Hi From Australia,

[johnmorley7]

I am attempting to make my first Traction engine, in fact complete one that I started many years ago but it got lost in time. Now recovered and attempting to locate updated information and a set of gears or the info required to manufacture them. The project is from the Popular Mechanics Plans Library B-1272 by Rudy Kouhoupt. The original gear source was Chicago Gear Works, they don't seem to exist anymore. So if you can assist I would really appreciate it. Additionally, I inherited an old Myford lathe ( flat belt drive, serial no 7xxx, ) and lots of home made tools along with incomplete steam and petrol engines. So this old electrician is going to learn lots in the shed. Have a good day.

 

[minh-thanh]

Hello .
Welcome to the forum !
Have a good day. .

 

[johnmorley7]

Thanks for the welcome, lots of reading to do. John

 

[GreenTwin]

Welcome John-

We had a tornado pass by last night, so I am on my phone, and can't look for gears.

The Myford sounds interesting.

Pat J

 

[Wheat47]

I am attempting to make my first Traction engine, in fact complete one that I started many years ago but it got lost in time. Now recovered and attempting to locate updated information and a set of gears or the info required to manufacture them. The project is from the Popular Mechanics Plans Library B-1272 by Rudy Kouhoupt. The original gear source was Chicago Gear Works, they don't seem to exist anymore. So if you can assist I would really appreciate it. Additionally, I inherited an old Myford lathe ( flat belt drive, serial no 7xxx, ) and lots of home made tools along with incomplete steam and petrol engines. So this old electrician is going to learn lots in the shed. Have a good day.

I have those same plans someplace. You might try Boston Gear. Jon

 

[priceyk]

Thanks for the welcome, lots of reading to do. John

In Aus try TEA transmissions TEA.net.au for all things gears etc.

 

[Apprentice707]

Welcome John, Model Engineering seems to be popular in Australia you should be able to find the things you need, and you have sunshine ... Perfect.

B

 

[bluejets]

set of gears or the info required to manufacture them

If you have the module no. and teeth numbers, and the other required gear cutting equipment, not difficult.
Other than that, one can get gears from places like Aliexpress at a quite reasonable price.
Sometimes the latter will save some time......did it a couple of weeks ago on a single cylinder 30cc engine I'm doing here in Bundy.

 

[Steamchick]

Welcome! - And I hope you enjoy the banter and information of all the experts here (I am not an expert).

K2

 

[johnmorley7]

Welcome John-

We had a tornado pass by last night, so I am on my phone, and can't look for gears.

The Myford sounds interesting.

Pat J

hope all are safe. Was on the news here tonight

 

[GreenTwin]

Thanks John, no deaths in this city, but a very near death with this house, which is close to my house.
They had just gone downstairs when this tree demolished their bedrooms.
Rather scary to look at up close.

We got lucky this time.
I may dig a storm shelter this summer.

 

[awake]

Welcome to the forum!

Greentwin, that's a frightening picture!

 

[bluejets]

Welcome! - And I hope you enjoy the banter and information of all the experts here (I am not an expert).

K2

Not really...most is simply bs.

 

[johnmorley7]

If you have the module no. and teeth numbers, and the other required gear cutting equipment, not difficult.
Other than that, one can get gears from places like Aliexpress at a quite reasonable price.
Sometimes the latter will save some time......did it a couple of weeks ago on a single cylinder 30cc engine I'm doing here in Bundy.

Thank you for the hint. I'm tempted to have a go myself with my limited experience but either way I seem to be missing a bit of information on what is required. All I have is No. of teeth and Pitch diameter. A stock No. for I guess Chicago Gear works, but they don't exist any longer. However, I'm a long way from giving up. Amongst the bits and peices that I inheretid is a a gear cutter on a frame that looks lik it coul fit on the lathe if I remove the compound slide, but I can not see how to drive it. There is also a round disc with lots of hole in it, I know that it is for gear cutting but again I can not work out how to fit/operate it. There will be lots of midnight oil burnt again tonight.

 

[awake]

Thank you for the hint. I'm tempted to have a go myself with my limited experience but either way I seem to be missing a bit of information on what is required. All I have is No. of teeth and Pitch diameter. A stock No. for I guess Chicago Gear works, but they don't exist any longer. However, I'm a long way from giving up. Amongst the bits and peices that I inheretid is a a gear cutter on a frame that looks lik it coul fit on the lathe if I remove the compound slide, but I can not see how to drive it. There is also a round disc with lots of hole in it, I know that it is for gear cutting but again I can not work out how to fit/operate it. There will be lots of midnight oil burnt again tonight.

Show us pictures; maybe we can help!

 

[geo]

Millers tooling at loganholme in Brisbane au have a good range of gear cutting tooling.
Mini bearings or small parts and bearings are au wide I use there Brisbane outlet have a very good range of gears in stock

 

[johnmorley7]

Show us pictures; maybe we can help!

Hi Awake, I took your advice and have attached 3 photos. one of my little old Myford, Another of the dividing plate and another of a gear cutting attachment. I had assumed that all the bits were associated with the Myford but I fail to see where or how. Only other thing that I can assume is that there are 'things' missing. Any advice/ideas would help greatly.

 

[Steamchick]

Lovely little Myford. I suspect a pre-war model?
I owned a Myford 3, same belt drive but a more modern head casting, tailstock, etc, c. 1960s?

But before that I owned 2 pre-war lathes, Not Myford, but much like yours, then afterwards my GrandFather's 1920's lathe with RH threads, so all the handles turned the opposite way to modern lathes..... My Father had it - mounted on a treadle sewing machine base - so I learned machine lathe work on that one. (With my sister on the floor of the shed powering the treadle!).
Later it acquired a 1/4HP motor.... Such power and torque! But I loved the back-gear... something I miss with today's modern Chinese gizmo with variable speed (and torque!). This machining was at about 60rpm mainshaft... - With Bags of torque! - A better set-up would have been a rotating tool (boring bar) mounted on the mainshaft, workpiece mounted on the cross-slide where the toolpost fits. But I made this set-up do...

I learned lathe work initially on my Grandfather's watch-makers lathe, using a graver... - That was powered by a 25W sewing machine motor, and leather belts he made from leather boot laces, spliced with a spring and glued scarf joint!
Great to see old tools still good and in service. Not a Digital readout in sight!
K2

 

[awake]

I'm going with "some bits missing"

The worm on the end of the shaft with the dividing plate makes sense for driving a worm gear dividing head. But the helical gear ahead of that is puzzling ... unless perhaps it is affixed to a sleeve, with the worm gear on a shaft that runs inside the sleeve? If so, perhaps this was part of a compound dividing head? Or maybe part of a DH that was made to attach to a mill and be driven by the movement of the table, in order to make helical gears??

Can you show us a picture of the bottom of the gear cutter attachment? What I am seeing appears to be a gear reduction to drive the arbor on which the gear cutter is mounted; what I am not seeing is how this would be mounted or adjusted to suit different diameters of gears. It does look like there is some sort of dovetail, which suggests the possibility of a missing part that would allow mounting and adjusting the cutter along one plane.

 

[SmithDoor]

I'm going with "some bits missing"

The worm on the end of the shaft with the dividing plate makes sense for driving a worm gear dividing head. But the helical gear ahead of that is puzzling ... unless perhaps it is affixed to a sleeve, with the worm gear on a shaft that runs inside the sleeve? If so, perhaps this was part of a compound dividing head? Or maybe part of a DH that was made to attach to a mill and be driven by the movement of the table, in order to make helical gears??

Can you show us a picture of the bottom of the gear cutter attachment? What I am seeing appears to be a gear reduction to drive the arbor on which the gear cutter is mounted; what I am not seeing is how this would be mounted or adjusted to suit different diameters of gears. It does look like there is some sort of dovetail, which suggests the possibility of a missing part that would allow mounting and adjusting the cutter along one plane.

Welcome to the group

Dave