Elmer's 36 Reversing Wobbler - 2x - Imperial - Mike's 2nd engine

[mikehinz]

Bill, I have a question.   Should I post a few of the final pix and the video link in the "The Showcase - Engines" section of the forum or is that section for engines constructed without a build log?  Or are the final pix and video in this build log thread sufficient?

Let me know and I'll follow the recommended practice. 

Thanks.

Mike

[b.lindsey]

By all means post it in the shocase as well!!! That is what the showcase is for. The reference to build logs only means that build logs should be in the proper place and not in the showcase, not that build logs preclude you from posting in the showcase 

Bill

[mikehinz]

Will do. 

Thanks!

Mike

[gary.a.ayres]

Detailed and interesting build log. Really good.

The engine is a beauty. I love the contemporary look with the circular and  rectilinear forms in balance with each other.

One that I might fancy having a go at myself, one day when I have some experience.

 

[mikehinz]

Detailed and interesting build log. Really good.

The engine is a beauty. I love the contemporary look with the circular and  rectilinear forms in balance with each other.

One that I might fancy having a go at myself, one day when I have some experience.

 

Gary, the build of this engine isn't too hard.  The trickiest bit is the column with all the cross-drilled holes.  At this size some of those go quite deep, plus you need to pay careful attention to which plane they are in.  Elmer's original drawings weren't that clear to me, with respect to these holes plus he used a jig to drill the air admission holes for the cylinder.  I drew these out accurately and dimensioned them so that they can be accurately placed without a jig.  The only other bit you'll need is a small rotary table to mill the slots in the reversing valve plate.  However it was the first time for a lot of these operations for me so i took my time and managed to get thru it all! 

Good luck if you decide to build it!  I'll certainly be watching if you do.

Thanks for your interest!

Mike

[gary.a.ayres]

Mike -

yes, I have a sense that it's not the trickiest build out there. I haven't yet built an engine (only a boiler) so plan to start really simple, i.e. with a basic single-acting oscillator. However, I have noticed that in general people's skills develop quickly once they start, and that each of a builder's engine's tends to be markedly more sophisticated than the one before it. That's an exciting process!

gary

[mikehinz]

Mike -

yes, I have a sense that it's not the trickiest build out there. I haven't yet built an engine (only a boiler) so plan to start really simple, i.e. with a basic single-acting oscillator. However, I have noticed that in general people's skills develop quickly once they start, and that each of a builder's engine's tends to be markedly more sophisticated than the one before it. That's an exciting process!

gary

Gary, I think you're exactly correct in how skills are developed.  The very first engine i did was the Little Machine Shop Oscillator.  Plans can be downloaded from the LMS website.  The plans are very clear and the build is about as simple as it gets, plus it runs quite well when you're done.  I highly recommend it!

Mike

[gary.a.ayres]

Thanks Mike.

I intend to start with the single acting oscillator on http://www.steves-workshop.co.uk/steammodels/simpleoscil/simpleoscil.htm or a version thereof.

Simply because - like most of my tooling - it's metric.

Otherwise it seems pretty similar.

No doubt I'll have to come to terms with Imperial measurements at some point, but the plan is to start as easy as I can.