Multimachine - Construction

Construction

At a high-level, the multimachine is built using vehicle engine blocks combined in a LEGO-like fashion. It utilizes the cylinder bores and engine deck to provide accurate surfaces. Since cylinder bores are bored exactly parallel to each other and at exact right angles to the cylinder head surface, multimachine accuracy begins at the factory where the engine block was built. In the most common version of the multimachine, one that has a roller bearing spindle, this precision is maintained during construction with simple cylinder re-boring of the #3 cylinder to the size of the roller bearing outside diameter (OD) and re-boring the #1 cylinder to fit the overarm OD. These cylinder-boring operations can be done in almost any engine shop and at low cost. An engine machine shop provides the most inexpensive and accurate machine work commonly done anywhere and guarantees that the spindle and overarm will be perfectly aligned and at an exact right angle to the face (head surface) of the main engine block that serves as the base of the machine. Use a piece of pipe made to fit the inner diameter of the bearings as the spindle. A three-bearing spindle is used because the "main" spindle bearings just "float" in the cylinder bore so that the third bearing is needed to "locate" the spindle, act as a thrust bearing, and support the heavy pulley. The multimachine uses a unique way of clamping the engine blocks together that is easily built, easily adjusted, and very accurate. The multimachine makes use of a concrete and steel construction technique that was heavily used in industry during the First World War and resurrected for this project.