Chris's Holly Pumping Engine Build

[cnr6400]

 

[ddmckee54]

Chris:

You been buying the bolts for this project by the gross, the pound, or the ton?

Don

[crueby]

Chris:

You been buying the bolts for this project by the gross, the pound, or the ton?

Don

By the elf-load!
The size I use most is 2-56, some up to 5-40 and down to 0-80. The stainless hex head ones started getting hard to find a couple years ago so I tried to stock up whenever I saw them at a reasonable price. American Model Engineering sells all sizes, but is pricey and theirs are usually not fully threaded shanks, been able to find most sizes elsewhere. I did find a seller that had the 2-56x1/4" that I use most in a 10,000 count box, so have a lifetime supply of those! McMaster-Carr, Fastener Express, and MicroFasteners are my other usual sources, prices vary a lot so which I buy from does too - usually get several hundred at a time, have a stack of those plastic compartment boxes loaded up with all the sizes. Buying them by the hundred is a whole lot cheaper than by the dozen or each, way way cheaper! Wish I could find more in bulk to stock up, even buying 100 at a time gets pricey just in shipping cost. Also get the 'small-pattern' nuts when I can, they look better on models than the standard ones. Also use the long threaded rod for really long bolts.

[crueby]

More shoe-making for the engine frames....

With the foot blocks all tapered on the sides, next up was to cut in the flats on the ends where the mounting bolts to the engine beds will go. Same height but different width at each end. They will be notched in the center later.


Here is a pair showing the flats cut in on right, before version on left.


The ends get a shallow angle at the ends, goes to 1/8" above the base.

Here is where all the feet are so far, with next step sketched in to show how the flats get connected to the rails in a curve.

I've started in on those cuts, using the rotary table. The assembled frames and feet are clamped down, I worked out positions on the clamps and a bolt to act as stops that the frame sits against to cut the inside curve - with this setup I can put each frame in and clamp it down in the same position which speeds up the work a lot.

Closer look at the cut

and first frame with inside corners cut on the foot blocks

Five more frame for that step, then will work out a similar setup for the curves on the outside corners of the feet. The frames should be dancing in no time!

[RReid]

The frames should be dancing in no time!

As long as they do their dancing now and not while the engine is running! Looking great, as always.

[cnr6400]

 

The ancient saying "one man's feet are another man's 304.8 millimetres" comes to mind......

Just kidding. Lots of shaping to get those just so. Looking great!

[crueby]

Got the other sides of the feet curved in as well



leaving a nice batch of almost-complete elf-boots



Down to the last couple of steps - milled in the slots to separate the bosses for the mounting bolts



and then started drilling the bolt holes



First ones test fit to make sure the spacing is right both within each pad, and also between the two. Looks good, so can start on the rest of the pile.



Just had to set up the first two frames for a look, and also set the cylinder liner up about where the LP cylinder will go - it will be up on the cylinder base, so even taller.



Turned around, and the shop elves had claimed it as thier new club house!



This afternoon I'll continue drilling the rest of the pad feet, then can decide what to do next - still a lot to do on the frames, adding in the mounting pads for the lay shaft and cylinder bases, also a bunch of catwalk bracket pads, and thinning the width of the frames to final dimension. Oh, and the inside-corner curved bits too…

[steam guy willy]

Wow ..looking really good  and the photos are also clear and sharp , so getting there slowly !!

Willy

[crueby]

Wow ..looking really good  and the photos are also clear and sharp , so getting there slowly !!

Willy

Thanks Willy - long way to go yet on the frames, but every stage it goes through really changes the look!
 

[Admiral_dk]

Not only are you showing the current state of affairs on this amazing build - but all around the walls are other fantastic builds you have shared with us 

For some reason the Shay are one of my favourites - maybe because it was your first here, and that it was posted in a period of not much other activity 

Per

[crueby]

Not only are you showing the current state of affairs on this amazing build - but all around the walls are other fantastic builds you have shared with us 

For some reason the Shay are one of my favourites - maybe because it was your first here, and that it was posted in a period of not much other activity 

Per

Hi Per,


The Shay was the first big project I did in machining, had done a couple of clocks and small engines. I had a couple of the Kozo books for years, and after retirement I decided to give it a try, learned an awful lot from that build!  Now most of the projects seem to be big ones.
 

[crueby]

After some nice reading time out on the front porch, got the rest of the mounting holes drilled in the engine frame feet and they are all assembled and bolted to the engine beds.   

[cnr6400]

 

[crueby]

I worked out the blocks to inlay into the sides of the frame near the middle bar, where there are a couple bracket mounting points for the lay shaft catwalk. There is also a round boss that appears to be used as a lifting point when moving the frames into position (the real ones are close to 20 feet tall). I could have made these features as part of the side rails, but then would have had to mill away a lot of extra material for a couple small protrusions to be left. So, I am starting with some 1/4" x 1/2" bar stock, milling them to shape, and then will mill a shallow recess for them to fit into - will be held with small screws and loctite for good measure.
Here is what the inlays will look like:



To start, cut/milled the blanks to length and then milled an angled step into a piece of aluminum (actually the angled bar for the frame jig) so each of the twelve bars could be held at a repeatable height and angle. The angle matches the angle of the side rails from vertical. With each held one at a time, ran an end mill in and around to form the angled ramp at the bottom, leaving the bracket boss sticking up. The round boss will be drilled/added as a seperate piece.

Then clamped each piece vertically and ran the end mill down the face to form the curved section near the top

which left a little spike between the two, removed with another pass with small mill cutter

and then took the narrow boss down to final height

Next time I'll lay out and start drilling the holes....

[crueby]

Moving on with the side blocks, got the holes drilled for the round posts, and spot drilled the locations for all the screw holes on the mill. Then used the little Proxxon drill press to drill the screw holes - much faster on that for 1-72 tap size than the mill, that small a hole needs backing out for chips a couple times.

Also turned up a bunch of tube segments on the lathe for the posts...

Then set up the frame fixture again to start milling the slots for the side blocks:

closer view

and the first side block fitted in

The side blocks will be held with two screws and loctite.