Firewall Forward - Fixtures and stands

2008-09-01 - Building the Engine Test Stand. (10.0 Hrs).

I finally have the plans for the engine test stand jelled in my head, so it's time to start putting it together. I spent several weekends on this simple structure, and I have no idea how many hours I actually worked on it, so let's just call it 12 hours. Also, I really don't know if this thing will keep a running engine in place, but, we'll find out.

It took awhile to cut this pile of wood. My stupid miter saw was actually burning through the wood, rather than cutting. After cutting each two-by-four I had to get up and let the air clear before cutting the next piece; otherwise, I would choke to death. Also, sometime during the process, I stopped to cut tree branches around the house. I am way too easily distracted.

Everything needed to build the stand, except for the bolts and screws. That'll take a few more days to acquire. The steel is from an old bed frame that I just could not throw away. Every once-in-a-while I actually get to use the junk that I collect.

My basic bench design that I have used on all my benches, even the one that holds the 400 lb Smithy. Hopefully, this is strong enough for a running engine.

No matter what I do, I have to muck-up something.

Here's the general idea.

I can't tell you how long it took me to drill the holes in the vertical steel pieces. I learned a bit about drilling steel today. I have an old set of cheap drills that I have used on wood for years. I finally bought a Drill Doctor last year, and sharpened each drill. I could not understand why the 3/8" drill bit just would not cut, even after it was sharpened. Then, I got out a 3/8" drill from a cheap HF set, and the drill went through the steel with little effort. I also learned that you really do not want to enlarge the hole up to the size just before the final size--much better to make larger steps. You can tell that I don't cut steel that much.

The other side.

I don't know what happened. I marked the hole from the other side, but somehow I was off by a wide margin. Hope I pay a little closer attention when I drill the engine mount to the real firewall.

That's it, I just need to add some planking to give the whole frame a little more rigidity.

	It took awhile to cut this pile of wood. My stupid miter saw was actually burning through the wood, rather than cutting. After cutting each two-by-four I had to get up and let the air clear before cutting the next piece; otherwise, I would choke to death. Also, sometime during the process, I stopped to cut tree branches around the house. I am way too easily distracted.
	Everything needed to build the stand, except for the bolts and screws. That'll take a few more days to acquire. The steel is from an old bed frame that I just could not throw away. Every once-in-a-while I actually get to use the junk that I collect.
	My basic bench design that I have used on all my benches, even the one that holds the 400 lb Smithy. Hopefully, this is strong enough for a running engine.
	No matter what I do, I have to muck-up something.
	Here's the general idea.
	I can't tell you how long it took me to drill the holes in the vertical steel pieces. I learned a bit about drilling steel today. I have an old set of cheap drills that I have used on wood for years. I finally bought a Drill Doctor last year, and sharpened each drill. I could not understand why the 3/8" drill bit just would not cut, even after it was sharpened. Then, I got out a 3/8" drill from a cheap HF set, and the drill went through the steel with little effort. I also learned that you really do not want to enlarge the hole up to the size just before the final size--much better to make larger steps. You can tell that I don't cut steel that much.
	The other side.
	I don't know what happened. I marked the hole from the other side, but somehow I was off by a wide margin. Hope I pay a little closer attention when I drill the engine mount to the real firewall.
	That's it, I just need to add some planking to give the whole frame a little more rigidity.