Incredible Home Made Miniature Engines

On the heels of a small stirling engine we featured, an astute Hackaday reader sent in a few awesome builds from HMEM, the home model engine machinist forum.

First up is a fantastic looking stirling engine made entirely from scratch. The build is modeled on a Moriya Hot Air Fan, but instead of making a fan spin around, [IronHorse] put a flywheel on the engine. It also uses propane instead of an alcohol or other liquid fuel lamp for the heat source.

Next up is a pee-wee sized V8 engine by [stevehuckss396]. Unlike the model engines we’re used to, this one runs on gasoline. The engine started out as a 3 x 3 x 5 inch block of aluminum. This thread goes on an amazing 85 (!) pages and makes for great afternoon reading, but here’s a video of the engine in action.

Last is [keith5700]’s amazing 1/4 scale V8. Not only is this [keith]’s first project, he also completed this entire project on manual mills and lathes. There’s an electric starter thrown in there, and the pictures are simply incredible.

Thanks to [Norberto] for sending this one in, and if you’ve got an example of amazing machining skill, send it on it to the tip line.

24 thoughts on “Incredible Home Made Miniature Engines

    1. Likely due to the influx of traffic generated by it being posted on had.

      It makes me wonder sometimes; what is the first thing that comes across a webmasters mind when their site goes down and the traffics referrer URL is Hackaday.com

  1. Another webpage hackadayed? Np doubt when they decided as as to how much band with they should they purchase it never entered there mind they would attack so may curious onlookers. A reason I don’t mind ads that pay the bills for what I’m consuming.

      1. Thanks for pointing this out. I have a similar complaint about a so-called “steam engine” from a while back — the one carved out of gems and such.

        It was just driven by compressed air, and didn’t generate and pressure on its own.

  2. Looks like there’s a supercharger in the works for the small V8 by stevehuckss396. My jaw dropped when I saw the drawing. Not just an insanely small V8, but a supercharged insanely small V8. (I would love to say go big or go home but that doesn’t seem to apply to this situation…..)

  3. not go cart, GO! cart. lol
    awesome!

    motor mounts?
    alternator?
    battery bracket for battery as big as engine? XD
    bracket for “audio & flashing lights module” ? hehe XD

    SMOKIN!

    1. No, that one THREAD has 89 pages, there’s multiple threads there for a LOT of reading.

      Sorry, but I waded through it, you can also.

      You need to, to see the build. Very interesting. There’s really no place to just “jump in” and get the whole of it.

      The block, the carburetor, the spark plugs, the cam shat…. what part do you want to miss?

      1. thanks, I guess. If I wanted a sarky response I would have asked for it.

        “Sorry, but I waded through it, you can also.”

        Errr, no. As awesome as this is, it doesn’t warrant the time required to read 85 pages in one “THREAD” and 90 in another.

        peace.

  4. Nice weed eater motor. All joking aside, I love the craftsmanship and knowledge that goes into making these model engines. However to me its too much like masturbation building these things. Its all find and dandy but its just a facsimile of the real thing. Just my thoughts.

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