Author Topic: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine  (Read 63903 times)

Offline scc

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #45 on: February 21, 2016, 04:55:59 PM »
While the tender was being constructed (this was helped by a big heavy former coming with the second engine) my gear blanks returned complete with teeth  :cartwheel:  the two blanks for the main bevel gears just fitted on the Atlas. All the others (2 sets) were on the Colchester and the big lathe at work. With the tender bolted on and some paint applied it was beginning to look ok.

Online Kim

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #46 on: February 21, 2016, 07:11:31 PM »
Terry,
This thing is huge.  Just simply amazing.  I love seeing the work you're doing on this.  And it looks like a LOT of work. Thank you for taking the time to post these pictures. Again, I'll just say this thing is a beast!
Kim

PS How will you move it when its done?  The thing must weigh a ton!

Offline scc

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #47 on: February 21, 2016, 08:11:36 PM »
Thank you for your encouraging comments Kim.  You may have seen in one of the photos that it is sat on a blue bench. This is fitted with 4 swivel castors. The plan :help: is to wheel it into the doorway having already taken the engine crane outside. The legs nearest the camera are removed once the bench end is hung on the crane :ShakeHead: This end is then lowered onto some blocks about 12ins high and some ramps added. The front of the engine is attached to a winch  fixed to the bench.  Simply lower down the slope on the handle :lolb:      Anyway that's the plan.            Terry

Online Kim

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #48 on: February 21, 2016, 09:03:19 PM »
Thanks Terry, its nice to know you have a plan.  Now I can stop worrying about it for you :)
Do you have an estimate of how much it will weigh when finished?  Its got go be pretty substantial!
Kim

Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #49 on: February 22, 2016, 12:24:36 AM »
I was wondering the same thing as Kim. Huge! How is it going to be moved?

Glad you have a plan. And I hope the word 'awry' does not come into play when you implement it.  ;D
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
"To work. To work."
Zee-Another Thread Trasher.

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #50 on: February 22, 2016, 01:03:18 AM »
Terry, unfortunately, if  you attach pictures you can't put text between them. To do that you have to host them on a remote site like photobucket and then put links after each blurb of text. Either was, I am enjoying following along as this monster progresses :)

Bill

Offline jadge

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #51 on: February 22, 2016, 10:46:51 AM »
I am building the same engine as Terry. I don't have an accurate value for the final weight, but I estimate a value of 1000lbs, or around half a ton.

Being awkward I cut all the teeth on my gears. I had to resort to using the rotary table for the final drive gears, as the blanks were too large to fit under the cutter in the vertical plane:



Fortunately the final drive gears have 72 teeth so the indexing is simple. I ended up cutting six final drive gears, as I'm making two engines and I also cut two gears for a friend who is making the same engine, and just happened to have his gear blanks ready at the right time. So that's 432 raisings and lowerings of the mill knee. It keeps you fit if nothing else.

Andrew
« Last Edit: August 27, 2017, 11:18:57 AM by jadge »

Offline scc

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #52 on: February 22, 2016, 09:21:16 PM »
Hi Andrew,  If only I'd known.........you might you might have been able to cut EIGHT final drive gears!   :thinking:   Nice to hear from you again.           Cheers,  Terry

Offline DTR

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #53 on: February 23, 2016, 09:32:24 AM »
What an amazing build! Watching with interest!
Dave

Offline jadge

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #54 on: February 23, 2016, 02:28:57 PM »
Terry has indicated that he is not averse to me making the odd post in his build thread. I mentioned that I'd post something on making my connecting rods, so here goes.

I started with a large lump of hot rolled steel. For historical reasons I have a lot of hot rolled steel. I rather like it, although it is a bit 'sticky' and needs a bit more thought to get a good finish. Since it is rolled hot it doesn't distort when machined, and seems less prone to rust than EN1A. First job was to rough out to the correct thickness plus about 10 thou. Here is an apposite picture given the recent mention of side and face cutters in another thread:



After roughing to thickness, two slices of the correct width, plus a bit, were cut. I used a slitting saw to separate the slices in two cuts each 3/8" deep (no point in faffing around), one from each side. After some tidying up the tapered part and the internal radii were done using a hydraulic copy unit. I'm always keen to try out new toys!



Note that the tool at the rear is upside down, so the lathe runs in the normal direction and all feed directions are familiar, ie, less chance of an operator foul up. Here is the slot for the bearing adjuster being cut, using a side and face cutter and done in one pass:



I had an issue drilling the through holes for the custom bolts that hold the connecting rod and strap together. Here is the setup:



Rather than use the big end bearings to set the position of the strap there are some gauge blocks held in place, and just visible. In general it is not a good idea to rely on holding two parts together in a machine vice. However, both the connecting rod and strap have been surface ground to thickness, so they are within a tenth or so of each other.  Drilling one connecting rod went well, on the second one I had a wobbly and broke the drill in one of the holes.  :'( I spent ages trying to drill it out with carbide drills and slot drills. Finally I took the connecting rod out of the vice to discover that the broken end of the drill was sticking out from the work. Using the bench vice it came out easy peasy. Fortunately no damage was done and the holes were still lined up.

The method of soft soldering bearing halves together before machining the centre hole has never worked for me. Instead I made an aluminium jig where the slot for the bearing halves is precisely located in the centre of the outer circle. So if the jig is indicated true in the chuck then the hole will be drilled and bored dead centre in the bearings:



Here are the final connecting rods:



Everything was home made except for the 2BA nuts. The rounded and tapered top of the bearing adjuster was done on the CNC mill. On the other hand the rounding of the little end was done by hand using sacrificial filing buttons. The little end bearings are hardened silver steel.

Andrew
« Last Edit: August 27, 2017, 11:25:52 AM by jadge »

Online Kim

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #55 on: February 23, 2016, 03:46:38 PM »
Hi Andrew,
Nice con rods.  I'm sorry about the broken drill bit.  I certainly feel your pain there.  While I'm very sorry it happened to you, its nice to hear I'm not the only one who's broken off dirll bits!  :-\

Interesting to see that large gear being cut too!

You should seriously consider starting your own build thread!  I'd love to see your progress too.  Don't be deterred let the fact that there's another similar build going on at the same time.  That simply makes it more interesting! Then we can see how two different people attack the same problem, and see each person's techniques.

Thanks,
Kim

Offline jadge

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #56 on: February 24, 2016, 11:15:31 AM »
You should seriously consider starting your own build thread!  I'd love to see your progress too.  Don't be deterred let the fact that there's another similar build going on at the same time.  That simply makes it more interesting! Then we can see how two different people attack the same problem, and see each person's techniques.

Kim: I do have my own thread on this forum, although it's not intended to be a full build thread. Maybe I should add more to it on some of the more interesting parts I have already made?

http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,5008.0.html

I run a detailed build thread on the TractionTalk forum, although I believe that one needs to be a member of that forum to view any of the threads.

As for broken drills it happens. I'm an expert at producing scrap!

Andrew

Online Jo

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #57 on: February 24, 2016, 12:00:25 PM »
I run a detailed build thread on the TractionTalk forum, although I believe that one needs to be a member of that forum to view any of the threads.

I am a member over there but not very good at remembering to go and have a look at what is going on :embarassed:

Can you believe there are others who spend more time surfing the web than they spend in their workshops  :lolb:

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Jasonb

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #58 on: February 24, 2016, 12:42:24 PM »
I am a member over there but not very good at remembering to go and have a look at what is going on :embarassed:

Just as well you have someone to let you know when a post that may be of interest crops up ;)

Quote
Can you believe there are others who spend more time surfing the web than they spend in their workshops  :lolb:

Whats even harder to believe is that they can make as many complete and working engines as well. I suspect that when they are in their workshops they spend their time using the machines not just stroking them :LittleDevil:

I enjoy Andrews posts where ever they may be and have leart a few things from them and also enjoying quietly following this one along.

J

Online Kim

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Re: 4"Burrell single crank compound traction engine
« Reply #59 on: February 25, 2016, 07:07:47 AM »
Yes, I remember your thread now Andrew!  Just didn't connect it to you.  Sorry, I can have a hard time keeping projects mapped to people.  I apologize for that.  Still, in spite of my poor memory, these are very impressive projects that you and Terry are working on!

I'll have to see if I can find you on the TractionTalk forum.  I think I joined that to pickup some info on riveting a while back! :)
Kim

 

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