I agree that he should have done more research before jumping in. A quick Google search for animations of simple two-stroke engines would probably help him get

I agree that he should have done more research before jumping in. A quick Google search for animations of simple two-stroke engines would probably help him get that working in fairly short order. I disagree, though, about needing to go crazy with the craftsmanship. I mean, if the purpose of this is to build something experimental, or something that could be used to illustrate to kids how an engine works, having it NOT be craftsman-like might help demystify the whole thing. I really like that he has built it onto a piece of plywood. It reminds me of those old electronics builder kits you could buy at radioshack. Would you want to actually use one of those as a real radio? No. But building a simple radio that actually functions where you can see all the pieces really helps to make it real. So, from an educational perspective, I think the simplicity of it is helpful.