Building Kozo's New Shay locomotive

[crueby]

Cranking along - got the pieces for the crankcase fitted up today. Started out by taking the thick blocks and drilling a hole down each side for an alignment pin in a portion that will be milled off later. The pins were a push fit, so they would hold all four blocks in position so I could mill the profile of all together (this is Kozo's method, I can't take credit for it!). To get the holes in the same place in all the blocks, I set up the mill vise for the first one, with the block aligned with a straightedge on the side of the vise, locked down the table, and drilled each block one by one. Then set up for the other hole, and did the same process. They all fit together well, with just a tiny variation from one to the next. Kozo allows for this in his process by leaving the blocks a millimeter oversize to this point. I then used the fly cutter to smooth off the top/bottom of the block set, taking them down to final thickness. In the first photo you can see the pins in the blocks at the lower left/right corners.

Next up, got out the tilt table again (still set at the 11.3 degree angle from milling the bevel on the top plate edges), and clamped in the stack of blocks for milling the sides. This recess will hold the side plate on either side of the crankcase. You can see in the second photo the outline drawn on the side of the block of where the milling will go - this was mainly as a double-check that I had the blocks set right way up in the vise each time, the actual milling was done to measured depths not to the lines.

Third photo shows the first step milled in. You can see where the alignment pins are at the top/bottom corners at the front. After this step I turned the blocks over and milled the step on the other side.

Once both the steps were milled in, it was time to mill off the areas with the pins, forming the shoulders that will be at the bottom of the crankcase, level with the side plates. As you can see in the fourth photo I held the blocks with a machinist clamp for this process to make sure the blocks could not shift. This completed the shaping for the blocks.

Fifth photo shows all four blocks set in place to check that the tapered sides matched up with the tapered edges of the top plate.

Then it was time to fasten the blocks to the top plate to hold them in place for silver soldering. I measured out and clamped the end blocks in place for drilling/tapping some temporary screw holes - took some careful fiddling to get them both square to the plate and lined up flush with the beveled edge of the top plate. (photo 6)

Seventh photo shows the assembly with the side plates also drilled/tapped/screwed in place. The side plates were much easier to align, since the four blocks were already held by the top plate.

Last photo shows the engine sitting on the crankcase to double-check the spacing. Next step will be to silver solder up all the joints in the crankcase and then cut/file off flush all the screw heads. At this stage, you can get a feel for how the full engine will look, even though there are still several dozen more parts to make.

[fumopuc]

Hi Crueby, the speed you are making the parts is incredible. Are you working around the clock each day of the week ?
Anyway it is a real pleasure to follow along and see it growing. Great job. Thanks for sharing all these pictures with us.

[crueby]

Hi Crueby, the speed you are making the parts is incredible. Are you working around the clock each day of the week ?
Anyway it is a real pleasure to follow along and see it growing. Great job. Thanks for sharing all these pictures with us.

Nope, just a few hours per day most days, sometimes 5 or 6 in a day, sometimes none. Easy to spend more time on it these winter days when it is so cold/windy outside! In the summer I'm out in the boats mostly.

[crueby]

This morning I braved the cold and went out and got the crankcase frame silver soldered up (going to be really nasty out next couple days, so wanted to get it done before the storm rolls in - we are going to get the north side of the one rolling through Chicago on its way to NY and Boston). Once it was all soldered up it went on the mill to true up the top/bottom surfaces and take them to final size. There was a slight warp (few thou) that the heating introduced, this took that out again. It was bolted directly to the mill table with bolts/t-nuts through holes in the top plate (in places where the plate will be bored out for the con-rods later). Since the t-nuts on a Sherline stick up above the table slightly (silly design) I had to put in some bars to raise it up - those are visible at the bottom of the crankcase in the first photo.

In the second photo I have laid out the openings in the sides of the case, and am milling them out. The angled sides are stepped at this point, they will be smoothed out two photos down...

Next I mounted it in the vise, and milled the small flat at the top corners. (photo 3)

Last step in this session was to angle the vise so I could smooth out the angled sides on the openings with a small mill. (photo 4)

Fifth photo shows the crankcase progress so far.

That finishes up the current steps - more shaping/drilling next time, when the bearing caps are made and fitted. Last photo is the money shot, with the engine sitting on the crankcase...

[Roger B]

Every step closer to a running locomotive    Still following along and enjoying (but sometimes hard to keep up) 

[ths]

Nice job there, I'm looking forward to seeing it on the loco. Hope that the cold doesn't hold you up too much, I don't know how you poor folk can live in such conditions! Cheers, Hugh.

[b.lindsey]

Now THAT is looking like an engine!!!  Well done crueby 

Bill

[jschoenly]

Very cool and Inspiring!  Keep on at it, I'll be watching!

[crueby]

Nice job there, I'm looking forward to seeing it on the loco. Hope that the cold doesn't hold you up too much, I don't know how you poor folk can live in such conditions! Cheers, Hugh.

It's not so bad, only another foot of snow overnight... 

We have lots of cold, maybe I can mail you some! Can you send some global warming up here?

[ths]

Can you send some global warming up here?

Ours seems to have gone off the boil this last week, but you'll have plenty of your own presently enough. Hugh.

[crueby]

On to the bearing caps for the crankcase. Started with a piece of rectangular brass bar, milled it down to dimensions with it left long enough to get the four caps out. Then, set it up in the vise with the top edge sticking out and milled out the flats on either end of the caps. (photo 1)

Switched over to the drill chuck, and drilled out the mount holes (2-56 tap size). These will get opened up to 2-56 clearance later, for now they will act as drill guides for the holes in the case. I stamped each one with a number to match the posts on the crankcase, in case there were any differences cap to cap, and sawed them apart. No need to mill the ends square, that will be done after they are in place. (photo 2)

Then marked centerlines on the crankcase, and one by one clamped them in place and used them as drill guides to drill the holes in the posts. (photo 3) After that, tapped each hole to 2-56.

With all the holes tapped, it was time to go back and open up the holes in the caps to the clearance size. (photo 4)

Last operation was to bolt all the caps in place, nice and tight, and with the crankcase bolted to the mill table again it was time to take all the caps/posts down to final dimensions. Got it squared up on the table, and first milled off the ends of the caps even with the edges of the posts. Then, took a light cut on the end of the case - that surface acts as a measuring point to all the rest of the sides. After zeroing the handwheel at that setting, cranked out to each of the other posts and did the corresponding side. The posts were all left about a millimeter thicker than needed, to allow for any variance during soldering them up. Again, this is Kozo's method, I did not think this up myself - worked like a charm. (photo 5)

With the right sides of the posts all done, I went back and took the left side of the first post down to thickness, and used that point as the start to crank over to each of the others. (photo 6)

Next photo shows the crankcase sitting under the engine to show current state - one thing that I am going to do beyond what Kozo shows is to mill in a small flange around all the lower openings. I saw that flange on the real trains down at Cass WV, and I think that little detail will look good on the model too. Will do that after the rest of the machining on the crankcase.

The next step is a biggie - drilling for the main bearings for the crankshaft. The last photo shows how I am setting this up, on the mill with the crankcase bolted to the tilt table (drilled/tapped an extra set of holes in the table to match the holes in the crankcase). The mill column is JUST tall enough for the drill to fit - glad I went for the taller column a couple years ago. Kozo did this operation on the lathe with an angle bracket to hold the case - my Sherline is just not big enough to do it that way, so I will use the mill. Going to have to make an extension for the center drill, and spend some time to ensure everything is squared up properly. That will be tomorrow probably - want to start fresh in the morning, one goof and the case is scrap.

[b.lindsey]

Crueby, I may have asked this before and if so forgive me. Do you have the extended column for your Sherline mill?

Bill

[joe d]

Hi Crueby

Been following along, and thoroughly enjoying it!  You sure are burning through this one.

Looking forward to more.

Cheers, Joe

[crueby]

Crueby, I may have asked this before and if so forgive me. Do you have the extended column for your Sherline mill?

Bill

Yes, couple years ago I replaced the std column with the taller one. The std column runs out real fast when stacking up tools, like rotary table, four jaw chuck on bottom, and drill chuck with a 3/8" drill bit. With all that, no room left for a workpiece. The longer column is 15" high, plus base. Much more useful.

[crueby]

Hi Crueby

Been following along, and thoroughly enjoying it!  You sure are burning through this one.

Looking forward to more.

Cheers, Joe

Thanks Joe!