New to paddlewheeling and steam but a 20 year toolmaker

[Markds]

  Ok I am not exactly green to milling, turning, surface grinding and, and assortment of other skills as a toolmaker. I am , however, new to steam and paddlewheels. I was bitten by the bug when my wife and I took a weekend vacation 2 months after our last son was born. The trip was overnight in Frankenmuth Michigan and they have a full size, operational, in service, paddlewheel. We did not have time to go and enjoy it.  When we discovered it was there we had to make the three hour drive back home. What it did though is rekindle a curiosity for steam engines, wood boats,  and for the last two weeks I have started reading everything I can get my hands on. Yes I am starting late at 50 years old but so what?! Better late than never.

[R.G.Y.]

With your experience you should have no trouble with steam or paddle wheels. I never built my first steam engine until I was 65. Having no previous engineering experience.  R.G.Y.

[kiwimodeller]

Welcome to Paddleducks and BFB (Burnt Fingers Brigade). Glad to see you have your priorities right Once you have a steam powered boat of any sort up and running you will lose interest in any other type. Sure they take a bit more effort to build and to operate but it is all worth the effort once you have it on the water. The only smells that come out of electric boat is the occaisional nasty burnt wiring one whereas the smell from a steamer is Looovely! Dont forget to keep a photo record of your build and post it here. Cheers, Ian.

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's..... & welcome Mark...........

Please take some time to view & read our WEB pages..........plenty of good reading 

After a review.....think about steam & the model then ask away ...one of our world wide member group  ...will assist

Derek

[PeeWee]

Welcome Mark to our happy world of Paddles.  its always good to hear from Steam enthusiasts and as Derek says ask away, i am sure with your toolmaking experience you would also be able to help others here also.

again welcome and 

[Markds]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. If there is any technical information I can give, ask freely. My personal email is Mark.schmidt21@yahoo.com; if it isn't against the rules to give this out. If you have ever drilled a hole in the wrong place you know how frustrating this can be. Do not lose heart though. I have astigmatism and that is not a good thing for a toolmaker. Transposing numbers is also an occupational hazard. Plug the hole! Ream the incorrect location for a press fit and press drill rod that is slightly oversize. If the error is so close that even after plugging that you run the risk of breaking into the sidewall of the reamed hole then go oversize deliberately. An 8mm tapped hole that's 0.1mm off location is better repaired by drill oversize and ream for 12mm and press in oversize drill stock. Don't be afraid to make mistakes; it's part of the learning process.
   Plugging has a few guideline uses; 1. Plug with drill rod for mounting threaded holes only. This is not for structural fastening and should only be used on locations where the tapped hole is to attach a cover or single non-structural component where no load is expected. 2. In cases where the fastener IS a structural attachment do not use drill rod! Drill and tap oversize and install threaded rod because it cant pull out like drill rod may. This is where the idea for helicoil came from. The use of loctite is up to the individual. 3. The old journeyman who told me that I was the last guy he was ever gonna train said, come to work monday with a three subject notebook. Get it set in your mind you are either gonna learn it, or theres the door! This same journeyman would drill a hole off location, swear like a sailor for twenty minutes or so, get out his letter stamp set and mark the hole, "OIL" and install a set screw. He told me, it isnt never making a mistake, it's how well you cover it. Make it look like it was supposed to be there. Ok, I know, too much info. Happy reading! 
    Ps. He also said, tollerances for you dont exist. I dont care what it says on paper - you do without it. That way when you have a job that has a tight tollerance, for you it's no big deal because you're used to it. Tollerances are for changes in material condition and faulty tools only.

[R.G.Y.]

ANYONE CAN MAKE A MISTAKE.IT TAKES A GOOD MAN TO GET OVER IT.R.G.Y

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's....&......it's OK.....RGY 

When you and I went to technical school & drilled a 0.3125" diameter hole & was ...0.03937" off axis..... ...& we probably started again with a new hunk of scrap material 

So any comments from this new member [talking in the foreign tounge of mm] will be welcome by both you & [me] I 

I hope the health KICK is going well  ...& remember I am watching your postings  ....Derek 

[Markds]

Sorry Derek. I live in the USA and I was using mm to get across to a metric reader. I think most on this site are. I have been rejected for jobs because I said, I learned in standard, I will always convert to standard, check in standard, and translate +/- results back to metric, but, I think in standard. It's what I learned in school and it's what I am sticking to. Upset quite a few potential employers till I founfd one that thought as I do. :-)

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's.....don't be sorry for where you live  ....that's your call Mark.......

One of the amazing standards that relate in the imperial vernacular is ....to think of clearances of 1 thousands of an inch per inch or a piece of paper is 0.0025" thick  ....like how simple is this?

0.001"= 0.0254 mm ......or  0.0025" = 0.0635 mm =  do these grub dimensions mean?

1 thou & 2 1/2 thou are easily understandable & comprehensible units

Even when we must work in metric for all dimensions in OZ......my mind still reverts to imperial dimensions for concepts 

Derek

[steamboatmodel]

Living in Canada which if officially "Metric" (That is now the only system taught in our schools), but has the USA as our major trading partner we sort of fudge to fit and paint to match, I have been handed plans which were Imperial, Metric and a combination of both. The same goes for ordering stock material. Thank goodness for DROs, CNC and calculators.
Regards,
Gerald.

[Brian Gates]

"Standard" threw me, I had assumed inches were "Imperial" all over the world, but I suppose that must just be the pink bits of my old school atlas.

Strange to think that the UK started to go metric with BA threads over 100 years ago, and we still haven't managed it.  Having spent 20 years grappling with greenhouse designs based on 610 x 610mm sheets of glass and 25.4 x 25.4 x 1.6 mm angle it is nice to be able to be honest with dimensions at last and set my AutoCAD preferences to "architectural" scale.

Still cannot get the hang of 1/48 meaning 1/4" = 1' etc. though, so I draw in imperial and scale parts to metric before making them (model railway style).

Brian

[Markds]

I cannot say that Imperial IS standard but it would make sense and I will not disagree. When I get around to building and dimensioning I will give all measurements the way I was taught with one unit over a fraction bar, and the default underneath. Thus,  1.0"/25.4mm the metric in this case is called the control and becomes the default should there be any question arise. Should I build  and dimension in standard (Imperial) I will not it as 25.4mm/ 1.0 inch. I have seen quite a few incomplete plans  so building at this point is not a reality. I havent built a steam engine before but I can describe my intent thus far and if I am wrong, dont feel bashful about lowering the boom so to speak on me.
    I am going to build a three cylinder steam engine beginning with a stainless steel block for the head because it is a scrap block (wont rust) and, I will make brass cylinder sleeves and pistons. Teflon O-rings will be my choice and this will be double acting. I am designing a composite from several designs which will include a surprise that struck me as my brain was trying to incorporate the best of each. I am leaning heavily toward omitting the steam chest in favor of a smaller piston (for lack of a better description) which will be a diverter for inlet and exhaust, positioned by traditional eccentrics. Imagine a 0.984in/25mm  O.D. brass sleeve housing a piston 0.866/22mm. Next to it is a smaller brass round notched to route steam or exhaust depending on its position, where an inlet on one end has a corresponding exhaust on the other end. The same notches on this round when repostioned are the inlet and exhaust for the return power stroke. If I did not completely confuse you then you have my thanks.

[Markds]

Standard vs. Imperial measurements: not the same....

Comparison of the imperial and US customary measurement ...
Volume|Length|Weight and mass|See also
Both the imperial and United States customary systems of measurement derive from earlier English systems used in the Middle Ages, that were the result of a ...
en.wikipedia.org/...imperial...customary_measurement_systems - Cached