Model Engine Maker
Engines => Your Own Design => Topic started by: Craig DeShong on December 08, 2020, 07:31:46 PM
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Yep, I am. My friend Bill Hazzard told me I haven’t built a 2nd generation Otto & Langen model yet; so of course, that was all the impetus I needed to commence the design and build. He suggested I model this engine.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XJDbj1vm/990.jpg)
and after reviewing my photos of 2nd generation engine versions (they were built by the home German firm: Gasmotoren-Fabrik Deutz, but also under patent license by- Crossley Brothers: a Brittish firm, Schenck & Co.: a Belgium firm, Langen & Wolf: an Austrian firm, and Sarazin/Panhard: a French firm) the above engine (a 2 HP engine in Oslo, Norway) seemed a reasonable choice.
I don’t have any detailed elevation drawings or measurements of this engine so I won’t be able to claim I’m building an exact scale model; still I have enough detail photos so the model should pass approval with all but the most rigorous of scrutiny.
The CAD design has been progressing steadily since early November (it’s taking a while to design this one). With the cold weather outside I’m in no hurry to finish the design. I have already procured those items that I’ll need that might be hard to locate at the size I need them; specifically the honed cylinder and the flywheels.
Just so you can see where I’m going with this design I’ll include a few elevation pictures from my Alibre software. (If I were willing to spring for the Expert version of the software I could give you some keyshots that are supposed to look very ‘real’; but for a modeler, I can’t justify the additional charge).
(https://i.postimg.cc/RZzzZHMS/Final-Assembly-1.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/JhF8md0g/Final-Assembly-2.jpg)
I still have the governor and slide valve to design/draw but other than that, the design, for the most part, is complete. I expect construction to start around the first of the year but it may be slow going if the cold weather really sets in.
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Hi Craig, good idea. I will following along.
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8)
Maybe we all need to keep our eye open for any more in the collection you haven't made a model of yet :naughty:
Jo
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How about full scale Craig?
Picture of a full scale replica of an Otto, Langen and Roosen 1871 engine.
Built by a couple of good friends of mine several years ago.
Cheers Graham.
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Achim: thanks for the encouragement.
Jo: I'll take all the help I can get!
Graham: Full size? !! A bit beyond my machine shop capability, and WAY beyond my budget. Also, who would want deal with all that weight? I fell down the back porch stairs last Summer, carrying my 1st gen. engine (well, more like I thought I was on the ground when I had one more step to go). As I teetered, way out of balance, I remember distinctly thinking "This has the potential to end poorly"... with a 60 lb. cast iron model in my arms.
Fortunately, I ended up just sitting down on the steps with the model in my lap. Other than an abrasion on my arm and a lump on my noggin (where the flywheel cracked me in the head) there was no lasting damage to either me or the model.
So.... That's all the weight I'm willing to deal with. :ThumbsUp:
Think I'll stick to the models. (Wouldn't a full size be a gas though?)
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Hi Craig.
I do agree and as we get older these toys seem to get much heavier by the year....
I was showing what can happen when you put a great machinist and a patternmaker/foundryman together in a room for a few months.
Their biggest challenge was the cylinder bore, Dave designed a special " line borer " to do the job.
Cheers Graham.
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Always fun to watch these projects come together, looking forward to this one as well!
Dave
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I am also interested Craig should be enjoyable to tag along and see how this engine materializes. ...
:popcorn:
Don
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Thanks for the interest, this project ought to be quite fun.
I’ve volunteered for duty (in other words, I’m spending considerable hours and not getting paid) as videographer and audio/video music editor for our church. We are offering online services only, so there is lots of work involved to deliver a meaningful service every week. There are lots of people involved in this and I’ve sat back and watched long enough. O:-)
That is really my first priority now-a-days, so I haven’t been pushing myself to spend long hours at the computer, but I have finished the design since I last posted. :ThumbsUp:
A few things really caught my interest with this model and helped me make the decision to build this particular engine. One is the “stabilizer bar”, anchored to the column and used as a fulcrum for the pawl release mechanism. Most of these Otto Langen designs have an extended table where the fulcrum just attaches to the table top. This design uses this, kind-of, floating fulcrum. I have photos of several engines that use this feature; they all appear to be Deutz built engines.
(https://i.postimg.cc/gkZt5P7P/Final-Assembly-1.jpg)
I was also attracted to the position of the flyball governor; having it mounted at the rear of the table as opposed to hanging it off the side of the table as is usually done.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HLB65Wrb/Final-Assembly-2.jpg)
This version of engine also has an overcharge compensation system; the two springs that you can see hanging down under the table top. This is going to get interesting if I over charge this model, and the table starts jumping up off the column.
With the design complete, I’m using my Alibre software to make drawings (prints) of all the component parts so I have something to take out to the shop and start making parts.
I’m also raiding the piggy bank, :embarassed: trying to scrape up the funds to purchase the aluminum for the base and column. Other than the flywheels (which I’ve already purchased) and these sizeable chunks of aluminum, there are only a few other remaining “big ticket” items I’ll need to purchase.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Px09pf72/Final-Assembly-3.jpg)
I expect construction will begin around Christmas or after the first of the year.
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Quite an interesting design! Were these engines used for a particular purpose, or were they a general-purpose engine?
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Very nice Craig!
What size flywheels will you be using?
Looking forward to following along!
:popcorn:
John
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Thanks for stopping by.
Chris; the particular engine I’m modeling is a 2 HP engine. This is one of the larger-ones produced; I understand that Otto built a few 3 HP models, but these things really pounded their mounts when they were put to work. Not many 3 HP were made. This is a stationary engine of course. I suspect it might drive a line shaft and a few lathes, looms, whatever equipment a factory might have employed.
John. The flywheels are a bit over 13 inches in diameter. These Otto Langens characteristically have large diameter flywheels with slim rims. Since most castings you find are for thicker rims, I purchase a 15 inch flywheel, and then reduce the diameter to the 13+ inches so it looks correctly on the model.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Just before Christmas I bought myself a Christmas present; a new PC. My old tower; with a standard video card and 6 Gig of main memory was having a hard time running the current version of my Alibre design software. I was running Version 18 with no trouble for several years but apparently with Version 21 they switched to some new libraries that were putting a huge strain on my hardware. :killcomputer: Now the current version is V22. I got on the user forums and poked around and everyone was saying that for hardware you need a “gaming” computer. It figures since the software is graphics intensive. So for Christmas I bought a new Dell; a “gaming” PC with an NVIDIA gaming card with a gaggle of on board-processors and 6 GIG of memory on the video card alone. :atcomputer: This new machine runs my Alibre software like a “scalded dog” so I'm back in business, design wise. With the help of this new machine I finished the model design without any more headaches.
It's time to start construction on this thing... I've dawdled long enough. If I start construction today, then I can truthfully say that I started building the model in 2020. :cheers:
I have all the materials for the column and clutch and for probably a few more of the smaller parts were I to thoroughly check the inventory. This should be enough, baring any foolish errors, to keep be busy for a while.
While the column of this engine on the full size was cast as one piece; in my design, I've used three separate pieces. This was not only for economy but also for ease of construction.
There are any number of sequences where construction could start; I'll start on the bottom of the column and work my way up. Here you see I've chucked a 7 ½ inch diameter piece of aluminum in the lathe and I'm facing it off.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SxJqjWHv/20201231-114459.jpg)
Once that's was complete, I reversed the piece in the lathe chuck and faced the other side, reducing the thickness of this piece to the required 1.4 inch thickness.
(https://i.postimg.cc/G3K1Q7Cf/20201231-121256.jpg)
The center needs bored out to receive the bottom of the column with inserted sleeve. Here I'm just making a hole, making room for my boring bar.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FRv2bcnm/20201231-122452.jpg)
and with some working room, I'm beginning the boring operation.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XqJ1xgKM/20201231-133242.jpg)
With the thorough hole established I'm making a shoulder on which a flange on the lower column cylinder will rest.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9X8n0vVc/20201231-143219.jpg)
Having finished the shoulder I've moved to forming the outside of the base. This is just cosmetic work; trying to make this chunk of aluminum resemble a casting. (I can hear Jo now.... “If you used castings you wouldn't have this work to do”) :old:. Jo, I agree, but then if I used castings I'd have ornery elephant to deal with :pinkelephant:.... oh wait, that's YOUR problem. :lolb:
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZRYwKLM9/20201231-144621.jpg)
In the photo below I've met one of my exterior dimensions. The next few steps will be more “art” than machine work; attempting to cut some gentle curves into these outside edges in order that they resemble the full size base of the engine.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Y0h8QCkM/20201231-152300.jpg)
This seems to be a good stopping place for today; outdoor temperature willing, I'll continue tomorrow.
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Having finished the shoulder I've moved to forming the outside of the base. This is just cosmetic work; trying to make this chunk of aluminum resemble a casting. (I can hear Jo now.... “If you used castings you wouldn't have this work to do”) :old:. Jo, I agree, but then if I used castings I'd have ornery elephant to deal with :pinkelephant:.... oh wait, that's YOUR problem. :lolb:
Sadly most of the Foundries are not currently running :wallbang: so currently hacking out of bar stock is the only option :-\
Surus is not bad tempered :o he is just "protective" of his castings - think of his reaction a bit like how you would react if you found your other half rooting around in your workshop ::) - like all fellas there are ways of getting round him :embarassed:
Jo
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I was going to offer some 3" diameter 6061 rod for the column as I have a 3' long stick, but it looks as if the column is a larger diameter.
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Jo: I hope that doesn't hold true for here in the USA. I'm expecting Martin Models to deliver my flywheels by February-March, any delay much past that and this project is going to go on “hold” till I get them; and... yes; my lovely wife, shortly after I built my shop, started using it as her personal storage space. I'd step in the door, and there would be a pile of crap, piled just in the doorway. We had a “discussion” about it and it hasn't happened since. She's is a reasonable girl once you describe the problem from your side of the issue.
Kirk; again, thanks for another offer. The thinnest diameter of the column is 3 ½ inches so I would have declined; but I would have declined anyway. Can't take something from you that is so easily obtainable with merely the outlay of a little cash. Interestingly, I got my honed cylinder for this model from CRC Distribution Inc. in Alabama. This is the same product I bought for the 3rd Gen Otto Langen I finished this fall but the quote came out at half the price I paid for the one for the 3rd Gen. It DOES pay to shop around.
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These engines have some fascinating mechanisms :) :) I will be following along :ThumbsUp: :wine1:
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Thanks for stopping by to comment Roger, nice to have you aboard. Thanks also for those who just stop by to see the goings-on.
Yesterday was a nasty, drizzly day; so I didn't make it out to the shop. Today, however was warmer and a bit brighter so I spent a few hours finishing the profile of the base for the engine. As I said up thread, this was cosmetic work, trying to make this chunk of aluminum look like the base on the full size.
After much profiling and blending, filing and the sanding; I managed to get the profile to look as shown in the photo below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sfJwZWHC/20210102-132629.jpg)
A bit more fine sanding and I'm pretty happy with the result.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FzFbxPC5/20210102-134053.jpg)
The next steps will be drilling the various required holes and then cutting out a pie shaped slice where the valve body will eventually reside.
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Beautiful turning on the base! Love watching these engines come together, the styling on them is classic.
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Thanks for the complement Chris, glad to have you along during the build. Thanks also for all of you who silently stop by to see the latest installment.
A dreary day today, but warm enough to squeeze in a little shop time. My goal was to finish the base and I managed to accomplish that task.
I have the base mounted on my rotary table; I didn't really need the rotary table for the next few steps but my using it will be apparent if you follow along to the end of this post. Here I've drilled the four holes through the base that will be used to mount the engine to a platform (I've yet to build). You see the progress just after I've milled a recess into the base over these holes so the mounting bolts have a flat surface to be drawn up against.
(https://i.postimg.cc/zvpCjwCM/20210103-113924.jpg)
The next task was to drill the through holes used for bolts that will a-fix the lower column to this base. Once that was accomplished, I drilled and tapped a hole that will be used to mount the bearing for the push rod that actuates the ignition switch. This push rod will be actuated by the movement of the slide valve in the valve body as in the other Otto Langen engines I've built; all these parts have yet to be made.
(https://i.postimg.cc/vBrkGjyV/20210103-120641.jpg)
Now I finally get to the need for the turntable. I needed to cut this pie shaped wedge into the base so that the valve mechanism can be a-fixed to the lower column. I did all this work on the turntable so that with one setup, all the work could be accomplished. Thus I assure myself that this wedge is “true” to the mounting holes.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1RYs5sCQ/20210103-122918.jpg)
After a bit of clean-up work, the base is complete. I'll set it aside and start work on the lower column next.
(https://i.postimg.cc/P5c5DLwM/20210103-130512.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by to see the latest progress.
I purchased a 4 inch diameter piece of aluminum in which to make the lower column. Since the lower column has a 4 inch diameter I didn't have any extra diameter I could use to center the column and then turn the column around around that center. I located the center carefully and I appear to have missed the exact center by less than .010 inches; good enough.
The next task was to face this piece of aluminum and set it's height to eight inches. Below is a rather bizarre setup for facing the lower column, but I don't need to face it all the way through to the center since that will be cut out when I bore the column for the sleeve insert.
The photo below shows the setup.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nL6XX2zQ/20210106-154103.jpg)
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Looks like you are rather productive -> nice progress :cheers:
I can't say that I have any questions, but I do enjoy reading and seeing the pictures of builds. That this is a very historical engine even if it wasn't the most usable this early in the developement of the IC engine.
Per
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Thanks for your interest Per; your (and others) comments are always appreciated. You are correct in stating that these Otto Langen engines had limited applications and had a relatively short useful life span; once the 4-stroke engines were offered, the termination in production of the Otto Langen type engines was cast. Still, I've had pleasure in building the few I've made and I'm hoping this one will follow likewise.
Thanks also for those of you who merely stop by to see the latest developments/progress.
On with the build.
A good friend, a retired tool and die maker, states that he can spend half his time making 'fixtures' to facilitate the machining operations he performs. I can't say I spend that much time on fixtures but in this case, one is required. I'm contemplating boring and profiling the column and I'll need some support out on the end away from the lathe chuck. I can't use a tail stock center because I need to bore the column.
Once again I'll be using my steady rest to support the outboard end of the column. Unfortunately, my steady rest will not accommodate the diameter of the column, so a fixture to assist the machining operations is required.
I've spent the better part of the day fabricating a fixture to help me bore and the form the outside profile of this column. Below is a photo of the completed fixture.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZnGb4pVp/20210107-132526.jpg)
Below I give you a photo of the column,mounted in the lathe chuck. As you should see, the column is way too long to expect stability during a boring operation, let alone allow exterior machining operations on the column.
(https://i.postimg.cc/fL3kszM4/20210107-132537.jpg)
The following two photos show this 'fixture' applied to the end of the column with the steady rest in place.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SNGSw2c2/20210107-133025.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/d1Mc7w8c/20210107-133033.jpg)
The next operation will be boring the column to accept the cylinder sleeve.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Lots of progress over the last two days; through it doesn't look that way. Boring out these columns is a lllllooooonnnnnggggg drawn out process. I've drilled the column all the way through; actually from both ends- meeting at the center. I'll bore the column from both ends also. Now I'm boring to a depth of 5 inches; the long bore. Once I get this done; I'll turn the piece around and bore the other end a mere 3 inches to meet.
As I already stated, the long bore doesn’t need to be exact. I only need clearance for the cylinder insert to pass through. On the the opposite side from this side (the one with the three inch bore) I'll need to hit a specific measurement in order to press in the column and have a good tight fit at the bottom of the cylinder sleeve.
(https://i.postimg.cc/y6js5ygg/20210109-131616.jpg)
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Craig,
Just wanted to drop you a line so you know I'm following along, by the way how long is that bore that you need to work from both ends?
Art
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"Thanks also for those of you who merely stop by to see the latest developments/progress."
:ThumbsUp: :popcorn:
:o
John
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Thanks for stopping by.
Art: the bore on the lower column is eight inches thru. five on the upper which will be next after I complete this lower column.
John. Thanks for your comment and to know you're aboard. I too silently stop by many threads without often making comment.
Another boring day (ok- that was funny huh HUH???)
I managed to make it thru the one side to the final diameter.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Dfcx1zNT/20210110-145514.jpg)
Now, turning the piece around In the lathe and repeating again... kinda, sorta.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yYtcR47K/20210110-153047.jpg)
I'll need to hit a specific diameter on this side since it takes a press fit to the cylinder sleeve.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Another busy day was spent boring out the lower column
(https://i.postimg.cc/gjVZmZNs/20210111-154531.jpg)
and by the end of the day I managed to complete all the interior work on this part. I still have some external work to perform on this piece, but I'm going to set it aside temporarily and perform the boring on the upper column. This column is only 4 1/2 inches in length, so I'm thinking I probably won't need the steady rest any longer.
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Thanks for stopping by.
This is the fourth one of these Otto Langen models I've built, and I keep forgetting what an ordeal it is to bore out the column. I could purchase aluminum tubing, but the price is even higher than the solid; still if I build another of these I might just spring for the extra expense just to eliminate some of the tedium.
I put in a long day at the lathe today and got the majority of the work completed in boring out the upper column. Below is a photo when I was just getting started.
(https://i.postimg.cc/5yQv8XjT/20210112-143557.jpg)
And below is a photo after I'd finished the one side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pd7KrQLz/20210112-151654.jpg)
I was originally planning on just boring this upper column through; it's only 4 ¼ inches in height but I need a good resistance fit against the liner at the top and I was concerned with controlling the diameter of the bore out at the end of the cut with no real way to measure it's diameter there. As I have stated above, the cylinder liner doesn't need to fit the column snugly, in fact the full size has a water jacket between the liner and the outside casting. I'm not providing for a water jacket with the model.
Next I'll turn this piece around in the lathe and finish the bore. I only have less than an inch to go in depth to meet the bore from this other side and I should be able to get an accurate diameter I can measure.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Work continued on the column today. First on the agenda was to turn the upper column member around and finish the bore from the top side. I needed to hit an exact measurement with this because the cylinder sleeve needs to fit snugly so it isn't prone to wobbling around at the base of the table top. Here I'm just getting started on the bore.
(https://i.postimg.cc/qvmx21nY/20210114-094413.jpg)
Once that was complete, I had some external work to do on the lower and upper column members. I did these in what we might consider “out of sequence” but there was a method to my madness. In all cases I wanted to support the cylinder out on the tailstock end of the work and this required making a plug that fit into the bored cylinder with a center drilled hole on the outside for the tailstock live center on the lathe. By choosing the largest diameter to work first, and then working on down to the smallest, I was able to use only one piece of material which was discarded after all the work was complete.
Here I'm shaping a flair on the top end of the bottom column member. This flair gives a little decoration where the lower column and upper column join.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FsrSGj9Q/20210114-111734.jpg)
Next, since the stock I used for the upper column was ¼ inch larger in diameter than what the drawings call for, I turned the upper column to the required diameter.
(https://i.postimg.cc/hjnvvBvq/20210114-125022.jpg)
Next I placed a small shoulder on the bottom of the upper column so it fits into a recess in the top of the lower column. This will keep the two members aligned during and after assembly.
(https://i.postimg.cc/DzPFCbvt/20210114-125511.jpg)
Lastly, I formed a shoulder in the bottom of the lower column. This shoulder fits into the recess in the column base.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MZQw44p7/20210114-132926.jpg)
With all the lathe work complete for the column I did a “mock” assembly to see how everything fit. Looks good so far. I have a few holes to drill in the upper column and then I can set these parts aside and continue to do the required machining on the cylinder sleeve.
(https://i.postimg.cc/jSqGsktk/20210114-134131.jpg)
Today UPS delivered my flywheels and a small curved spoke flywheel I'll use as the basis for a pully. All these from Martin Models. 65 lbs. Shipping. The castings are just gorgeous :cartwheel:.... almost to nice to put a tool to. :embarassed: (Jo: hide this post or Surus will want a duplicate set :Lol:). I'll be removing almost all of the outer rim to get these castings to resemble the thin rimmed Otto Langen flywheels.
(https://i.postimg.cc/prt63ssC/20210114-142819.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.
The afternoon was spent doing some machining on the Cylinder insert. I designed the insert so it is just slightly shorter than the column. The thought is that when the bolts at the bottom and top of the column are drawn up, this should lock the upper and lower column members in place. I also have a light press fit at the very top of the column and a stiffer press fit at the bottom, since at the bottom I need a good air-tight fit.
First I faced off both column ends. Again I used my steady rest to assist in this operation.
(https://i.postimg.cc/D0Xwq2Ln/20210116-153328.jpg)
With the column machined to the correct length, I reduced the diameter of the bottom of the column where I need a tight press fit.
(https://i.postimg.cc/3w8FrwDy/20210116-164422.jpg)
I need to drill/tap four holes at 0,90,180,and 270 degrees in the bottom lip and top lip of this cylinder liner. These tapped holes need to be aligned to the holes in the column base. I was thinking of drilling/tapping these holes before I press the liner into the column but I can't think of any good way to, once the holes are drilled, assuring that they will be aligned and remained aligned during the press operation. I'm going to wait till I have the sleeve pressed into the column before I drill/tap these holes.
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Thanks for stopping by.
I borrowed the use of a friends hydraulic press Sunday to press the liner into the upper, lower, and base column parts.
(https://i.postimg.cc/KzdnDqjp/20210118-115444.jpg)
With that finished it was time to drill and tap some holes to finish work on the column. I drilled and then tapped these four holes that will be used to mount the table (through a flange mounted to the column top) to the top of the column.
(https://i.postimg.cc/43vkgqkV/20210118-124212.jpg)
I needed to drill four holes at the other end of the cylinder liner, and have those holes in alignment with the four just drilled in the liner top. I needed to make a fixture to accomplish this. Here I'm drilling four holes in a flat aluminum piece to make the fixture.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pd0Nr8rL/20210118-130339.jpg)
I then bolted the fixture to the liner with the four holes I just drilled. This gave me a secure platform on which to mount the column to the mill table and also a way to align it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/vB1KmNC0/20210118-131709.jpg)
With the cylinder liner correctly aligned, I drilled and tapped the four holes at the bottom of the liner. These holes will be used to mount the cylinder head.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Y9mX7mmV/20210118-133946.jpg)
Next I needed to drill and tap two holes in which I'll eventually mount a bracket to anchor a stabilizer bar. These holes need to be drilled such that the stabilizer bar mount will be in correct alignment with the table atop the column. I once again used the fixture I made before to indicate in alignment.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SRFgxN6K/20210118-135127.jpg)
With the column in alignment I drilled and tapped the two mounting holes for a bracket on which the stabilizer will mount.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CL0vy5MP/20210118-141528.jpg)
While I had the above set-up, I drilled and tapped the two holed that will be used to mount the valve body.
(https://i.postimg.cc/vTsvd2yg/20210118-143126.jpg)
This finished the machining work on the column.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Today I thought I'd start on the flange that sits atop the column. This flange is used to mount the table on which most all the mechanics resides.
First, time to drill and tap a plethora of holes.
(https://i.postimg.cc/tJ6Nk62G/20210120-155251.jpg)
Though the center will be bored out to a bit over two inches. I left just a center drilled hole so that I can re-establish the center of the piece over several setups. Here I'm re-centering the mill quill over the center of the work piece in preparation for placing a radius on one end of the work piece.
(https://i.postimg.cc/VLBjNmhg/20210120-155543.jpg)
Here I'm using my rotary milling head to establish the radius profile.
(https://i.postimg.cc/VN3SRVT5/20210120-160909.jpg)
after turning the work piece around, I've re-centered it and am milling the radius on the opposite end.
(https://i.postimg.cc/763LNY0Q/20210120-161948.jpg)
I don't need the center locator any longer, so I'm boring the center out to a bit over two inches.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Y9qPddWK/20210120-165116.jpg)
Finally I show the piece mounted on the column.
(https://i.postimg.cc/2jttxFjM/20210120-172310.jpg)
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You are progressing nicely and I can see that your radius attachment really makes it a lot simpler to do the last part - do you manually 'turn the angle' (180) or is it advancing by it self ?
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Hi Per. The Volstro comes with a few pulleys and a belt that is supposed to attach to the down feed of a Bridgeport mill. You are required to remove the hand wheel on the mill and install one of the pulleys. Once you’ve done that and installed the belt, if you engage the down feed gear, but don’t activate the down feed itself, the belt will drive the shaft on the Volstro and will rotate the milling head thru 360 degrees.
Having said all that; I’ve never used that feature. I’m usually milling acs anyway and mostly it’s a one time setup. I find it easier to manually crank the milling head, watching the degree indicator so I don’t rotate too far. Also, usually several passes with reducing radii are required, including a fine final pass to get a nice clean surface.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Work continued on the table top; the platform that sits on top of the column and supports most of the engine mechanics. My supplier didn't have a piece of 5/8th inch aluminum at the width I needed so I bought a ¾ inch piece and surfaced it down. This is one of the times that I wish I'd kept my shaper; but I don't have space for it and other equipment I use more.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZYV8YLvr/20210126-125832.jpg)
With the piece sized, I'm cutting the recesses on which I'll attach the left and right uprights. The two uprights support the main shaft and secondary shaft; along with the rack guide.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CKTDrP9V/20210126-143701.jpg)
Next I drilled all the holes indicated by the drawing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/qRpK4tkb/20210126-152410.jpg)
With the holes out of the way; I bored the center hole through which the rack will pass.
(https://i.postimg.cc/GtHHmG6Q/20210126-153940.jpg)
After a bit of cleanup I've placed the table top on top of the column in the manner in which it would mount. It's held in place by two ¼ inch bolts and springs that provide overcharge protection. The center hole isn't large enough for the piston to pass thru, so in an overcharge situation, the piston is driven against the bottom of this table top and the springs that surround the bolts compress, providing relief for the excessive force of the ignition.
(https://i.postimg.cc/V6Hkp55b/20210126-160335.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by.
With this post I've started work on the uprights. Like my model, on the full size, the uprights are bolted to the “table” casting; that part I made in the above post. I suspect I could have acquired a humongous chunk of aluminum and made the table and uprights as one piece, but I don't believe I could have formed some of the embellishments that the full size has. Most of the work on these two uprights will be of a cosmetic nature; trying to make them appear somewhat like the original casting of the full size.
It might be an interesting side-track to look at the evolution of this part of the Otto Langen engines as time progressed. In the photo below I show a very early example. What I want you to notice is the individual pedestals that support the main and secondary shafts.
(https://i.postimg.cc/6596Cw1q/get-attachment-full-crop-0-01-0-01-0-95-0-95-brt-46.jpg)
Compare this to the, what I'm calling 'uprights' in the photo below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0QRPjqw8/P4280301.jpg)
The above photo is a photo of Rough and Tumbles Otto Langen, serial number 31. What I'm pointing out is that the individual pedestals that were originally used to support the two shafts were redesigned and replaced by 'uprights' fairly quickly since the above is the 31st Otto Langen to be built.
The 2nd generation engine I'm modeling also uses 'uprights'; though they are styled somewhat differently than the Rough and Tumble engine. I have several photos of the engine I'm modeling, but I don't have a clear view of exactly what a complete, un-hidden, upright looks like; so I've taken my 'best guess' and the below image is a view of the upright I'm trying to create. This image comes from my CAD software.
(https://i.postimg.cc/J44mGxGB/Right-Uprigjht-1.jpg)
Lots and lots of milling steps in making one of these; I suspect it will take a while. The left upright and the right upright are nearly similar; differing in only where a few holes are drilled.
After sizing the piece of aluminum, I started by drilling and tapping the holes that will be used to mount the uprights to the table.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0Nm1LHHh/20210130-140816.jpg)
Once that was done it was time to start milling out some of the openings in the piece. I need to grossly remove some material, so first I drilled some corner holes. These are not at the exact corners of this void but are giving me room to plunge through an end mill.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Df53kGBf/20210130-143712.jpg)
Now that I have some corners established, I'm using an under size end mill to remove the center material. No exacting work here, I'm just trying to open up the cavity. I'm just getting started in the below photo.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MG1gsfnS/20210130-144128.jpg)
And in the photo below I've made the final pass. Working with aluminum I was able to drop down around two tenths of an inch on each pass. I can't imagine how tedious this would have been with steel.
(https://i.postimg.cc/kgbH4RFb/20210130-144907.jpg[img]
im Now, with a one inch end mill, I'm opening the cavity up to it's final size. The final pass was clearing out the final .010 inch of material, assuring a nice surface finish. finish.g]https://i.postimg.cc/sX6mK34z/20210130-151357.jpg)
I managed to overlay one of my photos so you don't get to see the final relief step on the first side, but the sides are symetric so here I'm making that relief on the opposite side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yddXDw4b/20210130-152628.jpg)
Lots of work yet to accomplish on these uprights before I can call them complete. Work will continue if/when the weather provides days warm enough to occupy the shop.
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:ThumbsUp:
Yep, that's a lot of material coming out of there!
Looks real good though!
:popcorn: John
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I'm still following and enjoying :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :wine1:
That overcharge relief system is interesting :thinking: Was it a standard fitment or a later development?
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John: lots of material to come off still !
Roger: I suspect all the Otto Langens had some type of overcharge protection; still several were destroyed by not being operated properly and getting a huge overcharge in the cylinder.
Thank you John and Roger for your comments; also thanks to those who take the time to stop by.
I got a bit of shop time in today and work continued on the uprights. With the front void finished with the previous post; it was time to address the rear void. The fabrication of this one was a bit trickier than the former.
I started with the same procedure as above, drilling out the corner holes.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NGD3fqM3/20210201-123327.jpg)
Then I moved on to just removing material. Since the rear of the void is cut on an angle, I waited to cut it's edge till I had my vice propositioned so I could maximize the work done with that setup.
(https://i.postimg.cc/P5p94C4H/20210201-123857.jpg)
Using a ¾ inch end mill, I took about two tenths of an inch off per pass, and after several passes; broke through to full depth. Here I'm just trying to remove material.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MpC4rzPQ/20210201-124559.jpg)
Then I switched out to a one inch end mill and made the final pass to get a smooth finish.
(https://i.postimg.cc/7hZQTh6p/20210201-125524.jpg)
The next step was to cut the recess on the top side
(https://i.postimg.cc/nLRtRymb/20210201-133129.jpg)
and then turn the piece over and do likewise on the flip side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/02nngPV4/20210201-135317.jpg)
After angling my vice to the required angle, I made the full depth cut through the void and then cut one of the recesses. Of course, the flip side was recessed in the same manner, which I don't show.
(https://i.postimg.cc/s2rgpCrV/20210201-143206.jpg)
I used my rotary milling head to cut the convex curve at the rear of the work piece.
(https://i.postimg.cc/3J08Vxr8/20210201-150726.jpg)
and then with the vice at the required angle, I finished the slope on the rear side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/DZ5HyHFf/20210201-152238.jpg)
The last step done today was to finish the vertical rear face of the piece.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4ydMKPN6/20210201-154348.jpg)
Still lots of work to do on these two uprights before they are complete.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Still working on the uprights. Today I started forming the journal pockets to receive the bearing blocks for the main and secondary shafts.
The first procedure was to reduce the thickness of this portion of the work piece from ¾ inch to ½ inch.
(https://i.postimg.cc/tCRrWcrK/1.jpg)
Here I've just finished removing 1/8th inch thickness from the work piece.
(https://i.postimg.cc/VkpDykYw/2.jpg)
And below I've completed the same operation on the opposite side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/j2M4Ms8G/3.jpg)
Below I've started forming the attachment boss for the rack guide.
(https://i.postimg.cc/qM7Lz3q0/4.jpg)
With the completion of this pass, I've surfaced the top of the bearing block pockets.
(https://i.postimg.cc/htz10RV5/5.jpg)
Below I've cut out the front bearing block pocket.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SRYcfWMz/6.jpg)
And below I've cut out the rear bearing block pocket.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Kc1WHw7t/7.jpg)
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with this work piece. Still several operations to complete before I can set these aside and start on something else.
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Craig,
I've been one of those lurkers in the background that don't say anything but keep adding to your views total. You've got an impressive bunch of parts done there. I like to see how you make parts with the Volstro's rotating head. Amazing machine and operator.
Art
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Hi Art, thanks for lurking. :ThumbsUp: Great to hear from you. I believe it's been a few years since we talked face-to-face, I'm thinking it was at Cabin Fever a few years ago. Maybe, God willing, we can all get together again by next January. :pinkelephant:
Thanks also for those of you who silently stop by to see the latest.
Yesterday I started with profiling the webs at the top of these imitation castings.
(https://i.postimg.cc/KzL15WcT/20210203-141602.jpg)
After that it was time to profile the curves, also at the top . Again I used my rotary milling head; and since Art specifically asked for some detail of it's operation; I give you the following video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv3TqiLKl8Y
The last step in fabrication was drilling and tapping the holes used to attach the bearing caps and the rack guide. The only difference between the left and right upright is the placement of the two holes in the center of the six that will be used to affix the rack guide.
(https://i.postimg.cc/qR87KCQX/20210203-161318.jpg)
After only quite a bit of cleanup, here is a view of the completed uprights.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sgvDcLw2/20210204-123226.jpg)
I could have used standard 1/4-28 three inch bolts for the overcharge attachment bolts; but modern bolts just wouldn't look 'right', so I decided to make my own. Here I'm turning down a piece of hex stock to form the shaft of the bolt.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4NFXm5sR/20210204-132804.jpg)
Once that was accomplished I threaded the end of the bolt with a pitch of 28 threads to the inch.
(https://i.postimg.cc/R01rQQ5F/20210204-135003.jpg)
Just a bit of cleanup work left to surface the head of the bolt, once it was turned around in the lathe.
(https://i.postimg.cc/GtHSNvNv/20210204-140241.jpg)
Finally, a view of the model so far, with the uprights attached to the table and the overcharge bolts and springs installed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SR2DVk2r/20210204-143115.jpg)
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Impressive work - sitting here watching along with jaw hanging down....
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Looks great Craig, lots of work represented in that shot!
Dave
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Very nice work Craig on the latest one of the "crazy pop-up things" ! :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Hi Craig, following along as always. They are fascinating engines. The pioneers showed great ingenuity in thinking up some of these unusual designs.
Off to a great start with the basic structure well on the way.
MJM460
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Chris, Dave, CNR6400, and MJM460; thanks for your encouragement and comments. Thanks also for those who silently stop by.
Yesterday I made the bearing blocks for the primary and secondary shafts. The shafts will run in needle bearings so I really didn't need to use brass; still I though a little color contrast might be warranted. The bearing blocks were followed by the bearing studs, caps, and nuts. I still need to make the oilers, which will be only cosmetic. No need to rush to complete them.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pLQfhKzj/20210206-133625.jpg)
Back when I was working on the column I omitted making a bracket that attaches to the column on which a stabilizer bar will mount. On the full size this is part of the column casting but I'm making it a separate part on the model. It has a curved surface that mates to the column; here I'm forming that surface with my rotary milling head.
(https://i.postimg.cc/cHCwbjj7/20210206-141302.jpg)
Normally I would just cut this piece off the stock with my cut-off saw. In this case I want a surface square to the stock so I'm using a end mill to mill through the stock.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Jz8T2rQb/20210206-143155.jpg)
With the piece cut off I'm using an end mill to face the surface that will face away from the column.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yNYL7Ltx/20210206-143928.jpg)
Time to drill a few holes. The holes with recesses will be used to attach the piece to the column. The others will be used to mount another bracket for the stabilizer bar.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NMZD7BM2/20210206-150442.jpg)
And here's the piece mounted to the column. I thought I had the correct flat head screws in my inventory but apparently, not. The flat head screws will sit flush with the bracket surface.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9F51DmKv/20210206-150620.jpg)
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Craig,
I don't know what our travel plans will be? My wife gets her second covid shot Monday and about a week ago had her first in person session since March. I'm younger, not essential for the limited supply of vaccine yet. I'll have to get in gear and get something done in the shop. It could be the Cabin Fever show might be the next one that does actually happen. We haven't seen the in-laws for over a year now, zoom calls excluded.
Art
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Thanks for stopping by. Art; hope it all works out for all of us.
I know I’ve been quiet for a while; but the shop has just been too dang cold to try to warm up so I could spend some time out there. We’ve had a lot of cold, wet weather lately; but I’m not complaining. Where ours has been rain; lots of other folks have had snow upon more snow. I’ll take the cold rain, even though it does curtail my shop activity.
I did get out in the shop briefly yesterday; but the air was miserable and damp and as soon as I started warming the shop my tools starts sweating. The Bridgeport and the better made tools can stand it but my import stuff (like the mill drill, lathe, and other smaller tooling) just rust; so I wiped everything down with oil and abandoned activity for the day.
Today the air was drier and I didn’t have a condensation problem.
I had lots of items to choose from in deciding what to make next but I decided on making the two shafts.
Below I’m turning down a 5/8th inch section of stock to the 9/16th diameter I need on the main shaft.
(https://i.postimg.cc/zfjQbQ8q/20210219-141612.jpg)
Once machining was completed on that end of the piece I turned the work around in the lathe and worked the other end.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0QXHZJz3/20210220-130803.jpg)
Next it was time to mill a few woodruff key slots in the shaft.
(https://i.postimg.cc/3NyfqJpw/20210220-145929.jpg)
And finally mill the keyways that will hold the flywheels and pulley in place.
(https://i.postimg.cc/053BwDRK/20210220-153552.jpg)
Next I’ll work on the secondary shaft.
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I always try to buy drill rod the diameter I want rather than trying to turn down like that. But if it works for you so much the better.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Kirk: back when I designed this model I was planning to use 9/16th drill rod for the two shafts but as I got into the design and started looking for bearings I realized that my bearing supplier didn’t have 9/16th inch ID bearings in an open format. They had sealed bearings; but I can’t afford the drag inherent in sealed bearings. They could supply open format bearings with an ID of 5/8th inch; thus the design of the main shaft with a larger center section over the clutch area.
Today the weather allow some shop time so I took advantage of the mild weather. Below I’m starting on the secondary shaft. This shaft also has a larger diameter center section, however, this is for cosmetic appeal. I am trying to make an accurate model of an extant engine and details such as this make the difference between a model that “sort of” looks like the full size and one that closely resembles it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZRJhp9jR/20210223-105057.jpg)
Below I’ve made the final pass on this side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HnxDvfq1/20210223-113628.jpg)
Turning the shaft around in the lathe, I’m starting to work down the opposite end.
(https://i.postimg.cc/52vcr5Ry/20210223-113912.jpg)
And below; I’ve met the required diameter of this side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FRTwST7W/20210223-123741.jpg)
The secondary shaft needs two woodruff key slots; one for the ratchet and the other for the secondary shaft driven gear. The governor drive gear is also located on this shaft but I’m planning to use set screws to affix it in location.
(https://i.postimg.cc/RhqyLwtM/20210223-130114.jpg)
Bellow, a “family” shot of the two shafts
(https://i.postimg.cc/9QySbmDq/20210223-130230.jpg)
With the shafts complete; I’ll fabricate the bearing races next. These races are used with needle roller bearings and they support the shafts using the bearing blocks on the table discussed several posts ago. I make these bearing races as separate parts from the shafts. They need hardened to run in the needle bearings and it just seems simpler to make them separate, as opposed to turning the shafts to size and then hardening them. Below I’m turning the major OD of the race.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1317fkvR/20210223-131928.jpg)
The next step was to drill, bore, and ream the center of the race to accept the 9/16th shaft. I drill these undersize, then use a boring bar to get within a few thousandths of the final diameter, then ream the opening to size. Below I’m boring out the race.
(https://i.postimg.cc/DfJKsKP1/20210223-133836.jpg)
Following up the boring with a 9/16th ream.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pLP70NzG/20210223-134103.jpg)
Next I’m turning the OD of the race to fit the 5/8th ID of the bearing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/C5yrk9w4/20210223-140057.jpg)
The final step is parting the race off the stock.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1zfvTytH/20210223-140251.jpg)
Then there were three more to make. I still need to harden these races. I’ll do this with “Kasonite” or “Cherry Red” which forms a hardened surface on low carbon steel. I’ll probably wait to do this because I’ll soon make a few other parts that will need hardening also.
(https://i.postimg.cc/G3kq67cZ/20210223-153303.jpg)
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It might not be 'Sexy Parts' but they are needed - so another few ticks off the parts list :ThumbsUp:
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Thanks for stopping by; and thanks for the comment Per. Lots of parts to this model. I believe the Crossley had over 100 different parts and the 3rd gen I just finished was close to that. This one has a bunch too, but I haven’t counted them yet; that will come when I do a final pass through the drawings and get them all in order to publish.
I’m waiting on my bearing supplier to ship the main roller bearings; if I don’t get them soon I’m going to be in a bind till they’re delivered. Missing the main bearings, I thought I’d work on the clutch.
Here I have the blank mounted in the lathe; I’ve taken a facing cut and then I started working down the different diameters. I’m using an interesting tool position so I can reach inside the lathe chuck.
(https://i.postimg.cc/dQnJWJ2H/20210224-132904.jpg)
With the outside diameters on this side of the clutch established I’ve drilled the center hole and now I’m boring it to size. I really just need clearance here so this part of the clutch body doesn’t rub on the main shaft.
(https://i.postimg.cc/h4CqLpnN/20210224-140649.jpg)
With the center bored I’ve moved on to boring out the center of the working area of the clutch. I’ll define the “ramps” on this part of the clutch on the mill later.
(https://i.postimg.cc/brZVH0Hj/20210224-144148.jpg)
Now I’ve turned the piece around in the lathe and am facing the other side of the clutch body down to the correct thickness.
(https://i.postimg.cc/rw1nJwWz/20210224-152415.jpg)
Then, once again, I’m establishing the correct outside diameter on this side of the clutch body. I have no idea of the purpose of that little ridge in the center. If I ever get a chance to inspect the full size engine, possibly it’s purpose will be clear.
(https://i.postimg.cc/c1VGk6Kc/20210224-154306.jpg)
The final lathe task is to form the pocket for the ball bearing on this side of the clutch body. The drive gear that meshes with the rack bolts to this clutch body and will have the other bearing pocket for the opposite side of the clutch.
(https://i.postimg.cc/WzcSgR30/20210224-161116.jpg)
Tomorrow, weather permitting, I’ll move this piece to the mill and continue.
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:ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Hi CNR; glad to have you along watching the build. Thanks to those of you who take the time periodically to open this thread and catch up on the latest.
Today was a day of taking a step forward, and then back again; then maybe even: a better step forward. I started as I threatened stated up post and moved to the mill to continue work on the clutch body. I started by drilling the three holes that will be used by thru bolts to hold the clutch together.
(https://i.postimg.cc/5tKGWgKk/20210225-091336.jpg)
I had lots more holes to drill to spot the starting and ending locations of the clutch ramps, but on drilling the first hole, my center drill broke off, as I first thought, ruining the piece; but after a little more contemplation I realized that maybe a design change was in order anyway. Below is an exploded view of the initial clutch design. You can see that the part I’m working on has ramps cut from one side, but the ramps are all blind cuts into the piece. The back surface of these ramps needs to be smooth so the clutch rollers don’t hang-up on an irregular surface and I was wondering how much success I would have on getting a smooth surface at the bottom of the ramps.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NFmPTcsW/Old-Clutch-1.jpg)
I realized that I could salvage my initial work on this piece and resolve the possible irregular surface at the bottom of the ramps problem by making a disk with just the ramps. I could salvage the work I’d done on the original piece by just facing off the part with the broken center drill and the new face on this piece would form the bottom of the ramps. This new design is shown below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/W4zW8rpm/New-Clutch-1.jpg)
So the first job was to cut away the material on this clutch body, including the broken off center drill. Once that was done there was no reason not to press in the bearing and give the part a trial fit on the main shaft as shown in the two photos below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pd3ZB66x/20210225-160328.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/xCHPp3wm/20210225-160337.jpg)
With some work salvaged I dashed up to the local metal supplier and purchased a piece of cold roll to make the new part which will contain the ramps. Here I’ve faced both sides of this new piece to the required ½ inch width.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Y9mXKHWh/20210225-131225.jpg)
Next was to bore out the center as I did in the old part yesterday. That work was lost when I cut some of the part away on the old part.
(https://i.postimg.cc/c4WFjP4L/20210225-134638.jpg)
I was able to hold this part from the inside on my smaller lathe and this allowed me to turn the outside diameter to the correct size.
(https://i.postimg.cc/g2kNcRh9/20210225-142516.jpg)
Placing the piece on the mill, I drilled the three holes in this piece to match the holes in first photo of this post.
(https://i.postimg.cc/6Q8cnXzY/20210225-143817.jpg)
So by the end of the day I was back where I started… but I’m thinking with a superior design. Next I’ll be forming the ramps. This will be easier because I can cut them through and not have to worry about maintaining a constant depth for each ramp.
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Following along, very interesting design. :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Don't use center drill as a spotting drill. :ShakeHead:
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Chris and Kirk; thanks for your comments and observations. Thanks also for those of you who stop by to see the goings-on.
Today was a day to continue work on the clutch. I started by drilling the corner holes for the clutch ramps. I used a center cutting end mill to form the ramps; still I think they will give you better work if they have a somewhat smaller diameter hole to follow as they are plunged into the work piece, thus the corner holes.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MGqTqGf4/20210226-125822.jpg)
One that was done it was time to get out the rotary milling head. This is a job where this rotary milling head excells; I’m not sure how I would locate these ramp centers on a standard turntable. There are six ramps or arcs of a circle, each with a radius of an inch. The center of each arc is offset from the true center of the piece by it’s own unique x&y dimensions. With the rotary milling head, I can use the x & y movement of the mill table to re-locate the center of each arc and have the rotary milling head cut the arc thru the required number of degrees. Here is a view of the set-up.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SN9N99W3/20210226-131729.jpg)
And here is a closer view of the milling head cutting one of the arcs.
(https://i.postimg.cc/q7JkWZ9H/20210226-131740.jpg)
After a bit of clean-up, below is the finished clutch part.
(https://i.postimg.cc/VNkJX6st/20210226-143713.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by.
Work continued on the clutch today. While looking at the drawing, and the material I hand at hand; I realized that I was going to need something to hold the gear work piece while I cut the gear teeth. I thought I’d get this out of the way before I started working the steel work piece that will comprise the gear itself. Here I’ve made a fixture to hold that work piece while I cut the teeth into it. I’ve just finished drilling and taping the holes that I’ll use to hold the gear blank to this fixture.
(https://i.postimg.cc/hPZQCssM/20210227-132647.jpg)
With the fixture out of the way, I started on the gear itself. Here I’ve just finished facing both sides of the gear blank, working it down to the required measurement.
(https://i.postimg.cc/5y0NLchJ/20210227-141208.jpg)
With that complete I drilled and then bored it thru to make room for the main shaft; then bored the pocket that will be used to hold one of the two clutch bearings.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Fz7N1ySs/20210227-144722.jpg)
Lastly, for today, I reduced this side of the gear blank to its required diameter.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nhYbFRWG/20210227-152848.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve been working toward finishing the clutch. This post starts with cutting the gear teeth. This is a 42 tooth gear with a diametral pitch of 14, so the teeth are quite large, at least for the gears I’ve made in the past. With a whole depth approaching 5/32 inch the going was slow. It took over three hours to cut these teeth but I’m happy with the result.
(https://i.postimg.cc/K8w7Zh7p/20210302-111601.jpg)
Below is a view of the finished gear.
(https://i.postimg.cc/B6c2c8rR/20210302-122825.jpg)
Next up was the rotor. This is the round piece in the center of the clutch, affixed to the main shaft with a woodruff key. I didn’t work toward smoothing the face of the rotor beyond what finish the lathe gave me. It probably benefits from a bit of a rough finish so it can grab the rollers in the clutch body.
(https://i.postimg.cc/VsgjJCBC/20210302-155532.jpg)
Speaking of the rollers, here is a view of the clutch just prior to final assembly. The brass cylinders are the rollers and they are trapped between the rotor and the “ramps” in the clutch body, thus locking the clutch in the forward direction.
(https://i.postimg.cc/PrFY4n7f/20210302-163249.jpg)
Nothing like a test to make sure the clutch works as designed. It spins very freely in the reverse direction and locks positively in the forward direction. I couldn’t be more pleased.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv-C1dkZy-Q
To finish the clutch I need to make the bearing covers. These help block out any dirt that might find it’s way into the clutch and they will also hide the ball bearings from view. I wouldn’t want any “purists” to come by, observe the finished model, and exclaim, “sacrilege, Sacrilege, SACRILEGE; ball bearings on an Otto Langen Engine…. For all SHAME!!!!”. :lolb:
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Craig, that is really slick! Do all six of the rollers engage at the same time? or do a few of them do more work than the others? Just curious. It looks like it works really well! :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
Kim
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Very nice result with the clutch :cheers:
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Thanks for stopping by, and thanks Kim & Per for your comments.
Kim: Hard to say; I’d guess only one or two (the ones gravity locates at the bottom of the ramp) engage the clutch. All probably get used one time or another because the clutch could be at any rotation when its motion is reversed. The clutch seems to engage almost instintaniously, with no noticeable back rotation. This is very desirable because any lost motion in this engine will result in noticeable loss in performance. There just isn’t that much extra power available.
Today I didn’t get much done; just managed to finish up the clutch by making the two end covers.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NjXg32FN/20210303-151947.jpg)
Here is a photo of the completed clutch, installed on the main shaft.
(https://i.postimg.cc/W46SfSvs/20210303-160429.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by.
Occasionally I try to take a short-cut; sometimes it works out, other times; not. Usually it’s just laziness and I often pay the price for it. You would think I might learn that haste makes waste.
That happened with the main shaft drive gear I was making. I spent a whole day carving it from the blank, facing both sides and turning it to the correct diameter; then drilling, boring, and finally reaming the center hole for the shaft.
I then made an arbor which I used to mount it to the dividing head in order to cut the gear teeth. After all that work you would think I would have cut a keyway into the arbor so that the gear could not turn on the arbor while I was forming the gear teeth; but I didn’t think it was necessary so I saved five minutes and proceeded to cut the gear teeth.
Needless to say, when I got all the way around the gear, it was obvious that the gear blank had rotated on the arbor and to save five minutes in not cutting a keyway, two entire days of work was wasted; plus the material was ruined; not to mention the unnecessary wear on an expensive gear cutter.
I repeated the same operations on the secondary shaft driven gear; this time cutting a keyway in the arbor and using a woodruff key in the arbor to prevent the gear blank from rotating and everything came out fine.
Here’s a photo of the arbor.
(https://i.postimg.cc/QxXFtFT1/20210304-125148.jpg)
A photo of the secondary shaft gear blank with the gear teeth being cut. This is a seventy tooth gear.
(https://i.postimg.cc/7ZRhmXQn/20210306-152401.jpg)
Finally a photo of the finished gear.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Wzs1hyhT/20210307-141453.jpg)
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Craig, I enjoy it very much to follow your progress. The clutch is splendid.
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Thanks for your thoughtful comment Achim; thanks also for those just stopping by to see the progress.
While I’m waiting for my replacement gear blank I thought I’d start on the piston and ring. I spent the whole day on the piston and I’m happy with the result.
Below is a photo I took once I faced the material and turned it to the correct diameter. In this photo I’m cutting the ring grove. I have this fine grooving tool that I rarely use but it is just the ticket when I need it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CMtV3Tc8/20210308-154251.jpg)
With the ring grove established, I’ve turned the part around in the lathe and faced it to the correct piston height. Here I’m boring out the skirt.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4dSrRVQG/20210308-164835.jpg)
The piston is connected to the rack by a bracket that threads into the piston. Here I’m threading the piston to accept the bracket. I’ve also cut a relief into the face of the piston to accept a locking nut.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bwRYcVDj/20210308-165920.jpg)
A view of the finished piston.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NGrgfj9D/20210308-170307.jpg)
I’m thinking I might have a ring blank left over from the 3rd generation Otto Langen model I finished last Fall; I’ll need to check. If so that should make the finishing of the ring blank pretty quick. Since the bore of this engine matches the 3rd generation I just built I can use the same ring turning fixtures so I don’t need to make new ones.
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Thanks for stopping by.
The majority of work today focused on the single piston ring used by this model. I was correct in thinking I had a spare blank left over from when I made the 3rd gen Otto Langen; this saved me the trouble of cutting one from a cast iron blank.
Here I’m placing the blank on my fixture to turn the outside diameter. I’ve collapsed it with a radiator clamp and then am using the front “washer-clamp” to hold it in place on the fixture in its compressed form.
(https://i.postimg.cc/tRMPfNbq/20210309-092849.jpg)
Below is a view of the ring, once I’ve turned it to its outside diameter of 2 inches. It’s sitting on the fixture just prior to removal with the front “clamp” removed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Gmky40yt/20210309-092921.jpg)
Onto the surfacing machine to get it down to its correct width.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nrjsZNxH/20210309-101204.jpg)
Here I’ve slipped it into the fixture I’ll use to turn the inside diameter. I’ve placed it in the fixture but have as yet to apply the outside clamp to secure it in place.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FRJk31Wy/20210309-103837.jpg)
The finished ring. These Otto Langen rings are unique in that the ring gap is cut on a diagonal and the ring is somewhat thinner than a “normal” ring. The ring needs to be thin enough so that the piston will fall to the bottom of the cylinder with just the weight of the piston and rack. Placing this piston and ring assembly in the cylinder they don’t quite slide to the bottom with the weight of the piston alone in a dry cylinder. I’m thinking (hoping) that with a bit of oil and the weight of the rack I’ll be ok.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Z57WQ6XP/20210309-105604.jpg)
The last item today was fabrication of the bracket that attaches the rack to the piston.
(https://i.postimg.cc/85Wss9cw/20210309-135945.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by. Yesterday I worked on the cylinder head, today I started on the rack.
Below is a photo of the cylinder head; in progress.
(https://i.postimg.cc/6pX0cGBw/20210310-132612.jpg)
I failed to take any photos while I made this cylinder head; here is a final photo of it installed on the cylinder, complete with spark plug.
(https://i.postimg.cc/tT3Rhfk9/20210311-163706.jpg)
Once the head was complete I started on the rack. I remember reading a discussion by Wayne Grenning when he made his full size Otto Langen. Due to cost of material, no doubt; he made the rack as one piece and the lift flange as another, then solver soldered them together. One of the benefit of modeling is that often the cost of one part verses two parts is miniscule. I chose to make the rack and lift flange as one piece. Here I’m just beginning the work this piece of hot rolled A36 down to the correct size. I’m using hot rolled steel (as opposed to cold rolled) because the stresses in cold rolled steel would warp the piece as cut the gear teeth. My mill table had just enough travel to make this cut in one pass.
(https://i.postimg.cc/jj84RgPd/20210311-092339.jpg)
With one straignt edge established It was time to work this piece of steel down to it’s final width.
(https://i.postimg.cc/J4b3s4ZF/20210311-104853.jpg)
Here I’m working the opposite ege down to the final 5/8th inch. The larger vertical part will become the lift flange for the rack/piston as well as the trip for the rack/pawl.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pdynJ25R/20210311-134549.jpg)
The Rack, still needing it’s gear teeth cut. I’m leaving the lift flange in rough oversize for now. Once I get the engine together I’’ll be able to see what the exact measurements of the flange should be. I’ve left a generous amount of material so I should have enough.
(https://i.postimg.cc/7ZhLpKHN/20210311-160804.jpg)
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:ThumbsUp:
:popcorn:
John
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Excellent :praise2: :praise2: :wine1: That rotary milling head is a wonderful tool :ThumbsUp:
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Thanks for stopping by. Also, thanks to John and Roger for your comments.
Roger, yep… if it broke I’m go out and get another tomorrow!!!
It’s been a while since I last posted, and it’s been a while since I’ve been in the shop. “life” has been getting in the way of my model making, but as I told Brian a while back… if I’m out of the shop for a while, when I go back I’ll find that no one has completed my model for me. :Lol: Still lots of fun patiently awaits. :ThumbsUp:
Just in the last few days I’ve gotten back to work and I’m continuing on making the rack. Before I can cut the teeth in the rack I need to make some tooling. This will be a bar on which I’ll attach the involute gear cutter and when mounted in the lathe will allow me to progress down the length of the rack, cutting teeth as I go.
The tooling has a shoulder to hold the gear cutter and a "nut" (a rather long nut) is threaded up against the gear cutter, holding it in place. If I make the “nut” first, then when I cut the threads in the bar I can keep trying the “nut” till it threads on nicely. In the photo below I’ve cut the “nut” to length and then I’ve drilled and bored it out to the correct ID.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SRWvX1VV/20210328-130259.jpg)
Now I’m cutting the internal threads in the “nut”.
(https://i.postimg.cc/xdcpG1tX/20210328-131606.jpg)
With the “nut” complete, I’ve started on the bar. Here I’ve cut the diameter down on the one side so the gear cutter will slide up into position and I've staged the area which I will thread for the "nut".
(https://i.postimg.cc/TY0tZDsy/20210328-133743.jpg)
Here I’m cutting the threads on the bar.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sDHpY98J/20210328-134557.jpg)
With my tooling complete I can now begin cutting the teeth in the rack.
(https://i.postimg.cc/654QPrqc/20210330-220659.jpg)
Here is a better close up of the setup.
(https://i.postimg.cc/J7vrjsxk/20210330-220709.jpg)
And here I’ve just completed the first few teeth. This is slow going; it takes a few minutes to cut each tooth.
(https://i.postimg.cc/t4yYV1Rz/20210330-220716.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by. I spent a few hours in the shop today, working my way down the piece of steel that will become the rack for this model. Just a few photos of the progress. I still have around two dozen or so teeth to cut before I can call this task complete.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XJygvx1j/20210331-133127.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/hGXLCpBL/20210331-143703.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/rFg5MvyG/20210331-152737.jpg)
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Nice! Loads of concentration required I imagine! Terry
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Very nice! Is each tooth cut in one pass? Or are there multiple passes to reach the depth?
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That is very cool, Craig! :popcorn:
And I was going to ask the same question Chris just did! Inquiring minds need to know!
Kim
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Not only that, but can you fit / do all teeth in one setup - or do you have to move the rack relative to your "flatbed on the lathe" ?
I can kind of guess that you will have to move the clamps / remove one at a time ....
Per
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Love the sideways thinking on the gear rack fab, and I love Volstro heads!!!
Nice build! I'm watching!
Dave
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Yup, cool set up to cut the rack!
Nice work.
Dave
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Looks as if one pass since height of the tool can't be adjusted.
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Terry, Chris, Kim, Per, Dave, and Kirk; thanks for your interest. Thanks also for those just stopping by to see the latest.
Chris and Kim, Kirk is correct. There is no way to adjust the depth of cut without a completely new setup so the teeth are cut to depth in one pass. The math calls for a tooth depth of just under 5/32 inch, so these are rather large teeth (at least for the ones I usually cut). Back when I started making my own gears I read where someone with experience (can’t remember who) stated to just get on with it and cut them to depth in one pass. I’ve always done this with all the gears I cut. The notable exception was when I cut the helical gears for the Witte model using Chuck Fellows handy-dandy helical gear cutting fixture. These were large Diametral Pitch gears and though I used brass I thought trying to manually feed to the full depth in one pass wasn’t practical.
Per: to answer your question…. The problem isn’t in repositioning the work in the lathe saddle, but rather lathe bed length. Since the rack needs to travel down the lathe bed from one end of the rack material the other (the gear cutter remains at a stationary point) , the lathe bed needs to be at least twice the length of the rack material. This wasn’t the case with this rack since the length of this rack exceeds twice my lathe bed length. I compensated by making two tooling bars; the one below was used first with the far end of the rack material just clearing the lathe chuck and the gear cutter positioned to cut the first tooth in the rack.
(https://i.postimg.cc/jqyLMD2F/20210401-144649.jpg)
I proceeded to cut rack teeth until the end of the rack material was about to touch the tailstock. At this point I removed the first tooling bar that holds the gear cutter and installed the cutter on another tooling bar I had made with the gear cutter located closer to the lathe chuck. I show this bar below. This didn’t affect the depth of cut since I’m working from a constant height: an imaginary line drawn between the center of the lathe chuck & tailstock. For setup, all I needed to do was locate the gear cutter in the center of the last tooth in the rack and then index across to the new location and continue cutting gear teeth.
(https://i.postimg.cc/TwVfJW0j/20210401-144347.jpg)
So, after cutting the remainder of the gear teeth in the rack, things looked as below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/3JMbHcKw/20210401-102952.jpg)
And after cleaning up, below is the completed rack.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HsC3N82c/20210401-121051.jpg)
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Excellent explanation! Thanks Craig :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn:
Kim
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Hi Craig, a very interesting set up.
Thanks for showing it.
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Simple and elegant - what more can you ask for ....
I assume that you got a very good idea about the "offset between the two holders", or do you try to 'fit the cutter into a previous cut slot" (so to speak) to know where to continue the cutting process ...?
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Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.
Kim, Per, and Achim; thanks for your interest. Per, it was a simple task to place the gear cutter in the just finished tooth and center it. Then I just needed to offset to the next tooth position and proceed.
With the rack complete it’s time to install it in the engine and make whatever adjustments are necessary (hopefully few) to obtain a smooth movement of the piston as it traverses the cylinder and the rack engages with the drive gear on the clutch.
To do this I’ll need to make the rack guide that sits atop the table. This is mostly another job of trying to machine something to look like a casting. Below is my CAD rendering of the rack guide.
(https://i.postimg.cc/V6cvfPpB/Rack-Guide-1.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9Xb0hSpZ/Rack-Guide-2.jpg)
This is another opportunity to machine myself into a corner where I don’t have a way to hold the part in order to finish it. I stared at the drawings for quite a while before determined a path to follow and what steps to take in what order to accomplish making this part.
I started off machining the top of the part.
(https://i.postimg.cc/T3zY0XdM/20210403-153032.jpg)
Then completed most of the top and drilled the mount holes used to mount this part to the engine.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0Qfk9MpP/20210403-161537.jpg)
At this point the part is about ½ complete. If time allows I’ll try to finish it tomorrow.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Work continued on the rack guide. This part sits atop the engine and supports the rack as it moves up and down through the engine stroke. In the photo below I’ve cut out the area through which the rack will pass. I’ll be making a brass bearing for the rack to ride in further down in this post.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZY2nx7hd/20210404-143355.jpg)
The casting has a curved top edge. I’m cutting this with my rotary milling head.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wxCJjTMZ/20210404-144711.jpg)
Finally a little profiling on the bottom of the part.
(https://i.postimg.cc/d3P1w369/20210404-152335.jpg)
And it is complete.
(https://i.postimg.cc/R0Ky203m/20210405-172650.jpg)
The rack is sandwitched between two brass slides. This is the slide that fits in the cut out area three photos up.
(https://i.postimg.cc/vBvjHSLS/20210405-172730.jpg)
And this is another brass slide that confines the rack to a pocket within the two bearings.
(https://i.postimg.cc/rwWfwPqC/20210405-172810.jpg)
Here is a photo of the entire assembly so far. I have the piston and rack installed, the rack guide with its slide bearings in place, and the main shaft with clutch and contained gear in place.
(https://i.postimg.cc/tTRkDRW2/20210405-173332.jpg)
Now for a test to make sure everything is moving freely and as designed. The rack and piston must move freely through the entire length of the piston travel. Gravity alone returns the piston to the bottom of the stroke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-4JW9QaoXI
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Great looking parts, as usual. :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Thanks for stopping by to see the latest. Thanks for the compliment Chris; almost as pretty as the parts you make :).
If you’re a REALLY attentive follower of this build you might remember my previous attempt to make the secondary shaft drive gear. If you do, you’ll undoubtedly remember that, for lack of saving five minutes, I didn’t put a keyway in the arbor I used to hold the gear blank and when I cut the gear it rotated on the arbor and I didn’t get a gear with consistently spaced teeth.
Since then I placed a keyway in the arbor and then used it to cut the secondary shaft driven gear which you can see up-thread. The material to re-make the secondary shaft drive gear has been delivered for a while but I’ve been busy in other areas. Now I’m cycling back around to try making this gear again.
The first task was to face off the piece, turn it to the correct diameter; drill, bore, and ream the hole for the drive shaft; and then profile the front face of the gear blank as you see below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Kz0ZP2PC/20210406-132128.jpg)
With that accomplished I turned the gear blank around In the lathe and finished the back side of the gear blank.
(https://i.postimg.cc/W3zRPJZf/20210406-145319.jpg)
I cut the keyway in the gear blank and then placed it on the arbor; you can bet I’m using a key this time to prevent rotation of the gear blank on the arbor :ThumbsUp:. I then commenced cutting the gear teeth. There are 49 teeth on this gear; I’m about 1/3rd of the way around on this photo.
(https://i.postimg.cc/fLVwfP8L/20210406-155050.jpg)
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Second time's a charm!
Always painful to do things over - both in wasted material and time. But it does go faster the 2nd time around, and I try to remind myself how much I'm learning and how much fun I'm having! :) Which is mostly true! :) But it sure feels good when it's done!
This one is looking good!
Kim
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Thanks for stopping by and Kim: thanks for the encouragement. They say “three is the charm” but I’ll take “two” any time. :ThumbsUp:
Progress continued in cutting the remainder of the teeth on this gear. Things went without a hitch this time around and I ended up with a very serviceable gear as you can see below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/6qB7YD2G/20210407-133736.jpg)
Next was installing it in the engine to check the “fit”. I’m pretty happy with everything so far. The gears have just a tiny “tad” of backlash but it’s very acceptable. Any tighter of a fit and I might have some binding.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nrwHB5vx/20210407-153749.jpg)
I’m at a loss on where to proceed next. I could continue with the mechanism on the secondary shaft or I could machine the flywheels. I’m leaning toward making the flywheels. With the flywheels mounted I can get a pretty good idea of just how free everything is and when I machine the secondary shaft parts, I can judge just how freely everything turns.
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I've loved these engines since I saw one running some time ago :o But not wanting to make one I am content to watch and enjoy your excellent work, :popcorn: :popcorn: :cheers: :cheers: Terry
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Some great machining going on here Craig, well done. I’m enjoying this build.
-Bob
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You did wonders with those gears Craig. I ..........likeeee......... :Love:
:cheers:
Don
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Craig,
At this point there's probably any number of thing you could start on next. Everything looks great!
Art
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Thanks for stopping by; a special thanks to Terry, Bob, Don, and Art for your comments. :praise2: Don, thanks again for the gear spreadsheet, it makes figuring gears a breeze!!!
Lots of comments lately; and I certainly appreciate all of them. :agree: Maybe the thread discussing a lack of comments has spurred more comment activity? :thinking: I’ll just say that for whatever reason you are inclined to comment, I appreciate them; ever the smiley faces and popcorn comments. :cartwheel:
I thought I would get the flywheels behind me. This is going to be a “slog”. :( The castings, as delivered, will produce fifteen inch flywheels and I need flywheels with a diameter just over thirteen inches. Also the castings are about 1 ¼ inches thick and the flywheels I need will be finished to a thickness of one inch. I have LOTS of material to remove. You might wonder why I purchased such large castings; and the reason is that these Victorian era engines are characterized by large diameter flywheels with thin rims. To get that “look” I need to start with larger than normal diameter flywheel and reduce the rim thickness. These particular flywheel castings meet “pretty much” (once finished) all the dimensions I need for a scale flywheel for this model.
My lathe is a 12 inch lathe; so I won’t be using the lathe to machine thirteen inch flywheels; I’ll be doing them on a turntable. I have a friend who has a 12 inch turntable he says he will loan me (it’s nice to have friends with “stuff”). The good news is it’s a 12 inch turntable; the bad news is it weighs 150 LB. Ten years ago I would have picked it up from the bed of my truck and carried it across the shop to the mill. O:-) Now there will be no “carrying” this turntable. >:D I have a hydraulic lift table and my plan is to slide it off the truck bed and then transport it to the mill where I will again slide it onto the mill. The next post will show how well this plan worked.
Firstly, however, I can start reducing the thickness of these flywheels. Below I’m taking 1/10th of an inch off the side. I’m just trying to remove stock with these operations, not “hit’ a finished thickness. Below I’m just getting started on the first side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/jqXZZkKb/20210408-103353.jpg)
And below is a view of that first side, completed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mkX3RJ21/20210408-140055.jpg)
Now I’ve turned the casting over on the mill and am performing the same operation on the reverse side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/DZfbZ6Nr/20210408-141349.jpg)
It’s taken the day, but I have the thickness of this casting reduced to around .050 inches over the final dimension. I’ll finish this on the turntable.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9XnqmGY9/20210408-152627.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by.
I don’t think this 12 inch turntable weights anywhere near 150LB. It was easy to move, though I did use my hydraulic lift table to transport it into the shop and onto the mill.
I centered the turntable under the mill quill and then located the flywheel on the turntable. I’m using three of the spokes to hold it in place. I don’t want to stress it crooked, mill the flywheel, and then have a wobbly flywheel when the stresses are relieved.
Once I shimmed the flywheel to get it level with the inside rim, I went around the top to get that side of the flywheel to the final dimension I need.
Next I needed to reduce the diameter of the flywheel by around two inches. That is a lot of material to remove and I’ve tried several ways; all have been very slow.
First I tried milling the outside diameter, that was very slow going and I was only able to remove around .020 inches per pass.
Next I then tried plunging down from the top and milling around the circumference from the top; more slow going. In addition, I was using a one inch end mill for all this and this one flywheel was going to wear that end mill completely out in the process.
(https://i.postimg.cc/x8KbjyXZ/20210411-114937.jpg)
One inch end mills don’t grow on trees, so I moved on to “plan-B”. I thought I’d chain drill around the rough outer diameter of the finished flywheel, and then use a smaller end mill (maybe a ¼ inch) to remove the stock between the drill holes. This might wear out a drill and a ¼ inch end mill, but the cost of replacement of both pales in comparison to replacing the 1 inch end mill. This is still slow going. I’m at the point where I can start with the ¼ inch end mill.
(https://i.postimg.cc/L80hp0yX/20210411-130330.jpg)
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Plan B makes sense as drilling gives a better MRR than any other milling type.
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I'd get an endmill a bit bigger than your holes (5/16" ?) and plunge down alternative ones so the cutter breaks through into the two holes either side. As you will be using the outer edge of the cutter it will cut better than if you plunge over the webs where the ctr of the cutter is hardly moving and you will also have to do all the webs.
Usually when I stitch drill I use a stub length drill so it does not wander and space the holes at the drills diameter, then they join themselves and teh waste drops off.
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While doing all that drilling, have you thought about what you will use the outer ring for? Shop-elf-hula-hoop?
Quite a lot of material to remove, coming along well!
:popcorn: :popcorn:
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That's a mighty fly wheel. It's just one of those days when you wish you had a VTL.
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Thanks for stopping by. Kirk, Jason, Chris, Stuart; thanks for your suggestions and comments.
Jason, your suggestion makes perfect sense; unfortunately, I’d already used the ¼ inch end mill to break through. I do have another of these to do, so I’m going to try your suggestion on the second one.
Actually, the ¼ inch end mill passed around between the drill holes fairly quickly. I was able to use a depth increment of 2/10th inch per revolution so it didn’t take too many passes to cut the outer ring off.
Chris: A bit large for an elf hula-hoop! I have no need for this thing, can’t imagine for what I would use it. If anybody out there want’s it let me know. It’s yours for the shipping; (actually there will be two!)
(https://i.postimg.cc/j5ZN4qFR/20210412-174630.jpg)
So as I stated, I plunged down into the inner diameter with a ¼ inch end mill and by taking 2/10th inch steps, cut the band I show above away.
(https://i.postimg.cc/jSHQGcJ3/20210412-102837.jpg)
Below is a view of the flywheel with the outer band removed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/JnnNHWYS/20210412-144228.jpg)
The next step was to face the outside rim at full depth, taking about fourty thousandths of an inch off the diameter until I hit my assigned diameter. Then I drilled, bored, and finally reamed the center hole.
(https://i.postimg.cc/L8p0Ynt7/20210412-163829.jpg)
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That’s getting it done Craig.
-Bob
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That's a lot of metal to remove! Your chain-drilling method seems to have worked well.
You should save the outside elf hula-hoop for a fly wheel on another engine! All you have to do is add spokes! :popcorn:
Kim
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Thanks for stopping by. Bob and Kim; thanks for taking the time to comment.
Kim: you have an idea there… I’m always looking for a flywheel with a thin rim!
Just one photo for you today. The first flywheel finished out great. Just the tiniest bit of wobble; but you have to look REALLY HARD to see it. For making it on a turntable, I’m quite pleased.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mgQb9frS/20210413-162439.jpg)
One down and one more to go.
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Given the known size of the wheel, we can see how large the engine really is. :ThumbsUp:
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Thanks for stopping by. Progress continues on the 2nd flywheel; no need for an update of photos since the procedure is identical to the steps above.
Kirk; thanks for your observation. Some engines scale well, other do not. Wayne Grenning (I’m not faulting Wayne in his excellent work) built a whole group of Otto Langen models for sale about ten years ago. I have a friend who has one of these and though it runs well; it does a poor job of displaying the character of the full size. The model stands (I think) a little over eight inches tall. It is so small that it cycles several times a second. The full size, at least when it’s not loaded, fires and coasts, fires and coasts; much like the hit-and-miss engines we all know and many have modeled. These small Otto Langen models are just too little to exhibit the characteristics of the full size.
I want my scale models to not only LOOK like the full size, but when running, present the characteristics of the engines they represent. To do this they need to be large enough so that when they run, they represent the full size fairly well.
The Crossly Otto Langen I built last year verges on being too small to represent the character of its full size counterpart. When I designed this model, I designed it large enough so that, hopefully, when it runs it will simulate the full size engine.
Time will tell.
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Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
And then…. There were two :whoohoo:
(https://i.postimg.cc/mhxnSkyY/20210417-165101.jpg)
Pretty routine after making the first one. Now on to the mechanics on the secondary shaft.
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Wow, what a difference the second one makes!
:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Holy Moly that’s a pretty engine.
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Hi Craig, looking very nice.
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Craig,
I have to say that looks good. My lathe is a 12 X 36, but is also a gap bed lathe. I've never had anything that big in it so never removed the 4 Allen bolts that attach it. I think I'd have been scratching my head trying to figure out if it would go back together the same way again.
Art
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Thanks for taking the time to stop by and see the latest. Thanks also to Chris, Stuart, Achim, and Art for your kind comments, compliments, and observations.
Art…. Yea; mine is a gap bead lathe also. I tried, sort-of, to remove the gap when I turned the flywheel for the previous Otto Langen I made. I couldn’t get any of the allen screws out that hold the gap in. I was sort-of relieved when I failed. I’ve heard horror stories of people who removed the gap and could never get it aligned again properly.
I’ve also turned 12 inch flywheels (cast iron) on my lathe. At a lowest speed of 70 RPM I was taking very light cuts with carbide tooling to turn the flywheel without dulling the tooling. I’m not sure, without some kind of exotic tooling, you could turn a 15 inch flywheel at 70 RPM.
Today was consumed with making the lift eccentric. I don’t have any photos of the procedure I used, basically because- early on- I managed to machine myself into a hole. I wasn’t thinking things through well enough and had turned the large diameter flat and was working on the offset smaller diameter when it occurred to me that I still needed to cut two flanges on the large diameter and I, really, had left myself no good way to hold the piece to cut them. I ended-up mounting the piece in the 4-jaw chuck and after a bit of diddling, managed to get the large diameter to run “true” to within a few thousandths. That was close enough to cut the flanges on the large diameter. I wouldn’t suggest machining an eccentric in this manner. It turned out ok though- below is the completed photo.
(https://i.postimg.cc/kgHkhCMn/20210420-152113.jpg)
And below is a photo of the eccentric mounted on the engine.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XvwQc6p1/20210420-161924.jpg)
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(https://i.postimg.cc/XvwQc6p1/20210420-161924.jpg)
Quite intriguing design on these - for some reason I am visualizing one on the back of one of the earliest Daimler motorcars, the ones with the tall thin wheels and a little buggy seat on top.
:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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That's quite a beast :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: I hope you get the running that you want :) Nature is hard to scale ::)
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Still following along Craig, everything looks great.
-Bob
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Thanks for stopping by. Bob and Roger; thanks for commenting. Yea, it’s going to be a large model. I’m just hoping I can lug it around to the shows without a lot of trouble. I did pick it up the other day, just to see how heavy it was getting. It has almost all the larger heavier parts on it now. It’s still manageable.
I’ve been working on the other eccentric. The previous eccentric was the “lift” eccentric; used to lift the piston so fuel/air can be drawn into the cylinder. This eccentric will operate the slide valve at the base of the engine. Again, I don’t have any photos of me making this eccentric, just a photo of it complete and mounted on the engine.
(https://i.postimg.cc/x8xP26NX/20210424-153209.jpg)
And another shot of the engine from the back with both eccentrics in place.
(https://i.postimg.cc/JhV5MD05/20210424-153229.jpg)
Don't know if you've noticed or not, but some of the 'older' parts are starting to pick up a bit of rust. :facepalm: I guess I need to start keeping the model rubbed down with oil, it can get pretty humid in the shop.
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Nice :popcorn: :popcorn: Terry
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Craig,
Don't know if you've noticed or not, but some of the 'older' parts are starting to pick up a bit of rust. :facepalm: I guess I need to start keeping the model rubbed down with oil, it can get pretty humid in the shop.
That's not a problem it just adds patina.
Art
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Alternatively you could do a bit off Nickel Plating as Chris does it (he has shown how to) - easy and without any 'Nasties' involved ....
Still enjoying your journey and progress :cheers:
Per
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Terry, Art, Per; thanks for your comments. Thanks also for those who just silently drop by to see the latest.
Per: Hmmmmmmm, nickel plating. Yes, I’ve seen Chris’s excellent results. I’ll think about it. It would make a STUNNING model! (Though Art, with his suggestion; I might pass the model off as an original exhibition model.) :lolb:
I’ve been lackadaisical as of late with detailed photos, so I thought I’d give you a “blow-by-blow” :hammerbash: procedure for how I made the ratchet.
Things started with a two inch round of cold rolled steel. First I center-drilled the end for the live center.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Fz0psR4K/20210427-082719.jpg)
Next I turned a shoulder on one side of the ratchet.
(https://i.postimg.cc/gkP4tvVL/20210427-085311.jpg)
Like some of the things we make; I needed to think through how I was going to hold this piece during the later stages of fabrication. I decided upon making a spigot to facilitate holding the piece and would later be cut-off. This spigot is ½ inch in diameter. The hole for the shaft will be 9/16th inch so when I drill out the hole for the shaft, the spigot will be removed. Here I’m forming the spigot.
(https://i.postimg.cc/x16RdhWL/20210427-090506.jpg)
Having formed the spigot, I’ve turned the piece around in the lathe. I’m holding it with said spigot and am facing the front side of the part.
(https://i.postimg.cc/44pQcmDf/20210427-092158.jpg)
Now I need to reduce the diameter of the part to its final 1 ¾ inch largest diameter.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XvZwYJK0/20210427-094421.jpg)
Next was to move over to the mill and cut the “faces” of the ratchet steps. All the above steps were repeated because on the first “try” I was using a collet to hold the part and it rotated in the collet and ruined the part. You might notice I’m climb-cutting these steps; not by choice but rather necessity. There is no other way to approach them. Though I’m only removing .025 inch per pass; there is a huge tendency to grab the part and spin it. For this second (and final) attempt I switched to my dividing head and am using its chuck. I STILL got a bit of rotation once but managed to save this piece.
(https://i.postimg.cc/RVXf1fXB/20210427-102523.jpg)
I can’t seem to make anything anymore without using my rotary milling head. Here I’m “smoothing” the ramps that lead into the ratchet “steps”.
(https://i.postimg.cc/J0RDZ4X0/20210427-151307.jpg)
With the part back on the lathe; I’ve drilled and am now boring the hole for the shaft. I’m boring this to within a few thousandths of the final shaft diameter. This step cuts off the spigot.
(https://i.postimg.cc/DfcbFLVX/20210427-152912.jpg)
Now finishing up with the 9/16th inch ream.
(https://i.postimg.cc/8z7FhY7R/20210427-153018.jpg)
The last fabrication step was to broach the keyway. Here I’m performing that task on my hand press.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9X1zs2TP/20210427-154105.jpg)
The completed part.
(https://i.postimg.cc/kMjXfc3f/20210427-155506.jpg)
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Craig-
I learned something today, thank you.
-Bob
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Very interesting process for making the ratchet.
Kim
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Thanks for stopping by. Bob & Kim, thanks for your comments.
With the ratchet behind me I started on the pawl. Below is a drawing of the part so you can see what I’m making.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Pr7xfwrh/Ratchet-1.jpg)
I found a piece of 3/8th inch cold rolled steel in my inventory that was a good size fit. Here I’ve drilled the center hole and then followed that with several profile holes that will define a few of the concave curved surfaces.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MHsxXh7X/20210428-143204.jpg)
Next I used the rotary milling head to profile a concave and convex surface.
(https://i.postimg.cc/QNSj6W2s/20210428-145443.jpg)
Yet another concave surface.
(https://i.postimg.cc/g0vW3wVC/20210428-150955.jpg)
With the same set-up I’m profiling a few straight sections.
(https://i.postimg.cc/d3SPJGFy/20210428-160335.jpg)
Now I’ve rotated the vice to profile some of the straight edges that aren’t at zero or 90 degrees to the mill table.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nLKyCyZZ/20210428-161738.jpg)
Using the rotary milling head again to profile another curved edge.
(https://i.postimg.cc/TwCBcnp4/20210428-163114.jpg)
Finally cutting the part off the stock.
(https://i.postimg.cc/KvKCnkF0/20210428-163746.jpg)
Now a view of the completed pawl; along with the remaining pieces of the mounting hardware.
(https://i.postimg.cc/dt1kbkd2/20210429-121226.jpg)
We all love videos; so here is a video where I review the model to date and explain some of the more interesting aspects of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wie0GDr8VkY
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A very informative video - thank you :) :ThumbsUp:
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Lots of progress Craig, everything is looking very nice!
Dave
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Craig,
Ditto what he said. Looks good great progress.
Art
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That is really great - very impressive approach to make a complex part.
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Per, Dave, Art, Stuart; thanks for your encouragement and comments. Thanks also for those who just silently stop by to see the current happenings.
I’ve spent the past week carving on a 2 ½ x 2 ½ x 1 5/8th inch piece of cast iron; attempting to make it, at least, somewhat resemble the casting on the full size engine. Just so you can get an idea of what I’m trying to achieve; below is a rendering of the part from my CAD software.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NjsRP1Cs/Valve-Body-1.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZKcd3Wb1/Valve-Body-2.jpg)
There were lots of steps in machining this chunk of material and I documented most of them so here we go….
First off was sizing the piece to the above mentioned dimensions; then a bit of drilling, tapping, and slotting as you see below:
(https://i.postimg.cc/y8Jd91Ts/20210509-152234.jpg)
Next I used a ¼ inch end mill to form these major recesses in the face of the piece.
(https://i.postimg.cc/xdM1x67Z/20210509-155829.jpg)
A few more recesses in the face of the piece. This is all just cosmetic work.
(https://i.postimg.cc/BbYSLkLj/20210510-093443.jpg)
Now I employed my rotary milling head for form some of the curved surfaces on these recesses.
(https://i.postimg.cc/2jKNW49L/20210510-102623.jpg)
Here I give you one of the few photos I took of working the back of the piece. Pretty much the same procedure as on the front.
(https://i.postimg.cc/D0MhyGHs/20210510-100954.jpg)
Now I’ve turned the piece on its side and am drilling the exhaust port as well as tapping the mounts for the exhaust flange. This is a rather peculiar setup- a vice mounted on a turntable. In the next photo you’ll see the purpose. I’m trying to minimize the setups in working on this part.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Bns3ZJwm/20210510-115809.jpg)
The top of this boss has a slight taper. Here is where the turntable comes into play.
(https://i.postimg.cc/RFJyQYD3/20210510-133058.jpg)
With the boss tapered I need to form the curved surfaces on the top and bottom. Again I’m using my rotary milling head.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HLy9SCTC/8.jpg)
With the exhaust boss finished it was time to do the same on the intake boss- located on the other side of the part. Here I’ve drilled the gas and air ports, as well as drilled and tapped the flange mounts.
(https://i.postimg.cc/BbMT8SB2/9.jpg)
The same procedure as on the exhaust port, I’m adding the taper to the intake boss by rotating the rotary table four and ½ degrees.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nh6v9wBS/10.jpg)
The rotary milling head completes the milling of the boss.
(https://i.postimg.cc/3Rhmn4Lg/11.jpg)
Now it was time to cut away the material to fit the slide valve. I’ve been waiting to do this till now so that the part would have the rigidity needed to perform the above milling steps.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sDMQP4Vk/12.jpg)
The last steps were to cut the concave surface at the rear of the part. I was contemplating using a rotary table for this, thinking it might be a bit much for the rotary milling head; but I went slow and took many, MANY passes and all worked out well.
(https://i.postimg.cc/D0LzDB80/13.jpg)
After a bit of clean-up, below is a view of the finished part as well as a mock assembly on the engine frame.
(https://i.postimg.cc/tJQqhW2j/14.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/3rmJ3fxJ/15.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/28Yjyd1d/16.jpg)
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Craig,
That is one lovely piece of work. It looks just great :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
I bet you are pleased with the result
Mike
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Very good job on a complex shape!
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What a lovely bit of machining!
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Wow! I'll say - that's a very complicated part there. Came out beautifully!
Kim
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Nice work Craig!
Dave
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Mike, Chris, Ronald, Kim, Dave; Thanks for the complements. There is quite a bit of satisfaction in making a difficult part and having it come out respectably. Mike: yes, I am quite pleased. Thanks also for those who just stop by to see the progress.
I thought it was time to get a little paint on the model. Choosing a color is always a major decision point for me. I could have just decided upon black… that was the original color of all the engines from the factory; but this IS a model and I was thinking that a little distinction was required. Since I take my models to the shows here in North Carolina (usually tractor shows… but the folks running the shows always appreciate a little variety), I’ve found that “attention attracting colors” helps with crowd interest and: I do have my 3rd gen Otto Langen painted black. I was hoping for a deeper color than what I achieved but I think I’ll stick with it: it’s been growing on me over the last few days.
(https://i.postimg.cc/jS9cHPJV/20210515-145338.jpg)
With the valve body behind me it was time to turn my attention to the valve inner parts. First was the backplate as seem below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/BbqBSCRF/20210515-152121.jpg)
This part doesn’t occur on the full size; it is integrated into the valve body. I’ve chosen in all my Otto Langen models to make it a separate part. The front face of the back plate faces the slide valve and I definitely need an air-tight union between the two. Making the backplate a separate part, I can use my surfacing machine to achieve a mirror finish on the front face of the backplate. This part is internally ported and drilled to accommodate the fuel, air, and exhaust passages.
Next to build was the slide valve itself. Mechanically it would be better if the slide valve weren’t ported all the way through since were I to do this it would not necessitate another air-tight union between the front of the valve and the front plate. Having the valve cut through takes all the guess-work out of adjusting the position of the valve in the valve body.
(https://i.postimg.cc/B63xpgSz/20210515-152131.jpg)
Lastly I give you a close-up of the completed valve.
(https://i.postimg.cc/G3qkPGZM/20210515-153140.jpg)
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Hi Craig, a very nice progress. It is coming together.
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:ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Hello Craig,
Great progress, It looks good with the paint job. :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
You will soon have it popping up and down like a crazy thing,
Mike
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Love the paint job. As Mike says, will be jumping soon, like a robot Pez Dispenser! :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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That's some excellent fabrication/machining :praise2: :wine1:
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Somehow a robot Pez dispenser sounds like a scary proposition.
Art
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Thanks for stopping by. Achim, CNR, Mike, Chris, Roger, Art; thanks for your generous and encouraging comments.
As Mike says, will be jumping soon, like a robot Pez Dispenser! :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
Somehow a robot Pez dispenser sounds like a scary proposition.
Art
I think I’ve found my next project! :Jester:
Next was the task of fabricating the two eccentric straps. These are made of brass and with a thickness of nearly ½ inch and a diameter of over 2 ½ inches, I was looking at acquiring a LOT of brass. Have you priced brass lately? >:(
Putting my thinking cap on; I came up with a plan. :thinking:
Remembering how I managed to get Chris’s elves to pilfer his inexhaustible supply of brass some time ago I thought I might be able to work the same deal again. :naughty: I call the elves and stated what I needed, but when I mentioned “mint chocolate chip cookies” as the reward they laughed and hung up. :headscratch: I really don’t know for sure what has changed, but I have my suspicions. We all remember the Mann Wagon Chris just finished, with the “cosmetic” barrels in the truck bed. He swore they were empty. Maybe he thinks they are but I’ll bet those mischievous elves of his have filled them with some kind of “elf joy juice” they’ve brewed with a few pilfered parts from the Holly Pumping engine he’s currently building. :DrinkPint: They all probably pile into his Mann Wagon and the Lombard Hauler and head out to the Adirondacks for a fun filled weekend of debauchery every once in a while; so Chris, if the Mann Wagon and the Lombard Hauler have gone missing a few weekends recently… well, now you know where they’ve been. :ROFL:
Of course all this hasn’t helped me with finding a bar of brass and I ended up going to the store and buying a bar… on with the build.
Firstly, I wanted a smooth mating surface for the two eccentric strap halves. The photo below shows my solution.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SK1kRN8m/1.jpg)
Next I needed to cut away the material where the screws that attach the two halves of the strap reside. Using a stop and repeating the same procedure assured me that everything would be in alignment.
(https://i.postimg.cc/439B7WHn/2.jpg)
Next I drilled the holes for the connecting screws in one of the strap sides and drilled and tapped the other strap side.
(https://i.postimg.cc/pTg99B8V/4.jpg)
With the two halves joined with the attachment screws I cut away the center to form the inter circle of the eccentric strap.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4N1dZG8x/5.jpg)
Next was to form the interior slot where the alignment ring on the eccentric will ride. I'm using a woodruff keyway cutter to accomplish this. You might wonder why I’m using my rotary milling head instead of a turntable. I thought about using a turntable but with the setup I’m using I can “trial fit” the eccentric strap to the eccentric and return the strap to the mill and I haven’t lost my setup. This would be difficult to do using a turntable.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HnTL7W3n/6.jpg)
With the interior work on the eccentric strap complete I’ve moved to finishing the exterior. Here I’m milling a protrusion that will be used to attach the push rod for the slide valve.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CxVjrwRM/7.jpg)
Now I’ve moved the work to the turntable to finish the exterior work. The following two photos show completion of the exterior work.
(https://i.postimg.cc/447FHvqD/8.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/NfRJpsgb/9.jpg)
The above covered the eccentric strap that operates the slide valve. There is another eccentric strap that lifts the piston/rack. The fabrication procedure was similar so I didn’t take any photos while making it. I had thought I’d taken a photo of the completed eccentric straps before assembly on the model. If I did, the camera didn’t save it.
Below is a final photo of the two eccentric straps mounted on their eccentrics on the engine.
(https://i.postimg.cc/2j083Ypc/10.jpg)
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That would explain the tire tracks down the front hall...
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Great all we need is a bunch of inebriated elves with a truck load of Elfsteiner running around the neighborhood. Yeah, and you thought they'd confine themselves to your neck of the woods.
Art
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Great all we need is a bunch of inebriated elves with a truck load of Elfsteiner running around the neighborhood. Yeah, and you thought they'd confine themselves to your neck of the woods.
Art
Well, I do have relatives in Wisconsin... Maybe they are visiting them.
Anyway, back to the Egad build!
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Thanks for stopping by.
Not a lot to report today. I completed the valve mechanism by adding the pushrod that connects the valve eccentric strap to the slide valve as you can see in the photo below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/T1Lhcp3G/20210519-181853.jpg)
Next I have a handful of parts to make to arrest and control the movement of the ratchet/pawl mechanism. Once this is done, I have the ignition circuit and trip to address. With both those complete I might be able to give the engine a try, though it won’t be governor controlled till I build the governor.
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:ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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You’re getting very close Craig. I eagerly await the first ”pops”.
-Bob
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Thanks for stopping by. CNR & Bob; thanks for your encouragement and comments.
I’ve built four of these “crazy pop-up things” at this point and I’ve consistently found there are two challenging areas on the build. First was addresses up thread and concerns getting the piston to fall to the bottom of the cylinder under its own weight, but still maintain a “relatively” air tight seal. The second I’ve been addressing over the last week or so and that issue is getting the pawl and ratchet to engage cleanly without skipping and to have them dis-engage completely so that the pawl doesn’t chatter against the ratchet. With each model in the past this has taken a bit of thinking and tinkering; and in some cases a re-design of the pawl release mechanism. This engine was no exception. My third re-design of the pawl release mechanism seems to be working well. The full test is when the engine is running. I’ve also found that this mechanism, that seems to work flawlessly when the engine is turned over by hand, can develop problems when the engine is running on its own at speed. In that regard time will tell.
Before I can have a first test I need to build the ignition circuit yet and I’ll need to get more acetylene, since I exhausted my supply in surface-hardening the ratchet and pawl mechanisms to discourage wear.
I’ve made a video I present below which describes the current state of the model and hopefully, give you some insight into the mechanics of this engine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DJPt7oLv-Y
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Very interesting video, Craig! Thanks for walking us through that.
These are sure interesting engines!
Kim
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Looking good Craig, It was good to see the video showing the ratchet & pawl mechanism at work.
Art
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quite a mechanism, great to see the details like that! I wonder how many versions wound up in their scrap bin as they were developing it.
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Kim, Art, Chris; thanks for your comments. Thanks to those just stopping by to see the latest too.
Chris: I’d say, quite a few. I find it hard to wrap my head around this stuff sometimes. It’s kind of like designing locomotive valve gear; all the different types: Southern, Baker, Joy… Better minds than mine visualized this stuff before we had computer modeling.
This morning I was looking through the drawings of the parts I’ve yet to make and I realized that I excluded a very important part from my previous up-thread discussion of the parts remaining before I can test the engine. I’ll need to make a part I call the “exhaust valve”. This is a one-way ball valve and it resides external to the slide valve on the exhaust side and prevents the engine from drawing air back through the exhaust port.
This is a very necessary part of the full size engine; on the model… hard to tell. Stepping into the middle of the combustion cycle; the piston has been driven up toward the top of the cylinder by combustion, atmospheric pressure has arrested its upward motion, and it is now being driven back down the cylinder by atmospheric pressure working against the partial vacuum in the cylinder. This action spins up the flywheel where kinetic energy can be stored and used by the engine load. At the same time, the slide valve is cycling from the closed position and is starting to open the exhaust port. Were this external “one way exhaust valve” not assembled on the exhaust pipe, the engine would just draw air back through the open exhaust port and into the cylinder, robbing the engine of the power it reclaims through the atmospheric pressure driving the piston downward. The full size engine cycles over several seconds, and it’s easy to see where this external valve is needed.
The model however cycles much faster. The piston and rack moves so quickly that it hard to observer exactly how high the rack travels. With the rapid cycle of the model, it is possible that all the energy has been reclaimed before the slide valve opens the exhaust port. It’s hard to tell.
Making and adding this part to the model isn’t going to hurt anything if it isn’t needed and certainly will perform a useful function if it is required. Also, since this is a scale model, it ought to have a representation of all the parts on the full size.
On the full size this part is a casting; so once again I’m attempting to machine something that at least remotely resembles the part on the full size.
This was an interesting part to make. It is a rectangular body with two cylindrical projections at each end with a flange at the end of each. Below I’m cutting one of the cylindrical projections.
(https://i.postimg.cc/j2j1nZ6s/20210531-140824.jpg)
Now I’ve turned the part around in the lathe and am forming the projection on the other end.
(https://i.postimg.cc/BvGwBq57/20210531-153117.jpg)
After a little standard machining I show the finished part below; sitting atop its drawing so you can see the internal passage ways.
(https://i.postimg.cc/KvMNq686/20210531-171756.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by.
After getting the ignition circuit and the acetylene piped in I thought I’d give the engine a trial run. It wasn’t complete yet (still isn’t), but I certainly could work out any “kinks” before starting in on the governor.
These things certainly are full of surprises and each one I build seems to have its own personality. If you remember, (I certainly do) when I first tried to run my 3rd Gen. engine I built last fall I had too much fuel piped in and on the first ignition, the piston was driven to the top of the stroke violently against the spring restraint(which was too weak) and the rack was broken. I didn’t want to repeat that error again, so I was very conservative at first with the fuel I allowed the engine to have. Therefore, I cranked it and cranked it and cranked it, slowly opening the fuel regulator until it finally, very weakly fired; a little more fuel and I was in business.
As I think I noted up-thread, the engine did need a few adjustments before I had it running dependably. In the following video it’s running about as well as it will run in an un-governed state. Its running “wide open” without a governor to regulate the speed, but it certainly will get up to speed in a hurry so I’m thinking that an appropriately designed governor should regulate its speed nicely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdP0JoUbatQ
BTW, in-case you wonder; yes, the flywheel keys need seated and adjusted. I’ll probably have the engine apart and together a few more times till it settles in, so I’ll wait to seat the keys till I’m ready to call it “done”. Besides, I still need to make the drive pulley for the main shaft.
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Egads, it's popping up. :o
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Excellent :praise2: :praise2: :wine1:
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Beautiful to see another successful runner. The governor is surely the home stretch now.
It’s a real tribute to the skill you put into building this unusual engine.
MJM460
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Congratulations on a runner, nicely done!
Dave
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8) Well Done
Jo
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Congratulations on getting it to run so quickly, Craig! The video is fascinating to watch.
Kim
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Another good running engine, should now be able to make a start on that Benz soon ;)
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The crazy pop-up thing lives. :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
Well done
Mike
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Congratulations, very nice and a pleasure to watch.
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Marvellous :ThumbsUp:
Andy
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Craig,
It runs great, by golly.
Art
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I'm impressed how smooth this one runs - even without the governor :praise2:
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Thanks for stopping by; and a BIG thank you to everyone who has sent their congratulations, encouragement, et. all. on a successful first run.
Now that the robotic Pez dispenser Otto & Langen model is running; I’ve turned my attention to the governor. The engine runs so well that I “could” just forget about the governor, claim victory, and move on to another project but… as it runs now someone might confuse it with some errant kangaroo running through the outback :ROFL: so: a governor is probably needed.
The governor housing is an interesting piece to fabricate. This is another machined part that is supposed to resemble the casting on the full size. So you know where I’m going with all this fabrication: I’ve posted the graphic from Alibre below:
(https://i.postimg.cc/prMpJ0Lt/00.jpg)
I thought and thought and thought and…. (you get the idea) about how to make this part and I finally resolved to make a fixture to help hold the part during the latter fabrication steps. A bit on that down post. First, I needed to size the piece of aluminum and then make the bearing pockets. I’m again using ball bearings because this thing will spin around like crazy and I’d like it to be as friction free as possible.
(https://i.postimg.cc/PJH5wPSX/01.jpg)
Next I used my rotary milling head to form the bottom profile.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4xyNVCQ9/02.jpg)
Forgot to drill a few holes up post but fortunately, I still had my set-up so not much time was lost.
(https://i.postimg.cc/rptVZSby/03.jpg)
Now I’m going to depart and show the steps to fabricate the fixture I’ll use to hold the governor housing to complete the mill work. First a ½ inch piece of cold roll was formed as shown below.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mkTTrKrh/04.jpg)
Next I needed to cut some threads .
(https://i.postimg.cc/CxRSdGwC/05.jpg)
I then parted this part off the stock. With the “shaft” part of the fixture complete, I’ve moved on to the “base” part. Here I’m forming the boss that will fit into a bearing pocket on the governor housing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/kgL9S250/06.jpg)
Next I drilled and tapped a center hole. This part threads onto the shaft of the fixture I made above.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SshhZHCV/07.jpg)
On the mill, drilling and threading supports that will hold the governor housing in the fixture and prevent it from rotating while I machine it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/2yHNS6JX/08.jpg)
Here I show the completed fixture mounted in the lathe chuck.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nzHW9xv8/09.jpg)
And here I have the governor housing mounted on the fixture.
(https://i.postimg.cc/kGGhwy1f/10.jpg)
Here I’m forming the cylinder portion of the governor housing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/VsZhv3vT/11.jpg)
A little cosmetic finishing, forming the end of the governor housing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/8PF06trC/12.jpg)
After a little clean-up I show the completed governor housing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/gjxN32j7/13.jpg)
Next I started on the governor main shaft. This is a ½ inch bar onto which I’ve turned several steps.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Vv24gPbk/14.jpg)
Milling a slot into the governor main shaft, and the main shaft is complete.
(https://i.postimg.cc/43XPB5nV/15.jpg)
Here I’ve mock mounted the governor housing with main shaft installed on the engine.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wvvVdjXB/16.jpg)
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:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
(https://www.tintoyarcade.com/image/cache/data/product/Images_5300_5399/TTA5330-Kangaroo-Hopping-01-200x200.jpg)
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Craig,
It's good to see you moving forward with the governor. But, I sort of liked the idea of the errant kangaroo running through the outback pez dispenser. :ROFL:
Art
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:ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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But remember that an outback kangaroo does move with a very steady beat when in full flight, so the governor is still needed!
They can of course also be very nimble when the need arises.
MJM460
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Thanks for stopping by.
Chris, Art, CNR & MJM; thanks for your compliments and jovial comments.
But remember that an outback kangaroo does move with a very steady beat when in full flight, so the governor is still needed!
They can of course also be very nimble when the need arises.
MJM460
MJM is from Australia so he must know his kangaroos... I thought I’d better get hopp’in :embarassed: on this governor before someone tries to put my model in the zoo. :Lol:
Another interesting part to make today. This is the weight hanger for the governor weights; I’ve included the graphic from my design software so you can see what I’m attempting to achieve.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SR9HkHDt/0.jpg)
After sizing an appropriate piece of steel, I started by drilling and tapping the center hole. This is where the part threads onto the governor shaft I made yesterday.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Ghk6NwB4/1.jpg)
A little cosmetic shaping was next in order.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Wp09pmsK/2.jpg)
The cosmetic shaping was completed using my rotary milling head to smooth out the transitions.
(https://i.postimg.cc/J42H9g9W/3.jpg)
Next the pockets for the weight arms were cut.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XY64Gk5C/4.jpg)
And then the hole mounts for the shoulder bolts were formed. I did this by drilling the hole through both top and bottom legs for the tap, then tapping both top and bottom legs. This was followed by re-drilling the top shoulder to the shoulder bolt width and finishing with a ream.
(https://i.postimg.cc/y876pTNz/5.jpg)
Near complete now, the part was cut from the stock with my cut-off saw.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wvR9RfwD/6.jpg)
And after a bit of clean-up, here is the finished part. Hard to believe it took the day to make this one part.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NjNtJqV1/7.jpg)
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Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve continued work on the governor these past days. I have the spinning part of the governor together and have cut the bevel gears mounted on the secondary shaft and on the governor shaft to drive it. I’m still up in the air as to whether I have the drive ratio for the governor correct. The governor will need to spin faster than its full size counterpart, just due to scaling and relative weights of the fly-balls to the full size. I also don’t really have a good feel for the gear rations on the full size, since I’m working off a photo.
The main shaft on the model rotates at around 200 RPM when the engine is running wide-open. This I observed when it was running. The secondary shaft on these 2nd generation engines run at a slower speed than the main shaft; I read someplace that this was done to help lessen the impact on the pawl when it runs up against the stop and dis-engages. I have the gear ratio of the governor to the secondary shaft set at five to one. This gives the governor a rotation of around 700 rpm when the engine is at full speed. With the gearing I’m using, the governor seems to settle at around the right speed as I let the engine coast down and stop. I’ll have to see if this is ok or if I need to make a gear change on the governor drive one I get the governor linkage complete and see the governor in operation.
I haven’t taken any photos so you’ll have to be content with the one I took after I assembled to governor frame onto the engine. :shrug: I still have several parts to make to have the governor function but I wanted to assemble so far to see if it goes round-and-round without hitting anything and without binding, etc.
(https://i.postimg.cc/P5RbLyxJ/20210614-103322.jpg)
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That is SUCH a pretty engine. Really nice work. :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:
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:ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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Stuart and CNR; thanks for the complements and encouragement! Thanks also for those who just occasionally stop by to see the latest.
I was postponed in finishing this model for about a week by a request to do some woodworking. I don’t mind the woodworking but the cleanup of all the sawdust in the shop is a chore.
I was planning on ‘running in’ the ring to seat it before I made this final video but with the engine cycling once around every ten seconds it’s going to take hours and hours for that to occur so I thought I’d just go ahead and make a final video to complete this project.
The engine is being controlled by the governor. If I lift the counter weight the engine cycles as it does in the previous video. The governor just starts to release control just as the spent gasses have leaked off enough of the engine to cycle. I’m pretty sure once the engine runs some and the ring seats you’ll be able to actually see the governor functioning.
I’m very happy with this model. It runs very well; and gives the impression that it could gust tick-away all day without problems occurring. You can see the final video of it that I posted on the ‘engines’ section of this forum at this URL:
https://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,10393.0.html
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Wow Craig. That seemed to go by pretty fast! Pretty!
Dave
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Congrats on a successful conclusion to an unusual project.
I have enjoyed looking in on this build and I am impressed by the way it runs in the video. Since you mentioned that you have some thoughts about what may be the result of some run time, I will be looking for an update later.
Thank You for posting and Thank You for sharing your thoughts along the way.
ShopShoe
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Congratulations Craig, on another successful model. A great contribution to ensuring that a historical prototype is not forgotten.
I am so glad that you managed to include the governor.
It’s been an enjoyable build to follow from the start. I never miss a post.
MJM460
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Thanks for the complements folks. It will take days of run time to get the ring seated so that the engine can attain it’s optimal performance. Maybe in a year or two ;) I will make another video; but regardless, thanks for following along and commenting.