Plans for casting

[rweber]

My first self casted engine was a Felgiebel. See Building the Felgiebel for some pictures.
A simple 2 stroke engine, quite easy to build. The book should be still available at ancient book stores.

 

[vederstein]

This design may work for you:

I made this one for myself to run a home built Spin Art machine. Seven castings. Two cylinders, Double acting. It may be a bit more complex than a beginner's wobbler, but it's not the hardest machine to build either.

Plans for casting

https://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/threads/two-cylinder-double-acting-steam-engine.30980/

 

[TSutrina]

Gingery has many aluminum cast machine designs for a lathe, horizontal mill, shaper, to name a few. They are I believe from the 40's and 50's. Can still purchase plans and if you get lucky you many be able to get the books through the library inner system loans. You will also find youtube builds of them.

https://chris-eigenheer.blogspot.com/2013/03/building-my-own-gingery-metal-lathe.html

 

[SmithDoor]

The best advice I can give is use large radius it will pull out sand better.
As engine goes that what you like

Dave

I'm not looking for help with casting, I have quite a bit of experience working with greensand, oil sand, and thin shell ceramics. I'm looking for plans for an engine which I can cast the parts for.
View attachment 120515View attachment 120516View attachment 120517

 

[HCNZ]

That is fantastic. What is it cast in it n?

Aluminium (old car wheels) sand casting basically just following Myfordboys method. Now I’m looking for the next project, maybe a beam engine, will be interested to see what you come up with.

 

[Rational Root]

Gingery has many aluminum cast machine designs for a lathe, horizontal mill, shaper, to name a few. They are I believe from the 40's and 50's. Can still purchase plans and if you get lucky you many be able to get the books through the library inner system loans. You will also find youtube builds of them.
View attachment 120554
https://chris-eigenheer.blogspot.com/2013/03/building-my-own-gingery-metal-lathe.html

I'm working on the lathe...

I've come across your work as part of my research into building the lathe.

 

[TSutrina]

I am really interested in using concrete instead of aluminum. Trade off is weigh for stiffness and much easier material to work with since you do not need a furnace and source of aluminum. J. V. Romig published in Popular Mechanics a concrete bed lath 6 in Turret Lathe SN23. The rest is similar to Gingery. Also has a bench mill/ shaper: Mar 1921 p449 - a small bench miller j.V.Romig; Apr 1921 p611 - a small bench miller j.V.Romig;
http://www.opensourcemachinetools.org/archive-manuals/bench-mill.pdf Commercial machines of all types use composite bases from epoxy replacing concrete. This significantly increases tension strength. Also have the lathe based on Yeoman patented and built to do machining during WWII.

 

[Rational Root]

I am really interested in using concrete instead of aluminum. Trade off is weigh for stiffness and much easier material to work with since you do not need a furnace and source of aluminum. J. V. Romig published in Popular Mechanics a concrete bed lath 6 in Turret Lathe SN23. The rest is similar to Gingery. Also has a bench mill/ shaper: Mar 1921 p449 - a small bench miller j.V.Romig; Apr 1921 p611 - a small bench miller j.V.Romig;
http://www.opensourcemachinetools.org/archive-manuals/bench-mill.pdf Commercial machines of all types use composite bases from epoxy replacing concrete. This significantly increases tension strength. Also have the lathe based on Yeoman patented and built to do machining during WWII.

I think ordinary concrete tends to move and settle as it dries, so the designs that I've seen in concrete tend to use steel tubes that you can adjust after the concrete sets. it also misses part of the point for me which is to learn about machining. If I make the lathe from castings I'll learn a lot along the way.

 

[Rational Root]

I now have plans for tubal cains vertical steam engine, combining that with the video for his horizontal one, which is made from castings, I think I should be good.
Many thanks for the pointers and help.
Dave

 

[TSutrina]

I think ordinary concrete tends to move and settle as it dries, so the designs that I've seen in concrete tend to use steel tubes that you can adjust after the concrete sets. it also misses part of the point for me which is to learn about machining. If I make the lathe from castings I'll learn a lot along the way.

Still plenty of casting opportunities remaining if only the none moving bed for a lathe or tower for a mill is made from concrete. Often to use aluminum the DIY equipment doesn't have the capacity of metal needed, so have to break the base up into parts. Post tension and using fiber mixes is they way to fight cracks. The shrinkages is from the loss of water which is why you do post tensioning. By the time the other casting of the moving parts are made the concrete will be stable.

 

[Richard Hed]

Nice castings. I do aluminum castings. I have found old cylinder heads make great castings. Pour great, machinable, strong. The BMW and Toyota (Lexis) heads are my favorites. I go to the junk yard and ask for cracked heads. I usually get them for free or $5 bucks. I believe it is a silicone/aluminum alloy.

By the way, have you looked up MyFordBoy on YouTube? He is working a steam engine as we speak. He used a Zinc/Aluminum alloy for his flywheel for the mass. Good luck!

Do you still have that South Bend? I am still interested.