A Really, Really Good Book on Engine Building

[Richard Hed]

Hi
I built a 7'' rotary table a while back and has been very useful. I made pretty much everything myself including the worm and gear. You can find a full write up here
Building a 7" rotary table (modelenginemaker.com)
Hope that helps

Cheers

Rich

Rich, Do you happen to have drawings of this?

 

[wburnett2922]

Nothing from Paypal at this time 5:48 Ontario time.

Maybe I have wrong email address

 

[Brian Rupnow]

wburnett2922 Send $25 Canadian funds to Paypal to [email protected] and be sure to specify which engine you want plans for.

 

[wburnett2922]

wburnett2922 Send $25 Canadian funds to Paypal to [email protected] and be sure to specify which engine you want plans for.

Think paypal used capital letter to start email address will do over [email protected]

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I have received and read thru the book "Model petrol engines: their design, construction and use", by Westbury and sadly, there is nothing there for me. I had to try, but even though the book covers a lot of broad spectrum stuff associated with model i.c. engines, there isn't much new stuff nor "model engine secrets" that I don't know already.. ---Brian

 

[MRA]

I can't recommend you a book Brian, but since you mentioned elsewhere you like engines which run slow, then here is someone who makes things of real beauty, in my opinion. I volunteer at a museum where we assemble and get working, full-size things like this by National, Crossley, Mirlees (as well as other manufacturers not from my adopted city of Manchester!).



His model diesel injector is described here, and that seems to be a real 'model engine secret'.
all the best
Mark

 

[Harpanet13]

I hope you find something. As for myself, I am trhying to find plans for rotary tables but I can't seem to find any. Anyone know of some?

August and September 2021 issues of Model Engineers' Workshop has a rotary table build. I believe they had another one in the past. I will look through my back issues.

 

[rutzen]

I built a great rotary table using the rotating base from my machine vice which i never use. I made a worm gear 5 inches diameter with about 200 teeth which I free hobbed using a tap. The table I made from a 7 inch diameter slice of freecutting steel. The whole thing is only 2 inches high and is very solid so you can take milling cuts under the control of the worm wheel. The rotating base came off a 4 inch chinese vise and is very solid.

 

[Steamchick]

Hi Brian, In your opening post you state "not steam engines" - but have you considered the non-rotary engines - like water-pumps, fuel pumps, and possibly Tesla's generator?

There are a host of designs "out there", but this seems to be just a bit different being piston ported (like the 2-stroke IC engine) - which could lead to a whole host of interesting issues to make it rune successfully? Also, the air spring "frequency governor" or resonance device...?
Or maybe (if you feel really ambitious) a Deltic 3-crankshaft opposing piston design?

Napier made very compact powerful diesels, but you could consider a petrol or gas alternative?
K2

 

[Steamchick]

Or how about one of the Atkinson cycle engines?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkinson_cycleThat inspired me... but how about you?
I have a friend who is fascinated by the "wobble-plate" engine...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_e...Wobble plate engines are thus not cam engines.





K2

 

[ajoeiam]

Hi Brian, In your opening post you state "not steam engines" - but have you considered the non-rotary engines - like water-pumps, fuel pumps, and possibly Tesla's generator?

There are a host of designs "out there", but this seems to be just a bit different being piston ported (like the 2-stroke IC engine) - which could lead to a whole host of interesting issues to make it rune successfully? Also, the air spring "frequency governor" or resonance device...?
Or maybe (if you feel really ambitious) a Deltic 3-crankshaft opposing piston design?

Napier made very compact powerful diesels, but you could consider a petrol or gas alternative?
K2

If you're heading it that direction - - - what about a Quasi-turbine engine - - - -I've thought of using that for a generator drive.

 

[ajoeiam]

Or how about one of the Atkinson cycle engines?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkinson_cycleThat inspired me... but how about you?
I have a friend who is fascinated by the "wobble-plate" engine...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_e...Wobble plate engines are thus not cam engines.





K2

Interesting idea - - - - wonder what they would be for longevity.

There were steam engines that ran for over 60 years (IIRC) without stopping - - - now that's longevity!!!

(I'd settle for 10 and would like 20 years - - -grin!)

 

[tornitore45]

I do not know if I experienced a burn out or not but after building engines I built the Lanz Tractor, It has a flame eater engine. After that I built an RC tugboat model, enjoyed but there is a lot of painting a process I am not fond of.
I am back in the saddle, tackling the Anzani Y without casting. A challenge to my skill level.

 

[petertha]

deleted

 

[tornitore45]

Peter I still got your message in the mailing. I suppose you deleted when you realized my interest was for the
Anzani Y but the link offered the Anzani W plans. Still the link is valuable to me because is feature many interesting engine plans.
Thanks Mauro

 

[Steamchick]

Interesting idea - - - - wonder what they would be for longevity.

Hi Joe,
A few comments on Atkinson's cycle engines.
His first - and most curious arrangement - has one firing stroke every turn of the wheel. But is has 2 pistons in the cylinder, and the "intake stroke is 1/4 ~ 1/3rd of the cylinder's displacement. The power stroke is twice as long - hence the "higher" efficiency.
So I say this has "1.3" - or 0.33 of 1-stroke per revolution where the piston go back and fro = 2 strokes. I.E. it can "suck" a charge = 1/6th (0.167 = 17%) of the total RMS displacement....

Now thinking of a "modern conventional" 4 stroke engine, it sucks charge for 1 stroke of the 4 strokes making a full firing cycle. Therefore I rate this as 1/4 = 25% of the RMS displacement of the engine...
I studied the cycle (for fun) a year or so back: see below adobe file.

The 25% beat the 16% when engineers of the time looked at "Power" from engines rather than "efficiency" = because a smaller (cheaper" engine could be bought for the same "power" requirement. The "cheaper" sold products, rather than "engineering efficiency".
Reliability and durability come from a combination of materials, design, maintenance and workload. Your car engine is relatively cheap, yet lasts for 150,000 miles before you replace (scrap) the car (typically), yet the engine isn't worn-out. That is longlevity in another view!
But these engines are lovely to watch as running models.


https://birkpetersens.blogspot.com/2013/01/atkinson-cycle-engine.html

K2

 

[Gordon]

Brian: You should try the Atkinson Differential engine and your boredom will be replaced by frustration.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Gordon--I have been following build threads on this forum for about 14 years. Many people have built this engine, few have got it to run. I am not a glutton for punishment. I can find enough mind bending things with plain, simple single cylinder engines to feed my frustration level. Anyways, thanks for the suggestion.---Brian

 

[Gordon]

Gordon--I have been following build threads on this forum for about 14 years. Many people have built this engine, few have got it to run. I am not a glutton for punishment. I can find enough mind bending things with plain, simple single cylinder engines to feed my frustration level. Anyways, thanks for the suggestion.---Brian

I have built this engine, Tweaked and modified, Put on the shelf, Taken it off the shelf and vowed that this thing was not going to beat me about 6 or 8 times. I am just about at the take it back off the shelf phase again because I have a flat twin which others have built and I just cannot get to run after 3 or 4 on and off the shelf cycles.

 

[gg89220]

hello
otto langen engine ...