Stuart Major Beam Engine

[Chipmaster]

Thanks Dave, I was hoping to complete the 'Weight Carrier' - the bit on top of the governor this afternoon but a visitor interrupted the work flow.

Meanwhile, here's a link to a splendid Stuart Major in Dreweatts 7th April 2020 auction called 'The Transport Sale'. The engine builder was Alan Hall, East Budleigh 2015 so I think that must be 'Steamhead' reply 49 et seq in this thread.

https://bid.dreweatts.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/993/lot/57085?url=%2Fm%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F993%3Fpage%3D2

There are several interesting engines in the sale, I'll have to be content with just studying the pictures.

Andy

[Chipswitheverything]

Thanks for link to the excellent Major at auction, beautifully presented as well as engineered.  Be nice to find that it had rather exceeded the 2 to 3 K estimate.  Considering the £1000+  starting cost of the castings and the many hundreds of hours of highly skilful work, the value given to much model engineering endeavour is at times depressingly low. That price level would not buy anything very remarkable in the auction world of paintings and artwork...    Dave

[Mcgyver]

Considering the £1000+  starting cost of the castings and the many hundreds of hours of highly skilful work, the value given to much model engineering endeavour is at times depressingly low.

It really is a shame, a burden we carry.  Clearly makes the statement that the world does 'get' what we do.   If we were in it for money, we'd learn to paint (artists worldwide just fell of their chairs laughing)

[Chipswitheverything]

Hi Andy, well , actually, I have sold some paintings and drawings that I have done over the years!, it's a hobby that I have always enjoyed along with a few other interests outside of the model engineering.  But it hasn't made my fortune any more than the model making! , though the hourly rate has probably been some bit better.   No, I think we get our reward from the absorbing interest and the satisfaction of having a workshop to enjoy pottering in...    Dave

[Chipmaster]

Some more governor parts, the spindle and weight carrier,

Governor spindle and weight carrier by Andy, on Flickr

The spindle was straightforward, it required a short 1/16" wide keyway and a 10ba screw to lock the bevel gear onto the spindle. The closest I could get to 1/16" was a 1mm Proxxon HSS slitting saw which I mounted in a three jaw chuck and held the 3/16" diameter spindle at the appropriate height in a quick change toolpost. The brass key is a rough and ready temporary measure.
 
S Major 0903 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0889 by Andy, on Flickr
S Major 0892 by Andy, on Flickr
S Major 0901 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0904 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0905 by Andy, on Flickr

The next part is called the weight carrier (part 150). Following the same approach used earlier for the governor sleeve (part 135) I started by machining the embryonic shape using a lathe then transferred it to a dividing head on my vertical miller and proceeded to carve or hack the shape,

S Major 0909 by Andy, on Flickr

Hacksaw used to remove some of the excess material.
S Major 0911 by Andy, on Flickr
S Major 0913 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0917 by Andy, on Flickr

Milling 3/32 slots in the lugs that will carry the weight arms.

S Major 0921 by Andy, on Flickr

Progress by the end of this afternoon.....
S Major 0925[//url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/116764188@N08/]Andy, on Flickr

It looks rough at the moment particularly around the lugs but I think it will clean up and look presentable tomorrow. If I can get it to look half as good as Dave's (Chipswitheverything) and the ST Major in Dreweatts auction I'll be happy, they are the benchmarks.

Still thinking over how to make the remaining parts of the governor, making something that functions is fine but I find achieving the form and finish daunting.   

Andy

   

[Chipmaster]

Some more work on the weight carrier this afternoon, mostly filing and polishing with emery cloth. The carrier is supposed to be made in one piece with the ball or finial being an integral part. However, I felt that the thin lugs looked vulnerable in close proximity to my ball turning tool so I machined the ball and attached it using a 6BA stud.

 S Major 0927 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0929 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0930 by Andy, on Flickr

A lot more polishing is required to bring it up to standard.

Andy

[Chipmaster]

This afternoon I started work on the weight carriers, the two sculpted arms that the flyweights swing on.

Governor parts 149 & 149 by Andy, on Flickr

I decided to use 1/4" square mild steel bar and commenced by machining and cutting 4BA threads on the ends. Here they are ready for marking,
S Major 0932 by Andy, on Flickr

and with the flyweights or balls fitted,

S Major 0934 by Andy, on Flickr

After drilling the 5/64" pivot holes my next stage was to reduce the thickness to 3/32". I didn't have the appropriate parallels/packing to achieve the desired height in my milling machine vice but was able to set up the two carriers in my shaping machine,

S Major 0934A by Andy, on Flickr

 S Major 0936 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0939 by Andy, on Flickr

The next picture shows the first pass. The downfeed is not calibrated so in addition to the scribed lines I have positioned the job to enable measurement of the thickness to check progress. I'll turn the pieces over to take the same amout off the other side.

S Major 0935 by Andy, on Flickr

A little shaper action which we don't see much of on MEM, click on the picture to see the video,

IMG_1071 by Andy, on Flickr

At the moment I think I'll use the lathe to machine the bosses around the 5/64 holes by mounting the carriers on a faceplate followed by filing to finish. They are well over length to give me something to hold on to.

Andy

[Chipswitheverything]

Coming on very nicely , good to see the shaper playing a part, as you say, not so common in workshops. I fancy one, but workshop room has said otherwise.  I did the raised bosses using the small GHT rotary table that can be rotated rapidly by hand lever.  They are fiddling details, it has to be said.  I suppose one might just get away with supergluing washers to either side of a flat surface! , but then there is the guilt every time you look at it...!   Dave

[Chipmaster]

"Supergluing washers to either side of a flat surface!" gosh Dave that is really devious thinking up such a dodge but you resisted temptation. I could also use a rotary table as you did when the time comes.

I have been distracted from the S T Major project today. Thinking of bread shortages I baked bread in an old bread making machine that we haven't used for years. It worked well and produced an excellent wholemeal loaf in 3.5 hours. Unfortunately our local supermarket has sold out of yeast and flour, drat!

Something only slightly more interesting...............my Alba shaper in top gear!

Click on the image to open the video in Flickr

S Major 0940 by Andy, on Flickr

It can produce a pretty good surface.

S Major 0941 by Andy, on Flickr

Andy

[Chipswitheverything]

Watching that shaper pressing on is almost as good as seeing the outside motion of a steam loco in action!  It has that sort of Victorian "all done by levers" approach to mechanical engineering that one doesn't really get from a milling machine.  Excellent!   Dave

[Alyn Foundry]

The " Planer " or " Shaper " machines played a huge role in the early days of engineering.

All the early crankshafts that were made at Gardner's and Robinson's used them, hacked out of solid Steel plate.

During my days at Chester UK I was sent up to look at one of our massive radial arm drills that had broken down. I watched, in amazement at an operator literally sitting in the cab of a planing machine trimming down the welded section of a railway line. The planings were thicker than the material Andy is using at present moment.

They are very capable machines and can remove masses of material in a single swipe.

Cheers Graham.

[Chipmaster]

Hi Graham and Dave

I do enjoy using my Alba shaper but for many jobs it’s much slower than a milling machine, that doesn't bother me. If it is used for deeper cuts you really have to watch out for metal chips flying away from the machine. A friend has a much larger Elliott shaper, when it’s working hard you have to use a fair sized shield in front of it as the hot chips fly off with some force.

Andy

[Chipmaster]

After the shaping session the two carriers were at this stage - the flat area being 3/32" thick

S Major 0942 by Andy, on Flickr

My next task was to create the raised bosses by milling away the surrounding material. Mounted on a small rotary table I used a 1/4" end mill for the job taking about 20 thou off each side,

S Major 0943 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0947 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0956 by Andy, on Flickr

After sawing off the excess length followed by a lot of filing here they are on the engine, temporarily held by 10ba screws. The last picture shows how the balls will 'clobber the flywheel' which is why I delayed finishing the crankshaft. I could make a longer shaft to move the flywheel out of range.

S Major 0960 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 0962 by Andy, on Flickr

Not exactly as per the profile in the drawings but not far off, I may do a bit more contouring when there's nothing better to do.

Andy

[Chipmaster]

The next two parts to be made are called weight links, part number 146,

Governor Weight links and thrust collar by Andy, on Flickr

I milled one side of 1/4" square bar to reduce it to 3/16" thickness then used a 3/32" slitting saw to cut the slot in the end.

 S Major 0963 by Andy, on Flickr

Followed by mounting the job on a rotary table and milling to leave the raised boss at one end,

S Major 0965 by Andy, on Flickr

Ready for filing,

S Major 0970 by Andy, on Flickr

Here are the two links fitted,

S Major 09631 by Andy, on Flickr

The governor so far, lots of buffing and polishing required,

S Major 09630 by Andy, on Flickr

Andy

[Chipmaster]

The next part of the governor to be made was the Bell Crank Stay which I approached with apprehension,

Governor part 137 Bell Crank Stay by Andy, on Flickr

I made a start by turning part of a steel bar down to 17/16" diameter then heating and bending the end of a 1/2" x 1/4" steel strip round it to achieve the specified 17/32" radius bend,

 S Major 09633 by Andy, on Flickr
S Major 09634 by Andy, on Flickr

The steel strip was then mounted in a quick change tool holder, adjusted to the appropriate height so that a 7/16" milling cutter mounted in the lathe chuck could be used mill the mounting flange to 7/32" radius to fit the 7/16" diameter governor column which is also tapered so I knew I would have to file the flange to get it to fit properly.

S Major 09636 by Andy, on Flickr

 S Major 09638 by Andy, on Flickr

Then the stay was marked up and the miller used to reduce the thickness of the stay to 5/32"

S Major 09640 by Andy, on Flickr
S Major 09642 by Andy, on Flickr

Also milled the 3/32" slot while I had the parent steel strip to hold the job

S Major 09643 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 09649 by Andy, on Flickr

At this stage I machined a shoulder on the end of a bar so that the job could be held by tightening a sliding collar which tightly gripped the 7/32" radius flange. As well as a means to hold the job it was used a a filing button to form the outer radius of the flange which by now was about 5/54" thick.

S Major 0999 by Andy, on Flickr

Filing buttons for the other end,

S Major 1001 by Andy, on Flickr

Getting there,
S Major 1003 by Andy, on Flickr
S Major 1004 by Andy, on Flickr
S Major 1007 by Andy, on Flickr

The stay is attached to the governor column with two 10ba bolts - I was thinking perhaps my decision to use stainless steel for the column wasn't a smart move - thinking of cutting 10ba threads but all went well.
After marking up the position of the holes for the bolts the arm was held by my jig in a  dividing head, I chose to position the bolts at 35 degrees either side of the centre line. Drilled and tapped the first hole, secured to the column with one bolt and a small toolmakers clamp before drilling the second hole.

 S Major 1008 by Andy, on Flickr
S Major 1010 by Andy, on Flickr

At last, the stay attached to the column,

S Major 1011 by Andy, on Flickr

S Major 1012 by Andy, on Flickr

The last part no 136 'Governor Bell Crank' looks rather awkward to make in one piece, any suggestions?

Governor parts  136 &138 by Andy, on Flickr

Andy