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John Good post. My 9x20 lathe has no locking screw on the cross slide and I have often thought it would be a good idea. The gib adjusting screws all have locking nuts so they can't be used but I will be adding a locking grub screw soon. I haven't any experience with other lathes so I was...

Jan That is a nice looking engine and a nicely done model as well. Since it seems that you are working with some questionable dimensions and details from the original your model will have to be the deciding plan. 1. Eccentric rods don't bend without a joint. You can design that easily or copy...

Ryan Experience is a two edged sword. It may be that time has shown the best way to do something but as technology changes it may limit the exploration of new alternatives. This is a good case in point. Without the use of super magnets, I doubt the method would be successful. Ken I don't...

John Thanks for the answer. I thought it might be that simple but I could have missed something. It is always better to have more than one way to do something, even if you never use it, the knowledge might lead to a solution of a very different problem. Jerry

John Thanks for posting that stuff here. As to the tailstock V block, Why? Is it quicker, easier, or more accurate than using a V block in the mill or drill press. My drill press is used for little else, so I have a V block centered and bolted to the table most of the time. Jerry

Ken I think that's why they are sold in pairs. One is N out and the other S out so they will attract each other when screwed to opposite faces. I just don't know how well the will hold the ball when the poles are at 90° but then I'm not sure that I can get them to 90° with a 3/8" diameter...

Ryan Magnets! Good idea. Got me thinking. Experiments with the ball and forked socket have not been entirely succesfull. It is difficult to maintain a close fit and any slop leads to misalignment and added friction. Ken I agree that a spherical socket would be helpful in maintaining...

Water? I have heard of people doing that but I never quite understood why? Jerry

I have been absent for a while due to some strange phenomena. Vertical and horizontal orientation gets out of whack making it difficult to get to the shop. Which is just as well. Probably not the best place to be. The dizzines also made it difficult to read and write without getting nauseous...

Congratulations Ken. A well deserved honor. I saw it coming! Interesting project, well conceived and well presented. Jerry

Ken I didn't see it coming either. I was manipulating the Alibre' model to verify the piston length at the extremes of articulation and it just happened. It was a revelation about the design as well as a revelation about the ability of Alibre' to uncover unexpected results. Jerry

Dang it! I can't stop thinking about this silly project. I'm thinking about doing it like this. The way I am thinking is that friction is the big problem with this engine so I am looking at ways to reduce it. One way to do that is to reduce surface contact. I am looking at the piston as...

Chuck You are never to old to learn. Those grand kids will help you stay young. Right now, I'm teaching a three year old great grand daughter how to swim and she is busy teaching me about trust and courage and responsibility. She is also teaching me about jumping (how quick and how high). I can...

This is the joint that I think will work best for this experiment. It provides plenty of articulation in the XY plane as shown here. This is a video. With a very slight modification, it will also allow about 15° of articulation in the YZ plane as well. Rotation of the ball member has no...

Ken I think that while the pistons would be free to rotate in the bore, at 180° there is no force that encourages that. The pistons then rotate WITH the cylinder. When the cylinder has rotated 90°, the hinge pins are locked in relation to the base hinge. This is another of those questions that...

Ken I'm not ready to build this yet but I can still think about it. I am still leaning towards a spherical joint for two reasons. 1. I have worked out a method that is extremely simple to make and they have about 270° of articulation. An example of this joint is shown on my three...

Steam locos could pick up water by being driven over shallow pans of water at high speed, with a scoop extended between the tracks. Might not work for a steam shovel. Jerry

As a kid, I played with mercury, asbestos, and poured lead soldiers, and the common way to clinch a lead sinker on a fishing line was to bite it. I have suffered no apparent ill effects except that sometimes I do really dumb stuff. I wonder if it is related. Jerry

^^^^ VIDEO ^^^^ I think I have the geometry worked out, at least good enough for Alibre'. The number of cylinders is just for the convenience of comparing piston positions at 180° apart. I know I could do that with a six cylinder design but I think I am leaning towards a five cylinder...

Ken I see you have been through this thought process before. What else did you discover? I think I like the pivot on the inboard cylinder intersect. That is what I was trying to say but used too many words. I guess I will just have to rely on the wonders of modern pharmacology for the...