Philip Duclos "Victorian" IC engine project

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SPiN Racing:
Very VEry Very Nice!!!

I too found when making some of the more.. organic shapes, roughing them in and cleaning up with files and paper is a good option.
I ended up buying a small set of files that have 1/4" handles. They work really nice in removins a tiny amount of metal and cleaning small irregularities from a surface.

Realllly nice body there.
I looked at the pics of his engines.. and they are really nice.. I cant wait to see this baby come together.

Scott

zeusrekning:
:jaw: :bugeye:Damn Steve, Looks like you've been working. Coming along very nicely, So cool to see you building an IC. What is used for the ignition?

cedge:
Ok... more soccer games, mother's day and then it was back in the shop to have some more fun. The "Victorian" has a separate bearing support which is spaced some distance from the main engine body. The control mechanics, such as the governor, cam and gears occupy this space, along with the flywheel.

Duclos offered up a drawing for this support, but the engine I see in my mind's eye wanted something a little less busy while offering a clean view of the flywheel though the support. As is the case with most things I build, changes begin to creep into the design so that the finished engine is "mine". Bogstandard once brought this into focus when he told me to never doggedly follow the drawing, but to use it as a spring board. Basically, the critical dimensions are to be respected , but changes are fair game anywhere that they won't effect proper operation of the finished engine. This idea fits my creative process, so no apologies if my engine is not a "true Duclos Victorian".... eh?

The process began with several sketched ideas to test the style I'd want. I used a piece of aluminum of a similar width to that which I'd be using to machine the piece and drew my ideas with a pencil. They ranged from more complex than the original to quite a bit more simplified. The sketch shown below won out in the end. Even then it was to change in details as I watched it emerging from the metal.

The next step was to lay out the work piece. I did this in the vise, using the DRO and the wiggler point to locate the critical points such as the bearing location and screw holes for the ignition points. The circular lines were then marked out accommodate these points while creating the look I wanted.

Once the mark up was complete, I used the 5/8 end mill to cut the various radii, giving me escape spaces for the smaller end mill I'd be using to cut the circular lines.

Since a lot of metal needed to be removed and being a bit on the lazy side, I used the carbide saw and trimmed away the excess metal. This cut down on the number of passes the cuts would require, which is more than a blessing when using a manual rotary table

The center point of the main curves were drilled 3/16 to fit the dowel pins I use to index things on my handy dandy manual rotary/indexing/rounding table. After centering the table in the vise, the work piece was placed on the dowel pin and clamped down atop a two pieces of lathe tool blanks. These are ideal for use as spacers and give plenty of clearance for the end mill to penetrate or cut below the lower edge of the work.

The photo below shows the work piece after the external and internal curves were cut. The piece is centered on the upper head of the support, where the bushing will eventually fit. Light cuts were used to keep control of things and to get the best finish possible so that final edge sanding and filing would hopefully be minimal.

The plans call for using 1/2 inch aluminum for the support, but one of the changes I wanted to incorporate was a flared "foot" at the bottom. I chose to use a piece of 3/4 in. metal to allow the change. Since I intend to hide the attaching screws beneath the base, there was no need to give them a flat puchase. This allowed me to use a 1/2 in radius router bit to cut a .125 deep contour at the bottom. making the edge come to a sharp edge which would easily blend into the base.

The photo below shows the piece after the contour had been cut and the flycutting operation was in progress to resize the majority of the metal to the called for 1/2 inch thickness. This process allowed me to smoothly transition from a flat surface to the flared foot with a minimum of hand work.

Here is the support, shown during a quick mock up to check elevations. I'll be installing the bronze bushing once the final tool mark removal is completed. You can clearly see the flare and the "foot blending" idea. It might not suit everyone, but I think this piece is a step in the right direction if I'm going to personalize the engine anyway.

Steve

sbwhart:
Nicely Done Steve I like that shape a lot
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Stew

Stilldrillin:
Shaping up beautifully Steve! :thumbup:

David D

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