Rick and John, a couple of principles of the team build:
- First, each person builds enough copies of their parts so that everyone winds up with all the parts needed to assemble their own engine. We wouldn't just build enough for one engine. I have seen cases where additional engines got built too and then auctioned off to provide funds for charity or the club to use.
- RE precision, you have three choices:
- Keep parts that must fit precisely together (i.e. cylinder and piston) are made by the same guy.
- Build to sufficient tolerance. John, it's never zero tolerance, but it may be less than a thousandth sometimes. Or maybe not.
- Build to less than sufficient tolerance and then fine tune immediately before assembly with an additional step.
Making this all work out is part of the fun of a team build! Having to make more than one part means you can get good at your part, or even build some special purpose fixturing to increase your standards and productivity.
Note that lots of things could be built this way. For example, if everyone suddenly wanted a KMG clone 2" x 72" belt grinder, or a Quorn Cutter. Probably best to try it on something simpler to start though!
Another thought is that different folks will have different strengths and weaknesses that ought to be factored into their assignments. This is based on their skills, interests, and available machinery. Someone with a CNC mill or lathe can do things others can't. Someone may have an anodizing rig, so that everyone need not have one.
I'd love to see us do a team build of something fun. Count me in! Someone with a good design ought to coordinate. Lots of guys here with plans. We need a volunteer.
Cheers,
BW