Construction plan Little Table Engine #29

Construction: Andre Neumann

Technical data

• Dimensions base plate: 95×63.5 mm
• Piston diameter: 12 mm

The model of a table engine presented here is based on a design by the US American Elmer Verburg, but has been redesigned here for metric dimensions.

A table engine is a stationary steam engine whose cylinder is mounted on a table-shaped plate. The plate stands on four pillars. The crankshaft bearings are arranged underneath. The piston rod protrudes from the top of the cylinder and has a crosshead that runs in a vertical guide. Long return rods connect the crosshead to the crankshaft, to which the flywheel is attached.

This principle was first used by James Sadler in 1798. Henry Maudslay, a steam engine manufacturer in London, patented an improved version of it a few years later. Other manufacturers adopted the construction.