I'm happy to announce that the site has grown faster than I could have ever hoped, with more than 4,000 members and nearing a million hits to date. 

I want this site to continue to grow, and in order to make that happen I need content!

So here's my proposal. projectsinmetal.com is willing to compensate for quality projects. Compensation will be based on the quality of the writeup/plans, and the complexity of the project. A simple project like Glenn's Circle Cutter will fall in the $50 range, while a more complex project (and thus requiring a more detailed writeup) like Harold Hall's Tailstock Turret would fall in the $100+ range. Payment (minus fees) will be via PayPal. Fees are typically 3%. Why PayPal? Because it's safer and more convenient than a personal check, it's easy to keep a record of, and it's instant. 

Guys, this is an opportunity for you to support the site and make a little extra cash in the process. Use the money to buy that tool that catches your eye every time you open the Enco flyer, or invest it in precious metals. Your choice. 

The Rules:

• Projects need to be your own original work. No plagiarism please.  
• Projects need to be unpublished elsewhere. projectsinmetal.com is buying First Print Rights to your project. 
  • If you have another website that you'd like to share the project with, I ask that you wait until 6 months after your project is published here. Then you are free to do whatever you wish with your project and plans. 
• Projects need to be fully documented (in English) with pictures and explanations where necessary. If you speak a foreign language consider using Google Translate to convert your writeup and plans to English before submission.
• Units can be in inches or metric. 
• Projects need to include plans drawn up in a professional manner. Unless your skills at hand drawn plans rival those of Vernon Peterson (see his Mag Drill plans), please put the time into drawing them up in your preferred CAD software and provide orthographic views (front, top, side) where appropriate. 
• Plans need to have your name listed as "Author", along with "Property of projectsinmetal.com". Here's a perfect example of plans with this information.
  • Why? Because if someone uploads the plans to a forum elsewhere I'd like both the author and the site to get credit for the work. 
• Plans need to be provided in PDF format. Why? Nearly everyone with a computer can open a PDF. Lots of people would struggle with a raw CAD file. 
• Pictures need to be of a high enough quality to be reproduced on the site (not too small, blurry, etc). Any digital camera less than 5 years old should work fine. You can also take regular photos and scan them in at a resolution of at least 600 pixels.
• Documentation needs to be in Word (or convertible) format. 
• Plans, pictures, and documentation can be submitted via the "Submit Your Plans" tab at the top of the page. 
• You need to be willing to support your work. Each project posted on the homepage will be linked to a forum post where people can ask questions if they get stumped while building from your plans. You need to be willing to try and answer those questions. 

In practice, here's how I envision this working. You draw up plans for your project in some sort of CAD program and print orthographic views in PDF format. You document the process of making your project with photos of critical setups and steps. You write up the process in Word and insert your images where appropriate. Then you submit everything (Plans in PDF format, Writeup in Word Format with images included within the text, and copies of the original digital pictures) via the "Submit Your Plans" tab. 

Why do I need the pictures twice? Because when you insert images into Word the images are compressed by the software making them unsuitable for use on the site. However, I need to know where those pictures are supposed to go within the document, so I need you to include them in your Word document, as well as provide copies of the original pictures. I'll make sure the higher quality originals are placed correctly within the text on the website. 

Basically guys, I want your writeups to rival what we all see in the metalworking magazines that we all subscribe to. 

Now, I'm sure I've forgotten a few things, so I might need to amend this post as things progress. But for now I hope I've been clear on what I would like to see from you guys. 

I reserve the right to not publish your project (due to it being outside the scope of the readership, or if it doesn't meet the quality standards, or for any other reason). If you have any doubts about your project please ask me if I'm interested in it first before you put a lot of work into documenting it. But if you think it's something that a fellow enthusiast would be interested in building, chances are I'll be interested in publishing it on the site. 

One more thing. I'm also interested in having a few members write monthly columns and do product reviews. I haven't figured out compensation for that yet. But that can be discussed if you're interested. Barry Young wrote a few "Norman Newguy" posts that are featured on the home page. Those are the types of articles I'd be interested in that are non-project related. Some potential topics include:

• How to grind tool bits
• How to use common measuring tools (plug gages, sine bars, etc)
• How to tram a head
• How to single point thread. 
• Different types of taps and their uses (not just taper, plug, and bottoming, but gun, spiral, pully, etc)

And lastly, if you're not camera shy, I would also be interested in quality videos on topics like those listed above. 

Please let me know if any of you would be interested in writing for the site. Thanks for helping me make this site a continued success. 

Tyler