a few improvements to our workshop. We've added a simple air tool holder to the end of one of our benches. There are lots of similar holders to be found on the web but we've added a locking bar to prevent the tools being accidentally knocked out of the rack. The rack is an integral part of the bench end-cap that also ties the bench back to the wall.

Our air hose storage reels are made from up-cycled pallet wood and ply. They are lightweight but robust and keep stored hoses neat and tidy.

We've added a compressed air station to a wall in the workshop. Using a commercially available dryer and lubricator we've added separate outlets to allow for dry air and dry oiled air. Dry air is essential for paint spraying and the oiled air is used for drills and die grinders.

Air Tool Storage Rack

Compressed Air Hose Storage Reels

Station for Dry and Oiled Compressed Air

Using 3D PDF to Visualize Designs

2018-03-03T15:54:00.002-08:00

Using 3D PDF to Help Understand Plans

Here at HMW Designs, we have found that 3D PDF images are a powerful way to understand plans. 3D PDF is a widely available Adobe format that can be accessed on a wide range of devices. You can download our 3D PDF model of the kart at www.electric-go-kart.co.uk

Build an Electric Kart

2018-02-19T15:05:00.000-08:00

Get creative in 2018, build an electric kart

Artists who use steel and welding in sculpture

2015-08-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

Using metal and welding techniques to create sculptures was a method employed by many famous artists. Julio Gonazalez, David Smith and Pablo Picasso stand out in this field. It’s worth checking out the many online resources published about these artists. The range and variety of inspiration that can be derived from their work is limitless. We would thoroughly recommend the following websites as a starting point for research.

Pablo Picasso

Julio González

David Smith

You will find many images of their welded and metal sculptures. Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook are also a great sources of welded art information and images. Check out HWM Designs Twitter, Facebook Page and Pinterest, we’ve got load of links to creative companies and individuals.

NHRA Z Max Dragway

2015-05-16T20:19:00.003-07:00

Drag racing from the ZMax Dragway - Charlotte NC

Check out the NHRA website.

Nitro Funny Cars - Engineering on the limits

2015-04-28T18:14:00.001-07:00

Check out the NHRA website for all drag racing news.

3D Printing - Some Interesting Developments

2015-04-20T08:01:00.001-07:00

Check out Popular Mechanics's post on Vine! https://vine.co/v/OVpiL6wYe5w

Updated kart building website by HWM Designs Ltd

2015-03-18T19:58:00.001-07:00

We've recently updated our kart building website. It includes all the popular downloads from the previous site, including our free plans. We've added loads more information on design, welding, CAD and digital rendering. You can find the new site at:

www.electric-go-kart.co.uk

We hope you enjoy it and we always welcome feedback.

Design ideas and where to find them

2013-01-19T20:51:00.002-08:00

We like to hunt out radical designs and superb creativity. In our view, the hot rod and custom bike industry often leads the way in stretching standards and in opening up radical lines of design. We've linked to some good hot rod Facebook pages that you can reach from HWM Designs Ltd Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/hwmdesigns

One of our particular favourites is:

http://www.facebook.com/RatRods

The rat rod designs you'll find on posted on their page are great examples of pushing the limits of design and thinking. If you're into any form of metal working or generally like all things automotive, you should check them out.

Some inspirational metal working

2013-01-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Working with metal, in all its forms, is a great pass time and an ancient skill. We particularly like looking for inspirational craftsmen and seeing how they carry out their work. At the HWM Designs Ltd Twitter Feed https://twitter.com/#!/HWMRob we have a number of followers who produce some really impressive work and we think that it's well worth visiting their sites.

Dragon Forge Ltd have posted a time-lapsed video of some of their forge work at:

http://www.dragonforgeltd.com/busy-busy/#respond

Tom Patsis at Cold Hard Art makes some really high quality pieces check his website out at:

http://www.coldhardart.com

We'll be back with some more soon.

Welding Tips and Information

2013-01-04T20:25:00.001-08:00

We get many questions about how to weld the frame for our electric kart (www.electric-go-kart.co.uk). We'll post a few links to good websites, Twitter feeds and Facebook pages over the next few days that publish helpful welding information and tips.

One of the best sources of guidance we've found is:

http://m.youtube.com/#/user/weldingtipsandtricks/featured?desktop_uri=%2Fuser%2Fweldingtipsandtricks%2Ffeatured&gl=GB

You'll find some very useful videos and projects that will help improve your welding techniques.

The frame for our electric kart is a simple welding project, so don't be put off, a little MMA or MIG welding practice is all you'll need before you can get on and build the kart. As with anything you make, the sense of achievement and satisfaction you get from learning new skills and completing the project is hard to beat.

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/HWMRob

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/hwmdesigns

Engineering Extremes

2012-08-05T15:43:00.003-07:00

Here are some pictures of a 1947 Formula 3 car we took at the M Shed in Bristol (UK). Bristol is home to many great engineers and engineering projects; Brunel's SS Great Britain and many famous aircraft including the Bristol Brabazon and Concorde. We really liked the simple and clean engineering on the Formula 3 car, every part had a purpose and it was beautifully constructed.

Tonight NASA will attempt to land their Mars Curiosity Rover after a 9 month journey to the red planet. The Curiosity Rover and the Formula 3 car are poles apart in time, complexity and ambition but they both share the common theme of great engineering and good design. We're all wishing the NASA team the best of luck with the landing. You can follow progress on Nasa TV.

Rendering with Kerkythea

2012-06-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've just been re-experimenting with Kerkythea 2008 to render some CAD images of the kart. The power of this program is outstanding when coupled to a reasonable specification PC with 6-8 GB of memory. Render times are quick and every parameter imaginable can be adjusted.

Materials can be applied to the smallest components to give a photo-realistic finish. Here's a rendering of a simple electrical connector.

If you're into digital design check out Kerkythea at: http://www.kerkythea.net/joomla/

2012-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

At HMW Designs we are passionate about building mechanical devices for fun. We’re also into digital design and we create downloadable e-plans for our designs that can be printed on a standard A4 printer. We like to work with metal and we are keen on encouraging people to have a go at welding. You’d be surprised, with a little practice, welding is not as hard as you might imagine.

Our current design is an electric kart for kids. It features a steel frame and is a good first welding project, once you’ve got the basics mastered. The frame is a simple welding task and can be made using a stick (MMA), MIG or TIG welder.

Kids of all ages love to get involved in making fun things, particularly if they get to drive it when it’s finished. You can download the plans for the kart from www.electric-go-kart.co.uk. The kart plans are free!

Building the kart opens the door to lots of engineering concepts, it’s a great way to show kids how an electric drive works, it shows them how speed controllers work and also teaches them about steering and braking. Whilst the kart is a simple vehicle it provides a great stepping stone to more complex vehicle builds.

We'll be posting more on our blog about electric vehicles in general, renewable energy (who's going to be first to charge their kart from PV cells or a wind turbine?) and pointing you at useful online resources for learning about welding. You can also follow us on:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/HWMRob

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/hwmdesigns

Email us at contact@hwm-designs.com or at contact@electric-go-kart.co.uk

2012-05-07T14:48:00.001-07:00

We've just set up an HWM Designs Ltd blog. We'll posting useful info about kart building, welding, design and general creativity.