Time

[jakesnake568]

I am 17 and was thinking of building an engine for my CREST gold award and was wondering how long would it take to build
- a) A single cylinder two stroke/four stroke engine (whichever is simpler)
- b) A single cylinder steam engine
both would be from scratch and need to be fairly simple not over complicated. My school has considerable technology so most manufacturing processes shouldn't be a problem.

Any links anybody has would be very useful also.

Thanks,
Jake

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Jake---the simplest and easiest engines to build are single cylinder steam engines, driven by compressed air. Any kind of internal combustion engine adds a tremendous amount of complexity. I would suggest building an oscillating engine, commonly called a "wobbler". They have no valves, and are easy to make. Elmer Verbourg designed many of these engines, and his plans are available on the internet at the johntom site. http://www.john-tom.com/

 

[Piston_Broke]

My first engine was Elmer's "Fancy" engine when I was a junior in high school. It honestly was the start of my career in tool & die and the first of several model engineering projects. Start simple! Too often I hear of young modelers wanting to start with building a turbo charged V-8 or something destined for disappointment and abandonment. Have fun and learn as much as you can and we would all love to see what you come up with. Welcome to the community!

 

[chucketn]

Jake, welcome to the madness! you have gotten some good advice from Brian and Piston_Broke. Start simple and work up! A proven 4 stroke design is the Webster IC, plans available here:

http://home.comcast.net/~webster_engines/

I would recommend adding your general location to your profile, as it might spur someone close to you into mentoring you. I would also highly recommend starting with a simple wobbler type engine to get your feet wet.

What is the Gold Crest Award?

As far as how long it would take, that would depend on how much time you can devote to the project. A simple wobbler type steam engine can be made in a few hours, an IC engine takes a lot longer. I have been working on a single cylinder steam engine for several months, but then I cast the main parts, and had never made one before. And, I'm an old retired duffer just playing in my little shop.

Best of luck, and don't be shy about keeping us posted on your progress.

Chuck

 

[Tin Falcon]

How long is a piece of string ?
Seriously this is a difficult question to give a definitive answer.
there are so many factors.
This engine can reportedly be built in a day.
Offset Crank Engine

I have built a couple of simple single action oscillators engines in about a week .
And Some of my engines have taken a year. Be cause of way long breaks in between parts.

It depends on availability of tools, materials skill and concentration / focus.

And welcome to the forum.

Tin