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I lapped my cylinder very slightly tapered and then finished by "lapping" the piston with cylinder using oil only until it just reached TDC without binding.

Yes, I use wizards and one line commands. Some form of jog wheel is really useful.

I have a BF30 that I converted to CNC some years ago. I added a home built jog wheel and use that for manual work. I configured LinuxCNC to simulate power feeds on X and Y for long cuts. I have a library of gcode routines for simple holes patterns, facing, cutting large holes etc. I use Fusion...

No not yet. This is a very slow project for me due to time constraints.

When I made my Bol18 the piston / cylinder lapping took some hours. You want to achieve a very slightly tapered bore. I lapped until the piston "just" reached tdc. In fact the very last part off the process was achieved by hand without lapping paste but with plenty oil. I built the Bol18 as a...

Many thanks for the replies. Sanity restored!

Hi All, I'm in the process of creating a 3D model of the Howell V4 engine from the drawing set. I like to do this before committing to machining real parts. I'm having problems with the spark plug recesses clashing with the valve cage holes. I must be doing something wrong but cant see the...

Great news, well done👏👏👏

Lapping is crucial. It took me three evenings to "creep up" on the piston fit - patience is key. I lapped until the piston was just binding just below TDC then cleaned everything down and made the final fit by gently rotating the oiled piston in the bore. At this point it is very easy to get...

Mine was like this - try raising the fuel tank a bit / opening the needle valve gradually it sounds a bit lean. A leak in the crankcase won't help either as it will reduce the "pull" of fuel in to the carb...

Fingers crossed. Mine took a long time to start the first time - mainly because I had no experience of starting small model engines🤔. I added a hex nut on the crank so I could turn it over with a cordless drill. Eventually, I got a "pop" and the characteristic smell of burnt fuel. A few...

Hi, I added led ring lights my BF30 but found they really weren't bright enough +quill caused a shadow. In the end I got some cheap 240V(UK) garden lights (see example image) and adapted them to take GU10 LED bulbs - these work great and are very bright. I attached them to a flexible...

:) - nope, more the rite of passage of bring your first engine to life and also noting that the next one will be started outside!

My first engine also. Great learning experience and so satisfying when it burst in to life and filled the workshop with blue smoke. I've now moved on to a Vega V twin on the road to attempting a Howell V4.

Possibly, but my post was derived from the Autodesk EMC post processor, so is very specific to my machine. I used VSC a plugin to debug the post processor and test my edits - this really helped as I'm not familiar with Java script and the Autodesk developer manual was a bit unclear in places -...

Second that, I like it too. I use CATIA V5 and 3D Experience at work. Fusion gives me parametric 3D modelling, simulation and CAM for zero cost. Worst thing for me was customising the CAM post processor for my home built CNC mill controlled by LinuxCNC

Try a Bol Aero 18 diesel, I learned a huge amount from the built and then moved to a Vega V twin on the path to a Howell V4

Hi, I used a NEMA34 motor with 2505 ballscrew on my BF30. The head is counter balanced to retain 20 - 30kg of downward weight. I think the motor is 12Nm running at 42V with a Gecko driver. The Z speed is limited to 20in/min to give chance catching mistakes before they cost a tool or a part The...

Probably not the best material as it will wear and loose register with spindle nose, cast iron or steel would be better.

Hi, Try Linuxcnc and link the analogue controls to the motor drives via the HAL. I built my own pendant drive for four axes using the resources and helpful forum. Good luck with your project.