Making a flywheel

[Divided he ad]

Good job that man!


I've got a lot of reading to do tomorrow!!   

Personally I like the odd mistake.... As long as no one got injured!  It sometimes helps you to the parts true potential... Not always, but sometimes. Like now 



Might comment more tomorrow.... When my eyes aren't closing!!



Ralph.

[bogstandard]

Darren,

This is just a very small version of the generally available taper locks that are used on most large machines.

It allows an item to be slid along a shaft and locked down in any position. Used a lot for v-belt pullies, to line them up with each other, or for fitting pullies onto motors.

Bogs

[cedge]

John
That is the same technique I used to mount the "S" curve flywheels to the Water Pressure Engine. Tricky, but well worth it for the effect it adds to an engine. Nicely done!! Will you be rounding off the corners of the spokes during polishing?

Steve

[Bernd]

Nice job as always John. 

Bernd

[SPiN Racing]

Very very very Nice work John.

And btw.. thank you.

SLOT DRILL.... and END MILL... I went and read up on them. I didnt realise they were different.. and why.  I knew about "ball mills" which are not really ball mills.. but I learned a lot about Cutters in general. And what they are really intended for. And why the differences in flutes etc.

My choices in what I choose.. and why.. will be more informed.. And I think I will be buying some additional cutters when funds allow.. for more specialised cuts. Instead of coercing the tools I have to do things they are not happy with! 

(now to look into the cut in the hub you did <wink> and why)

[bogstandard]

Spin,

At one time, it was very easy to differentiate between slots and ends. Slots had two flutes, and end mills had four, slots could do a plunge cut, ends couldn't.

I seems to be all over the place now with hybrid cutters being used for both jobs, multifluted with an end cutting face. But I don't think they do such a nice job as before, especially the slot drills, I find there are too many flutes, so you have trouble keeping the cuttings out of the way.
I think it all started when CNC machines became used a lot more, and by having one cutter that would do the same job as two, meant fewer tool changes.

SLOT DRILL.... and END MILL... I went and read up on them

I am very pleased to see that the post has stimulated you to find out more.
That is the correct way to learn. Rather than info being pushed at you, you actually went in search of it because YOU wanted to know more, and I bet you learned a lot more as you went about your quest.


Steve,

I don't want to do too much to this wheel, as it isn't for one of my engines, but someone elses, and I don't think he will bling his engine as much as I would do, so it might look a little out of place if I go too far. So I will be leaving it basically as per the plans, a little bit of a shine, with maybe a bit of a roundover on the outer rim.
As you can see, I had to do a spoke rescue, just as you did. But it doesn't look too bad.
None of us are perfect.

I would hate to try to describe doing one of the curved spoked designs, it would take months.


I would like to add, for putting the sawcut into the taper, I would have normally have used a slittlng saw. That would have meant replacing the RT with my vice. Problem is, I need to use the RT for finishing off a job I was doing, so it stays for the time being, and I got to use the new die filer as a powered hacksaw.

John

[foozer]

Very nice and "Thank You" for your time and effort. Now I am off to attempt a flywheel construction with a taper lock. No mill and just a funky ol little lathe to work with, but your sequence of operations depends not upon the equipment, just the resourcefulness of the mind to adapt the process to the tools at hand.

[sbwhart]

Nice Job John  I wouldn't have thought of using a taper lock on a model flywheel it really results in a neat finish.


Cheers
 
Stew

[bogstandard]

Stew,

It isn't my idea.

I steal my ideas from everywhere and anywhere. If it suits and does the job, use it.


John

[bogstandard]

We have arrived at the last instructional bit of this post, 'thank goodness' some of you say.


Just a little reshaping to get the flywheel rim looking like I want it to. I rounded over the corners a little.
Then I set to work with finer and finer grades of emery, to remove all blemishes from the metal's surface.




If you are going to polish metal, all machining marks have to be removed and the surface should end up really smooth with a satin like sheen.




A few minutes in the company of Mrs Buff saw Mr flywheel all aglow. In fact this is a real crappy picture, the flywheel is covered in WD40 that I removed the last traces of polishing soap with. So I cleaned it up, went to take the pic and my battery was flat. The cameras, not mine. I was tired, hungry and ready for a coffee, so this will have to do.



So, that's it lads, a long winded write up on how to make a basic flywheel from scratch, warts and all.

I will answer any questions if you want, but if there aren't any, I won't.




Now because this is such a short post, just to keep you entertained. Here are a few bits I have made over the last 18 months. Before that, all my photos have been lost.

My elbow engine flywheel and cylinder



A pair made for a poppet valve engine, and these will be modified very soon as the engine is being finished off.



A brass flywheel I made for my mine engine. The blank ali one was for making the same style, but I changed my mind.



Another big brass flywheel, about 1/2" diameter.



A wierd shaped flywheel that I made about 20 years ago. This engine is just being rebuilt after many hours running.



A pair of flywheels for finger engines I made for friends.



Three flywheels I made for a set of three stirling engines. The one laying down is to original plans, the two standing up aren't. I dropped the original engine and bent the crankshaft, so that is awaiting rebuild, the other two engines are made, awaiting assembly.



Three more flywheels for finger engines for friends.



I even made one out of twigs, it ran very well, and still does.



The RT isn't just used for flywheels, here I am making a rotor for the last turbine I made.







And no matter what the world throws at you.



Keep smiling!!!!







Ready for the next project Bogs

[Brass_Machine]

Heya Bogs... I am going to move this over to the 'how to' section.

Very nicely done. Your flywheels are works of art.

Eric

[Stilldrillin]

Well...... I`ve spent most of the day installing a new radiator in the dining room.

All is working very well, almost tropical..... Mrs Drillin thinks I`m very clever. 


Looking at those flywheel pics, I feel very inadequate, again! 


Magic, John!

David.

[Darren]

You are clever David, you are 

[Stilldrillin]

You are clever David, you are 

Thanks Darren! 

Mate...... 

I feel much better (& warmer) now!   

David.

[bogstandard]

David,

Looking at those flywheel pics, I feel very inadequate, again!

No offence intended at all, but I really do hate comments like this. It is not your inadequacy at all, but your lacking in the confidence to try something new that holds you back.

Please stop putting yourselves down because of the success of others.

I am no-one special, and I have no specialist machinist skills other than what I have picked up thru experiences during my working life, and a bit of trial and error in my workshop. Where I do score is that I never let any opportunity to try something new get away from me. If you don't try it, you will never know if you can do it. You get successes and sometimes spectacular failures, only then do you find out your real limits.

OK, I can get what I am doing into usually an understandable format of text that most people can understand, but that is it.

Anyone who wants to do these things, can do (of course you can't if you don't have certain equipment), it is only your imagination that needs to be given a quick kick up the backside.

Darren summed up this post perfectly, each operation is a word, and words make up the sentence.

All you have to do is rearrange the words into the sentence you want.

All my posts are doing is passing information on, while I still have the chance to do it. Eventually that will stop, and hopefully someone else will take over from where I left off, and fill in the gaps.

I marvel at the other things that people get up to on this site, and only wish I had my time over again to be able to learn their skills as well.

So, try it, you never know, you might be the next master of flywheels, or whatever it is you want to do.

John

[HS93]

Well John all I can say about the previous post is the sooner I can't wait to get a rotary table so i can start butchering metal to try some of your ideas, I find that even if I dont make the same things as are being made on hear I learn about what cutters people are using to get the finnish they get and different ways of doing things, being new to some of this I am learning quicker than I have in the last 20 years, so the more the better , it all helps even if it's just how to hold things.

Peter

[Stilldrillin]

David,

Looking at those flywheel pics, I feel very inadequate, again!

No offence intended at all, but I really do hate comments like this. It is not your inadequacy at all, but your lacking in the confidence to try something new that holds you back.

Please stop putting yourselves down because of the success of others.

Sorry, you misunderstood me John. 

I used to work magic with "my" Takisawa machining centre & Nikken indexing head...... I don`t have either, now.


My attempt at tongue in cheek..... 

Not really self deprecation...... Or hero worship......   

David.

[bogstandard]

Sorry about flying off the handle David, but I really do feel saddened, when I know people are giving up without trying, maybe not in your case, but certainly in other posts I have read.

It is usually that first step that they need to make to get them over the 'I can't do that' hump. Once they do try, and succeed, or don't fail as badly as they thought they would, they then realise everything isn't so difficult after all, and then they start to soar.

You can't stand behind people  , you can only give them verbal encouragement and hope they will take that first difficult step themselves.

John

[SPiN Racing]

Well if it helps any....

Reading how to make flywheels has been enlightening.  The use of a rotary table makes a lot more practical sense.

I had always wanted to get a rotary table in the 12-18" size as it would be functional for me with race car things. Such as making and or drilling brake rotors etc. (The race shop has some huge rotart table and they make 14" aluminum scalloped brake rotors for a formula car they have)

Seeing what you are doing with it.. as well as what I have seen with indexing options... there are a lot of things that can be done.

Honestly.. for me.... although beautiful... a straight spoke simple flywheel doesnt do much for my mind.  BUT.... the other flywheels you did are awesome. The variety of slots and or curves, and drilled holes adds a lot of variety to what is possible.

Goood info for me at least. 

Can I make those yet? Not YET... but it gives me a goal 

[OgreOwner]

Many thanks for this thread.  If all would go to the trouble of the pics and 1000 words to go with it that this author did, we would all be greatly benefitted.  Some of us come into machining without the benefit of years of apprentiship and with no idea what we are doing.  A pictorial essay such as this can add years of experience to a novice like myself.  I am grateful to have "picked your brain" by reading your post.  Perhaps you could be arm twisted into doing a few other "how tos" for the benefit of the novices out here.  You did an excellent job with this one.

Karl

[bogstandard]

Karl,

I have a few of my articles like this spread about on here, and when I get myself truly sorted, I will be doing a lot more little teach ins like this if people want them.

John

[CrewCab]

Just caught up with this thread John and I'll add my thanks to all the others 

You have a knack for not only making it look "dooable" but also putting it into words that are very enjoyable to follow, so, whilst we are all learning we are also having a dam good time 

Thank you .......... please keep the "How To's" coming  ......... OK you can have a  break now and again







one point though ................... some of your pics worry me 

This >> Tune <<   should go well with "that" particular pic   

keep up the good work 

CC

[bogstandard]

Dave,

That particular pic was of a pair of native Scousers.

They definitely have the 'roaming tinker' or 'backwoods' look.

John

[HS93]

Tut Tut Bogy, you know they are your neibours kids, scousers have more hair,  see top picture .
I see that they now have computers in Crewe. just need the lesseons now.!
 The last picture is one my mate took last week at one of Crewe's top night spots.

     Peter  
          Scouser

[bogstandard]

Peter,

Now that is getting very personal

You know mine is an espresso dispenser and I don't know what they are cooking over the coals on the barbeque, our specialty is 'burger a la ratus', they are much cheaper and take a bit of catching, the bones are a little small, still tasty though.

So you've heard about Milky Maude, we found her performing in a shack house up on the Wirral, she does a good turn, but a night around the pole means that she only gives butter, not milk. But the patrons do complain about her looks, she definitely has that Scouser feeling about her.


Bogs