3" Burrell Traction Engine build.

The 'PLAN' to get the wheels in motion.  My plan outlined in January was to get all the front-end sections completed and standing on its wheels for any shows that may go ahead. The last few weeks I have been busy making good progress on the front hubs and finally, they are almost complete, apart from the oil holes and fitting the bearings. In order to keep the work moving and on track I have set out a few dates to try to hit. With each stage, a small goal is reached. I'm actually a bit frustrated that Boris has used my plan for his exit strategy but our plans overlapping has no obvious alignment issues. ☺  March 8th   -  Finish the front hubs completely. ☺  March 29th  - Complete the Jig for building the wheels. ☺  April 12th    - Have all the spokes drilled and temporarily fitted with bolts, check for trueness. ☺  May 17th     - Fix wheels onto the axle and correct chimney base ring part. ☺  June 21st  ...

 Happy Birthday To Me! Already February and 16 months since the start of the build!!. One of the rear wheels is well underway with all the strakes now riveted on, all (112 x 1/8") copper rivets.   The back of the strakes have been sprayed with corrosion-resistant BBQ paint, to prevent electrochemical reaction between the different metals used. The odd holes not riveted are for attaching spuds on the full-size engine. These can be fitted to the wheels to provide extra grip in the mud. As stated it was my birthday on the 2nd and I had a power electric file for cleaning up the Laser cut parts quick. This has proved invaluable and the belts seem to last longer than I thought.  The paint finish is a Red-Oxide primer as this may spend a number of years under the bench before being needed.  The picture to the right is my setup for machining the front wheel hub slots. This was made slightly easier by using EN1A steel a free-cutting type that machines nicely on smaller m...