The Craftmans Shop > Model Engineering
Side Valve i.c. engine from Bar stock
awemawson:
I suffered for a long time, and eventually was persuaded by the wife of a friend to have the operation. Made a huge difference and now just get the odd twinge. That was perhaps 10 years ago now. Poor old surgeon has popped his clogs so no going back!
Brian Rupnow:
This new contract I'm working at has cut deeply into the time I have for working on this engine. However, I think about it as I lay waiting for sleep at night. On previous engines I have built, the spur gears which run the camshaft are quite noticeably noisy when running with the gear case removed. I'm not concerned with the danger of getting my fingers caught in the gear teeth (I've learned not to stick my fingers into gears---don't ask how). However, with only a minor change to the backplate, I can machine a filler piece to fit into the gap between the backplate and the crankcase which can be easily removed for adjusting the valve timing, but can be easily reinstalled to keep the noise of the gears down to acceptable levels and to retain a bit of grease. I have shown it in the assembly, and pulled out to one side by itself to show what it looks like.
Brian Rupnow:
Today was bearing day. All of the bearings I had ordered for my side valve engine came today---with a surprise!!! The bearings in the foreground are two 1/2" sealed ball bearings for the main crankshaft side, the needle bearings for both ends of the con rod, two oilite bronze bushings 3/8" i.d. x 1" long for the camshafts, and one 3/8" i.d. oilite bushing x 1/2" long and one 3/8" i.d. x 5/8" for the follower half of the crankshaft. So----what are all those bushings in the background?? Well, what I didn't know was that Canadian Bearings have changed their policy and many of these bushings are available in minimum lots of 5 or 10 pieces!!! I didn't squeal too loudly, because everything only cost a total of $45.32, and there are probably enough left over bushings to last me for the rest of my life!!
Brian Rupnow:
Tonight I finished the last gear for this engine. It is the jockey gear, the one which fits between the crankshaft gear and the two large camshaft gears. The two large camshaft gears do not mesh with each other, only with the jockey gear. The jockey gear is not driven by a shaft, but sets free to rotate on a 3/8" diameter shoulder bolt. I chose to make it from cast iron, as that will have self lubricating capabilities, and I have read that cast iron spur gears running on steel gears are quieter than steel gears running on each other. I'm not sure if that is true, but if it is, that will be a bonus. The gentleman who supplied the aluminum material for this job is supposed to be finished slicing off two lengths of bronze from my 50 pound bronze weight tomorrow---a thick one for the flywheel, and a thinner one to make various trim pieces from (I'm thinking the tappet guide bar, at least.) I have not torn down my rotary table set-up in the mill yet, as I want to put in a piece of plain mild steel and cut a gear tooth in it with my #4 cutter.---That's the one that gave me so much trouble cutting the 1144 stress proof material for the cam gears. If the cutter is dull or damaged, I would rather know now so I can order a replacement, rather than find out the cutter is bad the next time I go to use it.
tom osselton:
nice looking gears.
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