this was another of my idea's

[alph]

about thirty years ago when i was in wood shop in high school, i noticed that the wood planer would leave chip marks on the wood that i had just surfaced and i thought of this actual idea!  i mentioned it to my brother (who is an avid wood worker to this day, plus held a mechanical engineering degree) and he told me it couldn't be done...... BOY WAS HE WRONG!!  i figured, if they can make it in a pencil sharpener, why not on a wood planer?

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/3406

now, i'm not the smartest person, but when you see something that you know can be done, and someone says it can't, and your spirit gets crushed (as a kid) then you see it as "one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread....."  you just gotta wonder what life could have been like if things could have been different.....

i really don't understand why good ideas have to be stifled.  i'm 47 now, i can actually feel my brain getting smaller due to the effects of alztheimers (runs in the family).  as you get older, you really start to not give a damn about making a "positive" change to the world.  I still have "great idea's" but the chances of making money off of them is as promising as having some of those naughty dreams coming true (if you know what I mean....).

[Robert]

Alph society in general doesn't like things that are different and can be unkind in any idea or object that is. Kids in school is the classic example of that. I don't have to tell you the stories of famous inventors that were told your stupid or things cant be done you probably know them. I too have some of the same feelings about it especially from my wife   So its not personal and don't take it that way. Sometimes I wonder if its reverse psychology by the wife to get me to do something, I have to stop falling for that one. Do not accept the self proclaimed diagnosis. Fight be creative follow your desires to build and make things, maybe you just haven't found the right motivation yet. People such as yourself who are good with their hands and creative can be stifled easily as life goes on. It does become harder to do some things. Don't accept the diagnosis find the things that would motivate you that to you would be fun and creative. Age should never be a good reason to stop reaching for what makes life good. Who knows maybe if you had been the first to patent one of your ideas maybe the monetary rewards would be there too. I will mention this also we have a great example of someone who wont let life pass him by in John Schmidt. My hats off to him in what he accomplishes and the standard he sets, its a hard mark to follow.

[saddlesore]

Many times, at work I was told "that won't work", but it's amazing how often my ideas were still put into place.
I know I made a difference, maybe not the money but I change things anyway. 

[cookiedough]

Alph, that is what you get for listening as a kid to your brother.  You should've known better! 

[BobB]

Alph, I think many of us have been there.  But realize that it's not the idea itself that produces results.
It's the long and painstaking implementation of the idea that reaps the benefit.  It's not the science, it's the engineering.

[Serk]

It's not the science, it's the engineering.

As much as I loathe the profession, I'd say it's even more not the engineering, it's the marketing...

[John Schmidt]

I will mention this also we have a great example of someone who wont let life pass him by in John Schmidt. My hats off to him in what he accomplishes and the standard he sets, its a hard mark to follow.

Oh my, Robert...thanks for the kind words. Please, understand I don't try to set myself up as any standard. I can do nothing on my own power, I fail miserably each time.

As for ideas I've wanted to see come to fruition, I've had many. One was an internal combustion engine with two moving parts in a two cylinder version. And, it could be converted to run on any type of fuel with minimal parts change. In addition, by bolting two or more of the two cylinder versions together, you can create a four, six, or eight cylinder motor. I couldn't find anyone to help with the finances needed for such a thing, was told it was impossible. That made me want to do it even more, and probably would have if I had a machine shop. Many years later, I saw a somewhat similar version in a magazine. Wasn't the same but close, still had too many moving parts.

Another idea(of many) was a different design for an electric motor. Again, minimal moving parts, heavy torque from a small unit, and stood a chance of being able to generate more electricity to recharge a battery than it used to run. No takers on that one either. And, about ten years later I saw something similar on the cover of something like Popular Mechanics. Don't recall if that was the rag it appeared in, but was something similar.

In my view, the biggest stumbling block to Ameican ingenuity is the patent office itself. It shouldn't take hundreds of thousands of dollars to patent something, or even have it researched. A flat fee of maybe a few hundred bucks for a preliminary investigation, after which you can go ahead with a full patent application.

In both the cases mentioned above, I didn't disclose details when in conversation, and I did file a "paper of origination" on them(don't really know what that's called). Just think, if either had gone into production, I could at least be driving on a new set of tires now. 

[Robert]

I will mention this also we have a great example of someone who wont let life pass him by in John Schmidt. My hats off to him in what he accomplishes and the standard he sets, its a hard mark to follow.

Oh my, Robert...thanks for the kind words. Please, understand I don't try to set myself up as any standard. I can do nothing on my own power, I fail miserably each time.
Quote from John

That is exactly what makes you a good example.knowing what you have been through

[Cracker Jack]

John, terrific idea on the electric motor that generates more electricity than it uses. I don't think that's been patented yet. I would like to be an investor/shareholder in that venture. Remember how it works?

[Hooter]

My brothers are always wrong too....

[John Schmidt]

John, terrific idea on the electric motor that generates more electricity than it uses. I don't think that's been patented yet. I would like to be an investor/shareholder in that venture. Remember how it works?

Vaguely, it was many years ago and I finally tossed the drawings I had made. They were crude at best but got the idea across. With the right size of pulleys it could/should turn an alternator/generator with relative ease, thereby charging a battery to operate a small car. The idea was to charge a battery at a higher rate than it was being depleted. The motor was a relatively sound idea....in theory anyway. I had a couple engineers look at it, they liked it and even made some suggestions. Both were family members and they really gave me the "what for" when I didn't pursue it. They also understood the ridiculous financial burden the patent office places on a new venture.