# Hoglet in progress



## MatiR (Feb 24, 2008)

Had my camera at home after all; though that I had taken it to work. As promised in my recent Upshur Twin thread, here are some quick pics of the Hoglet in progress. Plans are from Model Engine Builder magazine after the design of Randall Cox. I changed the fly wheel design to single disks from the two part design in the plans. I like the original design better, but was beyond the capability of my lathe. Still lots of work to do, especially the rather large cylinders (one shown) which will have to be done on a larger lathe than my Sherline. I managed to machine the bottom of one cylinder, but only with difficulty. The cooling fins and grooves are not possible. The cylinder heads also need intake, exhaust and spark plug ports. The Robertson screws on the front of the cam housing are placeholders until I can get some decent socket caps in that length.

Regards, Mati


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## Brass_Machine (Feb 24, 2008)

Mati,

Thats pretty good looking so far. Is that pedal a kick starter? What issues are the plans in?

Thanks
Eric


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## Powder keg (Feb 24, 2008)

You are doing a great job!!! I cant wait to see how it turnes out)

Wes


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## MatiR (Feb 24, 2008)

Eric, the plans are in MEB 2007 Issues 10 and 11. Yes that's a kick starter and it was quite a chore to build with the arm having compound curves. I haven't made the flat spring which tensions the arm. The black cylinder with the sprocket at the rear is a slip clutch so when the engine starts, it just freewheels.

M.


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## Jadecy (Feb 24, 2008)

Very nice! 

Just curious what you used for the fly wheels. I think the plans call for bronze and I priced the hollow round and it was fairly expensive. Did you just take a deep breath and pony up the dough for large round stop of brass or bronze?

I've started building the Hoglett as well. I'm not nearly as far along as you. I will start a new thread in the "in process" section soon.

The fit is really good. Maybe you have a trick but I had a heck of a time with the angles on some of the pieces I've made so far. I always enjoy pictures of projects. Very nice work!


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## MatiR (Feb 24, 2008)

Thanks Jadecy and others. The flywheels are brass and I just ponied up for two cuts close to the finished size from Online metals - I don't have any way to cut something like these at home. In spite of their size, they machined up very nicely on the Sherline with riser blocks.

I was very pleased with the fit of the angled parts. For the crankcase I made a triangular piece of aluminum plate with the 21 degree angle and used that in the mill vise to set the proper angles. For the camshaft housing, I made a fixture according to the MEB plans and used that in my chuck/rotary table mounted at 90 degrees on an angle plate to machine the angles and drill the holes for the lifters.

I look forward to seeing your thread.

M.


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## Powder keg (Feb 24, 2008)

Just for reference, how big are the flywheels?

Thanks, Wes


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## Bernd (Feb 24, 2008)

Very nice looking engine and excellent job on the machining. I also like the quality of the pictures, nice and clear and well lighted. Keep up the great work.

Bernd


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## MatiR (Feb 24, 2008)

Wes, the flywheels are nominally 4.050 x 0.563 inches, but as I started with 4.000 stock, mine are a few thou undersize in diameter. Thanks, Bernd - its been a struggle at times, but educational and fun.

M.


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## Don Huseman (Feb 25, 2008)

What size chain did you use. If it is smaller than 25 what is your source.


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## AllThumbs (Feb 25, 2008)

Nice. How do you get that finish? My parts come off the mill slightly less pretty, no matter the feeds and speeds.

E


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## kustomkb (Feb 25, 2008)

Nice work ! Do you have all the electrics already? not much is mentioned in the plans or magazines in regards to the coil set-up etc. besides magnet placement. (that i noticed) I just started this engine as well and hope it comes along as nice as yours. Did you use the comercial parts suggested in the prints and what were your sources? I suppose 4.050 bronze is what Randall had laying around because .025 per side couldn't matter that much, could it? sure beats taking a 1/4 inch off. Excellent photo's is the backdrop rigid, or fabric? They look real professional.I look forward to more progress pics! 
-Kevin-


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## MatiR (Feb 25, 2008)

Answers to a few questions from above:

What size chain did you use. If it is smaller than 25 what is your source.

The chain is 0.25 pitch from Small Parts I think but it is readily available elsewhere.

Nice. How do you get that finish? My parts come off the mill slightly less pretty, no matter the feeds and speeds.

I usually finish all milled parts with some 320 wet/dry paper and sometimes 400 or 600, but 320 is generally fine.


Nice work ! Do you have all the electrics already? not much is mentioned in the plans or magazines in regards to the coil set-up etc. besides magnet placement. (that i noticed) I just started this engine as well and hope it comes along as nice as yours.

I havent got a clue what to do with the electrics. I was thinking of asking Mike Neal at MJN Fabrication for advice  he was very helpful and provided a CDI module for the Upshur twin which sparks nicely but I havent fueled it up. Perhaps I can use that also for the Hoglet (it came with a bunch of little magnets). 

Did you use the comercial parts suggested in the prints and what were your sources?

Yes, I used most of the commericial parts suggested and generally ordered them from the same places except for McMaster who will not ship to Canada any more. Boston gears I got locally. 

Excellent photo's is the backdrop rigid, or fabric? They look real professional.I look forward to more progress pics!

Nothing fancy here  just some curved white Bristol board propped up against something and a several incandescent desk lamps to distribute the light evenly with a bright window nearby. Levels slightly adjusted with Photoshop. The camera is an ancient Nikon 950 Coolpix from work which is only 2.1 megapixel but has a superb lens.

Thanks for the interest, M.


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## kustomkb (Feb 25, 2008)

I just noticed your in Vancouver, I live in Richmond, we order from McMaster at work all the time. And get things usually the next day.What did they tell you? I'm actually modelling some of the parts right now. Just finished the cam housing. What fun.


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## MatiR (Feb 25, 2008)

McMaster sent the following:

"Due to the ever-increasing complexity of U.S. Export regulations,
McMaster-Carr has decided to only accept orders from a few,
long-established customers of ours overseas. We cannot accept your
order, and regret any inconvenience this causes you."

I guess that they are maintaining their regular commercial clients but will not deal with miscellaneous small time orders. By overseas, I assume they mean foreign unless whoever sent this message failed geography at some point 

Yes, that cam housing was fun. Mine came out nicely except that one of the lifter holes is about 0.5 degrees off but there is enough tolearance so not likely to be a probem. Nice drawing - is that Alibre? I have the free version and have been trying to get up to speed but am still making sketches with a pencil for now.


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## kustomkb (Feb 25, 2008)

Thanks, I just drew it in Mastercam, I have solidworks but can't work it as well. That's too bad about Mcmaster because they have alot of stuff and I won't be ordering personal stuff through work, Oh well, Action bearings should have everything I'll need.
-Cheers


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## kustomkb (Feb 29, 2008)

Hey MatiR,

Have you made your cam yet? Are you going to go with the 4 lobe as suggested in the magazine? If so do you have a sketch you wouldn't mind sharing. Is the timing gear lok-tited to the shaft? In the mag pics he has what looks like a one-piece plate holding the coil. Is the spark generated by the "hall effect" or does he have a battery hidden in the base? I found a piece of 1/8 spring steel if you are having trouble locating some.
Lots of questions but if you have been through all this already it would be a big help.
Thanks,
-Kevin.


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## MatiR (Feb 29, 2008)

Hi Kevin:

No, I haven't thought about the camshaft yet and it will probably be some time before I get that far. I expect that the gear would be fastened with loctite - I see no other way to do it. I was thinking of doing the 3 lobe version just to keep thinks simple at first. I used the drawings without circular coil attachment to make the kicker frame, planning to have a separate ignition setup and I am quite ignorant now as to how to proceed with that. Also, I did not cut the radius for the coil yet. Will have to live and learn as it progresses. Right now I am struggling with the cylinder heads. Before proceeding with the heads, carefully plot out the drawings as it is impossible to drill 1/4 holes for the exhaust outlet that clear the top rim of the 21 degree counter bores as shown in the plans. I don't think that I have screwed up here but I went with 3/16 and had to mill some clearance to the adjacent cooling fin. The plans and engine photographs are not identical. I'm planning on doing some more work this weekend so I'll report back when I can.

M.


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## kustomkb (Dec 10, 2008)

Hi Mati,

I just got back onto my twin and was wondering how progress on yours is coming along?

Kevin.


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## gmac (Dec 10, 2008)

Do you guys recommend the MEB magazine drawings or the plans directly from Randall Cox? Is there any difference? This design is one (of many) I'd like to build but have yet to acquire the plans.
Thanks
Garry
Penticton, British Columbia


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## MatiR (Dec 11, 2008)

Hi Kustomkb:

Since I last posted (I mostly lurk and enjoy), I have finished the cylinder heads, valve train, push rods, exhaust pipes, etc., and machined the bottoms of the cylinders. However, the cylinder bores and fins cannot be done on my Sherline (nowhere near rigid enough) so I am waiting to use an old 9 inch Southbend at work which won't be set up until January.

I got sidetracked with a Mills 1.3 project from Issue 1 of MEB which I just finished (was inspired by seeing Metal Mickey's posts here a few months ago). I am taking photographs of it this weekend maybe and will also post progress pics on the Hoglet.

M.


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## MatiR (Dec 11, 2008)

Hi gmac:

I used the plans from MEB but have not seen the plans from Cox so I don't know what the differences are, if any.

M.


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## artrans (Dec 12, 2008)

Thats great workmanship. Just like i showed you. Really very very nice


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## BMyers (Mar 21, 2009)

Mati,
Would it be possible to see a pic or drawing of how you did your flywheels from solid ?
thanks !


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## MatiR (Mar 21, 2009)

BMyers,

Glad to, but as I have the project "on the back burner" it will be a few days - I'll have to disassemble the crankcase, get the wheels out and take pictures.

Best regards, Mati


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## BMyers (Mar 21, 2009)

Mati,
no rush, I just started cutting up materials today for the crankcase.
thank you


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## MatiR (Mar 28, 2009)

Hi BMyers:

Here is a pic of the crankshaft/flywheel so far. If you download the image it is much clearer - they always seem to have jaggies in here.

The shafts and con rod pin are all joined to the flywheels by the "expanding mandrel" method descibed in the MEB build article for attaching the pinion gear. I can't guarantee that this will work but it seems really solid when assembled. The problem now is to balance this thing. The original design is virtually self balancing, but I will likely need to remove material from either side of the crank pin.

M.


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## MatiR (Mar 28, 2009)

Hi kustomkb:

While taking the pics for BMyers I remembered that you asked for pics of the cylinder heads a long time ago - sorry, got side tracked on other projects and forgot. Here they are (much better downloaded). I made the valves 5/16 rather than 3/8 as I had the stock, reamer, etc. on hand. I hope they still work. Couldn't find any appropriate e-clips so I made my own from brass.






M.

P.S. to all: is it possible to get rid of the "jaggies" on linked pics? Am I saving them incorrectly somehow?


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## GailInNM (Mar 28, 2009)

Matir
Your images are OK. I don't know all the details, but the message board reduces the size of larger photos to a standardized maximum of 800 pixel width and the compression loses some resolution.

The original image is still available however. 
Right click on the photo in the message and then left click on "view image".

I am enjoying the Hoglet build thread. Thanks for posting it.

Gail in NM,USA


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## BMyers (Mar 29, 2009)

Matir,
thank you for the pics. I have my brass on order !


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## kustomkb (Mar 29, 2009)

Your parts are looking great, very nice finish!

I have had a lot on my plate lately and will get back to my build soon.

Thanks for the inspiration.


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## MatiR (Mar 29, 2009)

Thanks for the kind comments.

I think my "jaggie" problem stems from having a large, high-resolution monitor. The pictures have to be displayed at some optimum size to be smooth so viewing them downloaded works best for me. 

GailinNM, right-clicking on the image does not give any options to view the image (Vista Ultimate 64 bit SP1).

M.


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## BMyers (Mar 29, 2009)

I am wondering, is there any reason the crankshaft front and back pins couldn't be a press fit into the flywheels and use the expanding mandrel method for the crank throw pin ?


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## MatiR (Mar 29, 2009)

Being new to the machining culture, I'll leave the answer to the experts. I confess that I used the expanding mandrel method because that was what was in my mind at the time and I wanted to make lots of chips. I see no reason why they could not be pressed, but you would need a press to make them perpendicular with accuracy to the flywheels. I have "kludged" pressing very small shafts with a vise, but it could be risky at this scale.


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## Debian (Mar 31, 2009)

:bow:

If You're new to the machining culture I'd bet in 1 or 2 years we'll see your 1/20 flying shuttle model !


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## kustomkb (May 15, 2009)

Hi MatiR,

Did you use A311/ 1144 for your valves and cam.

Did you pick it up locally?

Thanks.


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## gmac (May 15, 2009)

KustomKB;
I've spoken to Metal Supermarkets in Langley (back in Jan/Feb) and at that time they only carried 1144 in metric dimensions Ground to size. The size range they carried at that time was from 6mm up to 40mm. As price points a foot of 20mm was $12.28 and 40mm was $30.50. I've been meaning to put together an order of 1144 with Online Metals (they state they now have cheaper/streamlined shipping to Canada).
PS thanks to both you and MatiR, your WIP's have encouraged me to buy the plans for the Hoglet and I'm about to start making the simpler parts. 
Cheers
Garry


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## kustomkb (May 15, 2009)

Thanks Alot Gary.

Maybe we should combine our orders?

Make sure you document your build, like you say,seeing others work really boosts the inspiration.

Kevin.

We now return you to MatiR's build already in progress ;D


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## MatiR (May 15, 2009)

kustomkb  said:
			
		

> Hi MatiR,
> 
> Did you use A311/ 1144 for your valves and cam.
> 
> ...



Hi kustomkb:

I got 1144 for the cam blank from Online Metals http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=286&step=2&top_cat=0

About a year ago, a 0.875 x 3 inch piece was $1.22. I buy most of my metal from them as you can get as little as you want, the pieces are carefully wrapped, the service is excellent and the site is really easy to use with lots of data on each metal. However, the UPS costs and customs to Canada can be brutal so I usually do only fairly large orders so the per piece shipping costs are low. I have been very happy with them.

I went to Metal Supermarket in Burnaby a couple of years ago and they didn't have hardly anything in "small engine size" in stock and the stuff I ordered to be delivered later came tumbled in a paper bag. Also, it is hard to get small pieces. For example, I wanted a few inches of 1 inch cast iron for piston rings for the Upshur Twin and they would not sell less than 6 feet on special order! Used Small Parts for that.

The valves are from oil hardening drill rod as I had lots on hand.

Got to finish this some day!


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## MatiR (May 15, 2009)

gmac  said:
			
		

> I've been meaning to put together an order of 1144 with Online Metals (they state they now have cheaper/streamlined shipping to Canada).



Hi Garry, this streamlined shipping is good news. I didn't realize this as I haven't needed any metal recently until backlogged projects get finished, like the Hoglet.

Good luck with the build!


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## kustomkb (May 15, 2009)

Thanks for the tips. I always get burned on customs too. But like Garry said, maybe they are worth another shot.

I don't mind buying a foot or so but if they don't have it in stock...

I also have lots of 3/8 drill rod and am considering using it. Its not like I'm drivimg to Edmonton on this thing.


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## bobden72 (Mar 2, 2015)

That all looks very nice good job.


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