Phil Coleman's Home Page
A site devoted to model engineering, miniature engines and amateur clockmaking including a data base of clock designs, clock plans and clock books for clock builders and the home shop machinist.
   
bullet Alan Timmins' Watchmakers Workshop Regulator
bullet homemade clockmakers lathe
bullet 8 day clock to John Wilding's design
bullet "Chenery" vee-twin engine
bullet "Battiwallah" 3.5cc diesel engine
bullet "Breitsch" hit and miss farm engine
bullet "Sparey" 5cc diesel engine
bullet reference list of clock plans
bullet list of clockmaking books & manuals
bullet list of clockmaking links
bullet model engineering links
bullet E T Westbury's 15cc four stroke petrol engine "Kiwi" Mk I
picture of Phil doing what he likes best
Me - making some more swarf. Note that the safety glasses were removed for the purposes of the photo.

I have set up this site for the interest of fellow model engineers, amateur clockmakers and home shop machinists. To all those who have an irresistible urge to direct their creative energies into making and crafting models and tools. Most of us love to own and look after tools that we use and have them of the best quality. We look after them and treasure them. We get wonderful satisfaction from making them and owning them.

A brief word or two about me. I am a mechanical engineer and work in the water and wastewater industry. My home town is Sydney, Australia. My wife and I have two children aged 14 and 16 so I am kept busy running a household with only a small amount of time permitted for workshop activities!

Over the years I have made a number of steam engines, a traction engine ("Minnie"), internal combustion engines, tools and other knick-knacks and having finished off an 8 day wall clock to a design by John Wilding, I decided that the next project will be a more advanced clock: the "Watchmakers Regulator" by Alan Timmins. A construction serial of this appeared in the "Horological Journal" in 1981. I also need to make some collets for the clockmakers lathe. As well there is a beautiful pair of aluminium castings of a racing car of the old open wheeler type which will make a very nice exhibition piece. The castings were sold for tether-car purposes but I am not really interested in following that line. A ship in a bottle also appeals to me. If only I had the time to make them all!

My interest in models has changed quite a bit since I first started out in the hobby. Having built a number of miniature steam and IC engines which were run a few times and then left on a shelf to collect dust, and a half-built locomotive in which I lost interest, I was diverted to follow up something more practical and useful. This is not to say that I have any regrets - I gained a lot of satisfaction and learnt many skills from those projects. Tools and clocks seem to fill the bill nowadays. Clocks have the advantage that they can become heirlooms. Perhaps they'll still be around in a hundred years time if they are made well enough that people want to look after them. A chance at immortality?

Re-visit soon for updates. 16th September 2006.
email me with your comments.