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The stand components are decorative to put a bit of flair into the engine. Each stand is a piece of 1/2" brass tubing with turned ends inserted. The assembly is held together with 10-32 allthread. There are four stands. The tubing is easy enough. The ends would be ease if not for the...

Based on the replies, I think I have naval brass. This picture of N.B. Sure looks like what I have. Thank you all for the help. ...Ved

I've had various levels of success with Online Metal's Protoboxes. As I was making the spool valves for my "Dancer's Engine", I found some material in my brass section that didn't look like normal brass. I know it came from one of the Protoboxes I've purchased. It was much more difficult to...

On to the valves. With some mystery3/8" brass roundstock, I first used a parting off tool to cut the admission and exhaust ports and then drilled/tapped the end. I flipped the part, faced it off to length and drilled out the end for the steam exhaust. Using the rotary table, I cross...

...Continued from previous post: I pressed the gear blank onto the arbor and proceeded to cut the teeth. Unfortunately, the gear blank spun on the arbor and I lost position. Upon investigation, the teeth weren't deep enough and I think because my mill setup was too shakey. Part 1 = Scrap...

Well it was time to give making those bevel gears a try. Note that I've never done this before and I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. I expected (and was successful) to screw up at least my first try. Some people here on their builds only show their successes. But on can learn just as...

I try to do something new on every engine I design/build. On the Dancer's Engine, I have the steam admission valves run off a shaft that's run off the crankshaft through 90 degree bevel gears. I designed the engine without giving much thought as how to make bevel gears. This is especially...

It helps that David and I live only six miles apart. Thank you for your encourgement. ...Ved.

Oh how I wish I had the skills and patience to make models of that beauty. ...Ved.

Larry: I don't put that much thought into my engines. It's not like these actually have any purpose. They're toys. I've had good luck with eccentric cam/tappet designs lately. Reference my recent "Four Square" and "Swashplate" engines. The tappet runs a spool valve for admission and...

If your machines are commercial units, the spiral cut coupling is probably ok. Being that my failure was on a Mini-Mill that I converted to CNC using cheap equipment, I assume I have shaft alignment issues that caused the premature failure. Spider couplings with zero backlash do exist and I...

I was using my CNC'd Mini-Mill for machining a walking beam for an engine to which I'm making. Near the end of the NC program, the Y-axis motor coupling snapped. Losing an axis on a three axis system isn't good. The mill then promptly decided to mill right through the beam web. Ugh.... I...

In the Plans section, you'll find some musings on my version of a water pumping steam engine located at the London Museum of Water and Steam (a.k.a. the Kew Bridge Steam Museum). Being that this engine has a some components where the techniques are new me, I felt I'd share my learning...

I believe I've finished the design of the engine: I'm debating if to do a build log on this one or not. Either way, as usual, when I finish the engine and get the bugs out, I'll post on this forum all relevant files and documents so you too can build this engine. ...Ved.

Next up: What's That Tune. Identify the engine via listening to its exhaust!!!!

In 2013 my wife and I vacationed in England. One of our stops was a the London Museum of Water and Steam. All the engines there are either part of the original water works the place used to be or engines brought in from other locations that were used for pumping water. One of the "imported"...

Unfortunately, the work put into these "executive toys" never equals the market value. I don't even try to sell me engines. I give them to friends and family that may have an interest. And I only give them away when I have too many on the shelf. If you can find someone to offer a couple...

I make some non-documented improvements to the engine. The most important change being that I went to smaller valve springs and added a screw such that I can adjust the spring compression. This allows adjustment of the spring pressure to just what's required to reliably keep the valves in...

For the wobblers I've built, I inserted a scribe into the cylinder port and assembled the engine. I then rotated the engine throughout its range of motion and then disassembled the engine. The scribe then shows where to put in your porting. ...Ved.

In this hobby we make expensive toys. Unless your engine is going to be some type of teaching tool, the end result is a piece that will sit on a shelf and collect dust. Sometimes, just sometimes, I actually use these skills I've developed making toys on something useful. I have this project...