Hello From Houston

[alskdjfhg]

Hi all, if I am posting this incorrectly I do apologize.

I am 17, and have long since harbored a desire to build model engines.
I am kind of halfheartedly building a simple little wobbler engine as time permits.

I have a 1904 30X168 L&S, a 1944 10X36 Sheldon, and a 1942 Cincinnati 2MH, horizontal mill. It comes to a grand total of 18,100 lbs of "vintage" machine tools. I have posted extensively about these machines on Practical Machinist. If you care to see them, I have the same username over on PM as I do here.

Most of these machines are a bit big to make engines that fit on the palm of a hand. But maybe one day I'll get a machine that can make some small stuff.

I am also a part time model railroader/rail-fan. I actually got into machine tools so I could try and mass produce hand-laid switches.

Oh, and if there is any local old guys that would like to teach something to a youngster this summer, I would be more than interested.....
(first post and already asking for stuff, a new low)

 

[hanermo]

Many of us are happy to help.
Your tools are great !.

If you can make flat stuff, and accurate holes you are all set.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Welcome to the forum.
There is a lot of knowledge here and most folks are willing to help a young eager lad or the occasional eager lass as well.
sounds like you have a fine collection of vintage tools. There is no requirement to make tiny engines here. Some have small to tiny machines and that is what works for many of us. Nothing wrong with engines in the 1 to 2 inch bore range bigger if you like. the disadvantage of bigger models is greater cost of materials harder to store and transport and greater volume of air or steam to run.
double the size of a model and the material and power increases by 8 times. if you like using brass the cost sky rockets. Please do not think I am trying to discourage larger models. I am not. Just a reality check and reminder of the law of scaling. We all have to build in a size range we are comfortable with and a size that works with our machines.

I suggest you download a copy Modern Machine shop practice by Joshua rose.

https://archive.org/details/modernmachinesho01roseuoft
vol 2 is on google books.

I also suggest a copy of Army TC 9-524

TC 9-524

And a copy of the Machinery's hand book. From Industrial Press. Oder Editions are available and reasonably priced. The 1915 edition is available in pdf.
http://books.google.com/books/about/Machinery_s_Handbook_for_Machine_Shop_an.html?id=VkEYAAAAYAAJ

If you are not familiar with Google books click on the gear icon on the right to see the option for pdf download.
Tin

 

[Tin Falcon]

Hi all, if I am posting this incorrectly I do apologize.

Kudos for posting an introduction on your first post that is what we like and you posted in the correct sub fora.

If you care to see them, I have the same username over on PM as I do here.

th_wwp
Tin

 

[AussieJimG]

Welcome alphabetical, this is a good place to hang out.

Jim

 

[alskdjfhg]

Thanks for the welcome guys.

Here are some pictures of my big boat-anchor.
Weights 12,500 lbs, is 20' long from end to end, #5 morse taper tailstock and has a DA aloris toolpost.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/moving-12-000-lbs-lathe-277845/

And she'll get up and run too (the spindle bearings are in absolutely wonderful shape). The apron is almost ready to be re-installed.
It was a little worn out and busted after 110 years of hard work, but after the rebuild she got, she should last for another 110 years.

Hopefully this summer I will have a 40X80 shop with a concrete floor so that the lathe can be moved indoors.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5cc5wLy72I[/ame]

 

[alskdjfhg]

Here is my 1942 Cincinnati 2MH horizontal mill. It spent a year sitting outside in a scrap yard before I talked myself into saving it. It looks a lot better now that I have derusted and cleaned it.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...ron/rebuilding-my-1942-2mh-horizontal-284166/

And here's a picture of my 10X36 Sheldon.

I'm fully aware that it's probably fool-hardy to build engines that would need a 30in lathe. But I meet a local guy that has about 30 old stationary engines in various states of decay/operation. So making new might be impossible, but fixing old might work.

And here are some pictures of some the model railroad trackwork I did, 3 #6 double slip hinged turnouts. All done with only a NMRA gauge, file, jewler's vice, soldering iron, Xacto knife and lines drawn on the bench. No fixtures were used.

I've done more, but that one is the most complicated and took the longest.

 

[AussieJimG]

Everything is big in Texas!! These are tabletop machining Texas style.

Jim

 

[alskdjfhg]

This weekend my Dad and I moved my new to me Wells-Index 645 vertical mill. It has a B&S #9 spindle taper (Wells-Index will regrind it to R8 for about $200 if I want), two axis Mitutoyo DRO, factory power feeds, a complete set of collets and a 3/8 EM holder, small Jacobs drill chuck, 0-3/8 keyless Albrecht drill chuck, Criterion boring head, 15in rotab, and two 6in mill vices.

Out of all of my machines, this little mill (only weighs 2100 lbs) was the most work to move.

Soon this mill is going to be moved from the farm to the garage with the Sheldon. With these two, I plan on trying to make some small engines.