Brians Radial Engine

[cfellows]

Brian, you're like the Eveready Bunny. I'm plum tuckered out just watching your progress!

 

[Deanofid]

Going great guns, Brian. You're a real terror when it comes to makin' chips!

Looks good, I am still trying to figure out where I have seen this type of engine before.
I have seen it in person but cant remember where.
-B-

Phil Duclos came up with it. He called his the Hula Hula engine.
Looks like this one, but six cylinders. I have prints for it, I think,
along with some for a similar three cylinder.

 

[Cliff]

Hey Brian I think that all your builds are awesome and am inspired with the way you make up the prints and then build the engine I always had to build what ever I was doing and then draw the prints. Keep up the good work. Cliff

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Five good little cylinders "to be"---and one really, really BAD little cylinder "not to be". And yes, thank you very very much---I AM AWAKE NOW!!!! Now I am off to do the (shudder) vacuuming, and helping good wife to clean house up for impending Thanksgiving guests.

 

[Bill Mc]

Happy Thanksgiving Brian (and your family). P.S. I still have that visit to make.

 

[black85vette]

Ouch. Bet that was exciting.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[cfellows]

So, was that a milling cutter that grabbed ahold of the bad little cylinder?

Chuck

 

[Brian Rupnow]

That was the result of a "Stupid Attack""!!! My cylinders are exactly 1/2" wide. I haven't got a chamfering milling cutter yet, so I cocked my 'Tilt/swivel/gyrate vice over to 45 degrees to cut the chamfers. I THOUGHT I had a 3/8" wide parallel under the cylinder to bring the edge I wanted to chamfer up above the vice jaws.--It was a 1/2" wide parallel. The vice locked up on the steel 1/2" parallel, and as soon as the cutter hit the brass (which was not locked anywhere near as tight as the parallel) the cutter pulled it up. and stalled the mill. I then went upstairs, put on clean underwear ;D ;D ;D, and made sure I had a 3/8" parallel in there for the rest of my chamfering.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Figuring it out as I go along.---I didn't know just how I was going to cut the relief area on the cylinder (highlighted in pink in the model.) After a bit of head scratching, I reground a carbide tipped boring tool to be flat across the tip with a 7 degree relief angle on the back side, turned the boring tool so that it sets at 180 degrees to its normal position in the holder, and ran the mill in reverse!!!---It worked like a charm!!! I still have to do a set up on the lathe to turn the diameter on the end.

 

[vlmarshall]

Very nice! ;D
I was just talking with someone yesterday about the usefulness of a boring head.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

One down, four to go. I'm not sure why I have the chatter marks. I tried running the lathe at 550 RPm and at 970 RPM---didn't seem to make much difference. It might be my hand ground HSS tool, or maybe I should be running the lathe faster?

 

[kvom]

I usually turn brass stock that size at ~600 rpm.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Now I understand why I see some people building "Vice stops". I wish I had one today.--Multiple set-ups for these cylinders would be so much easier if I had a second "fixed reference surface" other than the fixed jaw of the vice. This is almost the first time I have had to build multiple parts the same. I say almost, because when I built my twin horizontal engine, there were two con rods, and valve rods.

 

[Deanofid]

One down, four to go. I'm not sure why I have the chatter marks. I tried running the lathe at 550 RPm and at 970 RPM---didn't seem to make much difference. It might be my hand ground HSS tool, or maybe I should be running the lathe faster?

Your lathe tool for brass is flat on the top, right Brian? The only clearance you want on a turning tool for brass is on the front (side facing the head stock) and on the end, (end of tool, facing work). Top surface should be completely flat. And yes, you can run the lathe pretty fast cutting brass.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Your lathe tool for brass is flat on the top, right Brian? The only clearance you want on a turning tool for brass is on the front (side facing the head stock) and on the end, (end of tool, facing work). Top surface should be completely flat. And yes, you can run the lathe pretty fast cutting brass.

Thanks Dino---I didn't know that. I just used the same tool as I use on mild steel and aluminum.

 

[Deanofid]

Brian, here are a few pics of a good brass cutter for the lathe. The degree of the angles is not critical. Mainly, the top needs to be flat.

I find it hard to make good photos of tool edges due to lighting reflections. Hope these are of some use.

Dean

 

[kvom]

One way to have a quick vise stop is to press a parallel against the sides of the jaws and then press the work against the parallel while tightening the jaws.

I'm able to use a lathe bit with top relief on brass without difficulty. Perhaps it's because my lathe is more rigid than yours.

 

[spuddevans]

Now I understand why I see some people building "Vice stops". I wish I had one today.--Multiple set-ups for these cylinders would be so much easier if I had a second "fixed reference surface" other than the fixed jaw of the vice.

You might well have a vice stop and not realise it. This is what I use until I get round to making a "proper" one.




Just make sure you clamp it on the fixed jaw ( dont ask me how I know that :big Works a charm for me.

Tim

 

[Cedge]

Kvom
That top relief is giving you more problems than you might think. It's not the rigidity of your machine that is a factor as much as it is the fact that a raked tool grabs and tears brass rather than cutting it cleanly. It's just the nature of the material. You'll get a nicer finish with the flat top cutter. After hand polishing more than a few miles of brass, I can definitely attest to the difference.

Steve

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Okay boys and girls--Here we go. I have built all the parts on the following drawings, and can certify their "correctness and completeness". I'm still not certain the engine will run, but my gut tells me it will.---Besides, Roland is running out of things to build!!!! First we start out with a general arrangement----and if you save these plans, please show your appreciation with a karma point.---And if you see that I have totally screwed up somewhere tell me so I can correct it please.---Brian

View attachment ASSY-BRIAN RADIAL NEW TRY.PDF