Steve Briancourt’s Page

I completed my second project in January 2021. This is a Penny Falls machine, also called a Coin Pusher.  A couple of videos showing progress, and one of the completed machine can be seen below. Some detailed information can be seen on the 2021 January Virtual Meeting Page 2, and then scroll down a bit.

You can read about the design and build of my USS Missouri in a multi-part blog .  See Building the Meccano USS Missouri - Part 1.

Completed USS Missouri as seen at Skegex 2019.

 

A video explaining the various features can be viewed at Meccano Battleship explained filmed by RC Warships.

A interview by Dubious Engineering taken at Alexandra Palace January 2020 of the completed ship can be viewed on YouTube DuB-EnG: USS Missouri Battleship.  Steve was a guest of The West London Meccano Society.

Thornbury Model Engineering Exhibition August 2018.

Dubious Engineering interviewed Steve about this and the video can be seen on YouTube Massive Meccano USS Missouri Battleship.

USS Missouri, Thornbury Exhibition

 (In progress) August 2017

Various kit models
Programmable Meccanoid (from kit)

Six legged walker

This was built for the Scrapheap Challenge in 2014.  For a video of it in action see here.

Demo 3 speed Gear Box 2013

This model was built for the sole reason to demonstrate the operation of a compact 3 speed/neutral/reverse all pinion gearbox.  The gearbox itself is very special to me as I built it in my early 'teens' (around 1972 I think), but it later got me my first job at the start of my career.  It had been intended as the drive for a motorised model of a formula one car, but I never got further than the gearbox.  However, for my interview as an engineering apprentice with Hawker-Siddeley, I took it as a conversation piece.  From the moment I handed it over to the three man panel, they spent the remainder of the interview fiddling with it and reminiscing about their meccano days.  I swear this gearbox secured me a place against stiff competition.

The Essence of Marriage 2013

A video of The Essence of Marriage in action can be viewed here

A Timed Drop Machine 2013

This was a Scrapheap Challenge machine designed to descend to the floor from a set height in exactly 30 seconds.  (Won at 30.4s).

A video of this machine descending can be seen here

Braiding Machine 2012

This is a model from a book plan with a few minor adjustments.

A video of this in action can be viewed here