Tozer Portable Steam Engine in 1:16 scale

[Scratchman]

Tozer Portable Steam Engine in 1/16 scale.

The Tozer portable steam engine built by the John Willis Co. of Columbia South Carolina.

Portable steam engines.
The Crest Line book, "Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines" by Jack Norbeck has around 140 photos of these portables and man, they are very cool. This is just what I've been looking for: horse drawn, no gears, no reverse, details like a hinged stacks. So far I haven't been able to find any drawings for these or for the traction engines. I found this Tozer on YouTube. That is better than a drawing. The video shows most of the detail all the way around the engine.

Tozer video on You Tube...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8KJm9U0O_E

Tozer thread on Smokstak forum...http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87883


Here's some of the basic measurements that the owner Davide L. so kindly provided.  

1- Boiler diameter...2'2"
2- Boiler length...9'8"
3- Front wheel diameter...3'4" with a 4 to 5" face
4- Front axle length...6'0"
5- Rear wheel diameter...4'4" with a 4 to 5" face
6- Rear axle length...6'0"
7- Large pulley diameter 3'8" with an 8" face
8- Small pulley diameters...2'4" with an 8" face.
9- The distance between front axle to rear axle...7'6"
10- Smoke box length...1'2"
11- fire box length...3'4"
( I will add more measurements as I get them.)

These two photos shows my progress on this model. The front wheels and the large and small pulleys. I'm waiting for the tubing to arrive from Plastruct for the rear wheels.

This is my first set of spoke wheels I used 2-1/2" Plastruct tubing for the front wheels and 3-1/4" Plastruct tubing. For the rear wheels. I first draw a circle and divided it into 18 segments. I use this to mark the wheel along with a small square.
The jig is made up out of styrene and goes up against the fixed jaw of my vice with a stop to keep it from moving from side to side. I added four stops on the front to keep the wheel in place  with a center line to line up the drill-bit. I also added one stop on the inside of the wheel at the top to keep the wheel from collapsing when drilling. Now I line up the mark on the wheel to the center line on the jig, and tighten up the vice and drill. After the hole is drilled loosen the vice and move to the next mark. This jig is only good for this diameter of tubing, so I will need to build another jig for the rear wheels.

The pulleys are made from Plastruct tubing  with the spokes made up out of three layers the center disks out of .020" styrene and 1/8" half round  styrene  on both sides. All of the styrene is from Evergreen Scale Models. This gives me a 2" spoke where the prototype are a little larger.

Photos...






Gordon Birrell

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77318580@N00/

[Ray Dunakin]

Oh boy, another awesome Scratchman build!

[finescalerr]

You have revealed one secret: You have some machine tools and don't do all that perfect work by hand with a file and a drill. Now I feel about 1% better. -- Russ

[Malachi Constant]

He has a lot of neatly sharpened wooden pencils too.    -- Dallas

[Chuck Doan]

Ohh, an old Unimat (I think).

[Mr Potato Head]

I may be the only person on this forum that has been to Gordon's workshop! So I feel so privileged! But make no mistake; it's like Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory in there with a touch of the Hobbit and Jules Vern Mixed in! The tools he uses are conventional, but there are no CNC lathes or digital anything. I could stay in that room for a week with out coming out and not see everything. If you believe in God, and Pray there's a heaven? You will know for sure the minuet you walk in because all you can say is :
"Oh My God!", OMG, OMG, OMG over and over,............
Oh Yea, forget about the fact that Gordon is the nicest person you'll ever want to meet, too
MPH
"I have been to the mountain top!"

[finescalerr]

"Gordon is the nicest person you'll ever want to meet"

While Gordon and I have yet to meet face to face we have spoken on the phone at length. I could not agree more with your assessment. It is often the case that true artists and craftsmen also are first rate human beings.

Russ

[Scratchman]

Thanks guys for your comments. The Unimat is a SL 1000 that I got in the early 70s. The motor is getting old so I don't use it for any heavy work just light work  

Here's some more dimensions for the Tozer

12- Hub length...1'1"

13-  Measurement from outside of the large pulley to the out side of the small pulley: 3'9". The total length of the main shaft is 4'2" (there are 2-3/4" from the end of the big pulley to the end of the shaft and 2-1/4" from the end of the small puller to the end of the shaft: total: 4'2").

14- The length from the bottom of the boiler barrow to the ground: 2'8".

15- The length of the stack from the top of the boiler to the hinge: 2'10".

16- The length from the hinge to the top: 8'4" plus 6" for the copper crown

17- Center of cylinder from the top of the boiler: 9-1/2" and the diameter of the cylinder is 11-1/2".

18- The back-head length from top to the bottom (not including the ash pan): 3'5".

19- From the back-head forward to the three points the engine makes contact with the boiler:

1) back head to the round cast base for the engine: 1'4" (the round casting base for the engine has a diameter of 10-1/2")
2) back head to the middle support 4'4"(where it start). The total length of this support is 6"
3) back head to the beginning of the support of the flywheel shaft: 6'8". The total length of these supports is 10".

Gordon Birrell

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77318580@N00/

[eTraxx]

Like everyone else I am happy to watch the progress of this model. I right off noticed that it was made in Columbia SC. Since that's about 20 miles from me I did a little research. There is a photo of the John A. Willis Engine Works from 1907 on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/23117774@N04/2587588613/

It adds that the foundry and machine shop were located at 711 Gervais St., Columbia S.C. \

A quick search on Google Maps and .. well .. small world. The map shows it was located across the street from Tsunami Sushi .. cool .. I've eaten there.

The second link mentions that there is one at the SC State Museum in Columbia. I'll have to take a trip down there specifically to find it.

[Scratchman]

This photo shows the two assembly jigs, the two drilling jigs (one showing the front-side and one the back-side), the boiler core with the first styrene wrap. The two wheels that have been primed are my first design and will be used on another project or use them for clutter. I modified the hubs on the second design to help hold that end of the spoke. Using liquid plastic cement, the wheel doesn't get stuck to the jig. After I remove the wheel from the jig, I add a small aluminum ring on both ends of the hub I use a thin CA  and let it run around the spokes. Also at the bottom is two sets of pulleys.



Gordon Birrell   

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77318580@N00/

[Scratchman]

Thanks Ed for the link to the photo.

Gordon Birrell

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77318580@N00/

[finescalerr]

That's one picture worth a thousand words. -- Russ

[lab-dad]

You make the (black) pulleys the same way?
What holds the spokes in the hub? Drilled too or just glued.
great pica btw!
mj

[Scratchman]

Marty
The pulleys are made from Plastruct tubing  with the spokes made up out of three layers the center disks out of .020" styrene and 1/8" half- round  styrene  on both sides. All of the styrene is from Evergreen Scale Models. This gives me a 2" spoke where the prototype are a little larger.
I made these pulleys the same way I made the gears and pulley on the Buffalo Pitts engine.
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1634.0


1- Cut a disk out of styrene and mark the spokes. (I cut the disk a little larger than the tubing and sand it down to get a tight fit.)
2- Drill a hole for the axle and add one side of the hub.
3- Add the half-round to the same side.
4- Cut out the disk between the spokes.
5- Turn over and add the hub and half-round.(The half-round pieces are cut a little shorter so the center disk is the only part that goes into the grove.)

Gordon Birrell

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77318580@N00/

[Ken Hamilton]

That last photo is fantastically information.  The oblong spoke technique is definitely a keeper.
Thanks so much for sharing such great information, Gordon.