Model Maker

[Wingedwheel]

So my neighbor asked me if I was interested in going with him to look at a friends shop so with it partially snowing(again) I said sure! Well his friend turned out to be a pretty serious model maker. He had some amazing engines that he built from scratch other than the castings which he got rough and machined himself. I didn’t want to be rude and take a bunch of pics of his shop but he lives in a house with a walk-out and the entire basement area was filled with lathes, mills, shapers and pretty much anything you would need to run a Commercial machine and assembly shop. It was clean as a whistle and everything was in its place. All the engines he builds are internal combustion and it was really cool to watch them run.

 

[RC4MAN]

Those old Hit n Miss type engines are really cool. There's Betty's Country Store up in Helen GA that uses some larger original ones outside in the summer to churn homemade ice-cream.
They don't run fast, and cooling is an open water chamber surrounding the cylinder, but are pretty interesting to watch in action.

 

[Wingedwheel]

The green was actually a 6 stroke motor with a single piston. It’s a replica of an engine used to run the Chico CA machine shop around 1900. Single piston that fired on both ends. The carb needles were off a sewing machine. It was also water cooled with a small radiator in the box below.

 

[Wingedwheel]

He also gave me a pretty good lesson on how a hit and miss actually worked

 

[BluzPlayer]

That is just plain cool.

 

[bosco659]

Beautiful work. I admire these craftsmen that can produce machinery like this out of their own home shops.

 

[Wingedwheel]

I guess this guy was on the fast track to be a major player at GM and decided he didn’t like that and walked away. The knowledge and machinery he had was mind boggling. He also had many tools and holders he had made himself. While we were there he showed us an engine he was building but he said it wouldn’t work because the guy who drew the plans did a poor job and left things out. The connecting rod spec was wrong and he was making a new connecting rod of his own design. So far out of my wheelhouse it’s not funny however it did make me think of some of the guys on here.

 

[xjwmx]

The 1895 engine reminds me of videos on YouTube where people return antique machines to like-new condition. Even if you don't care about the machines, seeing them is kind of a shock, like seeing what your ancestors saw instead of junk

 

[Adamc]

So my neighbor asked me if I was interested in going with him to look at a friends shop so with it partially snowing(again) I said sure! Well his friend turned out to be a pretty serious model maker. He had some amazing engines that he built from scratch other than the castings which he got rough and machined himself. I didn’t want to be rude and take a bunch of pics of his shop but he lives in a house with a walk-out and the entire basement area was filled with lathes, mills, shapers and pretty much anything you would need to run a Commercial machine and assembly shop. It was clean as a whistle and everything was in its place. All the engines he builds are internal combustion and it was really cool to watch them run.View attachment 209213View attachment 209214View attachment 209215View attachment 209216View attachment 209217View attachment 209218View attachment 209219View attachment 209220View attachment 209221

Very impressive work. My dad used to build similar steam powered static engines from metal scraps he picked up from work; including a double acting twin cylinder steam motor. He also built his own metal & wood working lathes using similarly sourced materials and motors from washing machines. Sadly after he died Mum gave away most of his creations; and his lathes and tools, accumulated over years, were stolen. All I have left is a scale model galleon he built from a copy the ships drawings (one of 4 he did). The blocks & canons etc were turned on his lathe. The ship now sits proudly on display in my furniture retail showroom; but needs a little restoration as the cat got into the rigging!