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The latest copy of Stationary Engine magazine arrived today, complete with a small article on some of our Ohlsson Rice machines...

I spoke to Carol yesterday and she said no flowers, Norm would have hated the waste of money, but any donations to Cancer Research, a family member has terminal cancer.. She's was calling Norm an old bugger because she'd been in his shed and found out how many tractors he had. She didn't know. Wonder what else she'll find.

This is sad to see, Stormin was a regular here and a supporter of the forum. I have added him to our members at peace group, rest in peace Norman

Thanks Gents, Yes Norm, I'm also beginning to enthuse about it's completion. Advancement of only a small part of the project, but is of significance to my ability to produce it. I've just about finished the front Caster wheel assembly- It's taken me a while now to produce and assemble all the parts. Final job was putting a chamfer on the wheel rims- One step closer to havng a rolling chassis, so I'll put this to one side. Only the barest perceptible wobble, which I'll try to eliminate, (but not too hard) before having the spokes professionally welded to the rim. Regards.

Thank you Gents!. Still learning as I go and making reasonable progress. Finished the parts for the front caster assembled here with a temporary bolt, so just the wheel to make- I had to make the 1/2" BSF Pin Bolt to ensure a good fit and with fine adjustment. I have some 15/16" AF high carbon Hex steel, so set to and turned one up on the lathe- Also made a nut. I bit the bullet and started 'tacking' the frame joints and managed to continue with reasonble weld joints to form a strong frame. I wll need to get the upper surface joints properly done. The mahogany planks have been cut and temporarily fitted for trimming to bring the surface level with the frame's surface. Embelishments include a brass nut cover to keep it weather tight- .........and we all like to 'trial assemble', so this gives a better image of the project- Regards

Bit of progress on making parts, turned up a few bronze pieces for a change, starting with a pair of captive chassis axle to wheel thrust bearings. Shaft size is 9/16" (>13mm) dia- Then drew up the front Caster wheel design, sourced some rectangular thick box section steel and started on the axial bearing. Took a slice of bronze off the 2" dia hollow bar after boring out to exactly 1" (25.4mm) first- I planned to use 5/32" bearing balls from old bearing stock like I did with the Drill Project a few years back. Calculated the number required (18) and set up for machining on the rotary table. As I was slot drilling through the cage plate, i had to use thin birch ply under it. Using a 'Ball Nosed Slot Drill' of the same diameter as the balls, they sit very comfortably in the respective positions- I then machined a shallow 'race' in the 2 mating bearing plates using the same table settings, leaving running clearance on each side of the cage plate- Very pleased with the way this bit went, being my first attempt at an Axial Bearing and it all runs very smoothly (without grease) when assembled. Regards

Reduction gear clutch parts finished now and all fit nicely in the finished bearing plates. Painted a nice shiney black enamel, it goes well with the polished brass parts- Couple of jobs to do before I fit the innards to the Reduction unit, but able to move on to couplings and chassis design. Regards

This part is very nearly ready for welding up and riveting now I've finished making the copper rivets and shaping the friction linings. Gives me 19.5 sq ins(126sq cms) of contact, so plenty of grip. The bar with the springs will serve to keep the "Shoes' open and apply equal pressure when shoes are closed onto the PTO by 'over centre' lever lock and cable operation- Regards

Just about finished the copperwork on the Cowling now which should now provide more efficient removal of heat and keep the intake side cooler- Carb side additional shroud will be riveted on, as the full shroud can be fitted and removed ok. The plate on the exhaust side will have to be detachable.

Thanks Alan, Trying to make progress while I have a reprieve from the dreaded R/Arthritis in the wrists. Just to give you an idea of this setup, here is a pic of the rough plan/layout of the working bits- So left - right there is the water pump - speed reduction unit, then the engine. A 1954 Villiers Midget Mk2 98cc. Fully overhauled with a rebore +0.030" and new rings etc. Being static, the engine will need additional cooling, which will require a cowling and cooling fan. The Mk3 Midget has this built in, but blows the air from the flywheel side. I want it the other way, so have to make the shrouds , fan and drive etc. Keeping the sort of Victorian 'Jules Verne' style, I'm using copper sheet from an old hot water cylinder for the shrouds, riveting where necessary and maybe some embelishment? The first pattern from my drawings marked out/cut from the sheet and began rolling to the diameter of 4.5 inches (114mm approx) - Fortunately, I have a piece of thick steel tube of the same diameter which allowed me to tightly form the intake area and rivet/solder the joint- This is now ready for shaping (bossing) to fit the contours of the cylinder etc. A first time challenge for me. I obtained an old Lignum Vitae Bossing Hammer in need of some considerable attention, so I refurbished it back to good condition and purchased a large 15" dia H/duty leather cushion- Will have several jobs for these tools on this project and the washed Silver Sand is currently being dried, ready for filling the cushion.....meanwhile- I had to redesign the engine mounting plates to position the engine inline so I can use direct couplings. I spent the last 3 days marking out, hacksawing and filing the 4 plates after drilling/reaming the holes. Also made the reduction unit mounts ready for welding up, along with the engine ones at the same time- With these parts all assembled in place, the shafts will line up and I can make the direct drive couplings with an allowance for any small misalignment, rather than use chains and sprockets etc. Regards

Drawn up engine mounting plate design and need to obtain steel sheet to make 4. The 2 stanchions from 60 x 40 mild steel box are taking shape ready for welding up - Had been searching for a genuine Villiers vintage exhaust, but realised they want too much money for not much style. I decided to make my own to suit the design I wanted An empty disposable propane cylinder became the victim after getting the picture in my mind of how I want it. Constituent parts after much searching of materials, measuring, cutting & machining- Ready to weld the 3 tubes for the outlet to the body and the test fit of the brass banding which seals and registers the butt joint end cap prior to riveting up- The brass banding was cut from sheet, rolled and silver soldered the ends to form a close fitting ring. The brass outlet pipe is from a 1954 mower front wooden roller insert, and the fishtail outlet is from a redundant 1960s Ronson Blow torch kit. All finished and a coat of VHT paint cooked at Gas Mk6 for an hour- I've got a finned exhaust clamp from a Triumph T120 which fits perfectly to fix it onto the engine. Regards.