Author Topic: Chris's Build of Steering Engine  (Read 52216 times)

Offline Michael S.

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1110
  • Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #525 on: November 22, 2022, 06:11:32 PM »
wonderful Chris!

Your variant, the bearings of the crankshaft, to manufacture in this way is optimal. You can choose the exact height of the bearings. Do the bearings also get bronze bearing shells? On the original machine there is a different stack of thin brass sheets under each of the 4 bearings.
The bearings were not lubricated with drip oilers, but always with grease.

Michael

Offline cnr6400

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2729
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #526 on: November 22, 2022, 06:33:13 PM »
 :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
"I've cut that stock three times, and it's still too short!"

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18557
  • Rochester NY
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #527 on: November 22, 2022, 06:51:20 PM »
wonderful Chris!

Your variant, the bearings of the crankshaft, to manufacture in this way is optimal. You can choose the exact height of the bearings. Do the bearings also get bronze bearing shells? On the original machine there is a different stack of thin brass sheets under each of the 4 bearings.
The bearings were not lubricated with drip oilers, but always with grease.

Michael
I'm going to make the outer blocks from steel, they will have square bearings inside them with flanges on the outside to hold them in place. Each bearing will be a top and bottom half around the shaft.


Just measured the shaft and gear clearance, its within two thou of plan, so I don't need to change the plan dimensions.


 :cheers:

Offline Michael S.

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1110
  • Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #528 on: November 22, 2022, 07:24:37 PM »
good job 👍

 :cheers:

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18557
  • Rochester NY
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #529 on: November 23, 2022, 04:19:04 PM »
To triple-check the height of the crankshaft in the bearings before going to the work of making them, I turned a couple of short bits of rod and set the crankshaft on them in the engine, they gave a good mesh on the gears while turning so I am going with that measurement:

The bearing holders are between stock sizes (as always happens when scaling down an original engine rather than designing it as a model in the first place) so I took the next size up bar that I had, cut four lengths for the four holders, and trimmed them to length/width

They needed to be a little thinner too, that was most easily done on the lathe:

Then I marked out the openings for the bronze bearing blocks on each one to help keep track of which side to cut. The bearing blocks themselves will be split squares with flanges that slide down into these holders, and a flat cap goes on top.

Here is what they will look like:


Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18557
  • Rochester NY
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #530 on: November 23, 2022, 08:12:05 PM »
More done on the bearing holders this afternoon. Started out by milling in from the side to remove the bulk of the material from the openings:

Then set the blocks upright to mill the 3 inside faces. Did all of them with the same setup so each would come out the same - the slots in the engine bed were all finish milled in one pass per face in one setup as well, so my theory is that when set in place the blocks will all line up in a straight line down the inner faces. I have each block marked so the operations are done in the same orientation. The handwheel settings for the front and back faces were noted on the first one, and the same settings turned to for each of the other three.

Here they are all set in place on the engine bed (still need to drill/tap the screw holes in each one). They all fit in the same, just slide into place, so that is a good sign that the overall widths match up.

And with the crankshaft set into the openings. The bearings themselves will hold the shaft up at the middle height on the openings.

Next steps will be to drill/tap all the mounting holes.

Given that the sides of the teeth on the worm wheel are taller than the middle of the teeth, the wheel won't slide in from the side at the normal meshing distance, so I am thinking that the nuts holding the wall plate will need to be loosened to let the wall rise up slightly to be able to assemble the crankshaft, bearings, and worm wheel. Michael, did you have to assemble the walls after the crankshaft went in, or did the shims under the bearings let you lower the crankshaft slightly to assemble?  The left-hand tap/die set I need to re-make the indicator thread section of the upper shaft arrived today, so I will need to take the front wall off at least one more time anyway to get the upper shaft out for the re-work.

Thanks for looking in!

Offline Michael S.

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1110
  • Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #531 on: November 23, 2022, 09:10:06 PM »
The crankshaft was installed and set up first with its bearings. I had to set this up with the thin brass strips under the bronze bearings so that the shaft turns easily.
I still remember that the assembly of the side walls with gears and shafts first had to be put together and then came onto the machine base. Since it was already very heavy, I lifted it with a rope winch and put it on. The open holes at the foot of the rear stand are supposed to make assembly easier. So you push the stand from behind. But it didn't work out so well. It was easier with a cable crane.

Michael

Offline cnr6400

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2729
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #532 on: November 23, 2022, 09:13:02 PM »
 :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
"I've cut that stock three times, and it's still too short!"

Offline Michael S.

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1110
  • Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #533 on: November 23, 2022, 09:20:21 PM »
if you always milled the bearings in the same lineup, you might not have any problems with the crankshaft. A crankshaft with four bearings is certainly not easy to store so that it does not jam.
But you're making good progress.

 :cheers:

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18557
  • Rochester NY
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #534 on: November 23, 2022, 10:39:07 PM »
Good to know. In the original factory they probably had all sorts of jigs and holders to make it easy!

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18557
  • Rochester NY
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #535 on: November 24, 2022, 04:26:05 PM »
Lots of drilling and tapping this morning on the bearing holders. Drilled the holes through for mounting them and attaching the caps. Then threaded from bottom and top deep enough for the screws.

I added a set of threaded studs for the caps as well.

The bearings themselves are next...

Offline cnr6400

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2729
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #536 on: November 24, 2022, 05:01:13 PM »
I thought I heard a tapping noise... :Lol:
 :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
"I've cut that stock three times, and it's still too short!"

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18557
  • Rochester NY
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #537 on: November 24, 2022, 05:12:25 PM »
I thought I heard a tapping noise... :Lol:
 :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
That noise was me tapping the shop elves on the hard hats when they wouldn't stop tap dancing on the tapping fixture...   :facepalm2:

Offline Michael S.

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1110
  • Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #538 on: November 24, 2022, 09:04:25 PM »
Oh very good, it's getting more and more similar.
Oh and I wish you a happy holiday. I think it's Thanksgiving.
🍻

Michael

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18557
  • Rochester NY
Re: Chris's Build of Steering Engine
« Reply #539 on: November 24, 2022, 09:10:00 PM »
Thanks Michael,  yes its Thanksgiving holiday here today!

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal