Kactiguy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2007
- Messages
- 86
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My son and I started a couple finger engines a while ago and I thought I'd show some of our progress.
I started by building this little model out of foam core and toothpicks to get an idea of what I wanted to build. It was a lot like building a finger engine for our competition. It worked, but it just didn't spin freely.
Next I made a model in google sketchup.
Then we went to work. This is the base and the supports. It is a long slow process for us. We have only been able to spend a little time on it here and there. The rate we are going we may never finish.
We were thinking about how to do our flywheels, turning the on the lathe most likely, and looking for material when we had a visit with Birk (Oldmechthings). He had offered to teach me a little bit about casting and let us pour up a few things. He happened to have some flywheel patterns that were just the right size for our project. They were actually belt pulley wheels that he built for a sawmill, but who cares. This is what we ended up with. I'll do another post to show the casting process.
What started out as a simple project to teach my son and I, a couple newbies, some machining, is turning out to be much more. Learning how to cast has been a great experience for both of us. I'll post more as we move along.
Here is the link to the casting process:
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2188.msg18017;topicseen#new
I started by building this little model out of foam core and toothpicks to get an idea of what I wanted to build. It was a lot like building a finger engine for our competition. It worked, but it just didn't spin freely.
Next I made a model in google sketchup.
Then we went to work. This is the base and the supports. It is a long slow process for us. We have only been able to spend a little time on it here and there. The rate we are going we may never finish.
We were thinking about how to do our flywheels, turning the on the lathe most likely, and looking for material when we had a visit with Birk (Oldmechthings). He had offered to teach me a little bit about casting and let us pour up a few things. He happened to have some flywheel patterns that were just the right size for our project. They were actually belt pulley wheels that he built for a sawmill, but who cares. This is what we ended up with. I'll do another post to show the casting process.
What started out as a simple project to teach my son and I, a couple newbies, some machining, is turning out to be much more. Learning how to cast has been a great experience for both of us. I'll post more as we move along.
Here is the link to the casting process:
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=2188.msg18017;topicseen#new
