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I don't know why it starts out black, but its a video. Click on it! David Letterman has a recurring segment on his show where he looks at stuff and wonders if its worth pursuing. This is a design that occurred to me and gave me some restless nights until I put it to the modeling process and...

Brian Are you planning to get the cone out of solid stock on the lathe or are you going to roll it from sheet stock? Sheet would be in keeping with full size practice since it is mostly a weather shroud and is not part of the pressure vessel. Jerry

Congratulations Chuck! th_wav Steam (air) engines are a simple, straight forward concept, and so many excellent examples have been displayed on these pages, that it is rare to see something really new. I think the valving that you engineered for this engine is a fine example of original...

Hooray! Half a runner! Its funny that we both come to the same operation (eccentric straps) at about the same time from different directions. Not surprisingly, I do it a bit differently. I drill and tap the solid bar before splitting with a saw. The American Hoist donkey has a slightly...

Today I rebuilt the eccentric straps. I had previously made a one piece eccentric strap because I wasn't sure how to do this but when I built the overcrank engine, I made a two piece eccentric strap with a slant. Here is where it came from: That is a cut from the American Hoist brochure and I...

Back from dinner. Eyeball positioning works like this. You put your eyeball on your DRO and use it carefully. There is no other way. Careful layout, marking and center punching has failed as has the use of a rotab. Maybe poor technique contributed to the bad results but I have finally achieved...

Brian When I have used hubless eccentrics in the past, I have drilled a hole through the cap big enough to pass the hex wrench that adjusts the set screw. Then you can loosen the set screw, move the crnkshaft and retighten without taking it apart. Much easier. Jerry

It is really difficult getting organized to proceed with this. I keep getting distracted with non-important jobs, like the fire door. I finally realized that the reason for procrastination was that there were so many unsatisfactory parts that needed rebuilt that I was just avoiding them by...

I'll have a pair Stew. Nothing fancy, plain black with a red pinstripe will do. Jerry

Stew Three cheers for simple!!! Jerry

Brian You don't need to overdo the crank thickness. Because the winch gear is always engaged, it's rotational energy is added to the crank web. The problem is having room for the crank web between the con rod and the eccentric strap. Plus there is precious little room between the crank...

Brian From what I have seen, it was done both ways. On smaller units, the clutch and brake were at the same end of the winch with the clutch expanding internally and the brake wrapped externally on the same drum. On larger hoists, the clutch and brake were at opposite ends to prevent heat from...

Jared Thanks for watching. I have been having difficulty staying focused and here is another example. A few days ago, I got distracted from my plans by a couple of post that showed me how to go about fabricating the fire door. I had not even been thinking about it until Brian mentioned it and...

I don't think I want it very hard. Every time i have broken a HSS tap, it broke right at the surface and gave me fits extracting it. (Yes, I know about Alum) I like that the allthread was flexible enough to twist and break off above the surface where I could get hold of it. And since it will...

Chuck I don't know about stainless for wear but I don't think its as tough. I'm not sure but I think the all thread has rolled thread and is a little harder. I used a 2 inch length which is pretty long for a screw. The 2 inch let me get a good grip on it with the salvaged chuck that I use for...

Jim It is a fairly shallow angle, to a depth of just over 1/2 the diameter at the tip. I'm no expert, but that's the way I make D-bit reamer too. Jerry

The shop is a scary place. There is a moving event horizon that sweeps over my bench and swallow tools and parts. It used to get just the very small parts but lately the disappearing parts are getting bigger. Today it got a two pound hammer. I told my wife, if I don't come home from the shop...

... will I put a #2-56 HSS tap into brass or aluminum. It's just asking for trouble. And I don't need to. I'll use this: That is a piece of #2-56 all thread turned into a thread forming tap. I just grind a flat on the end like making a D-bit. It may cut a little bit but it doesn't make chips...

Come on Brian, you know the solution. You are working again. Money spent on tooling is always a good investment. Jerry

Well, here is the progress that has been made in the last few days. I'm not going into very much detail because much of it has been show before. The hoist bearing stands have been re-profiled to reduce their bulk and give better proportions. Just spent some time on the mill. Then I looked at...