tools, materials & knowledge for model makers
How Many Parts in an Engine? I was wondering and thinking about the oscillating steam engine plans that I have just produced in CAD. This is a very simple engine. There are 21 separate parts in this exploded assembly drawing, of which 19 parts need to be made from stock material. However, this drawing does … Read more
The propeller size should be chosen to match the engine and airframe. However, it may take some trial and error before you get the right propeller for your particular installation. However, the following table may be used as a guideline for two-stroke engines with four-stroke engines in the next table. Propeller Sizes for Two-Stroke Engines … Read more
by Mick Cherry This is the 1/6th scale Kinner Radial, there is one in 1/4 scale but my lathe is too small for that size. This engine is by Mr David Johnson and he did the design while he was an engineering student. You must excuse the cylinders being held in by sticky tape, it … Read more
Engine build and author: Dick Barnes Having now reached that moment of retirement and with a fully kitted out workshop, this Fizgig stirling engine looked like an ideal subject to commission the new lathe. Fizgig is a Gamma Stirling engine in which the power piston is not mounted coaxially to its displacer piston. The advantage … Read more
Ken-ichi Tsuzuki Model Engines took my breath away. I came across his website by chance and have spent ages going through his work. This page will hopefully introduce you to Ken’s work and be a starting point to explore more. I asked Ken why he makes model engines: There is no reason and when I found Bob … Read more
I thought it would be good to talk about oscillating engines. In particular the oscillating engine I made some time ago. A double acting oscillator with a geared flywheel. The valve on the oscillating engine is very simple. So simple that at first it is difficult to understand how enough steam enters the cylinder. However, … Read more
Brake Mean Effective Pressure is the average effective cylinder pressure that does useful work calculated from the brake horse power. Abbreviated BMEP, this is a fundamental parameter associated with an engine design. The work accomplished during one engine cycle divided by the engine swept volume. It is essentially the engine torque normalized by the engine … Read more
Horizontal K-Type engine configuration proposed and analysed by Rushiraj Kadge. This engine boasts the following benefits: Better balanced (percentage difference between unbalance forces as compared to existing configurations is more than 45%). This means more power can be extracted from Horizontal K configuration. The proposed configuration has least frictional losses. CG height of proposed configuration … Read more
The piston is a cylindrical part which reciprocates in the cylinder bore of an engine and transmits the force of the gas pressure through the connecting rod to the crankshaft. This means the piston needs to seal against the cylinder wall with a low friction and a low wear rate. Articulated Piston Two-piece piston incorporating … Read more
A 1/3rd Scale Cosworth DFV model engine by Bouland Motors It was December 2015 and Marcel Bouland, scale model engine enthusiast and collector decided to develop a fully working 1:3 scale Cosworth DFV engine. Many people were asking if he wanted to sell one of his scale model engines, the answer was no. So it … Read more