What Could We Make Next? R&D in the Philip M Russell Ltd Workshop
Some of Our Best Ideas Start With: “Surely We Could Make That Ourselves?”
There is a dangerous phrase in the Philip M Russell Ltd workshop.
It usually starts innocently enough.
We are teaching a lesson, filming a demonstration, repairing something, planning a sailing video, or trying to explain a difficult concept to a student, and then someone says:
“Surely we could make that ourselves?”
At that point, the sensible thing would be to stop, make a cup of tea, and ask whether the world really needs another home-made prototype.
Unfortunately, sensible thinking is not always the strongest force in our workshop.
Instead, the sketchbook comes out. The laser cutter is considered. The 3D printer is inspected. A box of leftover fixings appears from somewhere. Someone says, “It only needs to be simple,” which is almost always the beginning of something that is not simple at all.
But this is also where some of our most useful ideas begin.
R&D at Philip M Russell Ltd is not about inventing gadgets for the sake of it. It is about solving real problems that appear in teaching, filming, sailing, photography, and practical science. Sometimes the problem is that commercial equipment is too expensive. Sometimes it is the wrong size. Sometimes it is not visible enough on camera. Sometimes it simply does not exist.
And sometimes, of course, it exists perfectly well — but we still think we can improve it.
The Workshop as a Problem-Solving Space
The Philip M Russell Ltd workshop is not a pristine engineering laboratory with gleaming benches and a white-coated team of technicians. It is much more interesting than that.
It is part classroom support centre, part media production workshop, part science equipment development space, part boat-improvement department, and part “where did I put that 3 mm Allen key?” museum.
The equipment available gives us a wide range of possibilities:
- laser cutting for accurate flat parts, templates, signs and teaching aids
- 3D printing for small components, brackets, clips, adaptors and prototypes
- hand tools for fitting, adjusting and finishing
- printing and display equipment for classroom materials and visual boards
- camera and video equipment for testing how things look on screen
- sailing equipment and boat projects that constantly create new practical problems
That combination is important. We are not designing in isolation. We can make something, test it in a lesson, film it under studio lights, take it to the river, discover it does not quite work, and then bring it back for version two.
In proper engineering language, this is an iterative design process.
In workshop language, it is more like:
“That nearly worked. Now we know what broke.”
Custom Science Practical Equipment
One of the strongest areas for future R&D is custom science practical equipment.
School science equipment has to survive repeated use, limited budgets, hurried lessons, mixed ability groups and the occasional student who believes that “gentle handling” means “hit it slightly less hard than usual”.
For private tuition, especially when teaching online, the demands are slightly different. Equipment must not only work scientifically, it must also be clear, visible and easy to explain on camera.
A practical may be perfectly acceptable in a classroom but almost useless on video if the important part is too small, hidden by a clamp stand, or only visible from one awkward angle.
That gives us an opportunity.
Could we design practical equipment specifically for teaching, filming and revision?
Making Practical Work More Visible
A good science practical should do three things:
It should demonstrate the principle clearly.
It should allow students to collect meaningful results.
It should help students understand the method, not merely follow instructions.
For example, a resistance wire experiment can be done with a metre ruler, wire and crocodile clips. It works, but it can be imprecise. The wire may not start exactly at zero. The crocodile clip may not make contact at the point being measured. The student may record the length from the wrong place.
A small custom-made end stop or measuring guide can solve part of that problem. It does not need to be complicated. It simply needs to make the starting point reliable and repeatable.
That is exactly the sort of R&D we enjoy: a small improvement that makes the practical better, the teaching clearer and the results more reliable.
A Flower Model That Comes Apart
One possible project is a custom model showing the structure of a flower.
Many students can memorise the words:
stamen, anther, filament, stigma, style, ovary, ovule, petal, sepal.
But memorising the words is not the same as understanding the structure.
A layered, take-apart flower model could make this much easier. Instead of a flat diagram in a textbook, students could physically remove each part and see how the flower is organised.
Imagine a large teaching model made from laser-cut and 3D printed parts:
The petals could lift away.
The sepals could form a separate outer layer.
The stamens could be removable, with enlarged anthers to show where pollen is produced.
The carpel could be split into stigma, style and ovary.
The ovary could open to reveal ovules.
Labels could be added magnetically or slotted into place, allowing students to test themselves.
This would be useful for GCSE Biology, but also ideal for video lessons. A camera could look directly down onto the model while the teacher removes each layer and explains its function.
Instead of saying, “This part is the stigma,” we could show it, remove it, replace it, compare it and ask students to identify it again.
That turns a labelled diagram into an interactive learning tool.
A Leaf Model Built in Layers
The same idea could work beautifully for the structure of a leaf.
Leaf structure is one of those topics where students often learn the labels without fully appreciating the three-dimensional organisation.
A layered model could show:
- waxy cuticle
- upper epidermis
- palisade mesophyll
- spongy mesophyll
- air spaces
- vascular bundle
- xylem
- phloem
- lower epidermis
- guard cells and stomata
Each layer could be removed in sequence, showing how the structure relates to function.
The palisade layer could contain upright green cells packed with chloroplasts.
The spongy mesophyll could have visible air spaces to show gas movement.
The vascular bundle could use different colours or removable sections to distinguish xylem and phloem.
The stomata could be enlarged so that guard cells can be opened and closed.
This would be particularly useful because students often confuse the roles of the different tissues. A physical layered model would help them see why the palisade layer is near the top, why the spongy mesophyll has spaces, and how water, glucose, carbon dioxide and oxygen move through the leaf.
It would also look excellent on camera, which matters. A teaching model that works in person and on screen is much more useful for modern tuition.
Laser-Cut Teaching Aids
The laser cutter opens up another set of possibilities.
Laser-cut teaching aids can be made quickly, accurately and repeatedly. They are especially useful when students need to move pieces around, match labels, build diagrams or practise processes.
Possible projects include:
Chemistry bonding kits
Students could build ionic lattices, covalent molecules or giant structures using laser-cut pieces and connectors.
Physics ray diagram boards
Mirrors, lenses, rays and objects could be moved around physically to demonstrate reflection, refraction and image formation.
Biology process cards
Respiration, photosynthesis, digestion, immunity and the menstrual cycle could become sequencing activities rather than static notes.
Maths transformation boards
Shapes could be moved, reflected, rotated and enlarged on a grid.
Exam command word boards
Students could match “describe”, “explain”, “compare”, “evaluate” and “calculate” to the type of answer required.
The great advantage of making these ourselves is that they can be designed around actual student difficulties. If several students make the same mistake, that mistake can become the starting point for a new teaching aid.
That is much more responsive than waiting for a commercial product that may never exist.
3D Printed Components
3D printing is ideal for the awkward little parts that are difficult to buy.
Not everything needs to be a grand invention. Sometimes the most useful object is a small clip, bracket, spacer, adaptor or holder.
Possible 3D printed workshop projects include:
- sensor holders for practical science investigations
- clamp adaptors for unusual camera angles
- cable guides for the studio
- equipment trays for small practical components
- mounts for microphones, lights or action cameras
- replacement knobs, feet, spacers and brackets
- custom holders for pens, probes, rulers or thermometers
- safe stands for fragile teaching models
The beauty of 3D printing is that it encourages experimentation. A first version can be rough. It only needs to answer one question:
Does the idea work?
If it does, we improve it. If it does not, we have lost a little filament and gained useful information.
That is not failure. That is prototyping.
Better Camera Mounts for Sailing and the New A-Rater
One of the more exciting R&D areas is camera mounting for sailing films, especially with the arrival of the A-Rater project.
Filming boats is difficult. Filming a classic racing sailing boat is even harder. Filming from the boat while it is moving, heeling, tacking, gybing, vibrating and occasionally being attacked by spray is a proper engineering challenge.
A normal camera mount is rarely enough.
We need mounts that are:
- strong enough to hold the camera securely
- gentle enough not to damage the boat
- quick to fit and remove
- resistant to vibration
- safe if knocked by crew
- positioned to show useful sailing action
- suitable for wet conditions
- stable enough for smooth footage
For the A-Rater, this becomes even more important. A Thames A-Rater is not just any sailing boat. It is elegant, historic, dramatic and visually fascinating. The filming needs to show the height of the rig, the movement of the crew, the shape of the sails, the speed through the water and the atmosphere of racing on the Thames.
Possible camera mount projects include:
Mast-facing cockpit mounts
To capture the helm, crew movement and sail handling.
Low bow mounts
To show the boat cutting through the water.
Stern mounts
To film the wake, following boats and the overall sailing position.
Boom or rigging-safe mounts
Designed carefully to avoid interfering with control lines or crew movement.
Removable clamp systems
Using protective pads so the boat is not damaged.
360 camera mounts
Allowing footage to be reframed afterwards, especially useful when the action is unpredictable.
The challenge is not simply holding a camera. The challenge is holding a camera in the right place without creating a new hazard or damaging a boat that deserves respect.
That is where workshop R&D becomes part engineering, part filming, part sailing judgement and part common sense.
Sailing-Specific Parts, Templates and Storage Solutions
Sailing generates endless small problems.
Where should this rope go?
How do we store that without tangling it?
Can we make a template for this fitting?
Can we protect that edge?
Can we label these parts?
Can we make a better way of carrying or organising equipment?
The workshop could help with a wide range of sailing-specific projects:
- rope and control line organisers
- labelled storage boards
- templates for fittings
- protective pads for camera clamps
- small tool holders for the boat park
- laminated rigging checklists
- sail repair templates
- varnishing guides and masking templates
- storage boxes for shackles, split rings and small fittings
- custom signs or labels for boat equipment
These are not glamorous projects, but they are often the ones that save the most time.
A well-designed storage solution can prevent damage, reduce frustration and make future jobs easier. Anyone who has spent ten minutes looking for the one shackle that was “definitely here yesterday” will understand the value of better organisation.
Display Boards for Tuition
The workshop can also support the tuition side of the company through display boards and visual teaching resources.
Even in a digital age, physical display boards still matter. They help students see connections between ideas. They provide quick reference points. They make the learning space feel purposeful.
Possible display boards include:
GCSE Physics equation boards
Grouped by topic, with units and rearrangement prompts.
Chemistry reaction boards
Showing key reactions, tests for ions and required practical summaries.
Biology process boards
Photosynthesis, respiration, immunity, digestion, hormones and inheritance.
Maths method boards
Algebraic manipulation, graph transformations, trigonometry, indices and surds.
Exam technique boards
Command words, common errors, calculation structure and how to show working.
These boards could be printed, mounted, laminated or made modular so that parts can be changed.
They would support in-person lessons but could also appear in the background of videos, reinforcing the idea that Philip M Russell Ltd is a practical, visual and highly prepared learning environment.
From Problem to Prototype
The most important part of R&D is not the equipment. It is the thinking process.
A good prototype usually follows a simple route:
1. Notice the Problem
The best ideas often come from irritation.
A camera angle does not work.
A student misunderstands a diagram.
A practical gives inconsistent results.
A piece of equipment is awkward to use.
A boat part needs a better storage solution.
Instead of ignoring the problem, we ask whether it can be improved.
2. Sketch the Idea
A sketch does not need to be beautiful. It simply needs to capture the idea before it disappears.
This might be a rough drawing on paper, a digital layout, a cardboard mock-up or a few measurements scribbled beside a cup of tea.
3. Build a Simple Version
The first version should not be perfect. In fact, it probably should not try to be.
A prototype exists to test the idea.
Does it fit?
Does it hold?
Does it explain the concept?
Does it survive being used?
Can it be seen clearly on camera?
4. Test It Properly
This is where reality gets a vote.
The object may work beautifully on the bench and fail completely in the classroom, studio or boat park.
That is useful. The test reveals what the sketch could not.
5. Improve It
Version two is almost always better.
The mount becomes stronger.
The model becomes clearer.
The teaching aid becomes easier to use.
The storage box gains a handle.
The label moves to where people can actually read it.
Good R&D is not magic. It is patient improvement.
Why This Matters for Teaching
At first glance, workshop R&D might seem separate from tuition.
It is not.
The best teaching often depends on making difficult ideas visible, memorable and practical. Students do not all learn in the same way. Some need words. Some need diagrams. Some need worked examples. Some need to hold the model, move the pieces and see the process happen.
A custom model of a flower or leaf is not just a nice object. It is a way of helping students understand structure and function.
A better practical apparatus is not just a technical improvement. It is a way of helping students produce better results and understand experimental accuracy.
A display board is not just decoration. It is a revision tool.
A filmed demonstration is not just a video. It is a resource that can help students beyond the lesson.
The workshop supports the classroom because both are trying to solve the same problem:
How do we help students understand things more clearly?
Why This Matters for Media Production
The same is true for filming.
Good video production often depends on small pieces of equipment that viewers never notice.
A camera mount.
A cable guide.
A lighting bracket.
A labelled battery tray.
A safe way of attaching an action camera to a boat.
A display stand for a science demonstration.
When these things work, nobody comments on them. The video simply looks better.
When they do not work, everything becomes harder.
Workshop R&D helps us build the tools that allow filming to happen more smoothly, especially when the filming environment is not a controlled studio but a river, a sailing boat, a laboratory bench or a practical lesson.
The Joy of Making Useful Things
There is also a simple pleasure in making something useful.
Not everything has to become a product. Not every prototype has to be sold. Some things are worth making because they solve one real problem well.
There is satisfaction in taking an idea from a rough sketch to a physical object. There is even more satisfaction when that object helps a student, improves a lesson, supports a video or makes a boat project easier.
Of course, not every idea works.
Some prototypes are too flimsy.
Some are too complicated.
Some solve a problem that, on reflection, did not really need solving.
Some go into the “interesting but not quite” box, which is an essential part of any workshop.
But even those are useful. They teach us what not to do next time.
What Could We Make Next?
So what could we make next?
A layered flower model?
A take-apart leaf structure?
A new camera mount for the A-Rater?
Laser-cut revision tools?
3D printed sensor holders?
Display boards for tuition?
Sailing storage templates?
A better way to film practical science experiments?
The honest answer is probably: several of them.
The workshop works best when it connects different parts of the company. A design idea from sailing may help with filming. A filming problem may inspire a 3D printed bracket. A teaching problem may become a laser-cut resource. A science practical may lead to a new piece of equipment.
That crossover is where the interesting ideas live.
Conclusion: R&D Is Really Just Curiosity With Tools
Research and development sounds grand, but in practice it often begins with curiosity.
Why does this not work better?
Could this be clearer?
Could we make this cheaper?
Could we make it stronger?
Could we make it easier to film?
Could we make it easier for a student to understand?
At Philip M Russell Ltd, the workshop gives us a way to answer those questions physically. We can sketch, cut, print, test, adjust and try again.
Some of our best ideas really do start with the phrase:
“Surely we could make that ourselves?”
And while that phrase can be dangerous, it is also one of the reasons the workshop exists.
Because sometimes the thing you need is not waiting in a catalogue.
Sometimes it is waiting on the workbench.
All I need is time.
