I started Model Engineering and building model stationery steam engines in 2015, after constructing a small engineering workshop in my back yard, I use a Myford ML7 hobby lathe, a Dore Westbury benchtop milling machine, along with a pillar drill, bandsaw and the usual hand-tools associated with hobby engineering, and enjoy making model stationary steam engines and general metalworking.
Nearly all of my engines are scratch-built without drawings, from aluminium and brass bar-stock, starting from an initial idea and letting the design evolve throughout the build, although I do sometimes use engine drawings found on the web, as a basis for a design, and then modify it to suit my will, using mostly metric dimensions, but often mix metric and imperial.
I spend countless hours in my workshop working on a single engine, and much pain and frustration can be involved, but all this is eventually offset by the excitement of seeing my model engines take shape and eventually come to life.
Ade