Model Engine Maker

Engines => From Kits/Castings => Topic started by: sco on May 02, 2017, 09:04:32 PM

Title: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 02, 2017, 09:04:32 PM
A model of the 1905 Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss valve engine that can be seen at the Grand Rapids Museum in Michigan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGzPLd4MU2g 

I bought the drawings and the very last set of castings from Dennis Howe of Historic Models & Reproductions just before he retired.  For the avoidance of doubt this is a BIG model - the machined flywheel is nearly a foot in diameter!

Gratuitous casting shot for those with a penchant for that kind of thing:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: zeeprogrammer on May 02, 2017, 11:16:31 PM
Gratuitous casting shot for those with a penchant for that kind of thing:

 :lolb: :lolb:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Nick_G on May 02, 2017, 11:33:27 PM
Gratuitous casting shot for those with a penchant for that kind of thing:

 :lolb: :lolb:

Now I wonder what kind of deviant would be into such a thing.?  :LittleDevil:

 :ROFL: :ROFL:

Nick
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on May 02, 2017, 11:52:42 PM
This is a very nice model when finished , Dennis did a great job on bringing the engine to market .Jeff
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: kvom on May 03, 2017, 01:25:48 AM
Wonder what the shipping was for those hunks of iron.   ;D
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on May 03, 2017, 06:01:46 AM
Thai is going to be an interesting project Simon.  Will surely follow along when you start it.

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jo on May 03, 2017, 07:32:11 AM
Nice castings, interesting crosshead guide... :thinking: I think I saw some Jaffa's just now but it is difficult to truly appreciate them without handing them and seeing the drawings  :embarassed:

I rather like that full sized flywheel, I will have to have a think about it, it has a rather thin rim  :noidea:

Jo
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on May 03, 2017, 07:43:48 AM
Don't think you will get that flywheel onto the Boley, best pass the castings to the local orphanage.

Look forward to following progress.

J
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 03, 2017, 08:49:08 AM
Yes the flywheel is going to be interesting - will have to beg some machine time on something with a decent swing - perhaps better stock up on Jaffa cakes!

My mindset was to do a working Corliss valve model and there are only about three on the market,  I liked the trip gear on the Lane and Bodley and the only downsides were the shipping costs and the size of the flywheel.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on May 03, 2017, 10:25:05 AM
Impressive looking castings Simon, that should keep you busy for a week or two.  I look forward to seeing the result.
Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 03, 2017, 11:28:37 AM
Thanks Jim!

Would be nice to have a chat one lunchtime if you fancy it.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on May 03, 2017, 01:03:05 PM
I seen a problem with the flywheel size also, so I plan to offer the flywheel finished for modelers who don't have a larger enough lathe to machine them . I will also offer the crab claws as a finished item which are cut out on a WEDM  .
I'll be watching your progress .
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 13, 2017, 08:20:04 PM
A start has been made!

After the flywheel the next biggest chunk is the cylinder block casting so have made a start cleaning that up beginning with the end faces - been a while since I machined any cast iron and had forgotten how nice it is to machine and how messy it is!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 15, 2017, 09:09:11 PM
I finished cleaning up the faces of the block in the mill then switched to the lathe to bore the hole for cylinder sleeve - close to capacity on the bed length!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: kvom on May 15, 2017, 09:36:13 PM
Why does the bore need a sleeve?
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 15, 2017, 09:45:36 PM
Why does the bore need a sleeve?

Difficult to see in the pictures but the block was cast with a core that creates steam passages in the top and bottom of the block - the sleeve is needed to seal these passages off so that the only route for the steam is via the valves into the ends of the sleeve.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on May 16, 2017, 07:20:26 AM
Is that a threading insert you are using in the boring bar?

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 16, 2017, 10:18:17 AM
Is that a threading insert you are using in the boring bar?

Vince

Bggr - I hoped nobody would notice that!  That is the biggest bar I have and because the insert is full form it has a reasonable radius at the tip so with a fine feed the finish is pretty good - certainly good enough to receive the sleeve anyway.  Am thinking about a between centres boring bar for the sleeve bore though.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 16, 2017, 10:21:03 AM
Conversation with wife:

Wife:  Are those your new castings?
Me: Yep
Wife:  Look a bit rough round the edges
Me: That's called flash and is left over from the casting process
Wife: Still look too rough to be any use
Me:  Well the final part is hidden inside
Wife:  What you mean you crack it open like a walnut?
Me:  :ROFL:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on May 16, 2017, 10:38:04 AM
 :hammerbash: :hammerbash: :hammerbash: :hammerbash:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jschoenly on May 18, 2017, 06:59:12 PM
Is that fly cutter like a tangential tool?  Looks interesting!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on May 18, 2017, 11:20:16 PM
Conversation with wife:

Wife:  Are those your new castings?
Me: Yep
Wife:  Look a bit rough round the edges
Me: That's called flash and is left over from the casting process
Wife: Still look too rough to be any use
Me:  Well the final part is hidden inside
Wife:  What you mean you crack it open like a walnut?
Me:  :ROFL:


 :lolb:

Also, was at the Owls Head Transportation Museum, where the jave a compound corliss, they ran it on air for me, very nice! First time I have seen one run in person.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: paul gough on May 19, 2017, 01:31:44 AM
That was a sizeable lump projecting from the 4 jaw, you went nice and slow I take it? How goes the new motor on the lathe, any further issues?? Regards, Paul Gough.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 19, 2017, 07:29:57 AM
Is that fly cutter like a tangential tool?  Looks interesting!

Jarad a tangential tool was what I had in mind when I drew it up, there are a few more pictures in Don's flycutter thread here: http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,5268.15.html (http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,5268.15.html)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 19, 2017, 07:31:10 AM
That was a sizeable lump projecting from the 4 jaw, you went nice and slow I take it? How goes the new motor on the lathe, any further issues?? Regards, Paul Gough.

Slow and steady until the bore cleaned up, then higher speed for the final cuts.  No motor issues at present!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 19, 2017, 09:31:04 PM
Bored and reamed the valve holes and difficult to see, but the holes all break evenly into the internal steam passages so the central cast core must have been pretty accurately located.

Also tapped 20 7 BA holes - only another 52 to go in this part alone!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on May 19, 2017, 10:00:04 PM
I'm no expert on castings but those steam passages look  to me to have turned out well.  Here's hoping the rest of the model is as well cast.
Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on May 20, 2017, 02:56:23 AM
Dennis did a great job on the patterns and the core boxes for the same .
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 20, 2017, 06:25:56 PM
There was a bit of porosity in one area of the casting that will be the exhaust port but amazingly all the thread holes landed between the porosity!  After tapping 72 7BA holes couldn't resist a mock up of the cylinder block on it's feet up against the engine frame.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on May 21, 2017, 01:04:14 AM
Looks nice Simon!

I'm enjoying seeing you progress on the Corliss.



Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 26, 2017, 12:12:17 PM
Thanks Dave!

I used a slitting saw to cut the steam passages into the valve bore which turned into a tense machining operation with a lot of squealing and grabbing - thankfully completed without mishap.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Florian Eberhard on May 26, 2017, 12:44:18 PM
- which turned into a tense machining operation with a lot of squealing and grabbing -

That is kind of normal if you use a slitting saw like that with such a big engangement angle.
Your machine would have to be extremely stiff as well as the mandrel that holds the saw. Even then it can happen.

It should work way better if you:
- use a slitting saw with less (and coarser) teeth - maybe even a single tooth tool (fly cutter like)
- if you have cnc: use a trochoidal milling strategy (so the engagement angle doesn't get too big)
- without cnc: put the part onto the rotary table and then rotate the cylinder to take small cuts with the slittig saw

But nice work anyway!

Cheers Florian
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 26, 2017, 01:03:15 PM
Thanks Florian.  I did go for a fairly coarse toothed saw - 40T - was worried that any coarser risked a big grab as the saw broke through into the valve bore.  I also used something like the trochoidal method you mention by hand by plunging the saw for a short distance then shifting it a few mm in the other axis before plunging again and repeating multiple times.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steam guy willy on May 26, 2017, 02:16:18 PM
Hi Simon , Following along with interest, and an interesting project with lots of identical parts to make !!!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on May 26, 2017, 02:20:36 PM
Hi Simon
That looks like the kind of job that Sir Alex Ferguson (ex manager of Manchester United FC ) would call "Squeaky bum time."   A good result though.

 Your talk of squealing and grabbing brought back memories of a girl I used to know.   8)

Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on May 26, 2017, 02:50:03 PM


 Your talk of squealing and grabbing brought back memories of a girl I used to know.   8)

Sounds like Jo when she sees a set of castings going cheap :LittleDevil:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jo on May 26, 2017, 04:20:59 PM


 Your talk of squealing and grabbing brought back memories of a girl I used to know.   8)

Sounds like Jo when she sees a set of castings going cheap :LittleDevil:

:headscratch:

I normally get accused of sounding like an Eider Duck when I see a set of desirable castings  :embarassed:

Jo
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 26, 2017, 04:35:56 PM
Hi Simon
That looks like the kind of job that Sir Alex Ferguson (ex manager of Manchester United FC ) would call "Squeaky bum time."   A good result though.

 Your talk of squealing and grabbing brought back memories of a girl I used to know.   8)

Jim

Hi Jim,

It was definitely a bit nerve wracking and I was expecting the cutter to look a bit secondhand after I'd finished but it seems as sharp as when I started - it was about £10 off of Jurrassic tools who I highly recommend.

Girls that squeal when you grab them - hmm!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on May 26, 2017, 05:02:49 PM


 Your talk of squealing and grabbing brought back memories of a girl I used to know.   8)

Sounds like Jo when she sees a set of castings going cheap :LittleDevil:

 :headscratch:

I normally get accused of sounding like an Eider Duck when I see a set of desirable castings  :embarassed:

Jo
There were a number of the Eider's out on the bay at Boothbay Harbor in Maine last week, was one of them you on a casting hunt?!
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d35/crueby1/Lombard%20Hauler%20Build/IMG_0285a_zpscjdhzfrq.jpg)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: kvom on May 26, 2017, 09:05:38 PM
As long as we're on the subject of eider ducks, I stayed at an airbnb in Iceland where the hostess is a weaver.  She and her husband own a tiny, uninhabited island off the west coast of Iceland where several eider ducks nest each summer.  When they've departed, she goes and collects the nests to harvest the eider down.  She told me those nests are really nasty and it takes a lot of work to get a little down. 
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on May 27, 2017, 07:03:41 AM
Hi Simon, good to see more progress with your Corliss build. I will enjoy every step, I do like this engine type.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Florian Eberhard on May 27, 2017, 02:26:15 PM
was worried that any coarser risked a big grab as the saw broke through into the valve bore. 

Well the one on your picture is pretty much fine in my opinion. Thats what i am talking about when I say coarse:
(http://www.slitting-saw.com/galerie/hss-blade-25x1-0x8-24b_max_1407935088.jpg)
(picture comes from here: http://www.slitting-saw.com/Slitting-Saw-HSS-and-Carbide-saws/Slitting-saw-DIN-1838-B/)

The risk of grabbing is real, but with small steps it should be possible to manage doing it without grabbing. What you described as the "manual trochidal milling" is - as I see it - exactly the right thing to prevent it from grabbing. Only I would plunge in the middle and then "cut it free" on both sides - lets say like 2mm in each direction. This way you should be able to have only the center of the blade cutting when plunging (which is the difficult operation when you cut with the full width of the blade)

However, it went well and thats what is most important 8)

Florian
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 29, 2017, 08:31:04 PM
Used the dividing head to make the inlet and exhaust valves - don't really need the precision of the dividing head but it was convenient to hold the stock.  The inlets stayed straight but the exhausts needed straightening before they would turn freely again in their bores.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on May 29, 2017, 08:53:04 PM
Don't forget to put the slots in the back end of the valves to aid setting and adjusting them once installed.  ;)
Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 29, 2017, 09:02:21 PM
Don't forget to put the slots in the back end of the valves to aid setting and adjusting them once installed.  ;)
Jim

Thanks Jim, the plans call for just one drive slot and suggest scribing lines showing the valve orientation on the back end of the valve rod for setup purposes.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 04, 2017, 12:49:12 PM
Rather than bore out a solid lump of steel for the cylinder liner I started with a piece of tube.  Not visible in the photo but I had to remove the tailstock to clear the boring bar and was close to max capacity on bed length.  Used the dividing head to cut the steam passage slots and final photo shows it in position in the cylinder block.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on June 04, 2017, 03:30:38 PM
Good progress Simon.  Is the sleeve a push fit or is it glued?


Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 04, 2017, 03:37:35 PM
Thanks Vince.  The drawings call for a very light press fit but I've chickened out of that so it will be glued  ;)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 10, 2017, 08:50:34 PM
The drawings show a very plain cylinder end cover but the real engine has a webbed end cover so decided to try and mimic that.  Milled the webs out and profiled their outer edge in the lathe - plan is to bore out the centre of the end cover and then bond in the webs.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on June 11, 2017, 11:22:46 AM
Now there's a cunning plan.  I like that.  :ThumbsUp:
Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 11, 2017, 07:00:35 PM
Thanks Jim.  Machined up the main bulk of the end cover with a taper at the bottom of the bore to mate with the taper on the webbed infill piece - amazingly they match quite well so bonded in the webbed piece so I can clean it up when I finish the flange to final thickness.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 12, 2017, 08:35:39 PM
Pretty pleased with how it turned out even if it does look like a sink plug hole!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on June 12, 2017, 08:42:45 PM
That really looks the business.   :ThumbsUp:

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on June 12, 2017, 09:54:41 PM
Sure looks good Simon, well done. 
I envisaged the centre of the web standing proud by a mm or so and the "fins" angling down to the rim, don't know why.  :shrug:
Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on June 13, 2017, 06:08:40 PM
Nice progress Simon. I do like these Details.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 13, 2017, 09:12:27 PM
Sure looks good Simon, well done. 
I envisaged the centre of the web standing proud by a mm or so and the "fins" angling down to the rim, don't know why.  :shrug:
Jim

Thanks guys.  Jim - I know what you mean and the McDivitt Corliss has this feature;
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHxOj0F2sig

But from the picture below of the engine in the Grand Rapids museum the ribs are if anything sub flush so that was what I was aiming for.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on June 13, 2017, 09:32:10 PM
I see what you mean and if we all liked the same things it would be a dull old world so we each do what pleases us. 
And it looks less like a plug hole, although that didn't occur to me until you said it, when it is all painted the same colour.
Whatever, it's a nice detail which will add to the model and well worth the effort.  :ThumbsUp:
Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on June 17, 2017, 03:31:00 PM
Simon, Nice detail are you also going to add the jacking bolts like John did ?Jeff
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 22, 2017, 09:39:54 PM
Jeff - may add those little jacking screws at some point.

Went to town on the opposite end cylinder cover too trying to match the real engine but this time just did it conventionally milling the pockets into the cast iron.  Took ages using a 3mm cutter taking care to avoid any Lu Lu's.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Steamer5 on June 22, 2017, 10:17:12 PM
Hi Simon,
 The time was worth it! Nice looking head!

Cheers Kerrin
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on June 23, 2017, 03:46:06 PM
Nice covers Simon.

In your last photo you have something between the cylinder cover and chuck.  Is that what they call a spider?

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 23, 2017, 09:05:13 PM
Thanks Kerrin and Vince.

Vince - they are not a spider but four pieces of setup shim that I have recycled from work.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on June 24, 2017, 05:11:54 PM
Hi Simon, I hope these suspension set up shims will have been already in a Parc Ferme.
Very good idea to recycle these parts.
The designers I have met in my life, took every opportunity to change the shape minimum yearly.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 02, 2017, 09:00:52 PM
Made a little jig to hold the studding in a vice on the top slide and then used a 0.2mm slitting saw to chop lengths off in short order!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 02, 2017, 09:06:44 PM
Next job was the valve rear covers, to try and get them all the same I bonded 4 lengths of plate to a bar and then machined them side by side to the same dimension in the dividing head.  Used a corner rounding end mill to knock the corners off then into the vise to drill the bolt holes.  Tidied up the flange thickness in the lathe and then slightly tapered the boss for visual appeal.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on July 03, 2017, 02:02:18 AM
looking great ,and  it's good to see all of your  setups.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on July 03, 2017, 02:11:59 PM
Hello Simon,
This morning I logged on to MEM for the first time in years and was surprised to find your L&B Corliss project.  Even more surprised at the progress you have made in such a short time.  It seems like it was only last month we shipped the castings to you.

The work in your photos looks excellent, and I really like the extra details you are adding.  I will be logging in more often from now on to follow your progress. 

Thank you for posting your work and sharing your experience with everyone.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 03, 2017, 09:00:53 PM
Thanks Dennis - It's great to have you and Jeff following along.  I've been impressed with the quality of the castings - minimal porosity and they machine beautifully.  When I get to the engine frame expect some questions coming your way as I can't work out which end to start from at the moment!

Trust you are enjoying a peaceful retirement, best wishes,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 09, 2017, 09:33:36 PM
Next is the valve bonnets - plan was to use a similar technique to the rear covers, so drill and shape some plate and then turn a conical boss to be bonded into the plate.  I left a tiny radius at the end of the cone to give a hint of a fillet where the cone blends into the plate.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on July 09, 2017, 09:47:52 PM
Very nice!


How are you bonding the cones in place? Loctite, solder, other?


 :popcorn:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on July 09, 2017, 09:48:36 PM
I was going to ask the same question.

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 09, 2017, 09:55:36 PM
Loctite 648.

Did think about solder, again to generate the fillet radii more than anything, but there is much less clean-up with 648 :-)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on July 09, 2017, 10:45:19 PM
Hi Simon , I like your approach to machining the various parts for this engine , can't wait to see what you do with the crab claws .Jeff
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on July 09, 2017, 10:53:38 PM
How big is this model overall?
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 10, 2017, 07:39:02 AM
Jeff - I have a couple of ideas for the crab claws, one of which is to cheat and get them wire cut.

Chris - Flywheel is 11.5" diameter, overall model length is 22"

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on July 11, 2017, 01:15:32 AM
Hi Simon .I had the shape wire cut on these , I still have to sink the rectangle hole .Jeff
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 15, 2017, 04:05:57 PM
Looks neat Jeff.  Some more work on the valve bonnets and I've realised the Boley has a nifty trick up it's sleeve - because the collets fit inside the mandrel you can hold stock independently of the main chuck and use it either for a depth stop or in this case for getting the bonnets square inside the 4-jaw - neat eh?

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steam guy willy on July 15, 2017, 06:32:48 PM
ingenious nifty trick  !! i shall keep that in mind...........Good work going on here...shall we see it at Forncett......hope so
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 09, 2017, 05:54:52 PM
Been a bit lazy with the camera and have got a bit behind with the build log, so just a few pictures of the valve stem packing nuts and making the wrist plate.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on August 09, 2017, 06:27:10 PM
Good to see some more progress Simon.

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 14, 2017, 08:07:59 PM
Today's job was the governor cut-off levers - took quite a bit of head scratching to work out how to form the lobe.  Started in the lathe with a piece of bar offset in the 4-jaw to rough out the shape, then in the mill I drilled an axial hole for a piece of brass rod.  Back to the lathe I machined away more material to reveal the axial hole and then bonded in the piece of rod.  Back to the mill I used the rotary table to form the lever shape and then back to the lathe again to part off.

just need a bit more clean-up around the lobes to remove the last bit of excess material,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: simplyloco on August 14, 2017, 09:32:35 PM
Very nice!
John
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on August 14, 2017, 09:46:15 PM
Seems perfectly obvious and straightforward to me,  Not! 
It's challenges such as that which keep the interest up I find, a good solution Simon, well done.
Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on August 14, 2017, 11:11:46 PM
 Interesting approach , well done!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on August 15, 2017, 07:45:10 PM
Nice solution to get this special shape.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 16, 2017, 11:11:42 AM
Thanks guys!  Here's a picture of the finished levers with the valve stem assemblies,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on August 25, 2017, 02:03:54 PM
Excellent work Simon.  One of the best things about following another person's build is learning new ways of doing something.  Thank you for posting your work.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: 90LX_Notch on August 25, 2017, 11:13:53 PM
Very nice work Simon.

-Bob
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 28, 2017, 09:17:27 PM
Thanks Dennis and Bob.  Finished off the inlet and exhaust valve levers then back to the dirty stuff as I made a start on the cylinder block feet casting.  The two feet are cast as one and I'll split them once I've machined the major dimensions.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 03, 2017, 06:54:17 PM
Feet split and mounted under the cylinder block.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 03, 2017, 07:19:29 PM
Does anybody recognise this form of rod end and why it is only split on one side - was the pinch bolt to clamp the through pin (pin then has to rotate) or was it just to minimise any clearance?

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on September 03, 2017, 07:51:09 PM
Hi Simon, never seen before and no real knowlage about this linkage, but I could imagine that it clamps a bearing bush and the pin is fixed  from the other side in the lever.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 03, 2017, 07:57:03 PM
Achim,

Thanks - an intermediate bush makes sense - got to decide now whether to reproduce in the model or not  :-\

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on September 04, 2017, 03:36:58 PM
Good morning Simon,

Achem is correct, the original L&B engine has a busing and the pin is fixed. 

In the model, I felt the bushing would be too small to make or the rod ends would have to be too big for everything to work and I didn't want to use watch bolts to make the assembly.  Because the working loads on a model engine are so small, I decided to leave the bushing out so the rod ends could be a little closer to scale.  With a little oil, the steel on steel will last a very long time.

Our prototype has been to many model shows where it ran for three full days and wear has not been a problem.  The prototype has been going to shows and running for over 12 years now and the linkage still works fine.  The engine and linkage run quite smooth at about 15 RPM on less than 5 pounds of air pressure.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 04, 2017, 04:28:51 PM
Thanks Dennis - I agree that the bush is probably unnecessary for the model.   I am wondering about putting a dummy pinch bolt and split in though...

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 28, 2017, 09:48:57 PM
Not a huge amount of progress lately due to work commitments but I have managed to get the crab claws (part of the valve release mechanism) profile cut with a couple of spares in case of LuLus.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on September 28, 2017, 11:39:47 PM
Wire EDM?
They look nice.

Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 29, 2017, 07:47:10 AM
Wire EDM?
They look nice.

Dave

Yes.  Trick now will be holding them to reduce the thickness, turn the bosses and cut the square hole up the middle!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on September 29, 2017, 01:20:07 PM
Hello Simon

Just taken a look through your thread for the first time - WOW - you've certainly have made some progress and carried out some very nice machining so far. I'm hoping to see all this work in the flesh on Sunday so hope you intend to bring it along - I'll have something (corliss) to show you too  ;)

Looking forwards to catching up with you - I've had far too long a break from ME I think

Ramon
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 29, 2017, 01:48:59 PM
Hi Ramon,

Looking forward to see anything Corliss related :-)

Yes I'm planning to bring most of what I've made so far and the drawings and am hoping for some advice on how to tackle machining of the main frame so will bring that casting too.

Best wishes,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on September 29, 2017, 10:17:21 PM
Sounds good Simon - I'll look forwards to some interesting chat  :)

Have a safe journey over.

Regards - Ramon
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on September 29, 2017, 10:49:34 PM
Simon , I came up with a good way to turn the bosses and reduce the thickness of the crab claws  if interested .Jeff
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on October 08, 2017, 08:44:00 AM
Hi Jeff,

I screwed the claw to a sacrificial boss and used the lathe to turn the bosses.  Next job is the square hole.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on October 11, 2017, 12:13:31 AM
so far the crab claws that you made look great , Nice fixture for the lathe .
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on October 28, 2017, 07:40:02 PM
Been a bit slack updating the log but there has been some work done on the crab claw assemblies and they are now fitted to the valve levers.  Still need some fettlage but after all the fiddly stuff I'm fancying having a go at the main frame next.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steam guy willy on October 28, 2017, 07:59:55 PM
coming along nicely...and i can almost hear the clicking !!!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on October 28, 2017, 08:07:45 PM
The crab claws are looking great, wonderful details!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on October 28, 2017, 09:17:08 PM
Great detailed parts Simon.  Love it.

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on October 29, 2017, 12:33:30 AM
Simon , Great looking crab claws , how did you machine the rectangle in them ?Jeff
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on October 29, 2017, 09:04:52 AM
Thanks guys!

Jeff - I milled the square with the smallest cutter I could and then squared up the corners with a needle file.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: scc on October 29, 2017, 09:46:03 AM
Great work going on here!      The precision on this and many other member's threads almost scare me off attempting something "small" when my two 4inch scale lumps are complete.           Terry
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on October 29, 2017, 06:10:58 PM
Terry, precision?  Pah - take a look at this crazy contrivance!  Not actually planning on doing much machining in this setup - just want to skim the end boss to establish the centre.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on November 04, 2017, 07:59:37 PM
Hi Simon,

I'm impressed with the crab claws.  They look wonderful. 

And, that's an interesting approach to starting the frame.  It is a challenge to develop some reference planes on the casting for machining.  I think I will try that myself.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: b.lindsey on November 04, 2017, 11:48:07 PM
I am getting caught up again on your build Simon and I must say it is really impressive. The crab claws are just amazing!!  I will try to stay more up to date.

Bill
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on November 05, 2017, 08:25:26 AM

That's some lovely workmanship Simon, that trip gear is looking superb  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:

I'll get your cutter in the post today - been a bit sidetracked  ;)

Keep up that great work

Regards - Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 05, 2017, 06:16:11 PM
Ok so the setup in my last post was never going to be rigid enough so quickly canned that and went for plan B which I've spent the weekend preparing for,

Step 1 was to mount the casting on the mill and use a face mill to rough machine the end faces - tedious but effective, then step 2 was to make a threaded boss and a 'nut' to fit inside the casting.  Then I made a plate with a tightly toleranced hole, slit for a clamp bolt.

What I'm working towards is shown in the last two pictures - mounting the frame on the dividing head with the opposite end supported by the tailstock - should allow me to accurately position the casting in the first place and then machine all the details in one setup - that's the plan at the moment anyway!

Still need to tap the end of the frame to take some bolts to fasten the plate to and obviously setup everything square before I start.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on November 07, 2017, 10:09:26 PM
Good looking work Simon,

You have ended up in the same place we did building the prototype for this model.  It is a lot of work but will produce a good solid set up to machine your frame. 

When I made the patterns for the Green Automatic Cutoff engine, the frame is very similar so I included the attachments you have made on the casting.  I believe the added lumps make the machining a lot easier but the frame still requires a lot of careful setup.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 14, 2017, 06:53:46 PM
Thanks Dennis!  Been slowly but steadily machining the frame features - the flat faces are mostly done and I've rough machined the cross-head tunnel ready for the grooves that locate the wear plates.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 19, 2017, 07:05:08 PM
And the wear plate grooves are done - took a lot of heart searching on what style of cutter to use - initially was set on using a woodruff cutter but after some stern advice ended up using a Tee slot cutter which worked really nicely.  Also drilled and tapped the holes to mount the governor assembly.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Kim on November 19, 2017, 10:16:14 PM
...initially was set on using a woodruff cutter but after some stern advice ended up using a Tee slot cutter which worked really nicely...

So, I have a silly question. What's the difference between the T-slot cutter and the Woodruff cutter that made the big difference. They seem rather similar to me, which probably means I'm missing the finer points of both.

Thanks,
Kim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steam guy willy on November 20, 2017, 02:48:50 AM
i think the difference between the cutters is ..one has strait cut teeth and the other has angled cut teeth ? Willy.


...initially was set on using a woodruff cutter but after some stern advice ended up using a Tee slot cutter which worked really nicely...


So, I have a silly question. What's the difference between the T-slot cutter and the Woodruff cutter that made the big difference. They seem rather similar to me, which probably means I'm missing the finer points of both.

Thanks,
Kim
[/quote]
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 20, 2017, 07:58:25 AM
...initially was set on using a woodruff cutter but after some stern advice ended up using a Tee slot cutter which worked really nicely...

So, I have a silly question. What's the difference between the T-slot cutter and the Woodruff cutter that made the big difference. They seem rather similar to me, which probably means I'm missing the finer points of both.

Thanks,
Kim

Yes this was a learning exercise for me also Kim - a Woodruff cutter will only cut radially whereas a Tee slot cutter will cut radially and axially as there are two  sets of teeth - one angled to cut radially and cut on the top face and the other set angled to cut radially and on the bottom face.  The Woodruff cutter would probably have done the job but if I'd needed to slightly widen the groove would be more likely to 'push off' rather than cut cleanly than the Tee slot cutter.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Kim on November 20, 2017, 04:58:15 PM
Thanks Simon and Willy for the replies!

Makes sense when you know the secret! :)

Kim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 23, 2017, 09:01:44 PM
Final operation in the dividing head setup was to machine a circular register using an end mill and rotating the dividing head.  I wanted to machine the register in this setup to guarantee it was co-axial to the wear plate grooves - the register can then be used to locate the frame axis for machining the diameter that locates the cylinder block - that's the plan anyway!

Ramon also recommended machining a reference edge along the frame axis again to aid alignment for future machining ops so I added that along the bottom - it shouldn't be visible but can be filled and painted at the end if necessary.

After triple checking the drawings to make sure I hadn't missed anything I finally removed the frame from the dividing head setup - seems like it's been in there for weeks!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: paul gough on November 23, 2017, 09:18:03 PM
Hi Simon, Looks like this component became something of a 'thinking machinists' puzzle, if not a headache. Regards, Paul Gough.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 23, 2017, 09:35:04 PM
Hi Paul,

Not been a headache so far but definitely a challenge mainly due to machine size limitations.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on November 24, 2017, 10:48:01 AM
An excellent and well deserved result Simon  :ThumbsUp:

It's always a good moment when you break that set up down with everything gone to plan. Well done indeed.

Keep that good work up - Ramon
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 26, 2017, 11:32:35 AM
Thanks Ramon.  Next op on the frame was the cylinder head mounting detail, I rotated the mill head 90degrees and used a large angle plate to locate the frame.  The quill was centred on the previously machined register and then the boring head used to machine the internal diameter for the head cover which I made a very light press fit. 

Then it was just a case of drilling the fastener holes - I found rotating the mill head messed with my head a bit so required maximum concentration to reproduce the hole pattern correctly - I spotted through the head cover first with felt pen to show up any obvious mistakes before they happened :-)

Holes all came out in the right place but I am going to need some kind of back spot facing cutter to clean up the bolt face.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on November 26, 2017, 12:03:56 PM
Another nice result Simon and glad your holes are in the right place - I found four of mine well displaced this morning  :o

Making a reverse spot-facer is easy enough but that left hand hole (as you look at the pic) might prove a tad difficult given the distance from the face it will have to start - if so maybe you could relieve that using a ball nose end mill to give the S-F a start.

Ramon

Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 26, 2017, 12:09:51 PM
Ramon,

You mean the ball ended mill axis would be vertical in that picture?  Makes sense but isn't that going to leave a witness that won't be present for the other holes?  I was thinking I was going to have to grind away that whole face to create a smooth profile that gave a similar clearance for all the holes.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on November 26, 2017, 01:25:11 PM
Hi Simon -

Yes that would leave an individual witness but if, as you suggest, you grind that area away to give even access to all holes for the Spot facer then the problem's solved  :ThumbsUp:

Reclaimed my misplaced holes ::) - good old JB Weld to the rescue :D

Ramon

PS When you make your cutter don't forget to cut the teeth the other way  ;) (for normal rotation direction that is)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 26, 2017, 02:03:13 PM
Ramon - glad you got your holes sorted and thanks for the reminder about the tooth direction as wouldn't have thought of that!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on November 26, 2017, 02:07:08 PM
does look like there is a bit more metal on teh left hand side of the photo so you could file/grind a bit away so you don't get groove.

Spot facer can be filed up from a bit of silver steel quite easily. I ran in reverse then they can be used as normal spot facers the right way up.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/jasonballamy/Hit%20n%20Miss/Third%20Scale%20VJ%20Monitor/DSC00185_zpsiyydhiel.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/jasonballamy/Hit%20n%20Miss/1-3rd%20Galloway/IMAG1629_zps6e08ba63.jpg)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 26, 2017, 02:15:54 PM
Jason - good tip on the spot facer but my mill doesn't have the ability to run in reverse.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on November 26, 2017, 03:01:25 PM

Yes good tip Jason  :ThumbsUp: I can do that now but pre VFD was same as Simon

Simon - you may not be able to get a grub screw in if the wall thickness isn't up to it. All those I've made so far just have a free floating pin through a hole. It can just be held with a dab of thick grease, tiny piece of blue tack, sellotape, what have you. The rotational speed is well down so never had a problem with fly out. Last one made just had a 'screw driver' slot across the bottom locating on the cross pin.

FWIW I rarely temper mine but always quench in oil as opposed to water on hardening.

Yes, fixed the holes now lost a 3mm slip  >:(

Ramon
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on November 26, 2017, 04:39:14 PM

Yes, fixed the holes now lost a 3mm slip  >:(

Ramon

Hope you have not been packing up your lathe tools with slip blocks Ramon :-[

Simon if you don't want to set up the mill again to counterbore I have done it in the past using a cordless drill, you can also run them either direction.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jo on November 26, 2017, 04:55:58 PM

Yes, fixed the holes now lost a 3mm slip  >:(

Hope you have not been packing up your lathe tools with slip blocks Ramon :-[

:ThumbsUp: I have an old gash set of imperial ones that I do similar with  :LittleDevil:

Jo
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on November 26, 2017, 05:15:44 PM
I don't have any but seem to get by OK :)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jo on November 26, 2017, 05:53:57 PM
They are really useful under your packing in a machine vice to bring the work up so that you can mill off that last little fraction of a millimetre without catching the vice jaws when holding thin items and I am sure that is what the gap under the jaws is there for - to allow for the slip to slide under it :)

Jo
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on November 26, 2017, 06:17:21 PM
Concur with the cordless Jason and also a traditional hand brace but with a cordless you do need to be careful not to overdo it  :-\

Simon just realised - you don't need to make a reverse spotfacer - just make a conventional one on the end of a length of silver steel and use it normally. I had to do this on my bed-plate and just used an ordinary hand drill - it's surprising how easy cast cuts.

Jo - now I know you have the mark of a real engineer - using slips as parallels  :o

I use mine mainly for setting depth stop distance - lathe and mill, and of course what they're designed for - measuring  :Lol:

Found mine - bench blindness to blame

Ramon
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jo on November 26, 2017, 06:23:34 PM
Jo - now I know you have the mark of a real engineer - using slips as parallels  :o

I use mine mainly for setting depth stop distance - lathe and mill, and of course what they're designed for - measuring  :Lol:

I have two good sets for measuring, one shiny steel and a second carbide ;)

The one I use for parallel packing was very expensive, it cost £1  :paranoia: I also use old feeler gauges with them for the same job  ;)

Jo
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on November 26, 2017, 06:41:25 PM
Concur with the cordless Jason and also a traditional hand brace but with a cordless you do need to be careful not to overdo it  :-\

Simon just realised - you don't need to make a reverse spotfacer - just make a conventional one on the end of a length of silver steel and use it normally. I had to do this on my bed-plate and just used an ordinary hand drill - it's surprising how easy cast cuts.

Ramon

Some of the holes are quite difficult to reach - I'll have a look what the access is like for a standard spotfacer - might have to be half one way and half the other.

I don't have a proper set of parallels, just a couple of pieces of ground flat stock and a bag of setup shim recycled from work.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on November 26, 2017, 08:14:47 PM
Simon - If the spot-facer is cut on the end of a length of silver steel you have 13" to play with - is that not long enough to reach over the length of the casting?

Ramon

Ah just realised - you have four underneath  ::) Reverse it is then ;)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on December 03, 2017, 09:01:00 PM
So spent a lot of the week making back spot-facers - took 3 attempts but after some guidance from Ramon managed to get one that would cut properly.  I've also finish machined the cylinder end face - took ages back and forth with light cuts but didn't want to risk the casting moving at this stage!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on December 17, 2017, 05:49:00 PM
Next job was the frame wear plates which turned into a mini project all of it's own, the plans suggest one method is to start with a bar, bore out the middle and then slit two sections out of it.  However the kit came with some flat cast iron bar specifically for the purpose so decided to use that - it was skimmed up, cut in half and three holes tapped in it for holding purposes. 

I wanted to cut the radius in the plate using a boring head but being such a long plate this meant the first job was to make a custom boring head using a blank arbor and a length of ally cross drilled for a piece of round HSS to give the right finished radius.

A piece of square ally bar was drilled to match the holes in the plate and mounted up on a large angle plate to bring it up to the right height for the boring operation.  It was then just a case of screwing the cast bar to the ally fixture, milling it to finished width and then very slowly cutting the radius into the top face which took ages to do with a very fine feed and depth of cut.

Seems to have worked out ok - the plates just need cutting to final length to match the main frame.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on December 17, 2017, 06:10:53 PM
Hi Simon, an interesting set up. Nice progress.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on December 18, 2017, 09:58:48 AM
That's worked out really well Simon  :ThumbsUp: A damn good result   :)

Cross Head next?

Regards - Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on December 18, 2017, 10:53:29 AM
That's worked out really well Simon  :ThumbsUp: A damn good result   :)

Cross Head next?

Regards - Tug

Hi Tug,

Yes the cross head is likely next - I need to work out exactly what radius I've ended up with in the wear plates first though.  I've got a couple of ideas including using the boring head to bore a hole in a bit of scrap plate and / or machining a plug and checking with blue.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on December 18, 2017, 11:08:29 AM
I'd probably go for boring a hole and use that as a slip gauge over the cross head though the plug would take into account any difference between a solid or interrupted cut and give the actual assembled dia in case there is a slight difference when assembled. Is it a solid cross head or does it have separate slippers?

You are making good progress
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jim Nic on December 18, 2017, 11:10:18 AM
Progressing well there Simon, some tricky stuff to be sure.
For the crosshead how about making an expanding cylinder hone to Tug's design (I'm sure he can supply details which he has previously been kind enough to publish) and use it in the tailstock thus ensuring the guide is to a known diameter and parallel.  Easier then to make a crosshead to fit.
Jim
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on December 18, 2017, 12:07:23 PM
I don't think that type of lap would be practical in a rotational mode in this instance Jim due to the narrowness of those wear plates but it could possibly be used longitudinally to take out any high spots. That said I don't think there's room for the full diameter to rotate any way.

If the boring head is still set then as you say Simon make a ring to establish the radius.

You could then turn a plug gauge on a mandrel (to test the plates in situ) until it fits them - using a mandrel will let you remove it to try. That will give you two things - the required rad and surface contact and an idea of the parallelism.

Looking good  :ThumbsUp:

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on December 18, 2017, 12:46:49 PM
Jason - the cross head drawing shows two versions one with slippers and one without - I was going for the with version.

Tug - Haven't disturbed the boring head setting so that should be fine - think I'll use that to create a hole to measure accurately, then make a plug gauge to use to test the parallelism / lap the plates in a little.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: kvom on December 18, 2017, 01:07:43 PM
A bit late to the party, and I don't know what the crosshead looks like, but I might have done the work in a different order.  Ignore me if this is silly, but:

1) Make the slippers as before but with oversize stock.

2) Turn the crosshead using one of the slippers as a radius guide.

3)  Trim the flat back of the slippers to get the proper fit.

Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on December 22, 2017, 11:31:27 PM
Nice work on the wear plates Simon.  I think the crosshead with slippers will be more appropriate to the fine detail you have put into this model.  easy for me to say as you are doing all the work.

I am really enjoying following this build and have learned a great deal from your work and the comments of other modelers.  Thank you all for posting your work and comments.  I am actually looking forward to building one of the L&B kits for myself.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on December 30, 2017, 02:03:51 PM
Right onto the cross head and slippers - I made a start on the slippers cutting them out of flat bar and then bolting them to a fixture in order to turn the radius.  Had brain fade and made the diameter too small and also the finish wasn't very good so on Ramon's advice have ordered some leaded En1a.

So whilst I wait for that to arrive I've made a start on roughing out the cross head itself, started by holding in the four jaw and turning the piston rod boss diameter which was then drilled and tapped for the piston rod.  I then reversed the casting and held it in the 3 jaw to bore a register for a temporary bonded in bit of steel to enable some tailstock support for when I mount it in the dividing head.

Simon
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on December 31, 2017, 01:18:41 AM
Nice work Simon.
You are making good progress and your photos are superb!

Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 05, 2018, 08:50:50 PM
Thanks Dave.  Leaded En1a bar turned up earlier this week so milled out the rebate in the underside of the slippers and fitted them to the fixture for turning the outside radius.  Took a bit more care to get the radius right this time and with this new material the surface finish is smooth as glass and seems to fit the cross-head wear plates just right.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on January 07, 2018, 04:27:35 AM
Hi Simon, a very challenging project. It is fun to follow each step of your progress.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on January 07, 2018, 10:17:56 AM
Nice result Simon - worth the wait eh  :)

Another step forwards  :ThumbsUp:

Hope to get back on mine soon

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 07, 2018, 06:00:23 PM
Thanks Achim and Tug yes I'm definitely converted to using leaded EN1a.  Back to the cross-head casting and back to the trusty dividing head for a sequence of operations including milling the slipper mounting faces, drilling and tapping the slipper fixing screws and drilling and reaming the connecting rod pin bore.

Last picture shows a test fit of the slippers,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 09, 2018, 08:58:47 PM
Got lost in the machining groove and forgot to take any process pictures, but basically the cross head casting was held in the 4-jaw in the lathe to turn the side bosses and finish machine the piston rod boss.

Next job is to apply some gentle heat to kill the Loctite so I can remove the supporting bar and machine out the connecting rod pocket.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 11, 2018, 08:56:59 PM
Support bar put up a bit of resistance but eventually gave up the fight and was removed to allow the inside to be hollowed out.  After a bit of a clean-up with file and Dremel the cross head is done :-)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on January 11, 2018, 11:50:48 PM
That turned out very nice Simon.

Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on January 12, 2018, 09:30:26 AM
Looking good Simon, lovely result - con-rod next?

I've got a nice bit of leaded free-cutting to attack this morning but it's a side track (still an engine though ;))

Tug

Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 12, 2018, 10:03:05 AM
Thanks Dave and Ramon.  Need to reduce the screw head heights so they are sub flush and then it will be the moment of truth to see what the fit is like in the main frame, then next on the machining list will be the connecting rod pin.

Ramon glad to hear you are back in the workshop,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on January 12, 2018, 07:26:54 PM
Still following along in the background, admiring your patience.

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 13, 2018, 12:24:24 PM
Thanks Vince.  The cross-head is in - it slides smoothly but stickily if that makes any sense - hoping once it's guided by the piston and connecting rods it will bed in and loosen up.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on January 13, 2018, 01:16:02 PM
Hi Simon, Great result :ThumbsUp:

I know it's tempting but I'd not be too keen to run that back and forth now to free things a little until you get the cylinder bolted on and the piston rod connected up. That way you can tweak any minor misalignment and allow it to all bed in together. Looking good though - you'll have that turning over at Forncett at this rate ;)

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 20, 2018, 07:08:58 PM
Thanks Tug - I have resisted the urge to move the cross-head back and forth, but in the meantime I had a different urge to make the steam valve hand wheel.

I didn't really like the wheel as drawn in the plans so decided to freestyle it and try and make something a bit closer to the real item, I started with a commercial stainless steel ring which I held in the dividing head and drilled 6 radial holes.  This was repeated with some bar for the central boss and the spokes were simply end drilled and the end profiled to match the rim.

I used a syringe to inject some quick set epoxy into the centre of the boss to lock the spokes in and used the lathe to make sure the rim was square whilst the glue set.  The radial locating pins were left over long to position the spokes into the rim - they will be trimmed sub flush and then bonded in next.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on January 21, 2018, 09:46:50 AM
It's good to have a change of pace Simon - looks good.

I like the epoxy injection - not tried that method before, did you heat the epoxy to make it more fluid or did it work ok as mixed from the tube?

Had a little change of pace myself in doing a couple of diesel cylinders but back on the air pump now  ;)

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 21, 2018, 12:37:10 PM
Tug,

I purposely wanted the epoxy on the thick side - that way when I injected it it forced the spokes outwards against the rim.  We use this epoxy injection technique a lot at work to repair composite components that have disbonded or delaminated but for that we want the glue very thin so that it tracks right through the defect.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on January 21, 2018, 01:33:28 PM
Ah - so you mean you positioned them hydraulically - nice one  :D

When you thin the epoxy at work as you describe is that by using a 'thinner' or by heating to improve the viscosity?

T

Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steam guy willy on January 21, 2018, 02:13:51 PM
Looking good but how did the SS change to brass and then back to SS ?!!! or is it just a yellow reflexion ? !!! some lovely work going on here ..somethibg to aspire to...
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 21, 2018, 02:47:01 PM
Tug,

We don't use a thinner - the epoxy is naturally thinner than Araldite and I think they also gently heat it.

Willy,

No brass involved so must be dodgy camera work  :D

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 25, 2018, 09:33:52 PM
Here's the finished hand wheel and I've made a start on the steam valve.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 28, 2018, 05:41:40 PM
More work on the steam valve - used a small boring tool and run the lathe in reverse to clean up the flanges, then bore the inside for the valve recess and used a 60 degree countersink to cut the valve seats.  Then it was just drill and tap the flanges for the mounting studs.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on January 28, 2018, 08:45:12 PM
Steady progress eh Simon, another step along the way  :ThumbsUp:

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on January 29, 2018, 01:27:57 AM
Lots of work in that little guy Simon, its coming along nicely!

Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 11, 2018, 07:36:26 PM
Finally finished the steam valve - only a couple of photos. one of the bits and one of the assembly.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on February 11, 2018, 09:28:11 PM

SNAP ;D

Love the casting and that shaft housing Simon - really looks the part :ThumbsUp:

Hope you can find some better workshop time in coming weeks - what's planned next?

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 21, 2018, 08:48:49 PM
Next up is back to the cast iron and the frame support foot.  At first I struggled to work out how to hold it to machine the base as it was too tall to fit in the vise - ended up drilling a hole through the centre and then counter-boring for a SHCS to enable me to bolt down the casting onto some parallels and machine the underside.  Once that was done it was plain sailing.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 25, 2018, 07:52:42 PM
More cast iron machining this weekend - the main bearing pedestal is quite a lump so drilled some holes in the underside to take some mass out.  Then cleaned up the bottom face, inverted and then a lot of backwards and forwards to cut the inside away for the bearing assembly.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on February 25, 2018, 07:58:32 PM
Simon, I have got to ask why you needed to reduce the mass, or is it a F1 thing?

Coming along well though.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 25, 2018, 08:36:00 PM
Well it could be an F1 thing but I like this quote from Henry Maudsley;

"Keep a sharp lookout upon your materials; get rid of every pound of material you can do without; put to yourself the question what business has it to be there?, avoid complexities, and make everything as simple as possible."

I've also got in the back of my mind that hopefully one day I'll be lugging it up and down the stairs at Forncett so every little bit saved will save my back.  Lastly won't the original have likely been cored out? :-)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on February 25, 2018, 08:51:46 PM
I was going to ask the same question but I guess you are right when saying that the original would have been cored out also. 

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on February 25, 2018, 09:02:16 PM
You obviously did not read to the end Simon  :LittleDevil:

"avoid complexities and make everything as simple as possible."

Looking forward to you making those titanium 10BA fixings ;)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 25, 2018, 09:21:37 PM
Section 15.1.1 of the F1 regs on permitted materials;

6) Titanium alloys (but not for use in fasteners with <15mm diameter male thread).

Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on February 25, 2018, 10:52:21 PM
You're going to need a lot more holes out of that to get that up the stairs Simon  :Lol:  By the time you get my age they just might have installed that lift they talk about but that's only after they install the hard pipe airline of course   :ROFL:

Glad to see you managing to find some time on it

Regards - Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steam guy willy on February 26, 2018, 01:53:04 AM
looking good...I was angle grinding some titanium recently..really white sparks coming off it ... so you took time out to attend Mass...well it was Sunday and there are quite a few Catholic churches open i expect...!!!!!
everything looks really bright and shiny on this engine ..lovely work..
Willy
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 27, 2018, 09:33:25 PM
Thanks Willy!  More work on the main bearing pedestal - cleaned up the end faces and the frame mating face.  Pinched Tug's idea of a lump of Blu-tac to stop the sides 'ringing'.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 02, 2018, 03:38:02 PM
Road to work was blocked by drifting snow so got some time in the workshop to work on the main bearing cap, first sawed some of the waste away which was a good way of keeping warm whilst the heaters took the chill off.  Then machined the side faces to size and drilled holes for the holding down bolts, bearing wedge studs and two oilers,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 03, 2018, 03:45:18 PM
Casting was then flipped over to machine the pedestal mating faces.  Some of the stud holes are perilously close to the edges so was worried they might break through either through drill wander or from not getting the casting centred again after flipping but all good so far  ;D

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 03, 2018, 06:38:23 PM
More work done, cut a central slot and then a little bit of clean-up on the top face before job done.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 05, 2018, 08:57:52 AM
Nice to see a bit more progress Simon  :ThumbsUp:

Will be back on mine this week  :)

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 17, 2018, 07:30:28 PM
Thanks Tug, progress has been really slow for the last two weeks working on the bearing wedges and inserts.  Started by milling and sawing them out of bar using the dividing head and then carefully milling them to final length.  Used the bearing pedestal and cap as a drilling jig for the wedges and then tapped the holes 8BA.  The top and bottom inserts were then bonded in and left over night to go off.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 19, 2018, 09:09:13 PM
Boring out the main bearing - Tug recommended using the lathe but my faceplate is nowhere near big enough and its a lot easier to setup on the mill and get things correctly centred.  Not to final size yet but close.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on March 20, 2018, 01:09:47 AM
Very nice work on a complex bearing Simon.
I’m enjoying seeing your progress.


Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 20, 2018, 07:47:45 AM
Thanks Dave.  I have been wondering about the amount of effort expended though as all this detail is pretty much completly hidden by the crank web and the governor drive gear!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on March 20, 2018, 12:01:36 PM
Simon

I think there is an English expression or saying; "It's all in the detail".

In your last photo, is that a special boring head cutter?

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 20, 2018, 12:29:02 PM
Hi Vince,

I think it should be 'The Devil is in the detail' :-)

The cutter is a Sandvik boring bar insert - one of the CXS series - I rather like them.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 20, 2018, 12:44:10 PM
Hi Simon, just caught up with your progress - it's looking good :ThumbsUp:

Are those two holes in the top bearing for lubrication or are they for pegs to retain the bearings as we discussed?  As I said to you I wished I'd gone down this road on my bearings so I'm well impressed with your approach - keep it up  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:

I'm struggling to type here - there's a 15-20 second delay from keyboard to screen - time for a service I guess ::)

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 20, 2018, 01:58:05 PM
Hi Tug,

At the moment those holes are for the lubricators, but with some hollow dowels they could perform both functions!

Trying to post a photo but it's blocked from work.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 20, 2018, 06:45:57 PM
Good thinking Simon  ;)

T
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 20, 2018, 08:49:37 PM
Below is the picture I was trying to post showing the lubricators.  The crank web has what looks like a screwed on cover - anyone have any ideas what that's for?

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 20, 2018, 10:13:06 PM
That's a new one on me Simon - as far as I'm aware British made engines predominantly, if not totally, had shrunk on webs and most, though not all, did not have keys fitted.
Maybe - possibly(?) - this engine design had the means to remove the web, the cover 'finishing' off the outer face ?
Have no idea what that hole in the outer (painted) face is for either unless it really is a clamping screw hole - perhaps to bear on the key? Can't think of any other reason why it would be there  :shrug:


It would certainly be nice to be able to take that cover off to see what's underneath 

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 21, 2018, 07:58:16 AM
Think the hole in the painted face is most likely for a lifting eye - it's not to clamp the key as that's 180degrees round from the hole (just visible if you zoom in).

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 21, 2018, 08:04:22 AM
Hi Simon - yes that would make more sense and reinforce the idea that it is possibly removable.
I could see where the key is - it was just a possibility - but you are far more likely to have it nailed.

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on March 21, 2018, 08:13:44 AM
Interesting that the key does not look like it has a keyway in the shaft. Possibly a step turned on the shaft which would make it a larger dia than we can see but still a very flat key.

Maybe there is some weight reduction going on in the web and the plate is simply to give a neater look by covering the void

Back to the oilers, the photo would suggest that they screw to the darker "plate" which sits ontop of the cap and may not be screwed directly into the cap which could be covering a trough with several oil holes down to the bearing to spread the oil across it's width. Hope you have been to specsavers so you can see to make those oilers!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 21, 2018, 08:26:25 AM
That's a good point about the key thickness Jason - wonder if anyone from over the pond can shed any light on it's function and make up. Can't see why they would want 'weight reduction' in such a high stress area - surely they would do that in the web body itself if weight was a concern?

Oilers shouldn't be too much of a problem Simon - I have a easier way than using glass tubing should you want. You'll just need to buy yourself a good paint brush :D
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Y-scVcd4OeR6GTPRAX2Fz2RUU5w4tRZbR2w3lx8TdOX3Qe7SwF7cJ2sbQFkumK71CUrW9EcJex8V3MAQ2Zzg8Za1DzfVwxU1we42ZThmyY6lBaY1PwjlMjX5HXXS4lKi24GPYIFyfmVAOyUJGFQBGCy1GtYSldS0j1p11KKEt8Y4IOvW2R35aT65pzpzpWi2b_PLULob05TskkoX_JWsQVJulXu4n8tl_KDAXCS24wiGjoOPvJUSAttJ92xReh40FX4BhIlItm84XqPSsznAn5BlZfOEpz2GRT42WVAP1vvpFtRVyo6HlWEnJu6Ss90vajYdUg2jvMsSLBxkkuhrmKCGYfM44Ph8Q0SqtkVNJ4tIxxndLSCKS0NPBN8jvRnd5Jm4nBg_3A_biG1L9yHVWy5oKERBgDuX_706kjvZ7dKnSjn9v8f9ei1jvIL96aEWlaElw7_x7kXSj11W_yB6xoIOJdIy05xfLtoxN7EeUxOpSb8hrM397Smomx3H5jUHxb61rnCTA2lJmCj1U1mwcJmRgIEM4NpcgG_X33VK1zGWt0gCEVPkBUJRT2B6hvno9JYG9iSX_OVYML6HG-oYjQNBZwuF088RvlfEwD4=w1224-h918-no)

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 21, 2018, 08:42:17 AM
Interesting that the key does not look like it has a keyway in the shaft. Possibly a step turned on the shaft which would make it a larger dia than we can see but still a very flat key.

Maybe there is some weight reduction going on in the web and the plate is simply to give a neater look by covering the void

Back to the oilers, the photo would suggest that they screw to the darker "plate" which sits ontop of the cap and may not be screwed directly into the cap which could be covering a trough with several oil holes down to the bearing to spread the oil across it's width. Hope you have been to specsavers so you can see to make those oilers!

I have a better picture of the key - will post when I get home, it has a very shallow register (at least what is visible) in the crank but also a surprising amount of side clearance.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 21, 2018, 08:08:41 PM
Below is a better picture of the crank web key and the second picture also shows better what Jason was talking about with a plate possibly covering a reservoir.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 24, 2018, 06:48:35 AM
Well it's in the shaft but not by much - all the info in books I have on the subject show keys fitted at least by a third of section. Could be the shaft is reduced at that point as Jason suggests but a reservoir?  Nothing I can find in that info suggests any form of removable crank either - either shrunk or hydraulically pressed on with keys usually in the latter so I'd certainly be interested to know what this plate would reveal when removed :headscratch: Maybe Willy might have something in his vast collection of info

I take it the make up of 'glass bodied' oilers isn't of much interest

Tug

Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 24, 2018, 07:27:28 AM
Hi Tug,

Yes would love to know what's behind that plate - thinking at the moment is to groove the face and add some screw heads to give the illusion of a plate.  I think the reservoir that Jason is referring to is on the top of bearing cap underneath the plate the oilers are fitted to.  Speafking of the oilers, they are likely a year or more away at my pace so was not really thinking too much about them - I guess you are saying the 'glass' can be cut from a thin plastic tube and retained with some sort of glue - JB or something? :-)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 24, 2018, 08:45:40 AM
Ah, misunderstood you on the reservoir - yes I would think that likely. 

Doing as you suggest would be a good way of replicating the feature - I've just done similar on the eccentrics to simulate a split component.

For the oilers I use the very clear and thin walled plastic protective tube that is usually found on new artists round paint brushes to simulate the glass. Much easier to work than glass, and has this very thin wall. I just use a dab of cyano to keep them together which is oil resistant for this purpose. Another source is the enclosures that small cutting tools come in - worth checking at work? Art shops sometimes keep a box of surplus tubes under the counter - worth an ask there too.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aAp0htFuWx2LmteSzBpFmj41B5jVMzJyH5jO2ykW7-lCJluHowOZbUVqmAK3YSEdQJILKzoro_-8y71V0rNJZ5O2dUMbB7Y_G-yfkQNKa3hp6V_kzK3J4IHUBVJ77h1am1SILvL-cHeQ4DplxmxsEpFhI-yhq0h_gMB6-S_hEYr3xnbeb89rti8hXs3vLrniSuji9TYS7E56O4418Qg4aldNSc2a-q2UUS-HqOKaZ5FHk71ATHEawpS6HEpQwfwPwJQxJIZe0Vjmqgo1CJNDymxg2oj1aw6OiWZHoz_ZgjTtYSZlJaxwLWGJlAByfpFgwL_hym53XCPWj_XNk-TyYf2kUXBMDinpmsJKUxPkBK0RnMqjecf0KXVPb5WozbXZMin46mUThZ3d-QGpzfpELlNz1Nk3uzz-2YWxHCxygB8TiS87Lh2vp0Zt6o9MPrCtkRdiK5mF3U0u2y6iXjRtM-oJfjklbVtlaPvhD8eBiU1aXF_0u9s5IiW1hOcmk7L32s2NTcbd-JbSfq5TKYKJfsGVZM9BXHACVLNYbXo7Mt5YEK-efS9p84rV3eJt2LXFrnaY65CE2B3PL6PmZ6TnFKsv3FB17KSM7zxwH4U=w1176-h882-no)

Cutting is dead easy  - the more rigid tube can be held conventionally but the thin walled is best done over a quickly turned ali mandrel, slightly tapered at the chuck end to provide a drive. The 'parting' tool is ground at a sharp angle like a screw cutting tool for best results. It gives a nice clean cut off with a slight taper for the glue to form. Major diameter on these is around 9mm - 'glass' is about 6.5
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/v7MbUw8pZ8FeeOYLJ2wWTOFPKQFGKp-ezT2tsslkQp5BnpSMhw-sodh53Q36Iu-Ms89upeoQfc5Qz0c-NBFwZzprWFhc2FQx7tmC4XPfux7CEYjrUitZdFbOYhFppK54J--wb3MnZkvR9dWcy62YWIxU2HF2Oqey6NNQnFy6m5JxgpgdzcaN689MItfg4l-FS1RT0oeGmV6j45HrJM-eCl_hKBDrL-Has0HCotlBW2DSRayKMv3wjO0jUmOHe6CrcQaRCQnN3qtKIpYHPg5kYbYicEQcGzXY21ERxniRyYG0GJQBPGTSi19vMrZs04HL_JW5YjLnZ3ttXrTYT-NmiCnKMyjI9DF8BeOK0MphYu8V1JVR_TtYaX8ZFx0C6KT-cB7nm-ZoYSib0TwLylNI-vVbwh9ltDxnnf1GYeU2d4pF0o0KwLK5KL6O15E97AtAvDN3bnUTyJWUMxhmFGk8IkJv9sDwoUz1WMv_9jTsejFIqAuxd59w1L7MNf6eNCYp39Ew60bN23b8mQhIY0Q1BpJTIFRt0L_qL7oT23U3rmTPKfxu2ajVEcMyAnQhM2hHxf1b7ybiTrmzRqEMD8UqEBjpAL_U2T1ySTGLLIM=w1176-h882-no)

Just been told last night that the last chance for a boiler test this year is tomorrow so the Wide a Wake will be taking over the bench today  ::)

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 24, 2018, 11:38:44 AM
Thanks Tug - I'll 'file' that idea of the brush tubes away for future reference  :cheers:

Here's the finished parts of the bearing housing and fitted together with a piece of silver steel that will become the crankshaft.

Simon.

Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on March 24, 2018, 01:15:11 PM
The bearing pedestal turned out really well.

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 24, 2018, 01:15:40 PM
Now you're really making me wish I'd gone to that effort   ::) That looks bloody perfect  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:.

Have you done both bearings or is that the first?

Personally I would use En1a for the crankshaft as with cast iron (or cast bronze) that makes for a very good running combination. Silver steel isn't always 'round' either, tends to be three lobed due to the grinding process - perhaps something to bear in mind too. Besides, En1a is so much nicer to machine  ;)

Nice work Simon - Tug

 
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on March 24, 2018, 01:20:23 PM
Good Morning Simon,

Just saw the work you have done on the main journal and bearings.  Excellent as always.  I certainly hope I have an opportunity to see the finish model in person, it is going to be one of the best for this model.

If I understand some of the comments correctly, there is confusion as to what is behind the disk on the crank face on the original engine.  I was not allowed to take the disk off but if this engine is like others, there is a two piece clamp ring with an inner and outer ring. both rings are tapered front to back on the mating surfaces and slotted.  There are bolts running through the taper sections from front to back such that when the bolts are tightened, the ring can expand and clamp onto both the crank shaft and the crank arm resulting in a concentric clamp.  I found drawings for this type of crank arm clamp in the archives at Henry Ford Museum.  I am sure there are also some keys in both the shaft and crank arm that hold part of the rotation forces.  When I had a good look at the design, I decided the parts would be too thin for me and most model builders so decided to leave it out and use a simple key and set screw to attach the crank arm. 

If anyone is interested, I will try to find my notes from that research trip to the museum (it has been a while) and make a sketch of the locking ring to post here.

Hope this helps.
Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on March 24, 2018, 02:11:26 PM
Hello Dennis,

As one of the guys interested in this crank web arrangement your description is very clear to understand. I have never been aware of a removable crank web before but this cover plate did seem to suggest that something like that was afoot! I would be most interested to see any information you have on the full size arrangement - would you know if other American design Corliss engines had the same feature?

I would agree it would be a fine (as in thin) thing to replicate in working form (and unseen of course) so I think Simon has the right approach in giving an illusion of it but it would be interesting to see any drawing of such a set up.

Thanks for the heads up - Tug

Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: J.L. on March 24, 2018, 02:19:17 PM
Hi Tug,

Brilliant idea of using the clear plastic tubes to protect the ends of fine paint brushes and the clear round tubes that hold cuttting bits.

It's little tips like that that make this site a great learning environment.

Cheers...John

Note:
Sorry Simon, this is your thread! I jumped in too fast when I saw Tug's photos.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 24, 2018, 05:10:45 PM
Now you're really making me wish I'd gone to that effort   ::) That looks bloody perfect  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:.

Have you done both bearings or is that the first?

Personally I would use En1a for the crankshaft as with cast iron (or cast bronze) that makes for a very good running combination. Silver steel isn't always 'round' either, tends to be three lobed due to the grinding process - perhaps something to bear in mind too. Besides, En1a is so much nicer to machine  ;)

Nice work Simon - Tug

Thanks for the thumbs up Tug!  This is just the first bearing and I hear the recommendation for En1a for the crank shaft, did take the supplier of the silver steel two attempts to get one of suitable surface finish.  I know about the three lobed problem and will check for it but it turns pretty smoothly so I'm hoping it is ok.  Apart from some slots for the drive keys and grooves for the set screws there isn't that much machining required on the shaft.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 24, 2018, 05:14:05 PM
Good Morning Simon,

Just saw the work you have done on the main journal and bearings.  Excellent as always.  I certainly hope I have an opportunity to see the finish model in person, it is going to be one of the best for this model.

If I understand some of the comments correctly, there is confusion as to what is behind the disk on the crank face on the original engine.  I was not allowed to take the disk off but if this engine is like others, there is a two piece clamp ring with an inner and outer ring. both rings are tapered front to back on the mating surfaces and slotted.  There are bolts running through the taper sections from front to back such that when the bolts are tightened, the ring can expand and clamp onto both the crank shaft and the crank arm resulting in a concentric clamp.  I found drawings for this type of crank arm clamp in the archives at Henry Ford Museum.  I am sure there are also some keys in both the shaft and crank arm that hold part of the rotation forces.  When I had a good look at the design, I decided the parts would be too thin for me and most model builders so decided to leave it out and use a simple key and set screw to attach the crank arm. 

If anyone is interested, I will try to find my notes from that research trip to the museum (it has been a while) and make a sketch of the locking ring to post here.

Hope this helps.
Dennis

Hi Dennis,

Thanks for the comments and the words about the crank disk - sort of sounds like a taper lock bush?  if you could post any sketches or pictures of this detail they would be of most interest to me,

Best wishes,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on March 24, 2018, 06:29:25 PM
Simon the other option is precision ground mild steel (PGMS) has the ground finish of silver steel but machines like EN1A, I use it quite often for built up cranks and ones like this with the throw on one end.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 24, 2018, 08:32:47 PM
Thanks for the reminder about PGMS Jason but doesn't seem to be available in the diameter I need (21mm).  I've previously machined silver steel so not too worried about cutting the grooves - time will tell if I'm being over optimistic!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 28, 2018, 09:06:33 PM
Been working on the opposite side main bearing - forgot to take the camera to the workshop about three nights in a row so a bit light on photos.  The plans show a plain split bearing housing with relatively large bronze bearing inserts but the engine in the museum has a stepped split and no obvious bearing insert so am trying to reproduce that by running the crank shaft directly in the cap material.

Next step will be to bolt the two halves together and finish machine the bore.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on March 30, 2018, 07:20:59 PM
The bearing base and cap were set up in the lathe to machine the end faces and rough machine the bore, then used the boring head in the mill to final size the bore.  The underside of the base has a groove detail that locates in the sub-base - just need to make some taper keys that are used to adjust the bearing height.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on April 03, 2018, 09:03:54 PM
Tonight's job was to machine the crank web profile - typical job where the setup takes an hour or more and then the machining is only a few minutes.  Just the small end left to profile and then machine down to final thickness and tidy up.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on April 03, 2018, 09:39:41 PM
Nice job on that bearing block Simon  :ThumbsUp: - at this rate you'll have that finished before October  ;)

That's a tiny RT you have there but if it does the job it's big enough   :D

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on April 03, 2018, 09:49:40 PM
That's a tiny RT you have there but if it does the job it's big enough   :D

Tug

T'is only 4 inches but that's my 'big' rotary table!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on April 03, 2018, 09:55:21 PM
And there I was thinking your crank had a 3" throw   ::) If that's the case how small's the small one  ;D

Good to see you getting some time on it - it'll be a while yet before I'm back on mine

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on April 03, 2018, 10:01:45 PM
Table is actually the same diameter but the rest is a lot more dinky;
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on April 04, 2018, 09:16:12 PM
Small end repositioned at the centre of the rotary table to profile that end and then for my sins hacksawed most of the scrap away.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on April 07, 2018, 04:06:00 PM
Faced off the sawn face of the web in the lathe to final thickness and then cut a recess for the end cover.  To get the profile aligned with the mill bed I used a couple of vee-blocks and then used the boring head to final machine the shaft bore and then reamed the hole for the small end.

Quick clean up and then it just needs some screw holes for the cover plate.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: zeeprogrammer on April 07, 2018, 04:49:27 PM
It had been a while so I ran through the thread. Amazing.

Caught a picture of that steam valve too. Awesome!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on April 08, 2018, 03:42:59 PM
Thanks Zee.  Used the DRO circle function to put the tapped holes in the web and then the matching hole pattern in the cover.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on April 08, 2018, 03:54:44 PM
Simon, I like the added detail on the crank.Jeff
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on April 08, 2018, 04:30:11 PM
Nice work on the crank Simon, it looks great!
Did you ever determine what was under that cover on the original engine?


Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on April 08, 2018, 04:41:29 PM
Thanks Jeff and Dave.  No further details on what is under the cover - guessing some sort of tapered bush that locks the web to the shaft.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on April 08, 2018, 07:39:44 PM
Hi Simon, always good to see that these out of fashion toe or camber shims are doing another usefull job.
The crank looks brilliant, good to see all the progress.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 28, 2018, 08:28:32 PM
Next up is the connecting rod, I've been a bit lax with taking pictures so will be mostly words.  I was worried about potential alignment issues with such a long rod so decided to make 'uniball' style bearings to allow a tiny amount of misalignment - bought some commercial ball bearings which were drilled out and then the socket was formed with a ball nosed end mill.

The drawings show small diameter bolts locating the U blocks on the ends of the connecting rod but was concerned these would flog out the holes quickly and lead to a knock so made some dowel pin type bolts instead - the assembly was clamped up in some Vee blocks on the mill and matched drilled and reamed for the pins.

Rod was then transferred to the lathe to turn the barrel profile - offset the tailstock 3.4mm to give the required taper and by turning between centres (chuck is just driving the pin) was easy to swap end for end to do both ends.  Got a bit of chatter mid-span but that cleaned up quickly with some emery.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on May 28, 2018, 08:47:19 PM
 :popcorn: Nice!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: scc on May 28, 2018, 09:09:49 PM
Dead right it's NICE :praise2:              Terry
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on May 29, 2018, 03:16:53 AM
 A Beautiful work of art .
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: zeeprogrammer on May 29, 2018, 03:21:46 AM
Whew. Just shows me how much history I don't know with respect to the Industrial Revolution and what modelers have achieved.

 :ThumbsUp:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on May 29, 2018, 03:35:27 AM
Whew. Just shows me how much history I don't know with respect to the Industrial Revolution and what modelers have achieved.

 :ThumbsUp:


Zee, go search for the series Industrial Revelations, think its on youtube somewhere. Ep 10 I think is all steam emgines, but the whole series is fascinating.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on May 31, 2018, 02:30:12 PM
Hi Simon, just caught up again. Nice work on that crank  :ThumbsUp: and the Con Rod. :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:

Would I be right in thinking that the holes each side of the bearing are larger than the cross-head pin diameter to allow for any degree of movement around the ball?

Forncett edges closer - any thoughts on that get together we discussed?

Nice to see it moving forwards

Regards - Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on May 31, 2018, 03:37:17 PM
Hi Tug,

Yes the bearing plain holes are slightly larger (10mm on a 9.5mm pin) so that the gap isn't visible but just allow a tiny amount of misalignment to be tolerated.

Would be great to visit and chew the fat before Forncett, I've got a major car issue to deal with at the moment (ingested glowplug tip) but hopefully after that is sorted in a month or so life will be back to normal.

Best wishes,

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 12, 2018, 08:49:21 PM
So little to no work done in the last two months whilst I re-built the engine in my car - but apart from running in that's all done now so I've been working on the eccentric strap.  Usual bit of head scratching working out the best order of machining but eventually decided on drilling the bolt holes, creating some datum faces and then slitting in two.  Was then mounted in the 4-jaw for machining the bearing faces, just needs a bit fettling to allow it to run smoothly.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: zeeprogrammer on August 12, 2018, 09:14:13 PM
Looks awesome.

I've not seen an eccentric or strap done that way. Very neat.  :ThumbsUp:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on August 12, 2018, 09:34:54 PM
I like that method too.   :popcorn:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: J.L. on August 12, 2018, 09:58:45 PM
Hi Simon,

My jaw dropped when I saw these photos. I have been wrestleing with eccentrics as well lately, but they pale by comparison to your wonderful machining siklls that  produced this work of art.

John
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jo on August 13, 2018, 07:38:23 AM
Nice to see this engine moving forward again

:o That's not that nice little MX-5 you visited in the other year is it SCO?

Are you coming down to the Bristol show? We were going to get together on the Friday  ;)

Jo
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 13, 2018, 08:02:28 AM
Hi Jo,

It wasn't an MX5 it was an Audi TT that I had when I visited - now traded in for a Swedish luxobarge.  Car in bits was an Audi A2 though.

Did have a mind to visit the Bristol show - is it soon?

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 13, 2018, 08:05:30 AM
Thanks for the comments on the eccentric strap guys. - think it's a fairly standard method of construction though

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jo on August 13, 2018, 08:09:41 AM
Did have a mind to visit the Bristol show - is it soon?

This coming Friday  ;)

Jo
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 13, 2018, 08:48:46 AM
Did have a mind to visit the Bristol show - is it soon?

This coming Friday  ;)

Jo

That would be a possible....
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jo on August 13, 2018, 08:56:45 AM
I'll either be: In the car park acquiring more castings  :embarassed: At the ICEBG stand sharing sticky thingies (assuming someone does not pig them in 2 seconds flat this time  :facepalm: ) or trying to spend my hard earnt pension money  :old: :Lol:

Jo
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 25, 2018, 08:38:44 PM
Bit more work on the eccentric strap - had to machine a bit of chuck clearance into the tooling boss in order to cut the nut pocket.  Also ordered some plywood to make a base.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on August 25, 2018, 09:29:14 PM
looks beautiful !
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on August 27, 2018, 07:57:24 PM
Hi Simon, nice family shot of the made progress so far.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: GWRdriver on August 30, 2018, 02:26:13 AM
Hello Simon,
Such good work.  I've been MIA on this board for a time, busy life these days, . . so I have a lot of catching up, and photo viewing, to do but eventually I'll catch up.
Harry
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 22, 2018, 05:38:21 PM
Thanks for the comments guys!  Slow progress of late - made hard work of machining the eccentric multiplier stand casting - it was just a pig of a job to hold and establish a datum.  In contrast whipping up a pedestal for the outboard bearing took hardly any time at all out of a piece of TB650 :-)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 06, 2019, 09:22:40 PM
Time for an update - been mostly fighting with holding castings of late.  The eccentric multiplier lever casting seemed impossible to hold so gave up and machined it from bar stock.  The steam inlet elbow also proved difficult - tried holding it in the four jaw but couldn't grip it properly, then tried holding it in a small vice and the in the four jaw but again the grip was poor.  Solution was to tap the core holes M10 and then make an L shaped jig to bolt it to - was then easy to hold in the four jaw to shape the flange, and then move to the mill to drill the bolt pattern and swap ends and repeat the operation on the other flange.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on January 06, 2019, 09:28:44 PM
That valve and elbow came out looking great! Nice way to hold the elbow, thats a tricky shape for sure.
 :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steamer on January 06, 2019, 09:49:34 PM
I love what you're doing with those valves SCO.   I see so many engines with valves that are anything but prototypical.

Perfect

Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: scc on January 06, 2019, 09:56:41 PM
Nice work. Clever workholding......I'm enjoying this :popcorn:      Terry
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on January 06, 2019, 10:15:34 PM
Nice work Simon - I'd heard you'd gone down the bar stock route  ;)

Love the valve too - looks very original  :ThumbsUp:

Happy New Year to you and Wendy

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 06, 2019, 10:16:57 PM
Thanks guys and Ramon happy new year to you and Sue too!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: kvom on January 07, 2019, 12:34:33 PM
Good thinking there = great result.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on January 13, 2019, 03:32:27 PM
Took time this morning to review a lot of this project Simon.  You have done an excellent job on this model and your postings have been very helpful to me.  I have learned a lot following the project, especially about the problems associated with holding castings for machining.  Some of these problems could easily be addressed when designing the foundry pattern by adding an extra lump or bar to the casting that could be cut off after the part is machined.  It will be my New Years Resolution to add holding considerations to my list of pattern design parameters.

Many thanks for posting your work and comments.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 13, 2019, 04:34:38 PM
Dennis,

Thanks for your kind comments, I've found the castings to be excellent quality with no hard spots and minimal porosity so no compliants from me on that score.  Some of the smaller ones would probably benefit with some additional stock but there again maybe they should just be better off made from barstock.  Today I started the valve dashpots - fully intented to use the castings but although they would have been easy to hold there had been some core shift which would have made cleaning up the smaller diameter difficult so again I went with making from barstock - all part of the challenge ;-)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 24, 2019, 09:23:45 PM
Been working on the valve dashpots for the last few days, the drawings call for a cylinder made from a supplied casting and a piston made from steel.  Decided that the cylinder would be easier as a bar-stock fabrication and so made the piston from a chunk of cast iron instead.  Put a bit of extra detail into the top of the piston to match the full size engine.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 24, 2019, 09:25:18 PM
Few more pictures;
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on January 24, 2019, 11:07:16 PM
Nice addition Simon  :ThumbsUp: - keep it coming.

Nothing to report on mine and a 'side track' coming on too but it will be swarf producing  ;)

Regards - Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on January 25, 2019, 01:17:05 AM
Very nice work Simon.

Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on January 29, 2019, 03:07:35 PM
Hi Simon,
I like the way you made the dashpots from bar stock.  They look really nice.  In all of the kits we developed I tried to use as many castings as possible but those dashpot castings were a pain in the neck for both me and the foundryman.  I whish I had used your design from the beginning.  Thanks for your postings, I have been out of the business for two years now but still learning.
Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 02, 2019, 03:38:37 PM
Thanks Dennis.

I put a hex on the end of the damper clevis using the dividing head and then back in the lathe to add a bit more shape and tap M3.  The dampers were then assembled - they have a light spring and are probably over damped at the moment particularly with a drop of oil - I can always add an air bleed later to reduce the damping if necessary.

There are quite a few linkage rods in the engine with a lefthand thread at one end and righthand thread at the other, I've never cut a lefthand thread so this was a new experience.  As usual it takes longer to setup for this operation than to actually complete it what with setting up the gear train for the pitch, getting the tool square and the brain ready to flick the saddle traverse lever in the opposite direction to normal.  I ordered an M3 LH die to clean up the thread but the supplier sent a righthand version instead but once I got the depth of thread right they came out ok without needing the die.

Next op will be to cut a righthand M3 thread on the other end of the link rod which should be straight forward and only need the brain part re-setting up :-)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 03, 2019, 09:03:19 PM
Cut a righthand thread on the other end of the link rods and also added a hex section in the middle.  Need to make four more similar rods with opposite hand threads at either end for the valve gear so will bash them out whilst the lathe is setup.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on February 03, 2019, 09:05:44 PM
Nice looking parts Simon.  and yes there are a lot of little rods with left and right hand threads.  Glad to hear you are getting through it ok. 

When  you get your engine running, be cautious of oil in the dampers.  Originally, our prototype model did not have the damper springs.  When we ran the engine, we found the oil in the damper added too much drag and prevented the valve release from working properly.  The engine ran better without oil on the dampers but the dampers were not heavy enough to make the valve release work consistently. I added the springs to the bottom of the dampers to make sure they operate consistently.  A very light spring will be sufficient and the air blead you mentioned would be an excellent idea.  The original engine has an adjustable air bleed valve on each damper.

Looking forward to seeing your engine finished.
Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on February 04, 2019, 07:27:27 PM
Hi Simon, I am following along quitely.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 15, 2019, 09:21:28 PM
Time to get back to the Lane and Bodley, the flywheel is much too big for me to turn on my lathe so a plan was hatched to use the rotary table and the mill.

I needed something to pack out the space between the central boss and the spokes so I could clamp it down to the table so I obtained a tooling block offcut from work and cut it down to fit inside the flywheel.  After much twirling of the rotary table handle one side is roughed out - plenty more twirling still required!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on June 16, 2019, 04:41:35 AM
Good to see some progress on the Corliss Simon.  What's the diameter of the flywheel?

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 16, 2019, 09:52:45 AM
Hi Vince,

The flywheel casting is pretty close to a foot in diameter.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 25, 2019, 09:26:37 PM
More work on the flywheel, the outer diameter is finished and I used a Tee slot cutter to under-cut the rim.  Switched to the horizontal head to clean up the side of the rim and then tilted the table 1.5degrees to taper the spokes towards the rim.  The spokes are still going to need plenty of filing to bring them to shape but I'm trying to machine as much of the shape in as possible.  So one side almost done, then need to flip it over and make the other side match!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on June 26, 2019, 07:11:43 AM
Simon, was that undercut of the flywheel a feature of the original as it is not something I have seen before on an engine?

On a similar note were the spokes badly cast that they needed machining all over or are you also reprofileing them to get a specific look?
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 26, 2019, 08:09:21 AM
Jason,

Spokes weren't badly cast at all, picture below shows the flywheel undercut section I'm trying to reproduce.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on June 26, 2019, 08:35:12 AM
Thanks Simon and I can also see the thinner section spokes.

Bit of a pain for the foundry man and pattern maker as they would have needed a ring of loose pieces around the edge of the pattern to be able to pull that from the sand.

Is that a one or two piece flywheel?
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on June 26, 2019, 08:43:06 AM
Real flywheel is a two piece - I believe there is now a two piece casting available but that's one detail I'm going to ignore.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on June 26, 2019, 09:43:46 PM
Hi Simon, great job.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on July 08, 2019, 03:47:28 PM
Hi Simon,

Thank you for posting the flywheel machining photos.  It looks like your machining process is working quite well.  Machining a flywheel this way is a lot of extra work compared to doing the machining on a lathe but if you don't have a big enough lathe it is well worth the extra effort.  I think your posting could help a lot of people.

As far as I know, you are the first person to machine the flywheel rim to match the original engine.  Excellent work and very well thought out.  I would have loved to cast the rim with undercut however, the coring became very complicated and would drive the foundryman crazy not to mention the extra cost, and with the very limited number of foundries that will work with model engineers we need to keep the foundryman happy! 

I left the spokes a little beefy to make sure the iron would flow well throuogh the spokes to fill the center hub.  Machining the spokes a little flatter like you have done brings the flyweel another step closer to the original engine design. 

Looking forward to seeing the finished wheel.

Dennis




Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 09, 2019, 10:49:43 AM
Thanks Dennis and Achim.  I've finished machining the second side of the flywheel and have attacked the spokes with the Dremel to round off the spokes and get more of a tapered shape - they are still a bit rippled so need some more work to improve that but have taken a break from that op to bore the central hole.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 14, 2019, 02:04:48 PM
Went very slowly and carefully to open up the bore to give a close sliding fit on the flywheel axle - taking out the final cuts revealed a miniscule blow hole in the centre of the bore but nothing to worry about.

I took two pieces of square bar and turned a round section on them, these pins were then fitted in the flywheel bore and held in place by a short piece of bar.  I then used the boring head to machine out the inside of the pins to match the bore diameter minus a few thou to hopefully give me tight fitting keys to lock the flywheeel to the shaft.  Once the inside was machined out the pins were removed and then the un-machined ends sawed off.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on July 14, 2019, 03:15:45 PM
Hi Simon,
Thanks for the latest FW photos.  The wheel is looking good.

The small shrink hole in the hub is not a surprise.  The hub is filled by way of the spokes on this pattern.  The spokes are a small cross section so they obviously cool and close off before the hub completely solidifies.  We put some extra length on both sides of the hub (which I had to cut off to get under the 20 pound international shipping weight requirement at the post office) to slow down the cooling of the hub and help keep the shrink in the center where it will be machined out.  The foundry can put a blind shrink bulb on the hub when they make the mold but that is extra work for them so I did not specify it as long at the shrink stays in the middle of the hub.

The keys you made are very interesting,  I have never seen keys like that on the engines I have looked at or I may have missed the detail.  Maybe my inexperience is showing a bit but I am not shure I understand how they work.  Any reference you can recommend would be appreciated.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 14, 2019, 03:52:35 PM
Dennis,

The keys are a bit of a cheat to avoid having to cut a square slot in the flywheel but definitely taper keys that drive the flywheel by friction (no slot) are quite common - not the best example but you can see them in the flywheel at the end of this video:

https://youtu.be/3-SFBS85WTM (https://youtu.be/3-SFBS85WTM)

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on July 14, 2019, 04:30:20 PM
but definitely taper keys that drive the flywheel by friction (no slot) are quite common -

If they are parallel sided then how can they be taper keys?

I have seen "saddle keys" used where the inner edge of the key is shaped to follow the shaft much like you have done but the outer edge of the key is tapered so they wedge in but the two matching taper in the flywheel ensure the force is at right angles to the shaft, just forcing them in may tilt the flywheel and result in a wobble.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 14, 2019, 04:43:31 PM
Jason,

I'm just trying to get something that looks reasonable and has a light fit to prevent the flywheel from moving on the shaft.  Even with a slotting head I felt it was going to be difficult to cut the 40mm long slot all the way through the flywheel boss so this seemed an easier way to go.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on July 14, 2019, 04:53:31 PM
40mm long hub would be no problem with a broach, do all mine that way plain and tapered but if you have spent all your pocket money on that mill then needs must ;)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: kvom on July 14, 2019, 08:44:40 PM
I was able to broach the same flywheel castin, but needed the hydraulic press.  Also had  to buy the breach.  So if you're looking  for economy alternate methods work too.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 14, 2019, 09:04:11 PM
Broach would undoubtedly do the job but the engine will not do any real work and unlike an i.c. engine the power pulses should be smooth so don't see the need to positively lock the flywheel to the axle.  If it slips in use I'll add some grub screws.

My biggest fear with machining the flywheel on the mill was getting the central bore out of alignment with the rim - I mounted the flywheel on a stub of silver steel and checked the runout - 0,1mm radial and 0.2mm axial - I can live with that!

Simon
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: rarach22 on July 14, 2019, 10:41:28 PM
beautiful tool work ...... congratulations
Pavel
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Captain Jerry on July 15, 2019, 04:03:22 AM
Hello Simon,


I have been following this build quietly since there is not much that I could add other than "Wow." This will be a grand model when finished. I have been particularly interested in the valve release mechanism and can barely wait to see it in operation. Of the many MEM Corliss models built, I don't believe that any have been able to implement the release and although there were problems implementing the Crab Claw, the somewhat more easily made Reynolds release is nearly impossible to build such that it will work reliably. Heaven knows,I have tried. Scale is the problem as I am sure you know. I believe that the MEM version is just too small. The distance between the steam valve bores is less than two inches. It would be useful to know a bit more about the size of your model.  Distance between valve bores or just what the piston stroke is would help put it in perspective.  I am beginning to think that 2.5" to 3" stroke is a minimum for a working release.


Jerry
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on July 15, 2019, 07:44:55 AM
Thanks Pavel.

Jerry,

After being mesmerised by the Corliss valve gear on one of the engines at the Forncett Steam Museum I felt compelled to try and build a model with a proper trip release.  The Lane and Bodley was one of only a very few casting set Corliss models available on the market and although not the same trip mechanism as the engine in the museum I really like the look of the crab claw.  I'm hopeful that not only will the mechanism have a satisfying 'click' on release but will also work to properly control the speed of the engine.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on July 20, 2019, 08:01:22 PM
Simon,
Thanks for the information on the flywheel keys.  I think you have a good approach for a model that will run without load.  As Kurt said, broaching all the way through that hub is difficult.  I was not able to get a full depth cut completely through the hub with my broach so had to turn the wheel over and press the broach from the other side to finish the cut.  It was not the easiest keyway I have ever broached.
Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on July 20, 2019, 08:14:52 PM
If you can't push your broach in far enough then you need an extension bar, or just make one from key steel

https://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Cutting-Tools/Keyway-Broaches

https://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/projects/broaching/Internal-Keyways-and-Broaching.pdf

I've done 50mm long hubs with standard length broaches though it is best to make a bush the full length of the hub so the cutter does not get pushed off the surface.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on July 23, 2019, 09:12:22 PM
Thank you for the references Jason, I will check them out today.
Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 09, 2019, 09:20:12 PM
Last few weeks I've been pondering the governor bevel gears, wanted to make them so ordered some mod0.5 cutters from China which took a few weeks to arrive.  I started by making the blanks and then the boring process of cutting the teeth - 20 teeth on the pinion (3 cuts per tooth), 72 teeth on the wheel (2 cuts per tooth). 

All done without mishap and they look ok but positioning them by hand they don't seem to mesh as well as I'd hoped so maybe I didn't cut the teeth deep enough.  I wanted a more square edged, flat faced tooth but the cutters obviously form involute shaped teeth - couldn't think of a way to get these so hopefully they will mesh ok once aligned properly.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: paul gough on August 10, 2019, 02:59:18 AM
Hi Simon, Still sitting in the dark watching your work. Interested to know your thinking regarding the tooth profile on the govenor gears and your apparent preference for non-involute for this application??? Were you wanting something more cycloidal, 'clockish'? Regards Paul Gough.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Elam Works on August 10, 2019, 04:00:16 AM
Simon,

Using a 'fixed form' cutter to machine bevel gears is always going to be an approximation. There are various techniques for parallel depth miter gears and offsetting the cutter to take two passes to better transition from a large tooth at the outer rim to a small tooth at the inner edge, but none of them generate the true diminishing tooth that vanishes to a singularity at the cone vertex. So long as the face width is not too great, they can make a tooth that is 'good enough'. But it will feel 'lumpy' compared to commercially generated bevel gears. Sometimes easing off the teeth at the small end can help improve the mesh. A spot of Prussian Blue might highlight where it is binding.

-Doug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on August 10, 2019, 07:16:38 AM
Simon, did you remember to use a cutter for a larger tooth count than the number on your bevel gears as that would mean a cutter that will produce straighter sides teeth as it gets more towards a rack. I'm assuming your 3 cuts were at different settings not just 3 passes to get to depth.

Also I expect your MOD cutters are 20pa, had you use 14.5pa typically found on DP cutters than you would also have got a slightly flatter tooth flank

I'd put one on a spindle so it is free to turn and mount the other on an arbor and run the two together with some 600 or 1000g powder and oul.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 10, 2019, 11:44:31 AM
Thanks for all the replies, below are some pictures of the real gears showing the tooth form.

Jason; yes I did use a cutter with a larger tooth count for the pinion (28T for 20T), the three cuts for the pinion were a roughing cut on centre and then two cuts with the gear rotated +/- 1/4 tooth and the cutter +/- offset vertically, for the wheel I just did the two offset cuts as didn't have a suitable dividing plate for 1/4 a tooth only 1/2 a tooth.  Searched initially for 48DP cutters but couldn't find a full set so went for mod0.5 instead.

Not sure there is actually a problem with them yet - going to try and position them with some Vee blocks and see if they feel any better.

I used a spreadsheet to size the gears that Don provided for a standard 45degree cone angle, the sheet also includes some notes by Gail for how to lay out the gears from scratch - if I follow that method then I get very different angles for the pinion and wheel, something like 15degrees for the pinion and 75degrees for the wheel - not sure if that would have given me a better looking result?

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on August 10, 2019, 12:39:40 PM
I've only ever cut uneven numbered pairs at the calculated angle where the two angles add up to 90deg. For equal numbers of teeth I cut both at 45deg so that may be part of the issue. So would have cut at 15.48 and 74.52 deg
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 10, 2019, 12:47:32 PM
Is there some rule then for how the angle should be split as that angle ratio isn't the same as the tooth count ratio?
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on August 10, 2019, 01:19:25 PM
see page 7

https://www.hpcgears.com/pdf_c33/27.48-27.60.pdf
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 11, 2019, 10:43:11 AM
I've re-cut the teeth with the new cone angles as advised by Jason and they now mesh more convincingly  ;D

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Jasonb on August 11, 2019, 01:17:51 PM
And they look the part too :)
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 15, 2019, 07:00:41 PM
Lots of bits to make up the governor assembly so plodding through those, first was the base which was straight forward followed by the arm casting which was much more complicated.  Started by machining the main bore and then glued it to a length of steel for all the remaining ops.  Used the indexing head to spin it backwards and forwards to attack it on multiple sides.  Once it was finished a little bit of heat broke the bond and it fits nicely on the base.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 18, 2019, 08:06:28 PM
Next part was the governor frame, a tricky little casting that helpfully came with two chucking stubs so I turned these concentric with one another and then flipped the part end for end in the dividing head depending on the machining op.  I then removed the stub and bored out the centre followed by some fiddly milling to cut the slot and the central windows.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 18, 2019, 08:09:15 PM
The slider was a simple turning job - I first slotted the end of the bar and bonded in a piece of square bar to form the Tee section before cleaning it up in the lathe to final size.

An assembly of the bits so far.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: kvom on August 18, 2019, 11:09:44 PM
Nice work.  That mill is good kit for parts like that,
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on August 19, 2019, 06:27:56 PM
Thanks Kirk - still learning how to get the most from the mill.

Today's job was the lever arms, bit wasteful on material but coordinate milled and drilled them out of round bar again using the dividing head to access all sides.  The parts were then hacksawed off the bar and filed to tidy up and radius the corners where required, couple of tiny brass rollers turned up to finish them off - most of the detail will be hidden inside the frame - ho hum!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on August 19, 2019, 08:30:00 PM
Hi Simon, nice progress.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on August 20, 2019, 03:47:27 PM
Simon,
I am following your Corliss build closely and enjoying it very much.  The governor looks wonderful. 

When designing a model, it is easy to loose track of how challenging some of the small intricate parts can be.  Thank you for posting so many details and your thought process for making the parts.  They are very educational for all of us.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 01, 2019, 06:27:35 PM
Thanks Dennis!

Next up was the Y shaped linkage that transfers the movement of the slider to the lever arm.  Spinning the assembly by hand it seems to work at a reasonable rotational speed so I'm hopeful it will function properly on the model.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dave Otto on September 02, 2019, 01:00:24 AM
Beautiful work on the governor Simon!

Dave
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on September 15, 2019, 06:45:14 AM
Yes Simon, as already said, a beautiful work.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on September 15, 2019, 06:22:10 PM
Thanks guys.

Finished up the governor gearbox so could fit it up to the main frame to see how it looked, also cut a hole in the base board for the flywheel.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on September 15, 2019, 08:41:52 PM
Great family shot.

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Admiral_dk on September 15, 2019, 09:41:41 PM
Quote
Great family shot.

Amen to that - all the parts look great  :ThumbsUp:    :popcorn:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on October 02, 2019, 01:14:22 PM
Hi Simon,
Your model is looking great.  I am especially impressed with the work you did on the governor and flywheel.  As far as I know, no one has machined the flywheel with the original detail like you have.  Great work.  Really looking forward to seeing how it runs.
Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: kvom on October 02, 2019, 05:43:27 PM
looking good!  :ThumbsUp:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on October 02, 2019, 08:32:38 PM
Thanks again guys.  Not much workshop time at the moment as work is a bit frenetic so no real progress for the last few weeks - looking forward to Forncett this weekend though!

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: scc on October 02, 2019, 09:11:24 PM
Very impressive Simon,  I love that governor.             Terry
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Johnmcc69 on October 02, 2019, 09:19:23 PM
 :ThumbsUp:
 Real nice work Simon!
 Following along quietly & looking forward to more.
 :popcorn:
 John
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: gbritnell on October 02, 2019, 10:38:34 PM
Outstanding work Simon. The fit and finish is first rate.
gbritnell
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steam guy willy on October 02, 2019, 11:59:02 PM
Lovely work there and YEA ..Forncett. this w/e. see you there....

Willy
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on October 03, 2019, 01:01:34 AM
Simon , Beautiful work , it looks like your not to far away from a running engine .Jeff
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Zephyrin on October 03, 2019, 09:17:49 AM
lot of work and attention to details for this cute governor, impressive result !
these little things always are subject of questions in steam fairs and model shows...
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on October 03, 2019, 10:04:08 AM
Thanks for all comments.  I should perhaps own up that hidden inside the governor base are some commercially obtained rather than homemade, plastic bevel gears  :-[

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on January 11, 2020, 06:57:33 PM
Long time no post and not much progress to report either  :-[

Made a complete set of the governor linkages (1st photo below) but wasn't really happy with the look or the functionality so started again from scratch with a brass version and some proper turn-buckles.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Admiral_dk on January 11, 2020, 08:24:09 PM
Quote
Long time no post and not much progress to report either  :-[


I know that one all too well  :-X

However small - you have made progress  :cheers:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: scc on January 11, 2020, 08:30:26 PM
Nice detailing and finish on your governor linkages.....Good Job :ThumbsUp:             Terry
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: fumopuc on January 19, 2020, 11:52:25 AM
Hi Simon, really nice.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on January 19, 2020, 03:37:37 PM
Thanks for posting Simon, the linkage look great.  It's the small detail that makes a model great.
Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 16, 2020, 03:26:02 PM
Another month passed and not much physical progress, actually I've been endlessly fiddling and adjusting the valve gear which required a few bits to be remade.  The governor trip positioning is very sensitive - a few tenths of a mm of the governor lever moves from no trip to immediate trip.  I keep wondering about doing a CAD model of the full linkage to see if I can desensitise it.  Anyway a video below showing the tripping action - you can see the left hand mechanism isn't completely reliable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzNIfYi3EZ4

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on February 16, 2020, 04:12:27 PM
Impressive valve gear there, doing that at model scale is quite an accomplishment!
 :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on February 16, 2020, 08:24:28 PM
Love the movement of the valve gear. :praise2: :praise2:

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on February 16, 2020, 08:53:14 PM
Lovely work Simon  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:

Watched it more than several times - the left hand side seems to vary in lift and trip whereas the right seems to be quite uniform in action - surely you can't be that far off?

Very inspirational BTW  :) :)

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 16, 2020, 10:13:45 PM
Thanks guys. 

Ramon I think what is happening with the LHS is the latch is releasing but the block sometimes gets stuck on the slider rod and is only released when the wrist plate reverses direction which then gives the variation in lift.  One of the mods I've made from the plans is to add a weight to the end of the damper rod (hidden under the base board) rather than having springs.  I did this because I found the spring preload was too great and made the latch too difficult to release which made the governor lever action very sticky, but the downside of this is there is not so much force to push the block along to snap the valve closed.  So I'm going to work on freeing up the sliding block - there's probably either a slight alignment issue with the wrist plate or maybe the rod surface finish just needs to be improved.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: deltatango on February 16, 2020, 10:19:57 PM
That's impressive Simon, you really can't be very far away from having this working. As Tug said, it's inspirational for those of us who hope to get something like this working.
What are the diameters of the various rods in the linkage? On the Throp/Southworth model the rods look a bit heavy as drawn and I was looking at reducing them - but at smaller sizes they start to look too skinny to work well.

David
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 16, 2020, 10:31:02 PM
Thanks David.  I have deviated a bit in the diameters of the linkage rods - partly to get closer to the look of the real engine but also because for the turnbuckles I only wanted to buy one size of lefthand thread tap and die so I think the rods are mostly 3mm and 4mm diameter.  I would choose a diameter that looks right and go from there.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on February 17, 2020, 08:26:48 AM
Morning Simon,

Just had another several views trying to discern whats happenning on that left hand side. Obviously foccussed on the trip gear itself at first I suddenly noticed that it appears that the gear arm itself has a slight movement in it as if it's not been tightened fully to the cylinder - it's particularly noticeable at the start of the clip. The right side arm is very firm in comparison so possibly the irregularity of latching on the left is being caused by this slight wringing.

Interesting point on spring pressure having too much effect - wonder if compressing soft rubber would be worth a try.

Like David I'm thinking of reducing rod size but it's the small thread sizes involved if so that will make for weak rods - tougher steel required maybe?

Keep at it Simon - great work

Tug


PS - Should have said - much easier to see this movement on 'full screen'
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: deltatango on February 17, 2020, 09:52:47 AM
Hummm, 2.4 mm stainless TIG welding rods take a 7BA thread quite well - just tried it. Now "all" I need are the mechanical properties of said rods and some idea of the forces involved. Might have to wait for a long while before I can measure those...

David
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 17, 2020, 10:20:24 AM
Ramon,

Nothing is fixed yet - partly to identify binding issues, but you are right there's something going on with the left linkage that needs investigation.

Possibly I'm being nieve but I'm not sure where the big forces might come from - the eccentric to wrist plate rod is a large diameter because it is quite long and has to drive 4 linkages but in all the other rods I think the forces should be small so can't see where the problem would come from in using a smaller diameter rod.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on February 17, 2020, 11:31:54 AM
When you say 'nothing is fixed yet' Simon are you refering to the valve bonnets that locate to the cylinder? That's where I'm thinking you may find the reason for the left hand gear variation of engagement

As said when looking at it at fullscreen the left hand bonnet has a definite movement away from the valve gear as the claw engages whereas the right hand one is quite solid. Could it be that that movement is giving the variation in the claw engagement?

I wasn't referring to you reducing the size of the rods on your engine but those, as with David's thinking, on the Throp engine linkage.

Regards - Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 17, 2020, 12:47:10 PM
Ramon,

The bonnets are bolted to the cylinder block but there is a bushing inside the bonnet that locates the valve stem - that's not Loctite'd in yet nor is the arm locked to the valve stem.  But I think that movement that you've spotted is an indication of binding rather than free play - hopefully will get some time to investigate further this evening.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on February 17, 2020, 01:00:28 PM
Hi Simon,

I just ran this through a few more times at full screen. It's hard to tell if binding is the issue but if you focus at the small boss at the end of the valve arm you can see the sideways movement quite clearly. For the most part it moves in two distinct movements to left and up of the screen then for some reason seems to skip that movement and moves in one continous move. Having had this third look I can see the bonnet flange is motionless but theres a distinct sideways movement in that shaft/bearing as the valve moves

Be you can't wait to get home to find out eh :)

Spoke with Chris this morning - he's just finished another half size gem  :D

Regards - Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on February 21, 2020, 06:44:58 PM
Hi Simon,

You have done an outstanding job with the valves and linkage on this model.  The best I have seen.  I really like to see the trip mechanism work which is not common at this scale.  It is a credit to precision and workmanship in your model.

I think the smaller diameter linkage rods are much more accurate to the original engine.  The forces on the rods are small so strength should not be a problem with the smaller diameters.  John and I went a size larger on the rods than I would have liked because they would be easier for some model engineers.

Great work Simon, thanks for building this engine.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 21, 2020, 08:37:11 PM
Thanks Dennis for your kind words but it's a testament to your design skills that the trip mechanism works at all!

Last night I got the valve gear back together after polishing the slider rods and Loctiting the bushes in and it was working much better with consistent and equal trips left to right.  I started to use the crank to rotate the flywheel so I could get some speed up and was amazed to see the governor working properly to reduce the amount of valve opening and even stop them opening at all.  I was just thinking about setting up the camera for another video when the governor abruptly stopped spinning and it was clear it had seized solid, luckily I think without damage.  At the moment it's in quite a lot of bits whilst I fix what's gone wrong but hopefully it won't take long to sort.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: maury on February 21, 2020, 10:39:32 PM
Simon, I've been tuning now and then. I like the work you are doing, very nice machining.

I was wondering how you made the brass ball ends in the linkage, and put such a nice finish on them? I need to make a bunch of similar parts for the Dickkson catwalk rail. Wonder if you could show how you did it. I was thinking about buying balls, drilling them, and soldering them to a post, but yours look so much better.

maury
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Ramon Wilson on February 22, 2020, 08:23:39 AM
Good to hear you solved the issue Simon, hope the governor will soon be back in good order and running again - looking forwards to seeing it run  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:

Tug
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 22, 2020, 09:41:51 PM
Simon, I've been tuning now and then. I like the work you are doing, very nice machining.

I was wondering how you made the brass ball ends in the linkage, and put such a nice finish on them? I need to make a bunch of similar parts for the Dickkson catwalk rail. Wonder if you could show how you did it. I was thinking about buying balls, drilling them, and soldering them to a post, but yours look so much better.

maury

Maury,

The ball ends for the linkages are a complete cheat - purchased some balls from ebay, held in a collet in the lathe and drilled.  Piece of brass bar Loctitie'd into the ball, hold the bar in the dividing head to mill the flats and drill the central hole, then back in the lathe to drill and tap the end of the bar.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 23, 2020, 06:28:03 PM
All back together and working a lot better  :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHbaiJKtDtw

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: crueby on February 23, 2020, 06:44:30 PM
Beautifully done!  The sound is great too.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: cnr6400 on February 23, 2020, 07:42:57 PM
 :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

Who needs a clock when you have a well governed Corliss engine!
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on February 23, 2020, 08:28:52 PM
Thanks guys!  I'm actually planning to add an O ring to the inside of the dampers to cushion their closing and eliminate that knocking sound which is being amplified by the baseboard.

Simon
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: vcutajar on February 23, 2020, 09:37:45 PM
Impressive Simon.

Vince
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on February 28, 2020, 03:28:35 PM
Great Job Simon, Very well done.

Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on December 20, 2020, 04:41:41 PM
Not been a huge amount of progress this year for a number of reasons but I have picked up the cudgel recently and done some machining and some painting.  I was concerned that the cylinder block was going to look a bit bland and featureless so I machined a rebate and made up some dummy covers from plasti-card to be secured by some 12ba screws.

Simon.
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: jeff l on December 20, 2020, 05:02:15 PM
Beautiful !
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: Dennis on December 29, 2020, 04:42:37 PM
Hi Simon,
Glad to se you back to finishing up the Corliss.  The added detail on the cylinder looks really nice.  Well done!  The cylinder head detail is what I dreamed of mine looking like but didn't accomplish.  Some things are a lot easier to draw or model on the computer than to machine.

Stay well in the coming year and I will look forward to seeing more of the finishing detail on your model.
Dennis
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: steam guy willy on December 29, 2020, 05:13:24 PM
Hi Simon ,  looking good and there is no rush with this hobby of ours !!  and do racing car pistons really cost 5,000 £ each ??

Willy
Title: Re: Lane and Bodley 400hp Corliss
Post by: sco on December 29, 2020, 05:53:10 PM
Thanks for the comments guys.

Willy - don't know about the pistons but a lot of the gears are in that kind of price range.  With the cost cap coming we are having to learn some new ways of doing things but several times now when we have tried to make components cheaper by changing the design they have ended up more expensive!

Simon.
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