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Precision in Miniature Scale:
Missouri Craftsman Favors Minis
By Gary Van Hoozer
Bigger is not always better: Just ask small engine enthusiasts. Where to find them? Go to a show where engines are surrounded by smoke, steam and loud noises ... but you won't find them there. Look for the smooth-running miniatures on a tabletop nearby.
Mini engines, usually less than a foot long, are built to exacting scale, proportions and detail. Some are replicas of real antique engines, while others are hybrids conceived by their hobbyist makers.
Bill Gorman, a mini engine maker, can often be found with his creations at shows in the region around his Independence, Mo., home. An expert on heavy equipment engines, he shifted into minis in 1979 and continues to craft and show them in retirement.
"After I retired, I thought I never wanted to see the inside of another engine," Bill says. "But I guess that it gets into your blood, so now mini engines it is."
"I first built two little steam engines, drawing on printed information, such as the Lindsay publications, old engineering plans, books and magazines. I look toward building engines and things with the old principles that did work."
Bill typically scales down and makes his own miniature plans, drawing on his drafting and metallurgy skills. One method he uses is to settle on an engine bore size, then scale down the rest of the engine around it.
A beautiful antique W-111 replica engine Bill built is based on one in the John Deere Model D, built from 1923-53. Horsepower of the large motor was increased substantially over the years, and it was considered very tough and reliable.
The JD W-111 mini engine is 1/8 scale and has a 1 1/8-inch bore, a 1 3/8-inch stroke, and valves with 3/8-inch outside diameter. All gear ratios are the same as the JD, with the fan running four times crankshaft speed.
The mini engine has splash lubrication, with the overhead assembly lubed by a line from the timing case. The radiator has 32 1/8-inch brass tubes running vertically between headers.