[PROJECT] Bar Stock Steam Engine

[Cross Slide]

The next part on the build is the Aluminum Base. I didn’t take all that much for photos on this piece. I started out by clamping it to my mill table to square up the edges. The plate was bigger then I could do by clamping it down and doing all the edges at once. So I had to indicate the edge to my X axis, do one edge, unclamp it, rotate, etc. 
Once the outside edges where done I clamped it to my table again inducted the back edge to the X axis again, and drilled and tap the series of holes required. My DRO made easy work of that process. I also had to cut a wide slot that the flywheel will run in. The plans called for a section of the base to be cut out on the bottom right. I changed the radius in the corner slightly from the plans as the material removed would be big enough for another project. So instead of a 2.00 radius I have a .375 radius. 

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
At this point the machine work was done on the base other then drilling the corner mounting holes and some filing on the edges. 
   
Now that the holes in the base where done I was able to test fit everything that bolts to the base. Everything fit perfectly as it should.

At this point I’m done machining all the parts for the Bar Stock Steam Engine other then finishing the aluminum base and the wooden base. But I’m not going to be doing them. A friend owns a powder coating and polishing business. He’s going to polish the aluminum parts. 
As for the wooden base. My brother is going to do that for me on his CNC Wood Router with some engraving done in the bottom right corner where the aluminum is cut out. 

So with any luck my next update will be a complete engine with a video of it running!!!

Trevor