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Used a short 3/8-16 bolt for the worm and hobbed the gear using a tap. Infeed 0.040" seemed to work good. The rest of the spur gears got some fancy yet time consuming detail work to mimic the real ones. Then small hub spacers were soft soldered on using a well blackened SS rod to keep everything...

RE steering gears. I've found this image of the worm and gear. Appears to be a coarser pitch and note that the chain roller has a spiral feature that would not only keep the chain from tangling, but also increase the amount of chain per rotation? SPD stated a 20:1 ratio for worm to gear on the...

Hello again, Couldn't find any tool steel large enough (0.670") for the button cutter that I needed so I used cherry red hardening compound on some 1018. The tool holder is 1/2" mild steel to fit a regular tool holder and the relief is milled at 5 degrees. Then the button is loctited into the...

Today is gear cutting day I made a involute #2 cutter yesterday, and will attempt the bull gears, countershaft and idler today using Mr. Ivan Laws nicely written book.

try this link https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B8HLRVY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I bought it on Amazon and it says Intertape 591, 1" x 36 yard for $18 First time I used it on metal and it was fantastic. I also used it to hold the Eagle while I carved the wings...

Hi John, I will try to cut my own gears as I already made most of the involute gear cutters. I need to make the button tool and #2 disc for the larger gears. I heeded some online builders advice about slowing the tractor down and have chosen 22.5:1 as the ratio. This is lower than Rudy's...

Wow Jason, that is inspiring workmanship. Do you use BA threads? The hex nut to stud proportions look really neat. Did you make the acorn/domed nuts also? Did you make a form tool? Are they SS? Again, super nice work

Thank you Pat, Glad to see the work is being watched and appreciated. I reworked the smoke-stack base after comparing closely to the actual part. Below is before and after. Turned a 3 degree taper on the 3-1/2" long stack going from 1.025" down to the 0.978 flange diameter. I drilled it 5/8"...

Completed the smoke box door and started on the stack. I chose 1/4 flat brass for the door so I could machine easily and solder onto it. Started by facing a 2" stub of aluminum and using two sided IPG tape to adhere the brass. This tape was rated tops by wood workers, and it certainly works...

I would like to take a break from sheet metal, so decided to attempt the smokebox door up front. Rudy's version is functional and hints at the hinges, but I wanted one that swings open, latches and has Abe the eagle on the cover without the CASE lettering like this one... I also did the front...

Thank you Chuck, Fairly new territory for me, but the learning curve is not too steep and practice sheet metal is cheap or free. No substitute for good quality copper rivets though. I tried making my own out of copper wire on the rims, but pre-made is the way to go. The rivet press and sheet...

Worked on the fuel bunkers and water tank this weekend. I have difficult envisioning sheet metal parts, so I built the plan version first and then modified to closer match images I found online. The rear bunkers are trapezoidal shapes rather than square. I will probably bend up 3/32 TIG wire for...

Milestone today. Up on all four wheels 😄 The front axle was modeled in FUSION360 first because I wanted it to look scale. The center part was made from brass stock so it was easy to braze it and shape it. The center pin in O-1 drill rod because I thought I would need to harden it, but its...

Yes John, I have found two on this site so far by Mike N and 4156DF . I learn everything by watching Youtube and reading machinist forums. Thank goodness that people are willing to document and share their vast knowledge. I plan to spend time with the engine part of the build to make it...

Made the "Horn plates" out of 20 gauge steel instead of the 22 gauge so I could add fake stay rivets like the real boiler. Should add some rigidity to the framework too. The axle and gearing tie into these plates. Ran out of the super nice 1/16" Goodhsall rivets and am using cheapo metric (2.5...

Thank you for the comments. :) As the build continues on, the c-clamp rivet press is really making this enjoyable. Five years or so ago I remember the frustration using rivet snaps on a PM research horizontal boiler build with 1/8" domed rivets. This is definitely the more civilized way to go...

Hello all, To imitate the real tractor closer, I doubled down on the rivets on the right hand side. I made the spacing slightly closer than Rudy suggested also. I saw this technique used on this forum from a build back in 2009 titled "Building Rudy's Steam Tractor" and liked it a lot. Thank you...

Thank you for the helpful tips Mike, I didn't even think of a wood plug. I was distracted by the seam weld inside the pipe but your idea would definitely worked for me also. The tip on the dee bit is a good one also. Jamming a steel rod into the boiler side wall and bending didn't seem very...

Thank you very much John I believe the smaller diameter (1/16 vs 3/32) spokes along with the increased number of them helped give a better scale appearance. Debatable if that is worth it to the builder or not because of the increased effort required. I'm very pleased that they run true and I...

Wheels are finished 👏👏👏 now we can start the boiler shell. Following Randy's lead about making the shell out of 2 inch steel pipe with the 1-1/2 copper boiler tucked inside. My bandsaw cuts pretty square, but I didn't check the shop cut end on the piece I ordered before I cut to length. It was...