Building a Small Horizontal Steam Engine
Building a Small Horizontal Steam Engine The front cylinder head is a pipe cap, THE small engine described in this the exterior of which is turned to pre- article was built by the writer in sent a more pleasing appearance, and his spare time—about an hour a day for drilled and threaded to receive the stuff- four months—and drives the machinery ing box, Fig. 2. The distance between in a small shop. At 40-lb. gauge pres- the edge of the front-end steam port and sure, the engine runs at 150 r.p.m., under the inner side of the cap, when screwed full load, and delivers a little over .4 home, should be much less than that brake horsepower. A cast steam chest, shown, not over ¼ in., for efficiency, and with larger and more direct steam ports, the same at the rear end. When the to reduce condensation losses; less clear- cap has been permanently screwed on ance in the cylinder ends, and larger the cylinder, one side is flattened, as bearing surfaces in several places, would shown, on the shaper or grinder, and the bring the efficiency of the engine up to a steam ports laid out and drilled. It would much higher point than this. In the be a decided advantage to make these writer's case, however, the engine is de- ports as much larger than given as is livering ample power for the purpose to possible, as the efficiency with ½-in. ports which it is applied, and consequently is far below what it might be.
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