Tiny IC Engine

[itbookham]

Hi,

I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has built or who has experience of the Kelly Kubishta Tiny IC engine. Is it a reliable and well designed engine?

Happy New Year to all.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Mechanicboy]

Is it a reliable and well designed engine?

Mark

Happy new year!

The answer is yes, with patient and precise work with model engine provides a reliable model engine.

Poor work gives a disappointed and poor result of an engine who not works.

 

[GailInNM]

Mark,
Kel's plan set is very well thought out and of top quality CAD work. 32 pages long with a fair amount of notes. I have not built the engine but I did build the block and a few of the other parts a few years ago.

I gather from your previous posts that you are qlulllllllite new to model engine building, I klnow you have a Cowelles lathe and it is quite adequate for all the turned parts for lthis engine. You did not mention any milling equipment. There is far more milling work than lathe work on this engine. This engine is quite complicated and I would not recommend it as a first IC engine for anyone regardless of machining experience.

Let us know a little more about your experience level and available machinery and we can suggest a path to building this engine.
Gail in NM

 

[itbookham]

Thanks to Gail and Jens Eirik for replying.

I have a Warco WM180 lathe (a 7 x 12 Chinese lathe) and a smallish Warco WM14 mill, so adequate for a 'Tiny' engine when I have the necessary skills, as this looks quite a complex design. There are some interesting clips of the engine on You Tube. Just out of interest, how much do you think one would pay for a complete and working 'Tiny'engine?

Many thanks. Mark

 

[Mechanicboy]

Mark,

This engine is quite complicated and I would not recommend it as a first IC engine for anyone regardless of machining experience.

Plan well *discussion* before you create parts so you have access to the tools, and how to do to create the part in the correct order from raw material to finished product.

Making parts impulsive without thinking beforehand leads only to end up in the trash. Material costs a lot.

It will be exciting when we get to see your motor is shown here and at Youtube.

 

[GailInNM]

I have no real idea what the market price of a Tiny4 engine would be. As a guess I would expect anything under US$ 3000 would be a bargain. Way too many variables to consider.

You certainly have equipment suitable for a build, but it sounds like you need to gain some experience. Keep in mind that the smaller the engine the more difficult it will be to get it running. Tolerances get tighter and workmanship more exacting. As a first IC engine I think it would be better to build something larger, say a single cylinder with a 3/4 bore or so size would fit your equipment. This will give you a feel for the type of fits that are necessary. Then move to smaller size as you have indicated that you would like.

As a first small engine the "TINY" by Arv (putttputtmnan) would be a good choice. It is a single cylinder 3/8 x 12 inch bore and is a quite forgiving build. It could even be a first build is building a larger engine does not appeal to you. But, be prepared to make a few parts a few times. In particular the valves and head. Kel built one of these when designing the Tiny 4 cylinder engine and refined it considerably. A lot of them have been built, at least 50 that I know of, and it is well documented. Plans are in the download section here at HMEM at:
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/downloads/tiny-ic-engine-by-putputman-192.html
In the plan description is a link to the the original build which has numerous examples of the engine and modifications. Since there have been many built by members here help is easily available.

Then you could consider Kel's Tiny 4 cylinder as you should have the necessary skills. You can build the Tiny single cylinder in probably 10 percent of the time required for the Tiny 4 cylinder. Easy cam, no distributor, much easier head and only as 1/4 the number of a lot of parts.

Here are links to two videos of mine. One is of an engine built to the plans except for being air cooled and the second of one of the Hit and Miss versions idleing in a Gauge 1 locomotive.
Gail in NM

https://youtu.be/mLn7xG8vuPQ

https://youtu.be/a-csJ3As7dc

 

[Ogaryd]

Hi Mark,

The plans for Kelly's tiny 4 are excellent,

Gary

 

[itbookham]

Hi again. Many thanks for all the helpful advice. Kelly's engine is probably (is definitely) going to be too difficult for me at the moment, so I will look closely at Gail's suggestion for a first build. I'll keep you posted on progress. Once again many thanks to all and all the best for the New Year. Mark

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Itbookham--a very popular first i.c. engine is the "Webster" engine. It would help if we knew where you are in the world. Many, many of the folks on this forum have built the Webster engine, and the plans are a free download from the internet. Gail is right. Don't even think of building a multi cylinder engine as a first engine. There is just too much to learn. The feeling you get from a running single cylinder will be miles ahead of the frustration you get from a non running 4 cylinder engine.--Brian Rupnow

 

[Piston_Broke]

This looks like a great engine. Where are plans available?

 

[itbookham]

I am in the UK, near London.

 

[GailInNM]

Piston_Broke,
Since we have disculssed 3 engines here are the links for all 3.

Tiny 4 cylinder in line
http://www.burleighmachine.com/
Plans for sale $40


Webster
http://www.john-tomcom/MyPlans/SteamPlans2/Webster 4Stroke Plans/Webster 4Stroke Plans.zip

Tiny single cylinder
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist....utman-192.html

Gail in NM