Well, I finally finished one. Actually, I did it the weekend of the 4th, but the camera has been busted, so no pics until now. The camera has been fixed (loose wire), and I'm back in the pic business.
The majority of the engine is P.V.C. Why? you ask. Well, it's simple:
I went down into the shop on the night of the 3rd, and started messing with parts from the many engines I have started. I realized that the pursuit of polished perfection (Ralph syndrome?) was keeping me from finishing anything. So, I resolved to make something (anything!), and finish it that weekend. In order to make it fast, I used the PVC - gluing is faster and easier than drilling and tapping holes. Also, in order to complete in a short time frame, it had to be fairly simple, hence the finger/treadle design.
The flywheel is 3.75" diameter, and the base plate is 2.5 x 4.0" All the pins and shafts are brass rod, and pressed in. I used my rotary table on the mill for the first time to round the end of the finger board and also to cut the round profile of the main bearing gusset. The only parts I didn't make were the hardware.
After assembly, I discovered that the flywheel didn't have enough mass to keep it going smoothly, so I bolted a brass worm gear (also salvaged from the scrap bin at work) to the face. It was too heavy, so I cut out the center section, again using the rotary table. It's hard to see, but it's not quite centered on the flywheel. Alas, It was Saturday night before the fireworks display, and I was out of time.
So, without further ado, I present the plastic pig:
Fortunately, the flywheel runs straight and true. Strangely, it seems to run in one direction much better than the other.
The majority of the engine is P.V.C. Why? you ask. Well, it's simple:
- PVC is free as scraps from work - can't beat the price
- It is very easy to machine - quick and forgiving
- It requires no fasteners - glued together
- No bling possible, so it gets done - sorry, Ralph!
I went down into the shop on the night of the 3rd, and started messing with parts from the many engines I have started. I realized that the pursuit of polished perfection (Ralph syndrome?) was keeping me from finishing anything. So, I resolved to make something (anything!), and finish it that weekend. In order to make it fast, I used the PVC - gluing is faster and easier than drilling and tapping holes. Also, in order to complete in a short time frame, it had to be fairly simple, hence the finger/treadle design.
The flywheel is 3.75" diameter, and the base plate is 2.5 x 4.0" All the pins and shafts are brass rod, and pressed in. I used my rotary table on the mill for the first time to round the end of the finger board and also to cut the round profile of the main bearing gusset. The only parts I didn't make were the hardware.
After assembly, I discovered that the flywheel didn't have enough mass to keep it going smoothly, so I bolted a brass worm gear (also salvaged from the scrap bin at work) to the face. It was too heavy, so I cut out the center section, again using the rotary table. It's hard to see, but it's not quite centered on the flywheel. Alas, It was Saturday night before the fireworks display, and I was out of time.
So, without further ado, I present the plastic pig:
Fortunately, the flywheel runs straight and true. Strangely, it seems to run in one direction much better than the other.
