seal killer
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- Joined
- Jul 8, 2009
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All--
I have owned a mill for a couple of years and gone from ZERO knowledge to pretty well tooled up plus SOME knowledge. I have built a few things, mostly for the mill(!), and am looking forward to expanding my horizons.
My Dad built a steam engine when he was 14. It was an oscillator. I can remember it whizzing the flywheel as young as four. I imagine that steam engine is what determined my career in technology.
I bought a copy of Steam and Stirling and determined that the "Minikin" was the easiest engine in the book to build and the most like the one my Dad built. The editor, whom I think built the Minikin, as well, wrote the piece about it from the point of view of someone having a lathe and a mill. The lathe being somewhat predominant in the construction of the engine.
I don't have a lathe.
What I do have is a nice knee mill which I am very familiar using. I plan to emulate the lathe requirement in the construction article of the Minikin by using a left handed boring bar to turn a boss. (I will drill or bore the raw material prior to turning the boss. It seems better that way to this inexperienced non-machinist.)
There are many things I do not understand. For one, the editor says to "turn up a bushing to fit on the pivot." Other than a drawing, there is no other explanation. I THINK I can do this via reverse boring, especially since the bushing is so short. I am somewhat worried about using a carbide end mill in an interrupted cut in both brass and bronze (bronze: 932, brass: 360 and 464). My thinking is to take 0.001" off the square work piece and see how if feels and proceed from there. (?) I will mill the work piece down so there is a square "boss" protruding for reverse boring (turning).
My other departure from the article concerns the stainless steel piston. Since I have a large set of stainless steel dowel pins, I plan to use one of them cut to the proper length.
I certainly would appreciate any comments you care to make. I have no ego and criticism is a great learning tool.
Thanks!
--Bill
I have owned a mill for a couple of years and gone from ZERO knowledge to pretty well tooled up plus SOME knowledge. I have built a few things, mostly for the mill(!), and am looking forward to expanding my horizons.
My Dad built a steam engine when he was 14. It was an oscillator. I can remember it whizzing the flywheel as young as four. I imagine that steam engine is what determined my career in technology.
I bought a copy of Steam and Stirling and determined that the "Minikin" was the easiest engine in the book to build and the most like the one my Dad built. The editor, whom I think built the Minikin, as well, wrote the piece about it from the point of view of someone having a lathe and a mill. The lathe being somewhat predominant in the construction of the engine.
I don't have a lathe.
What I do have is a nice knee mill which I am very familiar using. I plan to emulate the lathe requirement in the construction article of the Minikin by using a left handed boring bar to turn a boss. (I will drill or bore the raw material prior to turning the boss. It seems better that way to this inexperienced non-machinist.)
There are many things I do not understand. For one, the editor says to "turn up a bushing to fit on the pivot." Other than a drawing, there is no other explanation. I THINK I can do this via reverse boring, especially since the bushing is so short. I am somewhat worried about using a carbide end mill in an interrupted cut in both brass and bronze (bronze: 932, brass: 360 and 464). My thinking is to take 0.001" off the square work piece and see how if feels and proceed from there. (?) I will mill the work piece down so there is a square "boss" protruding for reverse boring (turning).
My other departure from the article concerns the stainless steel piston. Since I have a large set of stainless steel dowel pins, I plan to use one of them cut to the proper length.
I certainly would appreciate any comments you care to make. I have no ego and criticism is a great learning tool.
Thanks!
--Bill
