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How to Make a Miniature Model of Steam Engines

Whether you're a teacher, student, engineer or hobbyist who enjoys learning about steam powered engines, it̵7;s both rewarding and enlightening to build a simple steam engine from scratch. For decades, trains and other pieces of heavy machinery were powered by steam. Although technology has advanced beyond the need for steam engines to power trains, fundamental engineering principles such as kinematics, statics and thermodynamics can all be learned through the process of building a steam engine.

Things You'll Need

Scrap wood
Handsaw
Aluminum sheet
Lathe
Nail
1/8-inch welding rod
1/4-inch bolt
Paper clip
Metal punch
Wire cutters

Instructions

- 1
  Cut a base for your miniature simple steam engine out of a piece of 1/2 inch thick scrap wood that is 3 inches by 6 inches. Drill 1 3/4-inch holes at 3/4 inch and 1 3/4 inch in from the top left corner of the base. Drill another hole in the center of the base at 4.6 inches in from the left side. Drill a fourth hole that is 1/4 inch in diameter and 1.8 inches below the top hole positioned 1 3/4 inches in from the left side.
- 2
  Make a pair of fly wheels out of aluminum sheet metal. Use a lathe to cut two wheels that are 2 inches in diameter. Drill holes into the center of the wheels that are large enough to accommodate a 1/8-inch valve rod. Drill one additional hole just to the right of each center hole large enough to accommodate a .187-inch dowel pin.
- 3
  Build a .65-inch valve push rod and 2.8-inch connecting rod out of a 1/8-inch welding rod. Set these rods aside with the fly wheels.
- 4
  Make a piston out of a common, size D wood nail. Set aside.
- 5
  Make a rocker arm and rocker arm shaft from sheet aluminum. Make the rocker arm into a triangle with rounded edges with 1.3-inch sides. Position the triangle so that the long diagonal edge faces left. Drill 1/4-inch holes in the top right and bottom left holes and a .16-inch diameter hole in the bottom right corner. Create a rocker arm shaft that̵7;s .03 inches wide and 1.4 inches long.
- 6
  Build a bearing carrier from aluminum sheet metal. Cut the bearing carrier so that it's 1 inch by 2 inches. Drill a .195-inch diameter hole into the carrier 1/2 inch in from the left edge and .875 inches down from the top edge.
- 7
  Create an engine block from solid steel that measures 3/4 inches wide by 1 1/2 inches long. Drill a hole wide enough to accommodate the .187-inch dowel pin along the top left edge of the short side of the block.
- 8
  Assemble the steam engine. Connect the fly wheels to each other by inserting the 1/8-inch valve rod through the center holes. Thread .187-inch dowel pins through the other two holes on the fly wheels.
- 9
  Solder the piston to the dowel pin on the left fly wheel. Solder the rocker arm rod to the dowel pin in the right fly wheel.
- 10
  Position the rocker arm with the diagonal edge facing to the right. Solder the other end of the rocker arm rod to the bottom right hole of the rocker arm. Solder the .65-inch valve push rod to the top left hole on the rocker arm. Solder the other end of the push rod to the side of the engine block.
- 11
  Thread the open end of the piston into the hole on the steel engine block. Place the entire unit on the wood base. Drill three metal screws through the bottom of the base and into the bottom of the engine block to hole the steam engine onto its base.
- 12
  Position the bearing carrier to the right of the .65-inch valve push rod.

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