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Project Halo

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cedge:
John...
Are you building these to be steam capable or will they be basically air powered engines?  I've wondered more than once why Liney added cooling fins to what should be basically considered a steam engine.

Steve

bogstandard:
Steve,

I am building with what the plans says should be used.

It seems that everything Liney market are in fact steam capable, but unlike all their other ones, I have only seen this one on air.

Having looked at all the drawings, clearances and materials, I have no doubt it would steam.

If I can get these finished, I will be able to answer your question for definite.

I think the fins are purely for cosmetic effect on the engine. It would look rather bland without them, but as you suspect, it wouldn't help their steaming capability.

John

kvom:
John,

Your process for the square flange matches my thinking.  Having a DRO, I can find the center via the edge finder on either side and using the 1/2 key to split the difference.  So a bit faster than measuring and scrolling over from the edges.  I just bought a keyless chuck for the mill that will clamp my 1/2" edge finder, so now I won't have to use the same 1/2" collet for the edge finder and drills.  That should speed up my work quite a bit.

For the machining from round stock, I am thinking of the following process.  Critique is welcome:

1) Using the 6-jaw in the lathe drill and ream the center bore, and then face and turn the spigot to finish diameter.  I would need to make the spigot overlong as it will be held in my Jacobsen collet, which is inset from the collet chuck.  Part off.

2) Clamp in the Jacobsen collet chuck via the spigot.  Turn to 3/4" finish diameter leaving the flange material (no need to turn down the flange portion).  Face to finish length.

3) Remove the piece from the lathe, and clamp the head end in a 3/4" 5C collet in a square collet block.  Clamp the block in the mill vise and successively mill the flange square by rotating the block in the vise.

4) With the piece still in the block, clamp the block vertically in the vise using the vise stop.  Measure center and locate one corner.  Center drill, then rotate the collet block in the vise for the other holes.  Then repeat using the clearance drill.

5) Reverse the piece to hold the spigot in the square collet block.  Using the surface plate and height gauge, square the flange to the collet block.  Then use the same procedure to drill the holes for the head.

I would retain the overlength spigot for remounting in the the lathe for cutting fins/tapers, etc.  Eventually the flanges could be use to clamp in the mill vise to mill the spigot to length.

bogstandard:
Kirk,

It is good to see you are starting to do a lot of forwards planning. That is the secret to making complicated parts.

These cylinders are not complicated at all, but the reason I am being so long winded about it, there are a few traps that the unsuspecting could easily fall into. That is why I am trying to explain the reasons for me doing it the way I have.

If you remember, these plans are to make an engine using CNC. Which means, that once set up, will bang out perfectly spaced holes with great accuracy time after time. I am trying to show how to replicate that accuracy by doing it manually.

The engine would most probably go together and run by not being too accurate with the measurements, but making it exactly to plans for the critical bits will guarantee it will work.

Looking at it, your system might have a fault or two.

Your mounting of the collet block vertically is the major issue as far as I would be concerned. Bits sticking up that far from the vice jaws have a tendency to be rather unstable, and if only a second of a degree out, will start to move away from being square.

I have some more work to do on these cylinders, and I would suggest you see what sort of things I get up to first, then look at maybe modifying what I do before making your final machining procedure.

John

sbwhart:
Hi John

Great thread great post:- coming along great, I like your tip of using the spring to keep parallels in place that ones files away.

Have fun

Stew

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