# Building a Factory Engine, Elmer's #41 (Finished on 2-28-10)



## Metal Butcher (Jan 25, 2010)

#1 After two days of cleaning and organizing my shop I'm happy and ready to start another build. The (before) picture below shows the sad condition of my bench work surface. The bar stock picture was the only one I could find showing the old surface. I would usually avoiding taking any close up photos of it for obvious reasons.







#2 The bench (after) eliminating some of the clutter and the application of a better 'Rubber Maid' work surface. Now it has a more inviting look and feel. On the left is my old grinder. When I run it anything on the bench that's not bolted down usually ends up on the floor. The access to it is also very difficult. The clean up yielded a smooth running grinder hidden and forgotten for years.






#3 The photo angle below was not possible in the past. At the bottom you can see a red lamp shade over a second work bench that was buried with boxes. The boxes were also in front of it, making access to the bench impossible.






#4 Below is the second work bench. The grinder was not seen by me for 15 years or more. My main bench is on the right and perpendicular to this bench.






#5 Milling the aluminum 'floor' plate to start off the build.






#6 I milled the 'base' and 'sub base' also from aluminum.






#7 That's all I got so far. Not much but its a start. Just like a journey that starts with the first few steps, an engine build starts with the first few parts. I number parts in progress for easy identification of the build model by the viewing audience. It's not for my benefit, I usually remember which engine I'm building. Usually... :big:






-MB


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## cfellows (Jan 25, 2010)

Boy, MB, you're really starting to embarrass me here. I haven't finished one engine in over 6 months and I'm retired as well! Man, you're making me look bad. Worse, you're making me feel bad!

You know I'm kiddin, right? :big: I love to see this kind of enthusiasm for the hobby. Keep up the great work (and the free entertainment for the rest of us metal heads)! 

Chuck


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## 1hand (Jan 25, 2010)

Didn't know if ya catch that, so I removed the question. Your too darn quick. 

Looks to be an interesting build. Alot of aspects look to be the same as the #33 that I'm building. Looking forward to your progress. I'm sure it will be done shortly, with the assembly line you seem to have going there......LOL.

Not much new here today. The wife was looking for a copilot on a quick trip for supplies for her hair solan, its 50 miles one way. So I went with her for the company "and the New Harbor Freight store in that city". Its a great thing, it is right next to her supply place. Only came home with a 3/8 air ratchet for $19.99 for the 5c collet chuck. When I got home I see the UPS was here, and the backplates showed up. Ahh.......more cast dust on everything to come.


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 25, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> Looks to be an interesting build. Alot of aspects look to be the same as the #33 that I'm building. Looking forward to your progress. I'm sure it will be done shortly, with the assembly line you seem to have going there......LOL.
> 
> I see the UPS was here, and the back plates showed up. Ahh.......more cast dust on everything to come.



I was going to build the #33, but some one already grabbed it! :

Oohoo. UPS, my favorite guy! Let us know how well those cast iron plates machine for you. You did get them from LMS? 

Cast iron dust! do it on your own thread. I just cleaned this place up! :big:

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 25, 2010)

cfellows  said:
			
		

> Boy, MB, you're really starting to embarrass me here. I haven't finished one engine in over 6 months and I'm retired as well! Man, you're making me look bad. Worse, you're making me feel bad!
> 
> You know I'm kiddin, right? :big: I love to see this kind of enthusiasm for the hobby. Keep up the great work (and the free entertainment for the rest of us metal heads)!
> 
> Chuck



Entertainment! Is that all I am around here! :big:

-MB


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## BigBore (Jan 25, 2010)

Entertainment? Nah, you are just another pretty face.... :big:

Thanks for doing the posts that you do. They are gold for a beginner!  Thm:

Ed


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 25, 2010)

BigBore  said:
			
		

> Entertainment? Nah, you are just another pretty face.... :big:
> 
> Thanks for doing the posts that you do. They are gold for a beginner! Thm:
> 
> Ed



Thanks! I'm glad your getting some benefit and enjoyment from my build threads and posts. 8)

I came late, and all the big crowd pleaser's like V-8's and complex radials were already taken. All that was left was Elmers engines to choose from. Its generally a thank- less job, but it needs to be done. ;D

-MB


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## joe d (Jan 25, 2010)

OK, MB, I'll play your little game. Thanks, but not so much as if you'd built a V-8. Glad you're there to do the job. There, feel validated now? :big: :big: :big:

(I hope you know that I'm kidding, I've much enjoyed following your builds.)

Joe


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## gbritnell (Jan 25, 2010)

Rick, you're a mad man!!! You keep spitting these things out like they're made of plastic.
George


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 25, 2010)

joe d  said:
			
		

> OK, MB, I'll play your little game. Thanks, but not so much as if you'd built a V-8. Glad you're there to do the job. There, feel validated now? :big: :big: :big:
> 
> (I hope you know that I'm kidding, I've much enjoyed following your builds.)
> 
> Joe



Thanks Joe. Yes! Yes! Yes! Finally I feel validated! :big: :big: :big: Ha! gotcha!

Seriously, I'm glad you enjoy the builds I post. If no one did, then what would be the point of my efforts.

-MB


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## bearcar1 (Jan 25, 2010)

That's a real cozy little hideaway you got going there MB. It does the mind good to cleanse things once in a great while. Besides that it allows for more engines to be built. ;D Looking forward as always to some more adventures in metal to keep me occupied for a few weeks. (days?) :big:

BC1
Jim


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 25, 2010)

gbritnell  said:
			
		

> Rick, you're a mad man!!! You keep spitting these things out like they're made of plastic.
> George



George, shhhh, don't tell any one. I have these made by a professional model maker, and they ARE plastic. I just wish I could afford to buy more than two a month. ;D

-MB


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## Deanofid (Jan 25, 2010)

I'm glad to see some shots of your shop, Rick. For some reason, I had the idea you might be one of those clean freaks. Now I see you have a comfortably "normal" shop, like so many of us. Somewhere between a surgical room, and a toxic waste dump. Normal.



			
				Metal Butcher  said:
			
		

> Seriously, I'm glad you enjoy the builds I post. If no one did, then what would be the point of my efforts.
> -MB



Well, you could just build them because you enjoy it, like people did in the good ol' days before the interwebs. 

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 25, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> well, you could just build them because you enjoy it, like people did in the good ol' days before the interwebs.
> Dean



I do! I build them because I enjoy it. I didn't want to sound like I was whining, but picture and text posting takes up a lot of time.

But then so what, I have plenty of time to do it all.

Cleaning; "A ridicules waste of time creating a temporary solution for a reoccurring event." :big:

-MB


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## Seanol (Jan 25, 2010)

BigBore  said:
			
		

> Thanks for doing the posts that you do. They are gold for a beginner! Thm:
> 
> Ed



Ed,
I couldn't have said it better myself.

MB,
Thanks.

Sean


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## terrywerm (Jan 25, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> I'm glad to see some shots of your shop, Rick. For some reason, I had the idea you might be one of those clean freaks. Now I see you have a comfortably "normal" shop, like so many of us. Somewhere between a surgical room, and a toxic waste dump. Normal.



What a relief - I finally have someone that I can identify with! :big:


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## Deanofid (Jan 26, 2010)

Metal Butcher  said:
			
		

> Cleaning; "A ridicules waste of time creating a temporary solution for a reoccurring event."
> -MB



Yeah, it sure seems that way! 
It does make the shop a welcoming refuge, though. 


So... What color ya gonna paint this engine? 

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 26, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> Yeah, it sure seems that way!
> It does make the shop a welcoming refuge, though.
> 
> 
> ...



We all get that 'gotta clean up' feeling (normally) when the chips pile up. I usually do a 5 min 'vacuum up' at the end of the day. Its nice to see the shop in a reasonable state when I go down first thing in the morning. Its that last 5-10 percent that I feel is a Waste of time, unless of course your trying to impress a perfectionist, or are one.

"So... What color ya gonna paint this engine?" That's funny Dean! :big:

Got wood? I just ordered boards cut from 7-8 different species. I don't want all my engines to start looking alike. ;D

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 27, 2010)

#8. I roughed out a few more 'blanks' that will require further opperations to become usable parts. I usually mill quite a few pieces and then switch over to layout, drilling, and reaming. Latter I'll finish them up with any final profile milling before starting all over again with milling the next few blanks.
The picture below shows the 'bearing' blanks milled out. I try to get them within .001 in outside dimension to simplify the layout and subsequent machining operations.






#9. Here I'm milling the 'anchor lugs' to the correct height. The 'Ultra Thin Parallels' become very useful on small pieces like this since their height increments are at 1/16".







#10. I had some 1/4" square aluminum stock on hand and milled it down to 3/16" in height after cutting it to the specified length.






#11. I cut strips from 3/16" x 1" brass rectangular stock and milled them down to the specified heights for the upper and lower halves of the 'crosshead guides'.







#12. The upper and lower 'crosshead guide' blanks are ready for the next steps.






Today was my shopping day so I generally only post the previos days work. I did my usual routines that end with a stop at my favorite scrap yard. Today's finds were modest and include 8-lbs of aluminum 1/4" plate, and roughly 2-ft each of 5/8" square and 5/8" round 360 brass bars. Getting nice brass makes my day.

My lumber order came in today. It consists of random 1/2" thick boards with widths ranging between 4-1/2" to 6-1/2" wide by roughly 2-ft in length. I ordered interesting looking pieces from an on-line seller (E-Bay) that lists and photographs individual pieces. So what you see, is what you get, and I like buying that way vs a stock photo with, "Your item will vary from the picture".? The wood looks great and includes: Walnut, Che-Chen, Bubinga, Cherry, White-oak, Canarywood, Red-Oak, and Mahogany. 

Should be enough for a few engines, I think.... :big:


-MB


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## Deanofid (Jan 27, 2010)

Rick, can you provide the name of that ebay seller? Seeing what you're really getting will help loads.

Thanks,

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 27, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> Rick, can you provide the name of that ebay seller? Seeing what you're really getting will help loads.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dean



Here's the link. His stock of 1/2" thin wood is down quite a bit since my purchase. But, you can save him as favorite seller and check for new stock a little later. The pieces are numbered and photographed before being listed. What you see is the exact piece you get. Both sides are smooth enough to finish as is, Although I'll sand the top surface lightly with 120 grit prior to trimming and routing the four sides. I consider it really nice lumber that's very reasonably priced.

http://shop.ebay.com/danddhardwoods_1-2-Lumber_W0QQ_fsubZ702541017QQ_rssZ1QQ_rssstoreZ1

-MB


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## Deanofid (Jan 27, 2010)

Great. Thanks!

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 29, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> Rick, can you provide the name of that ebay seller? Seeing what you're really getting will help loads.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dean



So.... What do you think? Did you see what I got?

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 29, 2010)

#13 Its my nature to change plans, make spur of the moment alterations, and last minute decisions. When I originally checked my raw material stock pile I had all the metals needed to build the #41. When I took hold of an aluminum square bar for the cylinder I felt the need for a more durable material like brass. A quick look told me there was no 1" square bar on hand. No problem I'll just order in a foot or two. A price check told me big problem! The 1" x 1" brass is nearly $40 per ft plus shipping! My only other option was to saw out the needed size from a big chunk of scrap yard brass hex.

Below is the unconventional set up I used to band saw cut the stock from the brass hex. Its not a very rigid set up, but it worked.







#14 When the saw blade reached just past the vise jaws I stopped the cut and test fitted a square brass shim equal to the width of the blade.






#15 After lifting out the blade, the shim was taped in place and the work piece flipped end over end. I then finished the first of four cuts needed to rough out a rectangle that the cylinder could be cut from.






#16 I milled all four sides to size and square up the rectangle. After marking out at 1" a piece was sliced off, and then the cut end was finished up with further milling.






#17 I used a precision square and a granite check stand to verify squareness and parallelism before proceeding with the next steps.






#18 After plotting out all the machine coordinates, I marked out all the center lines on the work piece as a way of double checking the machine moves.






#19 Everything went well with all of the milled, drilled, and tapped holes. The two angled ports between the top of the cylinder and the slotted face ports will be drilled after the cylinder is bored.

I set up the cylinder in the four jaw chuck to turn and face the first round end. After wards I drilled and reamed the 1/2" bore. After reversing the piece in the four jaw, the bore was used in conjunction with a tenths indicator to set up for turning the round end. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the setup in the four jaw. It was an intense experience due to my limited knowledge with setting up and using a four jaw for this type of machining operation. 






#20 I used two angle plated taped together to give me the 16&1/2 degrees specified in the plans. Double sided tape held them in place against the fixed jaw of the vise. Not a great looking set up, but I was very careful and it worked. Note the tape sticking out past the side. This is a matter of habit since it can be very difficult to remove taped angle plates if they do not stick out past the jaws. In this set up the angle plates were easy to remove.






#21 The final step on the cylinder was the out side profile. I personally didn't care for the conventional profile shown in the plans. Covering up the cylinder with plain lagging was not appealing either. After a little Milling a simple profile was found to be very appealing to me. 

Below is the adjustable angle block I used to set up the cylinder for milling the profile. 






#22 The picture below shows all the machining finished on the cylinder block. All that's needed now is some finish up work with files and sand paper.






Back to work! :big:

-MB


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## gbritnell (Jan 29, 2010)

Hi Rick, you're making great progress on this engine. As far as the bandsawing goes, necessity is the mother you know!!. I have a couple of home made v-blocks (30 degrees) for holding hex stock. I have run into the same situation so I just clamp it between my blocks and mill off the extra stock. 
George


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## Deanofid (Jan 29, 2010)

Metal Butcher  said:
			
		

> So.... What do you think? Did you see what I got?
> 
> -MB



Oh, yes. The "see what you're getting" part of my question was meant, as in, "I" could see what I would get if I bought some. (I wasn't being nosy.) : )
I looked for the species you mentioned, though. He had most of the types you got. Some nice looking wood, there. 

Looks like a good way to shave down some stock you showed here. Probably faster than milling it all away!

Dean


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## BigBore (Jan 30, 2010)

M.B. - I follow (OK, kneel before :bow all of your builds. Love the numbered steps. Makes it a breeze to copy/paste the info for referencing to Elmer's plans and for studying. 

I was reading the #41 build from Elmer's book, pages 193-197. In the beginning narrative he refers to "fairly hard jig-and-fixture grade of aluminum". I understand the idea of 6061 possibly being "gummy" but what alloy would Elmer be referring to and what would be an effective one to use in this type of application? I guess anyone could answer since I got my kudos in to M.B.

Ed


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## rudydubya (Jan 30, 2010)

Really enjoying following your progress MB. Easy for a novice like me to follow, plus great photography. Another example of why I think this forum is the best on the 'net.

Regards,
Rudy


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## kvom (Jan 30, 2010)

I was wondering why you needed to keep the angle plates in the vise once the piece is clamped. (Or was it just posed that way for the photo?)  I was taught to wring the plates together, but the tape looks to work too.

Enjoying the build.


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## zeeprogrammer (Jan 30, 2010)

Great post MB. The tips are very helpful.


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 30, 2010)

BigBore  said:
			
		

> M.B. - I follow (OK, kneel before :bow all of your builds. Love the numbered steps. Makes it a breeze to copy/paste the info for referencing to Elmer's plans and for studying.
> 
> I was reading the #41 build from Elmer's book, pages 193-197. In the beginning narrative he refers to "fairly hard jig-and-fixture grade of aluminum". I understand the idea of 6061 possibly being "gummy" but what alloy would Elmer be referring to and what would be an effective one to use in this type of application? I guess anyone could answer since I got my kudos in to M.B.
> 
> Ed



Hi Ed and thanks for the compliment!.

 I was at a bike show today and spoke with the owner of a shop that fabricates a tilting and sliding motorcycle bed for use on pick up trucks. I asked about different grades of aluminum and also what would be considered a good grade for making fixtures. His answer was 6061. I have seen elaborate fixtures at the scrap yard with 6061 marking still present on the aluminum. The grades that I consider gummy (soft) are 2024 and a few other pieces of unknown that seem worse.

Hope this helps.

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 30, 2010)

kvom  said:
			
		

> I was wondering why you needed to keep the angle plates in the vise once the piece is clamped. (Or was it just posed that way for the photo?)  I was taught to wring the plates together, but the tape looks to work too.
> 
> Enjoying the build.



Hi Kvom. In this drilling set up it was easier to leave them in place since the part needed to be indexed to drill the other port from the opposite side. Taping them in place also avoided the problem of trying to locate all 3 pieces in the vise while closing down on the work piece.

My Jo-blocks will wring together, but my angle plates set up side to side don't stick. Another reason, and something I didn't mention was that a shim was added at the bottom between the two plates to add (roughly) a 1/2 degree to make the 16&1/2 degrees specified. With the set I have half degrees are not possible.

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 31, 2010)

#23 Its time to report the progress I made yesterday and today. I used my collet chuck for the first time, and after the trial use I have to say, I like it a lot and I wouldn't want to be with out it.

The picture below shows the 'inboard head' being machined. I decided to eliminate the 'pack nut'. I used them on my last two builds and don't feel that they are of any benefit on such a small engine that will run on a pound or two of air. Its seems to me that they add a significant amount of unwanted friction. I will add a faux detail that mimics its presence. This is not my original idea, I saw it used by one of our members and wanted to try it out. The groove being cut is the first step.






#24 I started to cut-off the head and realized its best to add the pack nut detail first. The collet and work piece were transferred to a collet block that would be a simple cut and index for the next cut, creating the illusion of a pack nut.






#25 I added a 1/2" x .100" raised detail to the top of the 'outboard head'. This allowed it to be cut off the 1" stock and reversed in a 1/2" collet to turn the line up spigot that enters the cylinder bore. After turning the spigot the piston rod hole was drilled and reamed assuring its concentrically with the cylinder bore.






#26 Below the 'inboard head' is set up in a collet block to drill for the six head bolts. I drilled with a #51 drill for the 2-56 tap so that the head would act as a fixture to drill and tap the 12 holes in the 'cylinder' for the 'inboard' and 'outboard' head bolts. After the cylinder was drilled and tapped the same set-up was used to finish up the head with a #43 clearance drill.






#27 With the collet block already zeroed out and off-set .375". I switched out the 3/8" collet used on the 'inboard head' for a 1/2" collet to hold the 'outboard head'. I drilled the head with a #43 clearance drill since the inboard head is drilled with a #51 to act as a drilling jig. I hope I'm not confusing you with my lengthy explanations.






#28 Below is the 'inboard head being used as a drill jig on the 'cylinder'. This method was a little tedious. I started by drilling a clearance hole through the head after the first #51 hole was drilled and tapped in the cylinder. Now I could use one 2-56 screw to keep the head from a possible rotation while the other five holes were located using an eye-ball method to be drilled and tapped individually in the cylinder. The tedious part was removing and replacing the bolt and head to tap each hole immediately after drilling them, and the good amount of chucking and un-chucking the drill and tap. It took nearly an hour for all 12 holes, which had me bored silly and talking to myself towards the end.






#29 Ta-Da! There it is all tapped out, just like me. ;D






#30 Same part just a different angle shot. After all that work I felt a need to post two pictures of it.






Wow, I'm still talking to myself... No, wait... I'm typing a post on the forum. :big:

-MB


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## stevehuckss396 (Jan 31, 2010)

I'm telling you, I don't know about this butcher thing anymore.

Very nice work!

Will I see you at names again?


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 31, 2010)

stevehuckss396  said:
			
		

> I'm telling you, I don't know about this butcher thing anymore.
> 
> Very nice work!
> 
> Will I see you at names again?



Hi Steve. Thank you for the compliment! As far as N.A.M.E.S. goes, I'm not sure at this point. 

I would like to go if my co-pilot will come along and instruct me as to the speed limits and other such minor details that she feels need my attention. :big:

-MB


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## BigBore (Jan 31, 2010)

Metal Butcher  said:
			
		

> My Jo-blocks will *wring *together, but my angle plates set up side to side don't stick. Another reason, and something I didn't mention was that a shim was added at the bottom between the two plates to add (roughly) a 1/2 degree to make the 16&1/2 degrees specified. With the set I have half degrees are not possible.
> 
> -MB



What does "wring" mean?

Ed


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## Metal Butcher (Jan 31, 2010)

BigBore  said:
			
		

> What does "wring" mean?
> 
> Ed



Precision pieces like quality gauge blocks (Jo- blocks) are so true and flat that placing them together and twisting (wringing or wrung) pushes out the air molecules creating a vacuum that holds them together!

Really neat stuff!

-MB


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## BigBore (Jan 31, 2010)

Gotcha. Thanks.

Ed


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 5, 2010)

#31 For today's post I started by making the piston. Since my 'cylinder' is made 'of brass I used aluminum for the 'piston' and steel for the 'piston rod'. I believe in using dissimilar metals on moving parts. Any time I've used identical metals they begin to score (scratch) almost immediately and never get a "polished" surface. That's been my experience but yours may be different.






#32 I band saw cut and then milled to exact dimension the 'valve plate', 'cover', and 'steam chest'. The 'valve plate' material seems to be a different grade than 360 and was difficult to file and drill. The cover was made from copper plate just to be different than the rest if the visible parts on the cylinder and valve assembly.






#33 I milled out the opening in the 'steam chest' using scribed lines to guide me. I'm making it as a build up of three parts rather than machining it in the lathe using a four jaw chuck. For me this is a quicker way, since I have had a bit of previos experience, and survived without a four jaw for a long time. I now have a four jaw and enjoy using it immensely when its necessary.






#34 In the picture below the four screw clearance holes have been drilled in all three pieces. I drilled the 1/8" intake hole for a press fit intake connection, and reamed a 5/32" thru hole for the 'valve rod' guides in the 'steam chest'.

On the right you can see the 'valve plate' laid out with scribed lines for verification, and on the paper you can see all the machine moves plotted out for accurate placement of the nine port holes.






#35 I like drilling and tapping small holes and consider it the easiest part of any step in building an engine. I never have any trouble using my mill-drill, and drilled the nine #57 holes at slow speed.






#36 To make the 'valve' I milled down 1/4" square brass bar to 13/64" in height. The next step was milling the 1/16" x .141" deep groove length wise for the adjusting 'nut'. I milled down in .025" steps per pass. On the opposite side I laid out the recessed area to be milled out .031 deep to act as a transfer port for the intake and exhaust on both ends of the cylinder. I flipped the work piece over to mill out the rectangular port.






#37 After the bar was positioned back to the face up starting position the cutter was advanced at .001" rate till it just scraped off the layout dye and the hand wheel dial was zeroed out as a start position. The 1/16" end mill was advanced to .158" and a cross cut of .025" deep at a time was made till the .133 depth was reached. The next cut was at .1854" using the same .025 depth steps till .133" depth was reached. This left a groove .090" wide for the 'valve rod'. After raising the end mill the table was moved over to .3437" to cut off the finished 'valve' using the same .025" downward steps til the part fell free of the parent bar stock.






#38 The process although a little slow went well. I decided a little practice would be nice and produced a few "spares".






#39 The picture below shows the progress so far a on the piston and valve. All that's needed to complete the assembly is to make the 'valve rod', 'nut', and intake fitting.






-MB


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## Deanofid (Feb 5, 2010)

You're making progress, Rick, and it's looking like your usual good work.

I have a number of pieces of thin brass that don't exhibit the good cutting qualities of regular 360. Most of that thin stuff is 260. Quite hard, but drills and cuts producing a stringy, kind of gummy chip. Also, a slightly different hue from 360 brass.

Usually, if you order brass "sheet" under 1/8" thick, 260 is what you get. If you order brass "flat bar", you usually get 360. If we have to scrounge it, we take what we get, and like it!

Dean


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## 1hand (Feb 5, 2010)

Looking good..... :bow: You make it look easy. 

I've been busy with the prosthetic parts here, so haven't done much with the #33 since the flywheel.

Matt


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 6, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> You're making progress, Rick, and it's looking like your usual good work.
> 
> I have a number of pieces of thin brass that don't exhibit the good cutting qualities of regular 360. Most of that thin stuff is 260. Quite hard, but drills and cuts producing a stringy, kind of gummy chip. Also, a slightly different hue from 360 brass.
> 
> ...



You hit the nail dead on. With the recent posts that mentioned 260 brass I was thinking he same thing while drilling it. In one of the above pictures you can see a long stringy chip still on the drill bit.

Its too dark in the indoor scrap yard to see a color difference in brass. As a matter of fact I bought a 'brass' bar that turned into 'bronze' on the way home. But like you said "we take what we get", and 1/16" brass is 1/16" brass as far as I'm concerned.

Dean, are you currently working on any engine project?. If not how about a One Day wobbler, build-and-post? Their always a fun way to clear your mind!

Keep it simple, so I can build it too! :big:

-MB


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## gbritnell (Feb 6, 2010)

Hi Rick, I use the softer brass plate for mounting pieces, or framing for an engine. If I need to make small flat items say up to 2" wide I buy a piece of 2" square bar and cut some strips from it. I really don't like working with the gummy stuff any more than I have to. 
George


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 6, 2010)

gbritnell  said:
			
		

> Hi Rick, I use the softer brass plate for mounting pieces, or framing for an engine. If I need to make small flat items say up to 2" wide I buy a piece of 2" square bar and cut some strips from it. I really don't like working with the gummy stuff any more than I have to.
> George



Good tip, thanks George. Unfortunatly I'm not confident enough to fly cut or mill a square piece down to 1/16" in thickness. Not much in the vise to hold on to, so I don't think I better try it! Unless of course your talking about a finish facing on one side, then cutting off a little over in thickness, and gluing or taping to another flat piece already in the mills vice, and then facing it down to the proper thickness?

It was a really small piece so no big deal, but I did notice quite a difference from the usual 360 brass. I wouldn't want to make a complex piece out of the stringy 260 stuff though, unless I had to.

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 6, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> Looking good..... :bow: You make it look easy.
> 
> I've been busy with the prosthetic parts here, so haven't done much with the #33 since the flywheel.
> 
> Matt



Hey Matt. We'll be here when you get ready, or have some time to get started on your build of the #33.

I'm struggling with the small parts on my build of the #41. Your original ideal of doubling the size is starting to taunt me. I just can't see well enough to judge machine moves on tiny parts like the 'valve'. I managed, but it was a bit tedious.

-MB


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## Deanofid (Feb 6, 2010)

Metal Butcher  said:
			
		

> Dean, are you currently working on any engine project?. If not how about a One Day wobbler, build-and-post? Their always a fun way to clear your mind!
> 
> Keep it simple, so I can build it too! :big:
> 
> -MB



I have an engine on the list, but it has to wait until I get some of the paying work out of the way. I earn some extra dough working on old cameras and shutters. They seem to come in bunches, and I've been up to my elbows in them last few weeks.

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 6, 2010)

This build is becoming more challenging as I go along. I just spent the better part of an hour looking over the plans for my current build (#41) and many more of Elmer's plans looking for a drawing of the intake and exhaust port fittings. It seems the detail was over looked in drawings for the #41, #45, #32, and #33, and maybe more. In frustration I reamed out the intake and exhaust ports with a 1/8" reamer. Using the 5-40 threaded holes didn't seem to leave enough wall strength for comfort if I drilled the fittings with a 1/16" air passage. Any drill smaller than this seems too small. And even the 1/16" passage seems a bit questionable.

Elmer!, what are you doing to me! 

-MB


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## 1hand (Feb 6, 2010)

Metal Butcher  said:
			
		

> Hey Matt. We'll be here when you get ready, or have some time to get started on your build of the #33.
> 
> I'm struggling with the small parts on my build of the #41. Your original ideal of doubling the size is starting to taunt me. I just can't see well enough to judge machine moves on tiny parts like the 'valve'. I managed, but it was a bit tedious.
> 
> -MB



Man I'm telling ya, second geussing my decision on scale for sure. Not sure I'll be able to finish mine at that small. I'm like a bull in a China shop. :big: Need a 3" flywheel? I'd love to see it a good home.

<Matt


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 6, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> Man I'm telling ya, second geussing my decision on scale for sure. Not sure I'll be able to finish mine at that small. I'm like a bull in a China shop. :big: Need a 3" flywheel? I'd love to see it a good home.
> 
> <Matt



I apologize for sticking my nose in, but you might enjoy the build more if you up size it a bit. Like...say 50% to 100%. Thanks for the offer of the flywheel, but I have a need for the machined parts to be my own. I hope you understand this logic.

However, off the shelf items and cash are always acceptable! :big:

-MB


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## 1hand (Feb 6, 2010)

LOL....................... ;D


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 7, 2010)

#40 A little more progress was made yesterday and today. To finish up the valve parts I made the 'nut', intake fitting, exhaust fitting, and the 'valve rod'.

In the picture below I'm machining down a 1/8" brass rod to the first diameter which is .086". The next diameter was 1/16" to fit into the tail end valve rod guide on the 'steam chest'. 







#41 After cutting off the excess used for tail stock support using an Exacto saw, the specified area for the 'nut' was threaded 2-56. There is an additional 1/2" of material inside the collet. The collet was transferred to a square 'collet block and mounted in the milling vise to mill the flats and drill the 1/16" pin hole. Then back to the lathe to cut-off the excess used for holding it in the collet. As they say, "Easy squeezy, lemon peezy". What ever that means!






#42 In the picture below you can see the 'valve rod', with the 'nut' installed. The exhaust fitting is a strait 1/8" pipe drilled 1/16", and the intake fitting is a standard 3/16" diameter drilled 1/16" that I use for slip on air line tubing. The smaller diameter on the intake fitting is 1/8" to fit the reamed hole in the 'steam chest'. The intake and exhaust holes are shown in the plan as threaded 5-40 holes. I changed this with a 1/8" reamer yesterday to eliminate my concern tha the pieces would be to weak and subject to easy breakage due to the thinner wall thickness created by threading the fittings. I made them a light press fit that will seal up nice with a little RTV silicone gasketing compound.






#43 Here's a picture that took some courage on my part. Above I showed the "Good", and below I show the "Bad and Ugly". This is my seriously silly approach to machining an 'eccentric strap". It looked good on paper, but after a few cuts I realized it wasn't what Elmer had in mind. I punished myself by machining it all the way around, took an hour ending with what looks like a horrific tempt at 'micro splineing' a shaft.






#44 I should have eliminated the detail and stuck with my ' simplify it' way of doing things.
So... on to plan "B", which is to mill a 1/16" pocket in the ring and solder or braze together the two parts without that pesky little detail on the ring and shown in the original plan.






"A butcher's poem"

Any old way,
Just to get it done,
Grab the money, 
And run!
 :big:

-MB


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## Deanofid (Feb 7, 2010)

"A stitch in time saves nine"
"Your fingers are too clean for a machinist;
I believe you are in league with the butcher"

Well, I'm not a very good poet...

Your second method for the eccentric looks more sensible, Rick. We all learn the hard way, even after we've "been there, done that".
This is also a good job for the R/T, if you want to make it to print.

The steam chest looks very nice. Neat and clean, crisp edges.

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 10, 2010)

#45 HI guys, I'm back. for today's post I made a few more parts and took a few pictures.
In my last build post I decided to go with plan "B" and simplify the 'ring' part of the 'eccentric strap'. I added a milled slot to the 'ring' and increased its diameter to provide some surface area for soldering the two parts together. I made a simple fixture to line up the parts, and to assure the 3-1/2" center-line spacing. 






#46 After cleaning and fluxing the parts were soft soldered together. The picture below shows the assembly cooling off.






#47 I added the rounded end and tapered detail with hand filing prior to soldering. For me this is a much quicker method than doing a set up in the mill. 






#48 If I made this part again a wider stance at the ring would probably look a little nicer.






#49 Here I'm milling a 3/8" square bar to make a 5/16" x 5/16" angle stock.
I thought this was a standard off the shelf item. I couldn't find it, gave up the search, and machined it up.






#50 After milling out a 1/4", the angle was flipped over for a better grip in the vise to reduce the wall thickness down to 1/16".






#51 Below is the finished 'angle'. After rough cuting two pieces I milled them to Length. I finished up the two pieces with file and paper after drilling the eight #43 clearance holes. Sorry I forgot to shoot a picture.

Sombody, shoot ME! :big:






#52 To make the 'fork' I milled up an accurate rectangle and reamed the 3/32" pivot hole and tapped the 2-56 set screw hole. I milled the 3/32" and the 1/16" slots by using .025 deep steps to reach the specified depths. Easy does it here and no broken end mills.






#53 I included a Polish coin for size reference. Its a '5 Grozy' aluminum coin. Probably like a nickle or dime. Its slightly smaller than a north American penny at .535" in diameter. And it came attached to a bottle of Polish brand vodka. It was good stuff! Kind of a neat 'cash back' idea that could have an added benefit. It would allow you a way of calling for a taxi, after the bottle was finished. With the growth of this forum its getting harder and harder to come up with unique "crowd pleasing" photo prop ideas. :






#54 At first I wasn't sure what I was making in this picture! Its good that I wrote up a few notes. This is the first step to make the "rocker shaft'.
I milled down some scrap brass to make a 3/16 x 5/32" rectangular bar.






#55 Below I'm drilling and reaming the 3/32" and 1/16" holes. Its a good idea to do this while the part is easy to clamp in the vise.






#56 In the picture below and to the left of the end mill you can see the area I milled out with the stock clamped in the vise. The profiling of the radius is much safer now with the small amount of material that needs to be removed. The taller out side radius was carefully cut in .010" steps by advancing the cutter towards the pivot point. Then I raised the cutter to clear the thinned area, and with out moving the cutter horizontally, I cut the inner profile with one careful pass.






#57 In the plans it looks like the 'rocker shaft' is tapered down in width at the 1/16" pivot pin hole. I added a slight taper and the rounded profile on the pin end with a 1"x60" belt sander, and finished it up with a file and #400 sand paper. 
I could be a very successful 'safe cracker' now, with no way to leave identifiable finger prints! :big:






#58 To make the 'cross head' I milled up an 5/8" x 7/16" x 7/32" accurate brass block. When I said 'accurate' that means I fiddled with a file till it was within two tenths of dimension. I learned an important lesson when I built a horizontal mill engine of my own design a few years ago and before I joined this forum. It took an entire winter session to complete the build and it was well worth the effort. Unlike a lot of designs, the line up of an engine with a separate 'cross head guide' needs to be dead nuts on. 






#59 And there it is. As close to perfect in dimension as I could get it, and I'm thrilled with the out come. ;D






I think I'll celebrate with a cold one! Ice tea that is. :big:

-MB


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## Deanofid (Feb 10, 2010)

The eccentric rod came out nice, Rick. Other parts did too, but the rod catches my eye. Svelte and nicely finished.

Dean


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## BigBore (Feb 10, 2010)

I'm really enjoying this one. Could be that I'm actually learning more stuff and understand "in my head", what you're doing. Thanks.

Ed


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## ksouers (Feb 10, 2010)

Great work there, MB.

I really like the way you've tackled many of these tiny pieces.


----------



## Metal Butcher (Feb 11, 2010)

Hi guys. Thanks for stopping by to see my progress. 8)

Deanofid, Reading your reply with the word "Svelte" had me a bit confused. What word could be so badly misspelled? I Googled the word to find. Svelte; French from Italian. Slender in figure. Attractively thin. Thanks for the compliment.

BigBore, Its good to hear that you are getting benefits from my build posts. As a relative new comer to machining I can only offer some ideas of how parts can be made or modified. Going at it alone is very difficult for most beginners and maybe even those that already have some experience. Posting is helping me to develop my basic skills too. With posting viewed by members at various skill levels from all over the world, brings on a pressure for me to put forth my best effort. Unlike a live stage act, a part that you don't like can be made over, or improved with additional finishing before the final presentation to the viewing audience.

Ksouers, Thanks for the compliment! Those tiny parts can be quite a handful!
I'm getting them out of the way, one by one. If they were easy, it wouldn't be any fun.
A "little easier" would be O.K. though! :big:

Thanks.

-MB


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## Troutsqueezer (Feb 11, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> The steam chest looks very nice. Neat and clean, crisp edges.
> 
> Dean



I've noticed that about all your work MB. It gives me something to strive for. :bow:

-T


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## gbritnell (Feb 11, 2010)

Rick, you're going to have to try and pace yourself my friend. This building an engine every two weeks has got to stop. Just kidding! Very nice work as usual. I have found some brass angle but with very thin walls. I have been known to resort to making angle stock the way you did. 
George


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 11, 2010)

Hi George. I know you were kidding with what you said. But seriously, my streak of a complete build every two weeks has come to an end with this one. Soon it will be three weeks since I started, and I don't see the end getting near. I think I loafed around too much the first two weeks. And under estimated the time it would take to make the smaller parts. Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter when I finish it up. 

I was down in the shop most of the day and only made one part!
If I had a boss, he would have been deep in the bottle today! :big:

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 12, 2010)

#60 For today's post I'll start by making the 'rocker bearing'. The fist step was to mill an accurate block of brass, and check it for squareness.







#61 I used a 'tenths' indicator to center it in the small four jaw for drilling and reaming the 'rocker shaft' hole. In this setup I also turned the 3/16" x 7/32" cylindrical boss on the one side shown in the drawing.






#62 To mill out the 1/4" x 3/8" opening took an unsettling set up that required the use of space blocks on the opposite end of the vise to balance out jaw pressure. It would have made a much better set up to have had an additional 1/8" added to the 7/16" dimension. It would be milled off after the opening was milled out by simply flipping it over. Live and learn. :






#63 Below is the finished 'rocker bearing'. The holes are clearance drilled for 4-40 studs. I won't be using the 3-48 specified in the plans due to not having the right size material to thread or the 3-48 nuts on hand. We do what we do out of necessity.






#64 The two piece 'crosshead guides' are next. After drilling the eight 4-40 clearance holes, I took the previously milled pieces and filed off the machine marks left by the end milling. 






#65 In the plans Elmer suggests three cosmetic options that can be used on these pieces. Leave them plain, drill 5 spaced holes, or mill out an arch. Unfortunately there are no details like the dimensions, drill size, spacing etc.

I calculated for an 'arch' milled from the top down with the piece up side down in the vise. The machine moves are; one cut with a 1/4" ball end mill set to a depth half the height of the work piece using the "Y" axis (hope I got this right). Zero out on the end and move in along the "X" axis .350" for the first cut, and 1.710" for the second cut using the "Y" table movement. Switch to a regular square 1/4" end mill, set to the same depth and cut with one pass at.475" and 1.585" using the "Y" table movement. Finish up by cleaning out the remaining material between the last two cuts. This of course is my idea of the arch, you could shorten it a bit by adding 10 or 20 thousands to the first move on both end mill, and at the same time subtracting the same amount from the second movement of both end mills. This worked well, but I decided on using the drilled hole option on this build instead.

I decided to try five equally spaced 1/4" reamed holes. The work pieces were stacked laying on their sides in the mills vise. Why do all of this twice. After zeroing out on the outer edge, the table was moved along the "X" axis to .350", .690", 1.030", 1.370", and 1.710". At each location I center drilled, drilled, and reamed before moving to the next stop (location). 






#66 After d-burring the holes by hand using a countersink, a light sanding with 600 grit sand paper,the parts are finished.






#67 The rest of this post is about how I made the 'connecting rod'. I feel proud of the new method I used today to create its tapered portion. On an rectangle of brass I laid out all the dimensions for tuning, and the locations of the 3/16" hole for the 'crank screw', and the 1/16" hole for the 'piston rod' pivot pin. After drilling and reaming the holes I centered it in the for jaw. I center drilled the end for a live tail stock center, and brought it out towards the tail stock end, leaving only a 1/2" the extra 3/4" of material on the chuck end in the chuck. The blank was originally cut one inch longer. A quarter of an inch was designated for cut off at the tail stock end, and the remaining three quarters of an inch allocated to the chuck end.






#68 Below is the first diameter of 5/16" cut all the way from the tail stock end to the chuck end, past the cut-off point at the chuck.






#69 The second .250" diameter was cut all the way from the tail stock to the scribed line designating the start of the boss on the crank screw end.






#70 The third diameter was cut at .170" between the two boss ends, (not shown in picture). I stopped the cut at the chuck end and brought my carriage mounted traveling rod forward and compressed the head stock mounted 1" dial indicator to the 1" mark. After moving the carriage .100" towards the tail stock I stopped and moved the cutter in .001". Again I moved the carriage .100" towards the tail stock and stopped to move the cutter in .001". I did this twenty times to create a gradual taper. It worked like a charm, typing this description up was harder, and took much longer. You can barely see the gradual steps in the picture below.






#71 Using the same tapered cutter I trimmed the out side ends to leaving just a small diameter for support. Using a file the steps were carefully blended away. After wards I used an Exacto saw on the small end after backing off the tail stock just a little but still offering support, and used a parting tool for cut-off on the chuck end.

Prior to filling, (I normally don't file on the lathe) as a safety precaution I wrapped the outer end of the chuck with a double layer of Duct Tape and rolled it over the chucks jaws. I'm right handed and my left forearm is an inch or so from the sharp edges of the spinning chuck. It took only one minute to put it on and to take it off, why should I take any chances.






#72 And there it is all finished up. I think it turned out very well, and I'm pleased. 






#73 I enjoyed making it soooo much that I made a second one with a few minor changes. I made the boss on the crank end a little shorter, and reduced the second diameter on the pin end along with making it just a tad shorter. The hole spacing is identical and the two are interchangeable. 






I always sleep well after a GOOD day in the shop. :big:

-MB


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## 1hand (Feb 12, 2010)

And now I know how to taper. Thm:

They turned out real nice Rick. I figured you moved the tailstock over til I read the post. 

Matt


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## 1hand (Feb 12, 2010)

I just noticed..............Where the penny go? I see a shinny piece of brass in its place.


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 12, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> I just noticed..............Where the penny go? I see a shinny piece of brass in its place.



Well Matt, its been a tough year for me financially....Just kidding! :big:

The 'penny' is on the larger 6" chuck. The milled out area on the 4" chuck used in the post is to small for a penny so I machined up a brass disc to fill the void.

Thanks for the compliment in your previos reply. I was busy cooking and eating while you posted it. I had to wing it. 'Honey" said "Your on your own". She's busy lounging around, its Friday for her! Gee... I wish I had a weekend off! I better shut up before I get my butt in a sling.

HEY! I want details on you new torch. It looks like what I need instead of the clunky old Berzomatic of mine.

-MB


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## zeeprogrammer (Feb 12, 2010)

Those are nice looking connecting rods.

I've been enjoying the detail in this thread. Looking forward to seeing the engine.


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## 1hand (Feb 12, 2010)

Its a Smith Little Torch. It runs off of the disposeable bottles. Right now I'm going to use MAP gas and Oxygen.
It came with #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, straight tips and a rose bud heating tip, and also a duel flame #6 "which is really cool". It came with the regulators that screw right on the disposeable bottles and they are preset. Holding it is like holding a pencil. It also came with the magnetic base and tip holder. 




I'm not much of a one handed video guy, but this should give ya an idea of the size, and flame capability's.
I can delete this after you view it if you want.
Matt


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## Deanofid (Feb 12, 2010)

Those rods look really good, Rick. It'd be hard to pick a favorite, they're both so nice.
I've made rods with a similar shape, but used the tailstock to set over. You probably had both these done before I even got my TS dialed back into zero. Good job, there.


I see you have decorated your Chi-chucks a bit. I have one too, and got annoyed with the hole they put there for the no-name. I didn't have a penny..
Apologies for the semi O.T.

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 12, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> Its a Smith Little Torch. It runs off of the disposeable bottles. Right now I'm going to use MAP gas and Oxygen.
> It came with #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, straight tips and a rose bud heating tip, and also a duel flame #6 "which is really cool". It came with the regulators that screw right on the disposeable bottles and they are preset. Holding it is like holding a pencil. It also came with the magnetic base and tip holder.
> 
> I'm not much of a one handed video guy, but this should give ya an idea of the size, and flame capability's.
> ...



Don't "delete" anything! 

Thanks for the great demo video. It really helps a lot. what a great outfit!

I need your reply information as a future reference. It'll save me a frustrating search for when I decide to buy an outfit. The light weight look of your outfit is a real plus over a bulky tank. I heard you cant get the slender propane tanks any more?

Rose bud tip? Might be a good selling point to use on "Honey". Lots of rose plants around here! :big:

-MB

I use a tripod on occasion to steady my hand on still shots, and you've seen my shaky videos, I'm sure.


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 12, 2010)

HI dean. I offset the tail stock once. It was a bear to get it right again.The way I did it was quick, very quick! I think George B's build posts subconsciously gave me the idea to use the "step off method". If that's what I actually did. The idea just popped into my head after I cut the third diameter. Very strange if you ask me.

Yea that "hole" annoyed me the minute I saw it. I never got a good look at the brand name on you chuck. Now that I see it, I like it! They try to glue the labels over oil at the factory as far as I can tell. Most if the imports arrive nameless. How sad is that. We need to come up with a supplier that owns a pair of calipers, and sells small Chinese coins! Maybe E-Bay?

No need to apologize. But what is a "semi QT/Ot"? I need a new monitor and a new pair of glasses. Actually, I need a whole new computter. This thing is a 15 years old pile of scrap with leaky capacitors.

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 12, 2010)

zeeprogrammer  said:
			
		

> Those are nice looking connecting rods.
> 
> I've been enjoying the detail in this thread. Looking forward to seeing the engine.



Thanks Zee! Where you been hidein.

I'm lookin forward to you next build.

Soon I hope.

-MB


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## Deanofid (Feb 12, 2010)

Semi OT; Half a bubble off topic.
Sorry for apologizing.

Keep that on the qt, ok?

Dean


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## mklotz (Feb 13, 2010)

If you don't want to offset your tailstock (Who does?), mount your boring head in the tailstock and make a center to fit one of the holes in the head.


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 13, 2010)

mklotz  said:
			
		

> If you don't want to offset your tailstock (Who does?), mount your boring head in the tailstock and make a center to fit one of the holes in the head.



Hi Marv. That's a darn good suggestion, and I'm sure someone out there isn't aware of this method. I think the use of a boring head for this purpose would be about the same amount of work as offsetting, and re-setting the tailstock. Both require basically the same procedures. However, others may disagree. I used the step-off method rather as a learning experience, than an avoidance of manipulating the tailstock to create the tapered section on my piston rod.
My reply saying that lining up a tail stock is a "bear" was simply in agreement with Dean's comment, and not the reason for using the step off method.

The calculations needed to create the taper using the step off method were simple enough for me to accomplish the goal.

Again, thanks for your usual informative contribution Marv.

-MB


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## mklotz (Feb 13, 2010)

MB,

My suggestion wasn't meant to disparage the approach you used. I hope you understand that. In fact, I've used your technique numerous times.

I posted what I did to alert lurkers and future readers of this post to the fact that there are other ways to generate a long taper than the dreaded TS offset. Brian seems to have picked up on the idea and run with it so others will be exposed to it in his post as well. 

BTW, let me point out that this idea is hardly original with me. I've seen it suggested by numerous people on other fora.


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## JMI (Feb 13, 2010)

The thread is providing numerous tips and techniques that I shall find very useful in the future.
Nice piece of work, MB.

Jim


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 15, 2010)

#74 Hi all. A few days have gone by, and its time to post my progress. In the picture below are the 'spacers', I made an extra one because if I didn't, one will get dropped and lost for sure. These need to be the same height, and I chose their height to be .0005 more than the thickness of the 'crosshead'. I lapped them to within .0001 of each other.






#75 To machine the 'eccentric' I started with turning down the outer diameter to 5/8", followed by drilling and reaming the crank shaft hole. This was done in one set up to assure the bore would be concentric with the outer diameter. The workpiece was transferred to the four jaw independent jaw chuck and centered with the use of a dial indicator. With the valve travel set at .100" the workpiece was set over .050" to turn the 7/16" diameter 3/16" long. Of course this could all be done using a four jaw chuck alone.







#76 Since I have very little experience turning eccentrics, I took the opportunity to practice and machined up two more. The plans call for the use of a 3-48 set screw. I don't have any on hand, but I do have a whole box of 100 5-40's. With plenty of room on the eccentric, I couldn't find any reason not to use them.






#77 The 'rocker shaft' assembly requires two rods, a short 1/16" diameter to connect the 'valve rod' with the 'eccentric strap', and its 3/32" pivot rod. Both rods are cross drilled with a #70 drill bit to accept a thin copper retaining wire. I drilled the 1/16" pin without a problem, but it took seven try's to get the 3/32" rod drilled on center. I just kept trimming off the drilled end from a longer piece till I got it right.






#78 And there's the finished 'rocker shaft' assembly being test fitted in the 'rocker bearing'. The two rods on the 'rocker shaft' "assembly" were a good snug fit assembled with Loctite.






#79 The first step in making the 'crank' disc was to turn the O.D. to 1-3/16". Then the out board side was faced, followed by drilling and reaming the 'shaft' hole. I added .005" to the cut-off length to allow for a later finish facing of the inboard side. This will be done with the assembled 'shaft' held in a collet. It seems that I never get an acceptable finish from parting with a cut-off blade. 
I'll get back to the 'crank' a little later in the post.






#80 The part being made below is my version of a replacement for the 'crank screw' shown in the original drawings. I don't care for the very small shoulder support the 'crank screw' offers. Apparently Elmer added a nut on the opposite side to add a little more stability. But, with all do respect to Elmer, I feel this nut is counter productive by applying force in the opposite direction of the threaded screw. And from what I understand this is not a good engineering practice. In my opinion the flanged bushing shown below is a better idea. It's pulled up tight in one direction against the 'crank' disc making it a good solid assembly, and with a more adequate shoulder surface for this application. The bushing is clearance drilled for a 4-40 screw or bolt of choice.






#81 I did a little practice machining on this part too. I wanted to see if I could make four identical and interchangeable pieces.






#82 In this picture the hole for the crank pin/flange is being drilled and tapped 4-40 with a .500" offset. I bolted the crank disc down flat on a fixture plate to assure that the tapped hole is parallel with the shaft bore, and perpendicular to its face.






#83 The picture below shows some trials using slightly different milling cuts to see which I thought would look the best. I think that either of the two lower ones will do. Its also nice to practice, and to have a few spares on hand.

That concludes today's progress report. I hope you found it interesting.






-MB


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## 1hand (Feb 15, 2010)

Nice job indeed Rick. Could you explain lapped or lapping to me. I see it mentioned all the time, but don't really know how it its done.

Hope its not too stupid of a question?

Matt


----------



## Metal Butcher (Feb 15, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> Nice job indeed Rick. Could you explain lapped or lapping to me. I see it mentioned all the time, but don't really know how it its done.
> 
> Hope its not too stupid of a question?
> 
> Matt



There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

Parts like a piston and cylinder can be lapped together (using an abrasive) to make them fit smoother, and also to reduce a diameter or to increase an opening size. IE. Lapped together.

The parts I lapped were reduced in size to match each other. Its a abrasive process using a lapping disc or plate (like cast iron) charged (Coated) with an imbeded abrasive. A part can be held stationary while the lap spins, or the lap can be stationary while the part is spun of pushed back and forth across the surface. Using sand paper on a smooth flat plate of glass can be considered lapping if the process is used for minor dimensional adjustment or leveling.

1. To polish (a surface) until smooth.
2. To hone (two mating parts) against each other until closely fitted.

Lapping.

-MB


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## 1hand (Feb 15, 2010)

Thanks, I imagine there is "lapping compounds" and such available? 

Did you use a plate of glass to manually rub the spacers against, to achieve such close tolerance? 

Then I suppose that handy dandy granite check stand I just picked up will come into use. To see how much more rubbing you need to do.


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 15, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> Thanks, I imagine there is "lapping compounds" and such available?
> 
> Did you use a plate of glass to manually rub the spacers against, to achieve such close tolerance?
> 
> Then I suppose that handy dandy granite check stand I just picked up will come into use. To see how much more rubbing you need to do.



Yes. That's the way I lapped them individually to dimension.
After a swipe or two, the part is checked with a tenths micrometer.
Its a slow process but good way make a final adjustment to a part for various reasons. You need a true flat surface like a lapping plate or a glass plate. 1200 grit wet or dry paper does a good job if your goal is a supper smooth surface, and a higher grit will make dimensional changes a bit faster if the smoothness is not a factor. A 'lap' can also achieve similar results if its less that perfect by moving it around to remove material equally and to level high spots, such as a copper or even wood. There's probably a complete book out there that covers the subject to a depth that would give most of us a headache. I know just enough about it to get by with an occasional lapping that works well enough for my purposes. And yes there are many grits of lapping compound out there. Some of the compounds need to be used with caution. They can wear out and destroy a fit in good order, like real fast. I use the compound rarely, and only as a last resort or a quick fix. Some of the members here are very capable and experienced with its use, and fine tune their fits on a regular basis. I occasionally lap a piston to bore fit using a fine metal polishing compound that breaks down quickly and won't cause any harm. I hardly consider it a proper lapping but it does smooth out any small high spots.

-MB
 spots.


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## 1hand (Feb 15, 2010)

Thanks for the 411!!

Matt


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 15, 2010)

Here's some information on the subject of lapping and lapping compounds. Also give you an idea of what products are available.

http://www.americanlap.com/Lapping Compound.htm

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 18, 2010)

#84 In my last build post I machined up the crank disc. Before starting on another part I finished it up and added a .250" stainless steel shaft. I included the 'connecting rod' in the picture, with the use of my modified two piece version of a 'crank screw'. 







#85 It was time to get back to the 'floor' and finish it up by drilling all the counter sunk holes.






#86 The 'base' shown in this photo required an assortment of clearance oles and tapped holes. I need to get back to this piece and mill the two slots for the 'anchor lugs', and mill the 1/2" wide clearance slot for the flywheel. There are a few "fake" details on this plan that I will omit, but the "optional" draft (angled sides) detail will add a nice visual that's worth the effort.






#87 In the picture below, and from the top down is the 'floor', 'sub base', and 'base'. I broke off the tip of a #44 drill bit in the 'base while drilling the second hole at the top to be tapped 4-40. Luckily I was able to plot the location, and flip over the base to drill from the underside. When I hit the broken off piece I stopped the machine and pushed it out. Two bits hit the can, but much better than loosing the work piece.






#88 To make the 'bearing's' I started by drilling and tapping them from the underside.






#89 The optional 5/8" hole detail was very strait forward. Using a 1/2" collet mounted edge finder, I zero out the spindle axis on two edges of the work piece. After shifting the tables to the proper location, I switched it out for a 5/8" collet and center cutting four flute end mill to add the hole.






#90 On a second 'bearing' block I wanted to try out the idea of eliminating the "optional" hole detail, and adding an arched detail at the bottom instead.






#91 With the experimental stuff out of the way, it was time to profile a usable 'bearing' block and continue on with the build's progress. I scribed the profile lines as a way of over seeing the cuts I would make using calibrated table moves. I determined the angle to be 20 degrees, and used an angle plate taped to the fixed jaw to set up the part for milling.






#92 Before milling the taper's it seemed a logical first step would be to mill down the upper part of the 'bearing' block to a 3/4" width by taking off a 1/4" from each side.






#93 The fist step in making the bearing cap detail was milling down 1/8", and up to the scribed line at the 9/32" radius. In the plans there are fake hold down studs and nuts shown. I don't care for this "fake" detail and I will not be adding them to my build. The rounded cap detail is cosmetically pleasing, adding the phony hardware seems to cheapen it with dishonesty. I think I'll pass on this detail, thank you.






#94 The next step was to machine up some steel buttons to aide in the hand filing needed to create the rounded bearing cap detail.






#95 Below is a picture of the bearings finished up with the cosmetic caps filed to shape. There is a faster and more accurate way to create these from two pieces by drilling a hole to match the radius, and adding a machined bushing after milling down the cap 1/8". The bushing will be held captive by the top of the (milled down) block which will be higher than the center-line of the drilled hole. Depending on the metal of choice, a little Loctite or solder will hold it together nicely.

-MB






-MB


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## BigBore (Feb 18, 2010)

Glad to see you back at it! Quick question: What is a "tenths micrometer"? I know that I just exposed my newbie side but hey, we're family here, right?

Ed


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 18, 2010)

BigBore  said:
			
		

> Glad to see you back at it! Quick question: What is a "tenths micrometer"? I know that I just exposed my newbie side but hey, we're family here, right?
> 
> Ed



A micrometer with graduations that show a fourth digit. Example would be .5002, the 2 is the fourth digit that indicates two ten thousands (2 tenths) . .0008 more and the reading would be .5010. meaning .501

Some mikes don't have the secondary graduations and can only be read in thousands (three digits,).

When doing plan conversions it's good idea to calculate using four digits to avoid cumulative errors. They can and will happen if you don't.

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 18, 2010)

BigBore  said:
			
		

> Glad to see you back at it! Quick question: What is a "tenths micrometer"? I know that I just exposed my newbie side but hey, we're family here, right?
> 
> Ed



Ed. Here is something you might read and find interesting.

Lots of good information with good pictures and also incudes adjusting information.

http://www.starrett.com/download/222_p1_5.pdf

-MB


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## BigBore (Feb 18, 2010)

Much appreciated. I know what a .0001 mic is just haven't learned all the lingo yet. I'll get there (with you guy's help)

Ed


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 18, 2010)

BigBore  said:
			
		

> Much appreciated. I know what a .0001 mic is just haven't learned all the lingo yet. I'll get there (with you guy's help)
> 
> Ed



I' not sure if that IS the correct "lingo".

I spend most of the day talking to myself.

so...I usually understand what I'm saying...I think. ???

-MB


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## BigBore (Feb 18, 2010)

Sounds like you and I went to different schools of thought together.  scratch.gif

Ed


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## cfellows (Feb 19, 2010)

Nice build you got going here. One thing that always strikes me is how clean your mill and vice are? Are they really that clean or do you dress up the photos a little before posting??? :big:

Chuck


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 19, 2010)

cfellows  said:
			
		

> Nice build you got going here. One thing that always strikes me is how clean your mill and vice are? Are they really that clean or do you dress up the photos a little before posting??? :big:
> 
> Chuck



Hi Chuck. That's a good question. Some of the pictures are taken after brushing off the work piece and vise, But, many are taken mid stream by stopping during a machining operation. Those usually include all the resulting swarf. Sometimes I take a picture while the part is being (power feed) machined using my free hand(s). 

During the course of a typical day I take time to keep thing somewhat civilized. If I'm making a lot of swarf I stop and vacuum up the mess before taking the next cut. In some of my pictures you can see tools becoming buried under the mess. This can become annoying enough to stop and clean up, but just enough to continue with the current piece. I usually do a 90% clean up at the end of the day. Its a nice to start out the next day in a clean shop. 

I was milling a lot of aluminum today, and stopped five or six times to clean up the bulk of the mess. Aluminum is amazing stuff, you mill a half pound off, and end up with half a bushel of fluffy swarf! :big:

-MB


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## 1hand (Feb 20, 2010)

Like the Name change. Thm:

It sure fits you Better.


Matt


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## zeeprogrammer (Feb 20, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> Like the Name change. Thm:
> 
> It sure fits you Better.
> 
> ...



Ah...hadn't noticed. I agree with Matt.


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 20, 2010)

I appreciate all the supportive comment posted by the wonderful members that I also consider to be friends.

Sorry, but I can't do it! It seems like the 'real' part of me died. I made the decision hastily and already regret the change. The change makes me feel like a sleaze bag. I have a long way to go to become a "Master" at metal work. I can't go forward living with a lie. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. 

A butcher cuts meat, and a metal butcher cuts..well, metal. The name never meant anything more or less.

"To thyself be true"

MB


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 20, 2010)

#96 I'm back with very little progress to report. It may be a while till my next post. I ran into a major 'snag' in the eleventh hour of this build. More on that a little later.

In the following picture I show the 'base' being milled with a tapered end mill to add the optional 'draft' detail. On a previos build of another model I used a 3 degree tapered end mill and produced a very acceptable taper. On this build I used a 5 degree tapered mill that gives approximately a .444" offset on a 1/2" work piece height. The plans call for a 1/16" offset which would require roughly a 7 degree taper. since I don't have that on hand I settled on the 5 degree taper, and it turned out well. 






#97 I held the workpiece with 1/16" of it in the vise. After test cutting a piece of scrap to determine the depth of the cut, the two long sides were tapered with one pass. Since the bottom end of the end mill didn't reach the bottom of the work, I moved the cutter in .003" creating a step that would file off easily to complete e the taper all the way to the bottom of the sides. This remaining 'step' can be seen in the pictures. The area that the bearing block bolts to is not tapered like the rest of the other three sides.







#98 I tapered the ends by advancing the cutter .001" at a time towards the work, and hesitating. I watched the cutter carefully for the little plume of dust, and listened for the following low pitch squeal, indicating the cutters "kiss" as I call it. After off setting the cutter the table was advances .040", and the taper was cut with one pass. This is an easy way to mill an non-critical area were plus or minus a few thousand's won't make any difference, can't be seen by eye, and isn't easily measured.






#99 When I milled the clearance slot for the crank disc I deviated from the plan. The way its shown in the drawing indicates cutting it out with a 1/2" wide x 2-1/2" mill cutter held in an arbor with the work held on its side. There are other ways to accomplish this but it seems the beginners that would try this build were not considered. I used a 1/2" end mill lowered to create a .500" deep trough, and did it with one pass up to a scribed stop line. This would be a simple and easy task for a horizontal milling machine.






#100 OOPS. I deleted the wrong picture. This is the one that's supposed to show the 'anchor lugs'. I used a tight fitting pivot pin held at the far end of my mill vise to round over the ends on the 'lugs' using an end mill. Sometimes I do this type of profile using a vertical belt sander. It takes a bit of practice to get good results, but its a really easy and quick method. I haven't re-grown the extra layers of skin (finger prints) protecting the nerve endings on my fingers from the last time i used this method. I guess I could use a little more practice to perfect my 'belt sander' method.






#101 Here's the "snag" that I ran into. The fly wheel casting I planed on using turned out to be full of what appears to be black sand. I kept cutting to remove them and ran into more. It was a futile attempt that left me frustrated. I tried to machine a second one and ran into the same problem. I continued the machining and now I have two under sized fly wheel with holes. Wonderful, what are the odds of two bad ones in a row. I'm very close to the end of the build, and the replacements will probably take a week, if I"m lucky. I can't contact PMR till Monday to see if their willing to replace them. I might just get up tomorrow or Monday and decide to make my own. What a miserable waste of time it was machining up these defective castings. 






#102 I added this second picture so the problem could be clearly seen.






Back to the drawing board. 

-MB


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## ozzie46 (Feb 20, 2010)

Tapered end mills. scratch.gif scratch.gif scratch.gif Who would of thunk it. :shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

  Had no idea they existed. Learn something new everyday. 

 To bad about the flywheels. 

 Good build tho MB.

  Ron


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## BigBore (Feb 20, 2010)

Wow!

That's a whole bucket of suck! :redface2:

How common is something like that? What causes it? A small conciliation, I know, but for a beginner like me to see this is a good thing. I would not have had a clue. Your situation (unfortunately at your expense) has fulfilled the purpose of a forum like this. You educated several of we newer wannabes in a situation that is bound to haunt us someday. "K" point for your trouble. Thanks for posting.

Ed


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 20, 2010)

ozzie46  said:
			
		

> Tapered end mills. scratch.gif scratch.gif scratch.gif Who would of thunk it. :shrug: :shrug: :shrug:
> 
> Had no idea they existed. Learn something new everyday.
> 
> ...



I had just the one 3 degree end mill last year. It came in a big box of mostly new assorted cutters, you name it, assorted stuff. Just about a month ago I bought over two (2)hundred new and re-sharpened end mills from a scrap yard for $72. Most of them tapered, tapered ball 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 degree end mills. I'm bragging a bit, but for me it's the find of a lifetime.

Check out the price for new ones. Just make sure your sitting down in a comfortable chair. Their not carried by every supplier. I don't think Enco has them so don't bother looking there.

-MB


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## Twmaster (Feb 20, 2010)

MB, I am still jealous of your mother lode of mills...

Stinks that both flywheels are garbage.

Otherwise another nice looking build.


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## gbritnell (Feb 20, 2010)

Rick, when you get sand in a casting it's from either a poorly rammed mold or not blowing the loose sand off the mold before casting, in any case I don't see why they wouldn't replace them. I had good luck with my lathe castings but some of the engine castings and parts don't look that good.
George


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## Deanofid (Feb 20, 2010)

Well, that's a crummy thing to happen! The fly wheels, I mean. They almost look like tiny runners in there. 

The base looks just great though, Rick. That 5 degrees is enough to show up well. Very nice.

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 20, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> Well, that's a crummy thing to happen! The fly wheels, I mean. They almost look like tiny runners in there.
> 
> The base looks just great though, Rick. That 5 degrees is enough to show up well. Very nice.
> 
> Dean



I have had good luck with all the PMR products I've used up on till now. I guess things unseen are difficult to weed out. We'll see what happens come Monday.

Thanks for the compliment. The 3 degree taper I used last year on my build of Elmer's #42 Oscillating-Cylinder Engine is very noticeable. The 5 degree on this build is a bit more noticeable and more than adequate in my opinion. We use what we have to make our builds suit our preference and pocket.

-MB


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## Deanofid (Feb 20, 2010)

I'd imagine PMR will sort this out. I've been buying stuff from them for many years, and they've always been good, in my view.
Still, too bad it had to happen after you've put the time into it.  It can happen on high dollar castings, too.

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 22, 2010)

#103 The news is good! I contacted PMR inc. to see about getting the two flawed flywheel casting replaced. The lady I spoke with was very polite and said the replacements would be shipped out today, and that I could expect them in two or three days. Now that's what I call first class service! The sand inclusions I found in the original castings can happen occasionally, and due to their hidden nature are impossible to detect by visual examination. While I was on the phone I ordered in some extra aluminum and bronze flywheel castings, and some bronze pipe fitting tree's. I like dealing with a company that stands behind their products, and is responsive to a customers needs.

Yesterday I did the final filing and sanding needed to complete the metal finishing, and applied the painted finish to the five aluminum pieces that make up the supporting structure.
The build of the #41 turned into a double build that now includes the #33. It made sense to build them in tandem since many of the parts require identical or similar machining steps. I also made a few parts for the #29 Mine Engine that will likely be my next build.
The blue/gray color parts on the left are for the #33. The three major parts that make up the assembly are shorter than the gray/green parts on the right for the #41. 
On the #41 I used the 'round' theme by drilling the cross head guides, rounding over bearing caps, drilling the out board bearing hole, and rounding over the ends mounting 'lugs'.
On the #33 I used an 'arch' theme on the cross head guides, bearing caps, out board bearing arched opening at the base, and arched ends on the mounting 'lugs'.
These subtle differences were added to help distinguish the two builds from appearing to be identical. The major design difference is in the valve linkages. And they represent the difference between a 'Factory Engine' and a 'Mill Engine'.







#104 I like the way a nice piece of wood adds to the overall appearance of a finished engine. What I don't like is working with this dusty, smelly, soft, unpredictably natured, naturally flawed material. I don't get along with the stuff at all. But, once it finished and serving its purpose, all is forgiven and forgotten. With that off my chest, I feel much better now! 8)






#105 With a serious lack of photo's for today's post I thought you might find the following of interest. "Honey" likes to spend her weekends going to auctions and estate/ garage sales. She manages to bring home little 'treats' for me on a regular basis. This was this weekend's 'treat', a five dollar box of goodies. The first two trays are what made my day. I needed those fifteen 82, 90, 100 degree counter sinks.






#106 Most of the drill bits are under a 1/4"! And sizes I normally use.






#107 Only a few small taps in this batch, but hey, you take the bitter with the sweet!






#108 All sizes and styles of end mills are always welcome! The extra long double end 1/8" is the most desirable one in this batch.






"Yes Dear, dinner will be ready shortly! ;D

-MB


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## Deanofid (Feb 22, 2010)

Gee, the Butcher's wife is a nice lady!

She must pay attention to what's going on in the shop to know you would like this stuff.
Hope you make something extra nice for supper.

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 22, 2010)

Deanofid  said:
			
		

> Gee, the Butcher's wife is a nice lady!
> 
> She must pay attention to what's going on in the shop to know you would like this stuff.
> Hope you make something extra nice for supper.
> ...


Thanks Dean.

I showed her what all the basic cutting tools look like, and she caught on real quick.
 She's always enjoys hunting down bargains. I can't always use all that she gets, but there's always something good in each batch, and five bucks won't buy much from a tool catalog.

-MB


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## zeeprogrammer (Feb 22, 2010)

Excellent find MB...the wife I mean. :big:


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 26, 2010)

#103 I received my replacement flywheel casting yesterday and finished them up. I also made up a few small pins and studs that were over looked. And added a few more coats of finish to the wooden bases. Today I did the final assembly and test run. Other than a few minor paint nicks everything went together with out a hitch. Both engines seemed just a tiny bit tight at first, but smoothed right out real nice after a 10 minute run. This thread was originally about the building the gray/green #41. I started building the added blue/gray #33 a few weeks into the original build, due to its similarity. Below are the final picture of both engines.






#104






#105






#106






#107






#108






#109






#110






#111






#112






#113






#114






#115






#116






#117






#128 To complete my post I added the usual video that shows both engines running. The timing was set so that when facing the flywheels they have a clockwise rotation. When both builds are running side by side, the flywheels are going in opposite directions when the engines are viewed from their cylinder ends.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsR0C7bc_pk[/ame]

I hope you enjoyed my build thread, and the final pictures and video. 

-MB


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## vascon2196 (Feb 26, 2010)

Wow...those engine look great!

I like the look of those Elmer type engines.

Chris


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## 1hand (Feb 26, 2010)

MB;

Real pair of beauty's there. Great job. Thm:

I would like to request a Picture of all your Elmer's engines together in a group shot. You must be getting quite the collection there.

Matt


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## zeeprogrammer (Feb 26, 2010)

Beautiful engines MB.
And yes, the thread was great.
Like Matt, I wouldn't mind seeing a collection shot either.


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## rake60 (Feb 26, 2010)

Great works MB! Thm:

Excellent thread as well.

Rick


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## gbritnell (Feb 26, 2010)

Hi Rick, 
 Very, very nice work on those engines. As I have said about your other engines, the finish is first rate and the paint really sets off the brass. Now my only gripe. I can live with the socket head screws but I would make some brass acorn nuts to hold the crosshead bars down. Those hardware nuts just aren't up to the quality of the rest of the build. 
 Are you going to take a break now or are you diving headlong into something new?
George


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## Deanofid (Feb 26, 2010)

They look fabulous, Rick! 

George already mentioned the screws/nuts. Your engines deserve better, (just my opinion). That is no reflection on your work! They are both nicely done indeed, and show your skills.
I especially like it when a guy works to crisp, clean corners and edges in his work, instead of buffing them over. The smart edges on these engines show one of the many elements of craftsmanship in your work.

Three cheers!

Dean


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 26, 2010)

vascon2196, 1hand, Zeeprogramer, rake60, gbritnell, and Deanofid, Thank you all for the wonderful compliments!

1hand and Zee, I was planning on showing a picture of all the engines in my collection in the very near future. I posted a 'farewell and picture' post at the end of last years build season, and I will do the same this spring.

George and Dean, I have to agree with you on the stainless threaded studs and stainless nuts. I don't like them either. At the time I had no other choice. After having second thoughts about Elmer's stud/nut arrangement I finally broke down and ordered a box of extra long cap screws for the cross head guides on Monday ($16./100ct) that came in yesterday.

Since I spent a lot of time getting the the studs set at the right height, and spent even more time fumbling to get the nuts threaded on (the reason I don't like 'tiny' nuts.) so, I just left them on for the moment. I got those "scale" nuts from a well known supplier, and all the stuff I got from him is unsatisfactory in my opinion. However, I do find the larger 'scale' nuts handy up under the wooden bases.

I thought that someone might mention their dislike of the hex-drive cap and button head screws that I like so much. To see you in agreement with my way of thinking is a welcome critique. 8)

-MB


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## 1hand (Feb 26, 2010)

Metal Butcher  said:
			
		

> vascon2196, 1hand, Zeeprogramer, rake60, gbritnell, and Deanofid, Thank you all for the wonderful compliments!
> 
> 1hand and Zee, I was planning on showing a picture of all the engines in my collection in the very near future. I posted a 'farewell and picture' post at the end of last years build season, and I will do the same this spring.
> 
> -MB



Farewell???? What do you mean??? You leave us in the Spring? Where you going???? What da Heck?

?matt?


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 26, 2010)

Farewell???? What do you mean??? You leave us in the Spring? Where you going???? What da Heck?

?matt?
[/quote]

I guess you weren't here last year to see my "farwell" post? Or maybe you missed it? It will answer your question, and and also show you what I did last 'year'.

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=4707.0

-MB


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## 1hand (Feb 27, 2010)

Last year at this time I didn't even know what a coaxial indicator, collet, nor all da utter stuff we use, was. So I missed Your post. Good for you and "Honey", to get out and about. I think that is awesome. I will be Leaving here in less than a month too. Back to the grind of making Big rocks into little ones. The life of the traveling construction worker. What kind of work did you do before retirement? Me and "Sweetie" and the 3 kids like to spend the weekends during the summer at our permanent camper site in northern Wisconsin. Its nice having the 14 year old to mow the 3 acre's at home during the week when I'm gone so we all can meet at the camper on the weekends. I sent in my patent for my 18,000 different postion prosthetic wrist on Monday, so hopefully next year could bring some more hometime with the launch of Midwest ProCAD "Midwest Prosthetic Custom Assistive Devices". If not, there still are the rocks to crush, and fish to be caught at the lake. As for your trip, you and "honey" should make a swing around through Wisconsin on your way to or from Canada for a little visit and a good meal with "Sweetie" and I.

Thanks for being a great Friend;
Matt ;D


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## BigBore (Feb 27, 2010)

Excellent build/thread, Rick. Thanks a bunch. You have set a high bar for a lot of us. It's nice when they run but it is very special when you present them like you do. You definitely add the "sizzle" to the steak. I have finished the PDF of the build and have uploaded it to the files sections. Crazy idea but I called it _"Elmer's #41 by Metal Butcher" _Go figure. Thanks again.

Ed


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 27, 2010)

1hand  said:
			
		

> Last year at this time I didn't even know what a coaxial indicator, collet, nor all da utter stuff we use, was. So I missed Your post. Good for you and "Honey", to get out and about. I think that is awesome. I will be Leaving here in less than a month too. Back to the grind of making Big rocks into little ones. The life of the traveling construction worker. What kind of work did you do before retirement? Me and "Sweetie" and the 3 kids like to spend the weekends during the summer at our permanent camper site in northern Wisconsin. Its nice having the 14 year old to mow the 3 acre's at home during the week when I'm gone so we all can meet at the camper on the weekends. I sent in my patent for my 18,000 different postion prosthetic wrist on Monday, so hopefully next year could bring some more hometime with the launch of Midwest ProCAD "Midwest Prosthetic Custom Assistive Devices". If not, there still are the rocks to crush, and fish to be caught at the lake. As for your trip, you and "honey" should make a swing around through Wisconsin on your way to or from Canada for a little visit and a good meal with "Sweetie" and I.
> 
> Thanks for being a great Friend;
> Matt ;D



Hi Matt. No more grind for me. I did 30 years hard labor unloading trucks for a large grocery chain. I set records that no one has ever come close to matching. The job was difficult and boring. So I made the most of it by putting in all the effort I could muster and trying to do more every day. My motto was "speed and accuracy."My output was always questioned by upper management, Question like "how can you get that much done in one shift?", or, "how is it possible that you never make any mistakes?".I could go on and on but I don't want to bore you silly. Most guys that tried it gave up and quite, or moved on to something easy that they could handle.

I took my Teamster Pension (Thirty and out) and never looked back. I always said I wanted to be "The fish that got away."

This machining hobby is a different story! I work at a very slow pace, and make mistake on top of mistake. Drives me nuts at times. I amaze myself when I get a build done and running.

Free food?!!! If you were along the way I would defiantly accept the invitation, and stop in for a meal...I mean visit. Unfortunately, We head in the opposite direction to get up to our summer place in Eastern Ontario.

Wisconsin is a beautiful place. I spent a year going to school in Sturtavent, and spent most of my week ends in Racine. I have many fond memories of the friendly atmosphere and people of the region. I heard that its grown quite a bit, and that I wouldn't recognize Sturtavent today. So much for progress.

Thank you too Matt.

-MB


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## Tad Wicks (Feb 27, 2010)

Well done, great thread, thanks for taking the time and effort to show us, at the risk of sounding repetitive,I am just amazed by the talent on this website. Thanks for sharing; Tad


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## black85vette (Feb 27, 2010)

Very nice work.  I built the #33 and can appreciate all the detail you put into it.  :bow:


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 27, 2010)

BigBore  said:
			
		

> Excellent build/thread, Rick. Thanks a bunch. You have set a high bar for a lot of us. It's nice when they run but it is very special when you present them like you do. You definitely add the "sizzle" to the steak. I have finished the PDF of the build and have uploaded it to the files sections. Crazy idea but I called it _"Elmer's #41 by Metal Butcher" _Go figure. Thanks again.
> 
> Ed



Thanks Ed, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 

Thanks too, for archiving a condensed PDF version of my build thread in the 'Down loads and uploads' section. The simplified access can be used in the future by members that might find the information helpful, in building their own versions.

You made a big effort to help others, and you deserve a big bow! :bow:

Thanks again.

-MB


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## cfellows (Feb 27, 2010)

Beautiful, beautiful work, MB! Those look like museum quality to me.

Chuck


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 27, 2010)

Tad Wicks and black85vette, Thanks you for your compliments and support. 

black85vette, I remember when you posted your build of Elmer's #33. I was very impressed with the outcome. At that time I thought to myself "I can't build that, its way to complex." Ever since then I've wanted to build the #33. It took me more than a year to gain enough experience to finally tackle the project.

Seeing your build of the #33 over a year ago, inspired me to promise myself to build it some day. And I did!

Thanks!

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 27, 2010)

cfellows  said:
			
		

> Beautiful, beautiful work, MB! Those look like museum quality to me.
> 
> Chuck



Thanks Chuck, I appreciate the wonderfull compliment. I think that your builds will make it to the museum first! Just promise to leave some room for a build or two of mine! 

-MB


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## Twmaster (Feb 27, 2010)

MB, another fine looking pair of engines. Bravo!


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 27, 2010)

Twmaster  said:
			
		

> MB, another fine looking pair of engines. Bravo!



Hi TW, thanks for the compliment! That's the last pair I'm building. The last three build threads were 'double builds' and I'm burned out a bit. Only single builds from now on. ;D

-MB


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## Jack B (Feb 27, 2010)

Hi MB
What an accomplishment. Great builds. Your postings are top notch and your machining is special. Congratulations  Jack B.


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 27, 2010)

Jack B  said:
			
		

> Hi MB
> What an accomplishment. Great builds. Your postings are top notch and your machining is special. Congratulations  Jack B.



Thanks Jack. I have this forum and all its members like you to thank!

Knowing that there is interest in my work helps me to focus on improving the quality of my builds. Its a welcome sort of pressure that helps me to perform.

-MB


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 28, 2010)

#129 Today I finished both of my builds by adding the final detail. In my last picture post the cross head guides were bolted down with threaded stainless steel studs and nuts. Being miss matched I didn't like the arrangement from the beginning, but went with it temporarily while I debated the need to spend an extravagant amount for one size of screw. A box of the 4-40 x 1-1/4" cap screws is about $15./100ct, which is triple the cost of an average box of hardware I normally use on my projects. I decided to order a box at the last minute, after spending a good amount of time getting the studs set at the right height. I used them even though the proper hardware arrived in time for the final post.

Now all the hardware matches, and I'm happy! ;D







-MB


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## Philjoe5 (Mar 2, 2010)

Great build MB. :bow: I like the paint and brass combination. I'm amazed by your productivity

Cheers,
Phil


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## b.lindsey (Mar 2, 2010)

Beautifully done on both engines MB. Wonderful pictures too!

Bill


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## kustomkb (Mar 2, 2010)

Beautiful work MB,

they look and run great!


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## gbritnell (Mar 2, 2010)

Much nicer Rick. I like it.
George


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