# My first engine, mostly made of Maple!



## Train_Fan (Apr 18, 2013)

As access to a machine shop I don't have, I went ahead and made one using my wood shop instead. Although designed in pieces as each one was needed, it is based off of the one as seen on woodgears.ca (Bought the plans years ago, never used em). It currently runs about 60-70RPM without optimization or powerful vacuum. One feature of note are oil wicks in the bearings and big end (not normally found in wood construction so I have found).







All wood and screw construction, 3"x3" bore, 2-14/16th" stroke with a slide valve; can be ran on a vacuum or pressure. 

Looking down:





I'll have a video up soon once I get a good vacuum to use. 

If there are questions to be asked, ask away!


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## Tin Falcon (Apr 20, 2013)

Train fan.

I have noticed you have not had  any   feedback on you post. 

I think many of us are speechless an not sure what to say. 

So first order of business let me congratulate you on your first build. And it runs. Fantastic. 

You are not the first young man to have an idea and make it out of wood. the famous Sam colt carved his first prototype for his revolvers out of wood as I recall he was traveling  on a ship at the time. 

I will also say you deserve a pat on the back  for posting a photo here. 

It can be risky business to show your handwork to the world or even family. 

IMHO all of us here have received that is nice  but what does it do !Or for us married guys that is nice but when are you going to fix the _________?

I think we could also give a long list of possible deign improvements.  

But that too could come of as criticism.  

My first question is how are you feeding air into it. my second is What do you plan on doing for a Next project and third how did you set the valve timing . How hard was it to get it right. 


And when you are ready to ask for help just fire away. 

Tin


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## lampy (Apr 20, 2013)

I for one would like to see how you constructed the piston and cylinder. Job well done. Thm:


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## Tomo1 (Apr 20, 2013)

Great job mate.

I have always found that wood is a lot harder to work with thean metal. Especially when it involves moving parts......

I am speechless 2.


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## Sshire (Apr 20, 2013)

It's not just the parts that are moving. It's the wood. That's amazing.


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## jwcnc1911 (Apr 20, 2013)

That is fantastic!  I have to give you proper respect as I struggle with wood.


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## itsme_bernie (Apr 20, 2013)

This...  Is...  SO COOL!!   What a great idea!!   Wow!!   


Bernie


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## Train_Fan (Apr 21, 2013)

Tin Falcon said:


> Train fan.
> 
> I have noticed you have not had  any   feedback on you post.
> 
> ...


Thanks!
Eh, its not that much of a gimmick so I didn't really expect a large bandwagon out on the plains to meet me. 



Tin Falcon said:


> You are not the first young man to have an idea and make it out of wood. the famous Sam colt carved his first prototype for his revolvers out of wood as I recall he was traveling  on a ship at the time.
> 
> I will also say you deserve a pat on the back  for posting a photo here.
> 
> ...



That is pretty awesome to know! I knew wooden prototypes were a handy thing but a wooden peacemaker, now thats an idea! 

And I know this quite well, thanks though.  Some of my projects go over like a lead zeppelin while the oddest ones get mounds of praise. Later this summer I'll show a reclaimed hay-wagon-wood end table I am also working on as an aside (obviously not in the engines subforum though!  )


Tin Falcon said:


> I think we could also give a long list of possible deign improvements.
> 
> But that too could come of as criticism.


Nope, I'm quite used to it. Fire away if you got it, any learning is learning. 



Tin Falcon said:


> My first question is how are you feeding air into it. my second is What do you plan on doing for a Next project and third how did you set the valve timing . How hard was it to get it right.
> 
> 
> And when you are ready to ask for help just fire away.
> Tin


Well, I am using a vacuum for the interim as I have no volume-oriented pressure supplies. By applying it either to the inlet or exhaust it can run either direction. 

Next project? If I can have a friend turn me some pistons, maybe a straight 2, or if not maybe a wobbler. From there I intend to make a little pumpjack to run off these. 

Valve timing was literally trial and error. I had an idea of what was needed, so I just eyeballed it with a steel rule until I got the valve port spacing right (Many scrap pine trials were made). From there I kept the flywheel loose on "crankshaft" and slipped it back and forth until the strokes of the valves were in line with the piston, then made some runs with a vacuum to fine tune it. Took all of 10 minutes for that really. For a first time not as hard as I thought, though I did learn to space out the accompanying ports on the valve body. I have them too close for an efficient valve action. 

Here are some pics of the valve mech, starting with the outside with the inlet:





The valve. I shold take the rest of the stock that came from and make a jewelry box for the GF. :





The ports leading to the cylinder (The air passes through the holes to passages milled in the back of the piece to inlets in the cylinder)






The inlets, bottom for intake, top for exhaust.






_________________________________________________



lampy said:


> I for one would like to see how you constructed the piston and cylinder. Job well done. Thm:



I used about 3/4" hard maple for the cylinder. I buzzed out two pieces at 3-2/64th" and mated them to the insides of pieces cut to 4-1/16th" for an inside  dimension of 3X3. Drilled and countersunk some holes for screws and screwed them together. 






The heads are 1/2" cherry, though I accidentally used some nice figured stuff for them instead of knife handles. :wall: Oh well. 






I used waxed binding string (Used in IT and all for securing cable bundles. http://www.mainethread.com/waxed_cord.html) for all seals and gaskets. It is all finished and lubricated with standard drug store mineral oil. 


_________________________________________________________

To the rest, Thanks much!  For a first moving project it came out well in my opinion, surely not to par to the rest I've seen here (Again IMHO. I'm a humble lad). Metal is a class of its own, I can't compete!. 

Wood has its quirks, but as does brass, steel and titanium, no? I'd say Beech or Basswood is the brass of woods, soft and easily formed though gummy. Steel? Oak, common, strong and easy to work with. Titanium? One of the more exotic woods I'd say but I have no experience with them. Its all the same, we remove material till its a finished product but the real task is learning how in each of our mediums.


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## Septic (May 25, 2013)

Great idea...

Never discount the value of wood in engineering projects....  The first truly accurate clock was made from wood, by a carpenter_ (John Harrison) _who's superb timepieces were the first to make finding longitude at sea possible..


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## terrywerm (Jun 2, 2013)

Nice work, Train_Fan.  I don't get on here as often as I would like during the warmer months due to work obligations, so please pardon the late message. Congratulations on your first engine!

Since others mentioned their troubles working with wood, I now feel much better as I often thought that I was the only one that had trouble with wood. But, as already mentioned, (and I think this was well put) the trick is not to think of it as 'wood' but rather as another medium that we need to learn how to work with. Much like the differences working with aluminum, steel, cast iron, brass, etc.    In the future I will keep that in mind, with the hope that maybe things will start to go better when working with those cellulose based mediums.


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## Train_Fan (Jul 23, 2013)

Finally got a video of it running, albeit poorly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-qGCyRqO008


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## Beachside_Hank (Jul 23, 2013)

Sure, it sucks but hey, It runs! You win against all arguments.


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## Lawijt (Jul 23, 2013)

It runs & thats great!! Just put some thick oil on the moving parts. Olive oil is good.
Great engine that you build.
Just to find another power sourse please.


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## Putt-Rite (Jul 23, 2013)

I had one of these in my Yugo.


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## tornitore45 (Jul 23, 2013)

I think the slow running has more to do with the poor source of pressure/vacuum than the engine itself.
A vacuum cleener has a centifugal pump, if it develop a clog or some king of back pressure (back vacuum) it stalls the impeller and does not provide any suction.  Place a hand on the hose and you can hear the motor speed up because it stop delivering any power to the air stream, in other words no work is expended compressing the air.

Regardless of whether the appliance work as compressor or vacuum.


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## Mechanicboy (Jul 23, 2013)

Nice work, fantastic to run the engine made of wood. Next time a gas engine made of wood


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## Train_Fan (Jul 23, 2013)

Mechanicboy said:


> Nice work, fantastic to run the engine made of wood. Next time a gas engine made of wood


Gee, what could go wrong? 

tornitore45, I'd lean to agree with that.


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