Hi
Since I finished my small boiler I haven't had a lot of time in the workshop, domestic duties, amongst other things, getting in the way. I also enjoy woodwork and am at the moment making a mahogany veneered and inlaid side table to match the coffee table I made a while back. I have some ideas as to the type of engine I would like to build to go with the boiler but don't seem to be able to find the time to get on with it at the moment. So I have decided to go back to basics and build a simple steam engine. Something that I can do in the odd half hour here and there without getting too complicated. I have the two books BUILDING SIMPLE MODEL STEAM ENGINES by Tubal Cain that I read from cover to cover a few years back so dug them out and had a quick flick through again. I have also searched through some of the excellent little wobblers on this forum and looked at a few plans I have. I have settled on building a small vertical centre flu boiler and a horizontal oscillating engine. Nothing original I'm afraid, I openly admit that I have pinched ideas from all of these sources. I will not be working to any plans as such, just making it up as I go along. The project will be made mostly from the scrap box so will be adapted to whatever I have. The boiler will be very low pressure, around 15psi should be enough to run a litle engine. I will use the hydraulic pump I made to test my other boiler to test this one as well. I will include some drawings as I go along and photographs from start to finish. So here we go.
I have a piece of 2 inch dia. 20 guage (.037) copper tube 4 inch long, that'll do. A piece of 15mm 23guage (.028) copper pipe 7 3/4 inch long and a bit of copper plate 20 guage (.037)
Lightly centre dot and scribe two circles 2 3/8 dia. on the copper plate. These are for the boiler top and bottom plates. I have allowed for a 3/16 inch flange.
Centre a scrap of oak on the lathe face plate.
And screw on from behind. I use fat self tapping screws with washers, they have deep threads and bite into the wood tightly.
Cut the two copper plates out as close to scribed circle as possible.
Centre and hold the copper circle on the face plate using a revolving centre in the tail stock and a scrap of oak to apply pressure and turn to size.
The completed discs.
Turn a piece of alluminium (or whatever you have) to make a former to flange the plates. The size needed is the internal dia. of the coppper tube less twice the thickness of the copper plate.
Anneal the two copper plates and then form the flange with a soft mallet.
The top and bottom plates formed.
I have decided to fit three bushes in the top plate. One threaded 1/4 x 40 which will be for the safety valve. Two others threaded 3/16 x 40, one for the steam outlet and the other for a small pressure guage. Two futher bushes threaded 1/4 x 40 will be fitted down the side of the boiler tube for a water guage. I may not fit a pressure guage, although it would look nice, but its much easier to fit the bushes now than try to do it later. The same goe's for the water guage, if I dont get round to making one I will just fit plugs to the bushes.
Heres the bushes made from phospher bronze.
Thats it for now. I'll keep posting as and when I get a bit more done.
Cheers
Rich
Since I finished my small boiler I haven't had a lot of time in the workshop, domestic duties, amongst other things, getting in the way. I also enjoy woodwork and am at the moment making a mahogany veneered and inlaid side table to match the coffee table I made a while back. I have some ideas as to the type of engine I would like to build to go with the boiler but don't seem to be able to find the time to get on with it at the moment. So I have decided to go back to basics and build a simple steam engine. Something that I can do in the odd half hour here and there without getting too complicated. I have the two books BUILDING SIMPLE MODEL STEAM ENGINES by Tubal Cain that I read from cover to cover a few years back so dug them out and had a quick flick through again. I have also searched through some of the excellent little wobblers on this forum and looked at a few plans I have. I have settled on building a small vertical centre flu boiler and a horizontal oscillating engine. Nothing original I'm afraid, I openly admit that I have pinched ideas from all of these sources. I will not be working to any plans as such, just making it up as I go along. The project will be made mostly from the scrap box so will be adapted to whatever I have. The boiler will be very low pressure, around 15psi should be enough to run a litle engine. I will use the hydraulic pump I made to test my other boiler to test this one as well. I will include some drawings as I go along and photographs from start to finish. So here we go.
I have a piece of 2 inch dia. 20 guage (.037) copper tube 4 inch long, that'll do. A piece of 15mm 23guage (.028) copper pipe 7 3/4 inch long and a bit of copper plate 20 guage (.037)
Lightly centre dot and scribe two circles 2 3/8 dia. on the copper plate. These are for the boiler top and bottom plates. I have allowed for a 3/16 inch flange.
Centre a scrap of oak on the lathe face plate.
And screw on from behind. I use fat self tapping screws with washers, they have deep threads and bite into the wood tightly.
Cut the two copper plates out as close to scribed circle as possible.
Centre and hold the copper circle on the face plate using a revolving centre in the tail stock and a scrap of oak to apply pressure and turn to size.
The completed discs.
Turn a piece of alluminium (or whatever you have) to make a former to flange the plates. The size needed is the internal dia. of the coppper tube less twice the thickness of the copper plate.
Anneal the two copper plates and then form the flange with a soft mallet.
The top and bottom plates formed.
I have decided to fit three bushes in the top plate. One threaded 1/4 x 40 which will be for the safety valve. Two others threaded 3/16 x 40, one for the steam outlet and the other for a small pressure guage. Two futher bushes threaded 1/4 x 40 will be fitted down the side of the boiler tube for a water guage. I may not fit a pressure guage, although it would look nice, but its much easier to fit the bushes now than try to do it later. The same goe's for the water guage, if I dont get round to making one I will just fit plugs to the bushes.
Heres the bushes made from phospher bronze.
Thats it for now. I'll keep posting as and when I get a bit more done.
Cheers
Rich