My First Build!!! Or (Will It Ever Get Done)

[ozzie46]

I have started Elmers # 24 Beam Engine. It will be a slow build as I can only
get in the shop about once a week and I am ssssloowww. ;D

12 hours to make a flywheel! : It may not look great but its mine.

Here are some Pics.

 

[ozzie46]

oops posted 1 pic twice, should have been this one. oh:
Ron

 

[90LX_Notch]

Congrats. It looks great.

 

[Maryak]

Ron,

Looking good. who cares if it's 12 hours or 12 days ??? - ENJOY

Best Regards
Bob

 

[ksouers]

Ron,
Nice work. I like Elmer's Beam. Well, any beam engine actually.

I'm another one that only gets one day a week in the shop, if I'm lucky, so you are not alone.

Be sure to keep us posted on the progress.

Kevin

 

[deere_x475guy]

Those look great. How did you figure the locations you needed to cut the spokes out?

 

[ozzie46]

deere_x475

Elmer tells how in instructions, here are the plans.

http://john-tom.com/ElmersEngines/24_beam.pdf

Ron

 

[ozzie46]

My main problem was trying to figure out how to use a rotory table. :

Also I drilled axle hole before laying out spoke line and rim so I had to make
a mandrel to put in axle hole to get center point for compass. :wall:

Ron

 

[kustomkb]

There will be many times to relocate the position of a piece...

you are doing great!

 

[b.lindsey]

Ozzie,
Whatever time it took was worth it, those spokes look spot on and if memory serves, you probably have the hardest part done now. Keep up the fine work, Elmer's little beam is a great one to start or add to any collection.

Regards,
Bill

 

[JMI]

Looking good. Finished the same model a few weeks ago and and it is a real gratifying engine to watch run.
You did the smart move by getting the fly wheel out of the way first. I saved it for last and look to doing it with a sense of dread, although in the end it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be (as most things generally are).
It is a great learning project cause it requires several types of procedures. Before you turn the eccentric you might want to consider making a "pump center":
http://www.homemetalshopclub.org/projects/pmpcntr/pmpcntr.html
This was my first "homemade tool" and it has proved itself very useful since.

Good luck

Jim

 

[ozzie46]

Before you turn the eccentric you might want to consider making a "pump center":
http://www.homemetalshopclub.org/projects/pmpcntr/pmpcntr.html
This was my first "homemade tool" and it has proved itself very useful since.

Good luck

Jim

Jim

I made a pump center a while back. I enjoy making as many of my own tools as I can. Still have a lot to go.
Thanks for the encouraging words.

Ron

 

[ozzie46]

Well I have a little progress to report. Very little! : :

Made the cyl and the head, actually made 2 heads. Drilled piston rod hole oversize on the first one. I read the wrong dimesion.

I started to make the piston, turned it undersize on first one.
It was brass. Thought I would make one out of steel as I didn't have anything close to 3/16 in brass. Didn't want to turn down from 1 inch. Brass is to expensive for that.
I broke 2 drills and 2 carbide cutters and called quits for the day.

I learned a long time ago when things start to go south one right after another its time for me to back off for awhile.


Anyway here is what I have so far.

Sorry its going so slow.

Ron

 

[Shopguy]

These things take time, there is no reason for any apology. It's not like we'll all drown if you don't get the pump engine built quickly. You are coming along fine. Also agree that when it doesn't work out, it's better to walk away for a while, things have a way of going better on another attempt. .
Regards
Ernie J

 

[Maryak]

These things take time, there is no reason for any apology. It's not like we'll all drown if you don't get the pump engine built quickly. You are coming along fine. Also agree that when it doesn't work out, it's better to walk away for a while, things have a way of going better on another attempt. .
Regards
Ernie J

Absolutely and Most Definitely Correct

Best Regards
Bob

 

[stevehuckss396]

12 hours to make a flywheel! : It may not look great but its mine.

As long as you enjoy doing it who cares how long it takes.

 

[kvom]

I have been working on Brian's double size version since September, and your doing it in the original scale is quite a bit harder. Once piece at a time and eventually they're all there.

There are at least 10 parts that I had to make over during the process. I think many of the do-overs were a result of keeping on in the shop when I was tired. I have made it a principle that if I screw up one part, I don't work on it again until I finish a different one.

 

[rake60]

I started on Elmer's Mill Engine in November...... 2007!
It's about half way done already.
:-\

 

[ozzie46]

It occurred to me that somebody might be interested in how I machined the offset projection on the cyl head.

I don't have any collets so I made a, (I guess you would call it a collet),fixture to hold the stock for the head. I turned up some steel to 2 different diameters so that the smaller diameter would go in the 4 jaw and the larger diameter would butt up against the chuck jaws to keep it square. I then drilled it thru 1/2 in. Then I bored it to the diameter of the cyl head, 5/8 in. for a depth of 1/16 in. The 1/2 in. hole was then bored so it would clear the offset projection on the head so that once it was turned I could flip it around to face off the backside to complete it.
I then slit it lengthwise on my 4x6 bandsaw.

The only critical dimensions are the 5/8 dia. and the 1/16 depth.

I left a wide lip on the larger diam. so I could use my dial indicator to set it true to center for any operations after the offset turning was done.

It worked really well. Actually I was surprised how well it worked. Thm:

I hope this is useful to some one.

Ron

 

[steamer]

Think smiles per hour and not hours per part

Hell took 4 years to design and build the engine in my boat! :big:

ya doing just fine!

Dave