Building my "Radford Red Deere" Finished w/ Video
- Thread starter Metal Butcher
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1) Starting out on the funny side: "Honey" came down last night and commented on the "romantic lighting" in my shop? She seemed to want something to do, so I suggested she grab the broom and have at it. It's best I don't repeat what she said next! After 35 years of marriage she has communication down to a science that requires only a few choice words. 
Needless to say, I got a lot more done yesterday than I thought would be possible! The sides of the crank case were bored out to 1.140" to accommodate the side covers.
2) The cylinders were bored out and the stepped details were milled using a 1/2" end mill.
3) I used a simple plate with a 45 degree v-cut to position the block for milling the side clearance for it's hold down screws. It was a little tricky to get the screws in for a test fitting. A hex wrench with a ball-end worked after getting them started with two fingers.
4) I decided to add a cover on the back end of the crank case. The photo below shows the case being tapped. I decided to use 4-40 screws and located the screw holes .130" from all sides. This spacing was also used on the cylinder and head mounting points. Not sure, but it looks like the original spacing shown in Charlie's drawings is for 2-56 assembly screws.
5) I milled out the bottom area of the crank case .050" as suggested by Charlie for additional clearance for the crank end of the connecting rods. You can see the penciled in changes for the use of 4-40 screws. You can see the added double key hole to the side of the crank case. This was my solution to clear the oversize crank I created by making it a build up of separate pieces. The crank case needs to be drilled and tapped for the side covers. I feel it's best to machine them first for a test fit, just to be sure of the screw hole locations. This build is coming along a little faster than I expected due to the rainy weather outside.
-MB
Needless to say, I got a lot more done yesterday than I thought would be possible! The sides of the crank case were bored out to 1.140" to accommodate the side covers.
2) The cylinders were bored out and the stepped details were milled using a 1/2" end mill.
3) I used a simple plate with a 45 degree v-cut to position the block for milling the side clearance for it's hold down screws. It was a little tricky to get the screws in for a test fitting. A hex wrench with a ball-end worked after getting them started with two fingers.
4) I decided to add a cover on the back end of the crank case. The photo below shows the case being tapped. I decided to use 4-40 screws and located the screw holes .130" from all sides. This spacing was also used on the cylinder and head mounting points. Not sure, but it looks like the original spacing shown in Charlie's drawings is for 2-56 assembly screws.
5) I milled out the bottom area of the crank case .050" as suggested by Charlie for additional clearance for the crank end of the connecting rods. You can see the penciled in changes for the use of 4-40 screws. You can see the added double key hole to the side of the crank case. This was my solution to clear the oversize crank I created by making it a build up of separate pieces. The crank case needs to be drilled and tapped for the side covers. I feel it's best to machine them first for a test fit, just to be sure of the screw hole locations. This build is coming along a little faster than I expected due to the rainy weather outside.
-MB
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#1 Heres a few pictures of the parts I made over the past few days. The picture below shows an aluminum block being planned down to dimension. I used a different approach and did most of the machine work, for both rods, on one block of material.
#2 I center drilled, tap drilled, clearance drilled, and tapped both piston rod ends on one block from both sides. These will become the rod cap ends.
#3 I numbered both sides with a metal stamp, in two areas that will become the crank end of the piston rods.
#4 The cap end was cut off as one piece in the band-saw, then the saw-cut cap end and rod end were both milled flat.
#5 With the cap end installed, the block was split lengthwise, in the band-saw.
#6 The cut sides were milled flat and down to the proper dimension.
#7 All four sides of the piston rods were milled down to clear the piston and cylinder skirts. The rod ends will be left plain since they will be inside the crankcase and not visible. The picture shows them in a rough state, the edges will be rounded and the machine marks will be removed. The pistons were turned down from brass bar stock, stepped out using two different sized end mills and then cut-off. They were cross drilled centrally using a milling machine.
#8 The side covers were turned on a lathe. They were drilled in the mill, along with the crank case block that was tapped. The precise movements of the calibrated hand wheels were used to locate them. This side cover was machined flat to create the area for the gear train.
#9 The flywheel side was machined with a bit of a sculptured look that blends into the longer bushing used on this side.
#10 The bronze bushings are used to center the crank shaft. On the flywheel side the bushing is 5/8 long, and on the gear side, that was milled down flat, its just under 1/2 long. I wanted to create as much of a support area as I could for the crank shaft since Im not using ball-bearings.
-MB
#2 I center drilled, tap drilled, clearance drilled, and tapped both piston rod ends on one block from both sides. These will become the rod cap ends.
#3 I numbered both sides with a metal stamp, in two areas that will become the crank end of the piston rods.
#4 The cap end was cut off as one piece in the band-saw, then the saw-cut cap end and rod end were both milled flat.
#5 With the cap end installed, the block was split lengthwise, in the band-saw.
#6 The cut sides were milled flat and down to the proper dimension.
#7 All four sides of the piston rods were milled down to clear the piston and cylinder skirts. The rod ends will be left plain since they will be inside the crankcase and not visible. The picture shows them in a rough state, the edges will be rounded and the machine marks will be removed. The pistons were turned down from brass bar stock, stepped out using two different sized end mills and then cut-off. They were cross drilled centrally using a milling machine.
#8 The side covers were turned on a lathe. They were drilled in the mill, along with the crank case block that was tapped. The precise movements of the calibrated hand wheels were used to locate them. This side cover was machined flat to create the area for the gear train.
#9 The flywheel side was machined with a bit of a sculptured look that blends into the longer bushing used on this side.
#10 The bronze bushings are used to center the crank shaft. On the flywheel side the bushing is 5/8 long, and on the gear side, that was milled down flat, its just under 1/2 long. I wanted to create as much of a support area as I could for the crank shaft since Im not using ball-bearings.
-MB
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Today I cut and faced the block of aluminum that will become the cylinder head. I'm looking for a simple way to drill and ream all of the holes shown in the drawings.
The valve body and exhaust holes are shown with flat bottoms. how can this be accomplished. Boring with a single point tool is out. I have a few flat bottom drills, but non are the correct under size needed for reaming. The flat drills I have are not factory sharpened.
The holes in question will be .375" and .1875".
What do you do in a situation like this?
-MB
The valve body and exhaust holes are shown with flat bottoms. how can this be accomplished. Boring with a single point tool is out. I have a few flat bottom drills, but non are the correct under size needed for reaming. The flat drills I have are not factory sharpened.
The holes in question will be .375" and .1875".
What do you do in a situation like this?
-MB
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The 3/16" hole for the ball bearing I just drilled...doesn't have to be flat bottomed. I used a 3/8" two flute end mill to do the valve body holes.
BTW, I just remembered another "oops" on the drawings. The holes in the crankcase that the rods pass through have to be relieved to allow the rods to move properly. I used a 3/8" end mill and opened the top and bottom of the holes as needed.
Charlie
BTW, I just remembered another "oops" on the drawings. The holes in the crankcase that the rods pass through have to be relieved to allow the rods to move properly. I used a 3/8" end mill and opened the top and bottom of the holes as needed.
Charlie
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radfordc said:
If you mean the 3/4 holes for the piston rods (not push rods) I egged them open by moving the 3/4 end mill .100" off center (up & down) just to be on the safe side. I also found the piston rods on the crank shaft end (big end) were obstructed even though I milled an area .050" deep at the inside bottom. I cut a bigger area completely out to avoid any more problems. The access to the piston rods and the rod end caps is much- much easier now.
I'm thinking about replacing the exhaust ball (ball bearing) with a 3/16" x 1/4" long stainless steel piston. I think it might seal a little better. Worth a try any way.
-MB
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1) As I mentioned in the previous post, the bottom of the crank case was milled out for additional clearance and easier access to the connecting rod caps. The crank case is shown upside-down in the photo below.
2) After milling the cylinder head to exact dimensions, the four mounting recesses were milled out on the corners. After the fifteen holes were drilled, the two exhaust and two valve holes were reamed to size. Six more holes will be drilled and tapped later to hold the valve bodies in place. I included the .016 exhaust valve springs, the 3/16 ball bearings, and the 3/16 brass exhaust pistons in the photo. As an experiment I will try the ball bearings and also the brass pistons to see which will work the best.
3) The intake and exhaust manifolds were machined from copper. On a previous post I was warned of the health hazards associated with machining unknown copper alloy, so as a precaution I wore a particle mask and used cutting fluid to minimize air born particles. I used a little creative plumbing on the intake manifold. On the exhaust manifold I added some profiles and slash-cut the tips of the pipes. Both manifolds were assembled using JB-weld and Loc-tite.
4) The photo below shows how the cylinder assembly currently looks.
5) This last photo shows how I will control the air flow needed to balance out the cylinders. On both sides of the copper intake manifold there are protruding 5-40 set screws that intersect and block the airflow. They are shown in their full flow open position (4 threads exposed). When they are screwed in with one thread below the surface the airflow is cut off. Minor adjustments will be made during the initial testing to achieve a balanced sound from both cylinders. After their location is established a little RTV silicone gasket compound will be used to seal them.
-MB
2) After milling the cylinder head to exact dimensions, the four mounting recesses were milled out on the corners. After the fifteen holes were drilled, the two exhaust and two valve holes were reamed to size. Six more holes will be drilled and tapped later to hold the valve bodies in place. I included the .016 exhaust valve springs, the 3/16 ball bearings, and the 3/16 brass exhaust pistons in the photo. As an experiment I will try the ball bearings and also the brass pistons to see which will work the best.
3) The intake and exhaust manifolds were machined from copper. On a previous post I was warned of the health hazards associated with machining unknown copper alloy, so as a precaution I wore a particle mask and used cutting fluid to minimize air born particles. I used a little creative plumbing on the intake manifold. On the exhaust manifold I added some profiles and slash-cut the tips of the pipes. Both manifolds were assembled using JB-weld and Loc-tite.
4) The photo below shows how the cylinder assembly currently looks.
5) This last photo shows how I will control the air flow needed to balance out the cylinders. On both sides of the copper intake manifold there are protruding 5-40 set screws that intersect and block the airflow. They are shown in their full flow open position (4 threads exposed). When they are screwed in with one thread below the surface the airflow is cut off. Minor adjustments will be made during the initial testing to achieve a balanced sound from both cylinders. After their location is established a little RTV silicone gasket compound will be used to seal them.
-MB
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radfordc said:
Thanks Charlie. I used 3/16" bronze pipe fittings that I purchased from PM Research. There available as combination shapes, and individual shape trees that need machining. You can also buy all ready machined individual shapes, elbows, tees, unions, etc. They are really well made castings at a very reasonable price. They also sell casting kits and flywheels. On my version of "Chucks single" I used their fly wheel castings. Check out the link I provided
http://www.pmresearchinc.com/store/home.php?cat=39
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itowbig said:
Thanks itowbig. Its been a very, very, slow build. Last spring I stopped my machining hobby until November of last fall. This year I'm trying to keep the hobby alive, but with a limited involvement due to my other out door hobbies. I remember it being tough to restart after being away from it for 8 months. With my involvement on this forum the hobby seems to have become some sort of an addiction. Dropping out cold turkey till the fall seems to be out of the question!
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=4707.0
-MB
I know what you mean about having more hobbies than time! My year seems to have a "cycle" of sorts. Winter/spring is when I spend more time in the shop working on projects. Summer/fall is mostly flying, and fall/winter is duck hunting. If I take up any more hobbies I will have to quit work....now that's an idea!!
Charlie
Charlie
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I quit going to work (retired) about 7 years ago. This winter I spent more hours per week down in my shop building (more like trying to figure out how to build) These small steam/air motors than I ever put in at my job. Going to work 9 to 5 was a lot easier! Making my old employer happy was easy. My new "boss" always want's more, better quality work, with no praise, no bonuses, no raise, no benefits, no pay at all! Even bathroom breaks are frowned upon and timed. Lunch is, eat as fast as you can and get your butt back to work. All he really offers is plenty of room for advancement. I have heard other retirees with hobbies say they don't know how they ever had the time to go to work. Now I understand what they were talking about. Hobby guys like us really don't have much use for work besides the obvious $. I don't think I could ever go back!
Not that I want to, mind you! :big:
-MB
Not that I want to, mind you! :big:
-MB
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rudydubya said:
Thanks Rudy. Nothing special about the lighting. The photos were taken down in the basement right on my workbench. I placed the parts on the plans to have a clean background. There is a 100W bulb above, and a 22W florescent in my magnifier off to one side. If there's just enough light reflected back at the camera the flash does not go off and gives a darker yellow tinted look to the photo. Most of the time the flash goes off and the picture is bright and has a white tint. Those look the best. My camera is an inexpensive Lumix digital 7.2 pixel. I just point and shoot in macro mode for these types of closeups.
The springs I use are normally bought in 10 packs from Enco. The particular ones in the photo were in my scrap box of springs. The equivalent is Enco 240-0556, .016 wire, .500 long, fits in a 3/16" hole. I just double checked and this is the exact measurement of the ones in the photo, and the ones I'll be using.
-MB
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I recently passed my 4th anniversary of retirement. The first three years I did a fair amount of travelling, plus some home remodelling. My other main hobby was offroading, and I did a lot of work on my Jeep, acquiring mechanics tools and various automotive knowledge. Only about a year ago did I get an interest in machining.
Having had a lot of other hobbies in the past I am wary of buring out, and generally limit my shop time to half a day at a time. I have to keep telling myself not to be in a hurry to finish any particular part.
Having had a lot of other hobbies in the past I am wary of buring out, and generally limit my shop time to half a day at a time. I have to keep telling myself not to be in a hurry to finish any particular part.
