Suitable engine for a Taig lathe.

[MrTin]

Hi all, I have a Taig/Peatol lathe and would love to build a working model petrol engine, preferably a 4 stroke.
Can anyone suggest an engine which would be practical to machine on this lathe?

Many thanks,
Martin

Edited to say...I don't have a milling machine, but do have the somewhat restricted and restrictive vertical slide

 

[barnesrickw]

Are you aware of Nick Carter's website? He has lots of links from Taig users. http://www.cartertools.com/. I've never looked at all the links he offers, but I think there are some engines made on a Taig lathe. I have a Taig also, but have not had much time with it recently, and have yet to complete an engine.


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[MrTin]

Thanks, Rick. I am aware of Nick's site. Indeed I bought my indexing attachment and drive belts from him as it was (in those days) cheaper than getting them from Birmingham!

I'll have a look again.

Cheers,
Matin

 

[Tin Falcon]

Mr Tin :
there are several sets of plans for small IC engines in the download section here. I will say in general we recommend making a couple steam air engines first to teach machining methods and machine tool use.

Many folks start with a simple oscillator

Another option is build a half scale McCabe runner.
http://npmccabe.tripod.com/mccaberunner.htm.

or a Elmer Versburge open columb


There are a couple reasons to do this
IC engines are often harder to get running valving is critical and fits finish are important. also the laws of scaling require that the smaller the engine the better the quality of machining required.

Tin

 

[barnesrickw]

Where is the download section? I've never seen it using the App. Do I need to use the full site?


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[barnesrickw]

Where is the download section? I've never seen it using the App. Do I need to use the full site?


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines

Nvm. Found it.


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[MrTin]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I have steam engines, but really wanted an IC engine, especially a 4 stroke. I have a reasonable machining ability, but no milling machine and I don't like milling machines anyway, I never had any luck with them.
But I'm not a bad lather<G>

Martin

 

[tornitore45]

I don't like milling machines anyway, I never had any luck with them.

I love my milling machine which I purchased after the lathe.
The first impression was that for the same size/weight machine a late is a lot more rigid therefore it hog metal compare to the low DOC and feed you can achieve on the mill.

Also there are more thing to consider, and therefore more things to go wrong, milling versus turning.
However after you get the hang of it, milling is a pleasure and allow to do thing a lathe can not do or can do in a difficult way.

If you are good at turning you have all the sensitivity to machining problems you need, just have to discover new facts and differences about milling.
Give it a good try.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Well Mt tin how about looking at some upshur engine plans. At 3.5 in diameter ifly wheel may be pushing the lathe limit.

http://upshurengineworks.com/
Plans quite reasonable about $ 10 for 20 to thirty sheets actuly a unbound booklet.

Also look at Jan ridders work. Lots of cool stuff. look over what he has and send a request for the plan set you like and he will e-mail the plans to you IIRC still free of charge.

http://ridders.nu/Webpaginas/pagina_overzicht_verbrandingsmotoren/overzicht_frameset.htm
Tin

 

[MrTin]

Hi,
sorry, been away all weekend,
The Upshure engines are nice, but too big. I need something less than 30 cc. The Upshure utility 4 stroke works out to 63cc.

The Dutch engines are a bit, er...how shall we say it...esoteric?

So, still looking.

Cheers,
Martin

 

[GailInNM]

Martin.
First off Welcome to HMEM. If you have time post a little about your self in the Welcome section. It helps us to help you if we know a little about you, what equipment you have, what yu have built and where you are located. Photos are always a plus.

An engine you might consider is "Tiny" by Arv (Putputman) designed and buillt about 4 years ago. There have been over 20 built since then and many of them detailed in the build thread "Tiny I.C. Engine" located at:

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/f14/tiny-i-c-engine-7397/

The original plans are in the download section at:



TINY IC engine by Putputman


It has 3/8 inch bore by 1/2 inch stroke for 0.055 CI displacement (0.9 cc).

Very few of the builds follow the original plans closely. Most of them have their own personal touches. I have built 9 air cooled hit and miss versions and most of them are powering Gauge 1 Locomotives. I am going to build 3 more later this year, probably starting in late July. I am currently drawing on a new Locomotive to install them in.

The only heavy milling requirements on an air cooled version is the crankcase, but it could be built up from four plates with simple milling to size and rounded corners optional or sawed and filed. The fuel tank is also milled out but it could be changed to a different style to avoid milling the inside.

Since so many have been built here on HMEM there would be lots of help available.
Here is a link to my style of sparkplug construction for "Tiny".

Sparkplug cconstruction


Gail in NM

 

[MrTin]

Hi Gail,
I'll go and post an intro on the relevant section.

That little engine looks doable on the Taig, but it's a farm engine which I'm not keen on. Could it be built upright and air cooled I wonder? Or even upright and water cooled as it would most likely go in a boat.

Cheers,
Martin

 

[GailInNM]

Martin,
No real problems making it a vertical. If you use Arv's method of using an O-ring for the piston seal then you won't have to worry about piston-cylinder lubrication if you mix oil with the fuel. I used cast iron piston and cylinder and lapped them so I used an oil cup for lubing them. Engine run much cooler that way but most people used the o-ring method. If you made an enclosed crankcase you could use oil in the sump also.

Air cooled or water cooled are both good. About half and half done on the builds that I know of. Kel extended things and made an inline 4 vertical water cooled. He has a build thread here on HMEM and sells plans for this engine.

As long as you keep the basic dimensions you can do a lot of things and still have a runner. Post any changes you plan to make here and you can get a lot of advise from members that may have tried it. Sometimes this can save lots of grief.
Gail in NM

 

[MrTin]

Hi Gail,
I guess in the absence of any other suitable engines, that engine will have to be the one, but it'll have to be upright.
It would be nice to do it as a twin, then it could be put in a model our old canal boat, Heather Bell, which had a huge Lister JP2 diesel in it. But then earlier, the boat had a slow revving single, a Petter 18HP, so maybe the single would be better after all.
A 1/12th scale model of a 70 foot boat should give me a good straight runner!

Cheers,
Martin