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klank:
Thanks Jack and Stuart.
Good to hear from you.

The big question for me (at a later date) is whether to opt for coal firing or lpg/ceramic burner.

Obviously, the gas firing is simpler, cleaner, much more easy to control (steaming rate and so on) and heat is instantly available.

Coal means a properly fabricated door/ring, a blower, a grate (materials for that are extra), and a much messier and harder to control affaire all round!

BUT - the attraction of the latter - if you are a masochist - is the correct SMELL/ATMOSPHERE, and the chance to make a scale sized shovel etc.
Plus the challenge of the extra fabrication work - maybe make the grate, fire-hole/door etc. anyway and use a gas burner as an option (the fire box sits over the grate) - just swap them over - assuming there is enough gap for gas/air combustion - lots to consider - but I do fancy wielding a shovel and pricker (in miniature).

I'll get some more work done tomorrow on the bed plate and maybe start the flywheel, and maybe post it - today was a non starter - domestic duties call.

Best wishes and respects

Peter

klank:
I marked out the drilling points on the various pads as per the supplied plan.
I am not too happy about one of them and the adjacent hole for the crank disc - seems slightly out of place according to the supplied dimensions!
It may be prudent, therefore, to leave centre popping/drilling/tapping until later - until the various engine elements are ready for mounting - and see whether more serious attention is needed to the bed.

Flywheel next.

This is how it came in the kit - virtually no flah at all and pretty true, apart from tapering to the wheel thickness at its rim. The bosses were of unequal length, but well within the required dimensional limits and both appeared true to the outside diameter following some quick and dirty work with calipers/ruler.
I was particularly impressed with the condition of the spokes/inner wheel rim - very little to do here.
All in all - a very nice casting.

In Stan Bray's build, he recommends setting up the wheel immediately in the 4 jaw, and tapping it into position using a scribe block/chalk to get it in the ball park.
Given the overall look and trueness of my casting, I decided to go another way, and find the best centre on the longer boss face first.
I licked it over with a file and then scribed a series of diameters with a centre finder, having "blued" the boss face with felt tip pen.

The centre of the cluster of lines, where they crossed was popped. Sorry - a poor photo - not all of the scribed lines show up too well but there was very little divergeance where they all crossed.

(Note - I know all of this is pretty basic for many of you readers, but this somewhat elementary stuff info may be of use to newbs - as a "beginners' engine". No offence meant to anyone who reads this!)

I set up the casting in my 5" 4 jaw - plenty of meat to grip with the jaws reversed.
Using a tailstock centre, and home made wobble bar in the popped mark and a clock, it did not take long to get the casting rotating true around the mark.

(Big apologies - I did not remove my tool post before taking the next two shots - I was in a bit of a hurry, and not thinking "ahaead").

I then used a scribe/block to see whether the inner wheel rim/spokes were running true(ish) in the facing plane.
What a blessing - it ran virtually true with no more tapping around or wedging out the rim.
Even better there were no knobblies/inclusions around the inner rim or where the spokes joined.
All in all, an extremely nice casting by the looks of it.

I used a cheapo brazed/tipped set of tools to start the machining - They are a bit clunky (well they are REALLY CHEAP) but withstand all kinds of abuse and work very well on cast iron.
At this stage, I just worked on the outer rim/face/spokes and boss - brought them to near finished size.

Next up - to bore the centre hole and finish the other side.
The plans show a grub screw fitting for the flywheel on the crankshaft - not ideal. A flywheel should always run perfectly true and I don't like the idea of a grub screw - it might cant the wheel ever so slightly on its crankshaft when tightened, and it can be a weak means of fixing.
I would consider a "coned brass sleeve/set screws and jacking screws" set up normally for an outside flywheel but as this one sits inside the bearings and space is tight, as Stan Bray says, I shall use a slotting tool on the finished bore to make a small keyway fixing.
I shall turn up a stub mandrel for mounting the casting after boring/slotting to do the finishing and outer wheel rim face.

I hope to post a bit more tomorrow.

My sincere thanks to those who posted such encouraging and kind comments.

Best wishes

Peter

saw:
Nice work I am looking forward for the next chapter :thumbup:

Rob.Wilson:
Hi Peter :thumbup:

All good stuff showing your method of work :med: ,,,,,,,,,,,,, looking good :clap: :clap: :clap:

Rob

klank:
Benni, Rob - thanks.

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