Finger engine

[Bogstandard]

Birk,
I know exactly how you feel, I love passing stuff on, it is the only way the new generations will get to try something different.
A finger engine in my opinion should be one of the first engines built by a newcomer. It gives such a good insight into working metal, without being critical on tolerances.
But I must admit, these are the first I have ever built, and I have been at it for more years than I care to remember.
Every time we have had a visitor today, they have noticed these on the dining table and they haven't been able to put them down after getting the hang of it. They now require another good polish, but at least I now know they will stand up to continued punishment.
You will eventually get the knack of posting pictures, and you will be able to amaze us with your productivity.

John

 

[dparker]

Birk: I built my first finger engine from those plans in HSM and did so because Mark Sutton was the one that introduced me to model engineering. He took me over to his friend's house and showed me a beautiful Corliss engine from Cole's Power Models. We rode the site bus for 5 years out to the test reactor site west of Idaho Falls in the late 60s and early 70s. I built the engine because I was pretty sure that he was the same fellow I knew back then. Good fellow and I will be ever thankful to him.
Don Parker

 

[Powder keg]

Hey Guys, John got his finger engines finished. Here is a quick picture:O)

 

[BobWarfield]

Very nice pieces. I can see them being an ideal introduction to model engine building. I also see them being entertaining executive desk ornaments.

The bogster sure had a way with bling, didn't he?

After looking at all the pretty engines and tooling on this site I found myself suddenly under a strange compulsion. Almost without conscious control my fingers had ordered up a 1.5HP buffer and pedestal stand off the Interent. I'm also building a 12" disc sander and shortly a nice belt sander. Not one of those three machines will contribute all that much to my building much new (except perhaps a knife or two), but they'll sure kick the bling up a notch or two!

Cheers,

BW

 

[Bogstandard]

Running


[youtube=425,350]ezOawsPXMns[/youtube]

 

[Brass_Machine]

Very cool!

Eric

 

[Bernd]

Very nice Bogs. Is that aluminum or stainless steel that they were made out of? I like the engine turning on the plates they are mounted to. Nice polish job.

Bernd

 

[Bogstandard]

As usual, they are made from scrap ali and brass.
The larger flywheeled one has four ballraces, the smaller, only three.
One grubscrew, four screws and a bit of 1/8" m/s rod for the dowel pins.
Shame about the grotty woodwork, but my speciality is metal.

People go on about 'bling'. It is in fact a by-product of removing all evidence of machining, and I don't consider an engine truly finished until all machine marks have been either eradicated or covered up so they are not seen.

John