Wood Beam Engine fabricated by SAM

[SAM in LA]

I finally decided that Elmer's #1 Wood Beam Engine would be my next project.

I'm using some unknown species of dark hardwood which my FIL picked up from the scrap pile of a floor installation and some white oak left over from the stair case in his house.

I went through the drawings and made my material and cutting list. There sure are a lot of small pieces of wood used in this engine.

I consider myself to be well versed (as a hobbyist) in the use of table saw (except when cutting very small pieces of wood) and other woodworking tools and have the scars to prove it. Yesterday, I added a new scar which will take a couple of weeks to complete. I split my thumb open on the table saw. :wall: A visit to the local Emergency room, some stitches and I'm good to go.

What do you think of my new surface plate that I built yesterday? ;D
I still need to cut the wood to length and do all of the joinery. Many hours will be required to complete the woodwork.
After getting blood all over the place I figured out a safer way to cut these small pieces.
First I run the piece through the saw standing on edge, like you would when cutting a tenion. :idea:
[Photo removed to protect the innocent.]
Then I run the piece through on its side.
[Photo removed to protect the innocent.]
Much safer.
Why is it that your brain starts working better after a loss of blood. ???
More to follow.
SAM
Warning, using tools can be dangerous. My way of doing things may not be the way you should do it. Remember that you are responsible for your own safety.

 

[kcmillin]

Ouch, a table saw. Jeeeeeez. your lucky you still have a finger. You do still have a finger, Right?

This looks like a neat engine, nice change from metal, eh.

Kel


PS. In your Avatar, Is that Doc Brown Showing Marty McFly how to work the flux capacitor. ;D :big: ;D :big:

 

[Foozer]

I finally decided that Elmer's #1 Wood Beam Engine would be my next project.


Why is it that your brain starts working better after a loss of blood. ???

SAM

Table saws, not my favourite piece of equipment. Push sticks and feather boards, keep them fingers away.

Hope the wound heals up Ok, be careful, hobby not worth the lose of limb.

Robert

 

[SAM in LA]

Ouch, a table saw. Jeeeeeez. your lucky you still have a finger. You do still have a finger, Right?

This looks like a neat engine, nice change from metal, eh.

Kel


PS. In your Avatar, Is that Doc Brown Showing Marty McFly how to work the flux capacitor. ;D :big: ;D :big:

Kel,

That's me watching John DeLorean autographing the glove box lid on my car.

I still have my thumb. I was using a push stick in my right hand and reached across with my left hand to catch the piece of wood. Fortunately, I did not succumb to a terminal case of dumbas*, just a temporary case.

 

[SAM in LA]

Table saws, not my favourite piece of equipment. Push sticks and feather boards, keep them fingers away.

Hope the wound heals up Ok, be careful, hobby not worth the lose of limb.

Robert

Thanks Robert.

I lost 3 hours of production yesterday sitting in the Emergency Room and of course I'm working slower now.

Live and learn.

SAM

 

[bearcar1]

Sam, sorry to hear of your injury, they are always tough, both on ones ego as well as the body itself. If I may make a suggestion that would make me feel a whole lot better ;D, when you need to cut those small strips from the edges, do it so that the 'scab' is away from the rip fence and not trapped between it and the blade as you show it.. Thank you for your consideration. That engine has always piqued my interest for many years and I have seen one that was masterfully done and finished to a standard that made it appear 'just made', 100yrs ago. It was fantastic.

BC1
Jim

 

[Maryak]

Sam,

Glad you came through with all the bits still attached even if some of it is stitched together. : Interesting engine, our ancestors sure knew how to combine wood and metal.

Best Regards
Bob

 

[Saskford]

That engine was my last years project. You are right, there is a lot more woodworking to this engine than metalworking. If you do not want to bother with all the tenon joints you can use small dowels instead. It is a real fun build and will run very slow just like a full size version would. Sorry to hear about the injury, hope it heals alright.
Gary

 

[Hilmar]

Same,
that cut in the third picture is not much saver as you say.
That cut should be mad on the outside. What you have is a arrow cut.
If cut twice the lower piece fly's out or wedges if cut once.
The larger piece could fly back at you
Hilmar

 

[kcmillin]

Kel,

That's me watching John DeLorean autographing the glove box lid on my car.

There is so many parts of that statement I am jealous of.
1. You met John Delorean
2. You have a Delorean
3. Your Delorean is signed by John Delorean.

Never sell that car. (unless its to me :big: :big: :big

Kel

 

[SAM in LA]

There is so many parts of that statement I am jealous of.
1. You met John Delorean
2. You have a Delorean
3. Your Delorean is signed by John Delorean.

Never sell that car. (unless its to me :big: :big: :big

Kel

Kel,

That car is a hobby I have not had time to mess with for years.

I need to find the time to make it road worthy again.

So many toys, so little time to play with them.

SAM

 

[Philjoe5]

SAM,
Glad to hear you are in healing mode. I have a scar in the palm of my hand from a molding head cutter making friends with my push stick. Ouch!

A wooden engine, who'da thunk ??? Wow, I'll be checking in on this build. Thanks for posting.

I only saw a Delorean up close once, and that was in a museum in Massachusetts as I recall. Lucky you.

Cheers,
Phil

 

[Jasonb]

I consider myself to be well versed in the use of table saw and other woodworking tools and have the scars to prove it. Yesterday, I added a new scar which will take a couple of weeks to complete.

As someone who uses a table saw most days I would say you are not well versed.

No Crown Guard, No Riving Knife that I can see, Trapping small slithers between blade and fence. But tehn again its different in the US, I could be shutdown or fined heavily for the first two items.

Not really having a go at you but for someone not used to using a saw they may try the same setup as they see in your pics and will likely also end up in hospital.

Jason

 

[SAM in LA]

As someone who uses a table saw most days I would say you are not well versed.

No Crown Guard, No Riving Knife that I can see, Trapping small slithers between blade and fence. But then again its different in the US, I could be shutdown or fined heavily for the first two items.

Not really having a go at you but for someone not used to using a saw they may try the same setup as they see in your pics and will likely also end up in hospital.

Jason

Jason,

You made a good point. "Well versed as a hobbyist not cutting small pieces of wood." is what I should have said. Unfortunately, the pieces I need are the small sliver's of wood. On the left side of the blade there is a 1/4" gap between the blade and the table top. The way the table top is made, I am unable to make a zero clearance insert around the blade. I tried using a piece of duct tape on the left side to prevent the wood sliver I wanted from falling. That did not work well. The riving knife is long gone, it did not work. I will remove the offending pictures from my original post.

 

[SAM in LA]

Today was a good day. I didn't spill any blood, no visits to the emergency room and I got the flywheel put together.

I used my miter saw to cut the angles on the spokes and rim pieces. I used stop blocks and clamps to make sure that my hands were well protected from the carnivorous saw blade.

Once all of the flywheel pieces were cut to length I laid out the spokes and used bits of scrap and hot melt glue to make a fixture. The spokes were glued with 5 minute epoxy.

Then I epoxied the outer pieces to the spokes.

Another fixture was made so the two outer rings could be epoxied together.

Here is what the completed assembly looks like.

I still need to sand off the excess epoxy. Once the hub is mounted, I might use studs and nuts through the flywheel to make it look like it is bolted together.

Thanks for looking in.

 

[kcmillin]

Looking Good Sam. I enjoy seeing wood come together in such a way.

What did you use to get the flywheel round? Bandsaw, Lathe, handsaw.

Kel

 

[SAM in LA]

Looking Good Sam. I enjoy seeing wood come together in such a way.

What did you use to get the flywheel round? Bandsaw, Lathe, handsaw.

Kel

Kel,

I chucked it up in the lathe and took very light cuts to get it round. Tomorrow I want to machine the hub and get every thing running true. I don't want it to look like a piece of furniture so I am looking for ideas on how to make it look like it was made a 100 years ago. Any ideas?

 

[bearcar1]

Square headed bolts and square nuts would be in order for fasteners. Square pegs doweling the pieces together wold also be of that time period. As for any 'weathering' or 'aging', have a look at Micro Mark, they carry a range of solutions widely used by model railroaders for achieving that look to their rolling stock. Parkerizing of the metal pieces would go a long way as well.

BC1
Jim

 

[Philjoe5]

Nicely done on the flywheel SAM. A neat method for building one up :bow:

Cheers,
Phil

 

[SAM in LA]

Today I machined the brass hub and brass flange for the wooden flywheel. These two parts go on opposite sides of the flywheel and fasten together by through bolts.

I still need to drill six holes, 1/16 D, through the flange, flywheel and hub.

I mounted the flywheel to my four jaw, indicated the OD and skimmed both faces so they wouldn't wobble.

I may need to add weights to the flywheel. I'll find out when it runs.

Thanks for stopping by.

PS No blood was shed today.