Minnie TE Long term project

[Joe d]

Hi modders...

I recently posted my first adventures in gear cutting.. which came out OK,  although I do have a spare 79 1/3 tooth gear if
anybody needs one...

Here's cutting tooth #80 on the second try.  Worked a little better this time



These are all the spur gears required for  Mason's "Minnie" traction engine  which is the next long-term project


Progress reports will likely be sporadic, but they will posted as things happen

Cheers all, Joe

[vtsteam]

Very nice!!

I just love gears. I don't know why. If I were ever to build another machine from scratch, it would be a gear cutting machine.

Nice box for your dividing head, etc! 

[Rob.Wilson]

  I have had a couple of those fractional gears too in my time Joe   

mumble mumble ,,,,,,,,nice fitted box 


Rob   

[vtsteam]

ps, I hope you started cutting your biggest gear first and not last ......... 

don't ask ....

[Stilldrillin]

You're showing some nice workshop kit, and gears, Joe. 

"Progress reports will likely be sporadic." ..... Don't worry about that. 

Just hurry up, and show us the next set of components! 

David D

[Joe d]

Thanks guys.

David; are you related to my wife?  She always asks what the delay on things that she said were no rush

ps, I hope you started cutting your biggest gear first and not last ......... 

don't ask ....

I've never taken direction well, so, I'm asking.... actually, did them in order from smallest to largest, mostly as I had lots of material to allow
for messing up in the smaller sizes, had the last 80 tooth not come out I would have been buying more metal as it was the last piece on hand big enough.  I've been reading your thread on a monotube boiler, I'm in Montreal, so if I hear a big boom sort of noise from the south-east
I'll know who's responsible

Cheers all, Joe

[vtsteam]

Might just be a wet sounding hiss before the snap of a rod breaking, and then a distant voice saying something like " oh muck." 

[Joe d]

Progress being made....

Decided to have a go at carving a flywheel out of a chunk of cast iron 

Can always get a casting if I don't like the way it turns out

turned up the blank:


drilled a bunch of locating holes


and milled a number of straight-line slots


Tomorrow will see it on the rotary table to complete the cut-outs, and then file, file file....

Cheers, Joe

[Joe d]

Been getting some things done, but have not been posting pictures as Photobucket is being a royal pain since
the so-called improvements...

finished milling  the flywheel: 


and then a fair bit of filing...


Have to cut a keyway eventually.

Then moved on to some copper work.  Made up a mandril from some all-thread and bit of wood to true up
the ends of the boiler tube



and made up a stand where this will live for quite some time before it will stand up on its' own



More to follow before I'm caught up, but now its time for a 

Cheers, Joe

[Joe d]

Hi all

Been awhile, but some progress has been made... 
I was  back-and- forthing with copper bits whilst waiting for a new torch to arrive, which came in on Monday, so I can
start some assembly

made a former out of some spare hot-rolled, and flanged the throat-plate, and fitted it to the barrel



Former and ends for the fire-box



Bent the wrapper and tried for fit



sweated a couple of bits of copper together to get a piece of sufficient thickness for the pump pad, and fly-cut the radius in it to fit the barrel



and finally was able to start some silver soldering.... reinforcing pads inside the tube



and the pump pad on the outside



and then add on the throat plate and outer wrapper....



Looks pretty good fresh out of the pickle....

Now I get to make a new former and re-flange the ends for the fire box, as SOMEBODY made the mistake of ADDING instead of SUBTRACTING
when calculating the width of the former.... wish I knew who that is that keeps sneaking in and making these math errors....

A little more to come in the next few weeks, and then it all comes to a shuddering halt until mid September as I am leaving to work out of town
for 3 months.

Cheers, Joe

[vtsteam]

Looks very nice!

Shame about that former. I know just what that kind of thing is like. But you're really moving along, and the boiler is going to be really fine, from the looks of it so far.   

[Stilldrillin]

That's looking really good Joe! 

David D

[Rob.Wilson]

Good to see your still at it Joe 

You made a very nice job of machining the flywheel 

Rob

[micktoon]

Nice work Joe and well posted too , the Flywheel and gears all spot on to me , I have not tried making gears yet but can see the dilema between small to large or large to small lol I think I would try a small one as test and if it was ok go from big to small then the 80 couuld become the 60 if it had a hitch lol.
  Chers Mick

[Joe d]

Thanks guys, appreciate the comments.

I think I would try a small one as test and if it was ok go from big to small then the 80 couuld become the 60 if it had a hitch lol.
  Chers Mick

Now that is brilliant!  Wish I'd thought of it...  Filed for future reference

Joe

[vtsteam]

Heh, that's what I meant way back.

[Joe d]

Yeah VT, that's what I figured (well after the fact....)

Re-did the firebox plates today, will get some more pictures up tomorrow.

Joe

[Joe d]

Well, it's taken a little longer, but here we are....

modified the former for the firebox ends (happily it was too big, so it was only a case of removing material
and not trying to add some.. ), re-annealed the bits, re-formed, re-bent the wrapper, soldered in the tube end,
drilled that, and soldered in the tubes, and stuck on the crown stays.



and with the fire-hole end offered up for fit



Once I get this soldered in, the firebox is done 

Cheers, Joe

[Joe d]

Hi Gang

One last progress report, and then everything shudders to a halt for the summer

Got the backplate of the firebox in, banged out the backhead and all the bushes for it, sadly neglected to take a photo of any of that,
soldered it all in place, and then got on with the mud ring/foundation ring


made up a quick drill bit extension for the stay holes that are too close to the boiler tube, drilled pilot holes, enlarged the extension to hold the bit
for drilling tapping size, enlarged it one last time to hold the tap...


Tapping them...


Those ones worked out just fine, when doing the last unobstructed one managed to break the tap 
the only other 4BA tap I have is the starting tap, the un-tapered portion is not long enough to go through all the way...
oh well, plenty more available as soon as I send some money....

And here's the state of play as of now, where it will sit until the fall:  from the rear


and from the fore end:


The fasteners on the table are the stays for the throat plate and back plate, still have to make up the ones for the sides that will also hold
the horn plates.

A little bit more, and I'll be ready for pressure testing. 

cheers, Joe

[Stilldrillin]

That's good, steady progress Joe...... 

It will be waiting for you, on your return. 

Hope you have a good summer! 

David D

[vtsteam]

Yes, great to follow this one! Looking really good. I'll look for further episodes in the fall.

[krv3000]

thats cuming a long nice

[R.G.Y.]

That's a grand job you are doing Joe. I am taking the liberty  of posting my long term project hear. I am not as clever as yourself, having bought castings, gears & boiler, every thing down to the last rivet. Someone's retirement project, which he never got to enjoy. It is just a thing to do in between other jobs. R.G.Y.

[tekfab]

Quality work Joe and nicely written up for us, thank you !

Mike

[Joe d]

Hi gang..

Home for the long week-end, so back to the forum for a few minutes.  A belated thanks to Tekfab and R.G.Y., and thanks for the photos.

Got a bit done while I was here... finished making the stays & nuts, and got the stays in and soldered





Away again for two more weeks, and then back to stay, so some progress coming soon

Cheers, Joe