Riches & Watts Steam Engine

[davidl]

I saw this picture of a little known nineteenth century engine and decided it would make a great next project. After a bit of searching I found a sketch showing the general assembly and some of the components. The next step is to produce working drawings using the proportions obtained from the sketches. So far I have developed the general arrangement and details of the frame, bearings, crankshaft and con rod. It is my intention to build from mainly aluminium stock material as I'm not up to casting.

View attachment Image3.doc

 

[davidl]

It has been some time since I posted to this forum - lots of things going on in life. It turns out that the engine in the photo is not a Riches & Watts but a Tidman organ engine. The Riches & Watts engine was actually in the background of the photograph. Anyhow, I developed working drawings and a 3D model of an engine designed to look similar to the Tidman. It is by no means a modeled replica.

My biggest challenge was to cut the frame from aluminum plate. My workshop is tiny and equipped with a Seig X1 micro mill and Seig mini lathe.
The engine has just been commissioned and the next step will be to dismantle and and paint.

View attachment General Assembly.pdf