First engine

[Richard Hed]

I'm wondering if anyone has ever heard of this "Double-cross over " engine. It has two cylinders, and four pistons in which two piston rods are hollow in which the other two piston rods travel. The Pistons travel in opposite directions and the cylinders have no end caps. Really weird. I am drawing it up, but to make it will have to wait. It doesn't look all that difficult to make, however,

 

[Richard Hed]

Danuzzo,
Couple things I found helpful.
Make your piston to fit your bore. It’s much easier to make a new piston than a new block. I polished with compound to get a fit that pops when you cover the ports and pull the piston out.

sand and polish the mating surfaces between the block and the upright so you get a fit that doesn’t allow light to get through. I know the finish(or lack there of) of the rest of my project drew some attention. I paid close attention to those two in order to make them as airtight as possible.

If you have questions I’d be happy to tell you about my build. Obviously I lack the experience of the other members here.

dave

I have accidentally made cylinders a few thou oversized. That's why I always make the cylinder bore first, in case I over do it. Then I can make the piston to fit.

 

[Danuzzo]

Thank's, Dave. I do have the piston /cylinder portion complete with a very good fit. Only thing left to do on the cylinder is to drill the intake/exhaust bore. It's been a slow process; but, I am enjoying it.

I may take you up on your offer to answer questions. At this point I am trying to conceptualize the best process as to the intake/ exhaust bores on the cylinder and the mount. Need to look at it some more' before I go asking dumb questions.

Edit: Thank's Richard. I did not see your post before I posted this one.

 

[coffeebean16]

Thank's, Dave. I do have the piston /cylinder portion complete with a very good fit. Only thing left to do on the cylinder is to drill the intake/exhaust bore. It's been a slow process; but, I am enjoying it.

I may take you up on your offer to answer questions. At this point I am trying to conceptualize the best process as to the intake/ exhaust bores on the cylinder and the mount. Need to look at it some more' before I go asking dumb questions.

Edit: Thank's Richard. I did not see your post before I posted this one.

I’ll look for the video that I used as instruction covering just that. Works out to be very easy but stressful because of the potential to need to remake parts. Give me a few hours and I’ll get back to you with it.
Dave

 

[coffeebean16]

Danuzzo,
Check out this on YouTube
Tubal Cain builds an oscillating steam engine part 4/5 at minute 18:00

he describes how to locate the ports with transfer punches.
worth watching the entire build, that’s how I built mine. He gives dimensions in part 6. I drew up a set of plans and wrote an order of operations from part 6 that I took into my shop.

 

[lathe nut]

Danuzzo, congratulation on your hobby, that was my first engine also, your new hobby that take more of your time the more you get hooked, a money and tools, will be the money pit, but you can find a way to pay for them with small machine jobs that people need and looks like for some things they need getting a little harder and longer to get that is where the Home Shop will win, when I started years ago it was because I wanted something for a use I needed so hacked and sawed until it come to the part where I needed something machined, no home shop where I lived, went to professional, they would not even make the piece I needed, so I started looking for a lathe and found one, then I had something that I could not believed with out now, then started looking at what others were building that was simple and found the wobble engine, will attach pic of it, I did not even have a piece big enough to make the flywheel so I used an old cast handle off of a steam valve, my intentions were to make this one out of 1/2" stock then make another on larger by 1/2" increments until I got to 4" square and mount them all on a board with an air manifold, then I found the little steam engine Rudy Kouhoupt has an excellent book and simple projects, (by the way the one lathe I found has now turned into 12 lathes) never enough lathes ?, will attach pic of the first two that I made, have fun, there is a well spring of wisdom at this site.