LINCOLN BUILTTHE PERSON BEHIND LINCOLN BUILT
A fabricator, machinery designer and bloke who usually has something on the go in the shed. Lincoln Built is our family name, and the things we build—me and my dad.
WHERE IT STARTED
My dad, Graeme, and my Uncle Bernie taught me early on to give things a go—and pay attention to how they come apart and go back together.
I started small. Over time, the projects got bigger, heavier and usually a bit more complicated. A lot of them began as old, broken or worn-out equipment that fitted the budget.
There has always been a bit of wheeling and dealing along the way: moving one project on to help fund the next, while keeping a few favourites. There are usually more ideas waiting than there is time to get through them.
THE EARLY BUILDS
For a school project, Dad and I built a mini road-racing sidecar powered by an industrial Honda-clone engine. We did the build together: I had just started welding and got plenty of practice, while Dad—a toolmaker by trade—handled the machining.
The school held a race between everyone’s builds. Ours won. I still have the sidecar, and the photos are on an old computer.
I picked up a rough Honda C50 from someone at my after-school job and rode it to school. After leaving school I stripped it down and rebuilt it with a 110cc three-valve engine, a reverse-megaphone exhaust and metallic green paint.
Getting the new engine working with the original wiring loom was a good learning curve. I later sold it to fund another project—and still reckon I shouldn’t have.
FROM THE TRADE TO THE DESIGN
I began a heavy fabrication apprenticeship at 16. It gave me a practical grounding in building things and working with machinery.
After my apprenticeship I installed robotic machinery in New Zealand, Australia and the USA, before moving into project management and running jobs I had previously worked on hands-on.
These days I design machinery for handling fruit products. My work can cover design, procurement, fabrication, assembly and programming—seeing a solution through from start to finish.
BACK IN MY OWN SHED
The projects at home follow much the same approach as the work I do professionally, with a different budget and whatever resources I can pull together.
Moving to a rural property gave me plenty of reasons to get into heavier machinery. There is always something to move, fix or improve, and I like having my own gear ready when I need it.
I enjoy the problem solving: figuring out why something is not working, learning what I need to learn and making it all come together. That moment when a machine finally does what I intended is a big part of the reward.
WHY LINCOLN BUILT?
Lincoln Built is where I share the things I build, fix and figure out.
From the homemade turbo jet boat to the BTD6 bulldozer and MM55SR digger, the projects have kept growing. The current mission is turning a tracked Morooka chassis into a mobile jaw crusher.
The videos show the work as it happens: the design decisions, fabrication, changes of plan and progress along the way. If you enjoy machinery, engineering or making things yourself, you are welcome to follow along.
SAY HELLO
Get in touch about the builds, a collaboration or something you think belongs in the workshop.
lincoln-built@outlook.com ↗