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Elmer's #15 - Fancy

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arnoldb:
This will be a slightly edited re-post of the second engine I built; Elmer Verburg's #15 - Fancy.

When I started building this engine exactly three years ago to this weekend, I was a very raw beginner with only a lathe and drill press, and a bare minimum of tools.

It took me three weeks and a lot of hard work to finish back then.  Given the shop-load of tooling I have acquired since then, I could most likely build this same engine to the same sort of finishes in a single day or two, but it would not feel the same, and I wouldn't learn nearly as much as I did back then.  This little engine still occupies a prized position in my little collection, as well as in my heart.

Many of the people who inspired, helped and just plain egged me on during the original build are members here on MEM - I still can not thank you gents enough. 

We all have to start somewhere  :) 

25 July 2009:
I started on Elmer's Fancy, and will build as close to original plans as possible, but to the highest finish I can.
Deviation from the original build plans will be to make shafts, holes and screws to the closest metric equivalents, I'll be using aluminium for the column and might "personalise" the flywheel.

Started with the column - turned the bottom dowel, turned space for the decorative foot, and turned the rest down to 5/8" up to the chuck as suggested by Elmer. Then laid out for the rest of the detail:


Part-way through turning the detail:

Nearly made a boo-boo on the taper bit; calculated the angle at which to set the topslide from Elmer's dimensions (nice doing trigonometry for a change), but forgot to halve it! Fortunately I realised this in time, as the initial cut angle just looked wrong.

This is where I stopped:


To turn the round part at the foot, I just took a piece of 6mm silver steel, drilled a 4mm hole through it at a slight angle; then used the bench grinder to grind it to shape to make a form tool. Then heat treated it and a final couple of pushes over the oilstone & it worked a treat - forgot to take a picture though.

Wanted to carry on that day, but had to stop due to severe chatter & cold feet - not on the project, but on my body - It was terribly cold here in Windhoek that day and my workshop's not very warm ;D

ksouers:
Ah, another arnold build!

I'm in.
Where's the popcorn?


Kevin

dsquire:
Arnold

Ah yes, I remember that scrawny kid from Namibia. He hardly knew how to turn the lathe on much less make a model engine. He sure has came a long way in those 3 short years and is sure turning out some beautiful pieces.

I've seen it before Arnold but I have the popcorn out and the easy chair so I'll be watching over your shoulder to refresh my mind with what I saw the first time.

Kevin

I've got plenty of popcorn but you'll have to reach for it. haha

Cheers  :)

Don
 

arnoldb:
Thanks Kevin  :) - you won't need as much popcorn this time around  :P
Don, thank you; I take that as a huge compliment  :), but a LOT of credit goes to you and many others who selflessly helped me along the way and shared your knowledge freely so that a beginner like me could benefit from it.  I just had to do a bit of machining along the way  :-[

26 July 2009
Did some more work on the column that day.

I didn't want to spoil the finish on the column, so clamped it with paper as protection in the vise, and set about milling the flats using the vertical slide on the Myford:


Flats finished, drilled & reamed holes for the main bearing and pivot shaft. I din't have a 3mm reamer yet, so made a d-bit reamer from some 3mm piano wire for the pivot hole:


Next up I made the drill-jig and spacer bush, then drilled the ports; just clamped the myford's machine vice in the cross-vice on the drill press & went for it:


Then, with the machine vice still in the drill press cross vice, I rotated the column 90 deg in the machine vice and cross-drilled the hole for the steam connection.
After that, the machine vice went back to the vertical slide on the Myford, column turned another 90 deg, and milled the flywheel clearance on the foot of the column, as well as drilled out the spring clearance for the pivot shaft. I found a spring that I hoped will work.
Ended there that evening: column complete (except for base), and special bits & bobs needed to get to this stage.


Regards, Arnold

lazylathe:
Cool!!!
I remember reading through this one a while ago...

To think that this was your first engine and then fast forward a short three years...
WOW, you have come so far Arnold!
It gives me some hope!!! ;D

Chair and popcorn are ready!!

Andrew

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