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Fun With Engines and Other Things by Rudy Kouhoupt

Students of mechanical devices can readily discern those that are utilitarian and those that are novelty. From the title of this book, you can readily guess that the contents will be closer to the latter than the former. Glancing through the table of contents you'll see some projects that have been created for sheer enjoyment, such as the three-cylinder radial engine and the compressed air V-4 engine. While their concept, the wobbler, is based upon traditional steam engineering, their configuration is somewhat unconventional. Who knows, in another decade or two, these design concepts may become mainstream albeit using a different medium.

At every show, Rudy would display his "standard" engines, those that were solidly entrenched in steam engineering tradition. Their proportions and simplicity were marvelous. Each engine would have enough detail and adornment to satisfy the creative urges of thousands of future builders, yet they were not overburdened with superfluous, time-consuming details. The basic designs offered in those plan sets could, and did, act as a foundation for much larger or intricately involved engines, redesigned by the builders who had garnered the knowledge and skill necessary to advance the original configuration.

The book title says "and other projects." It's actually one other project, the Revolutionary War Cannon. I haven't been able to determine if Rudy had ever offered these drawings through earlier dealings with Popular Mechanics or Mechanix Illustrated.

I do know that he did not have them at the various shows nor did he have a neatly compiled sales-version copy as he did the other plan sets. So, while I cannot guarantee that the cannon plans are an exclusive to this book, I can say they're of very limited distribution and have not been available for quite some time. It's a nice diversionary project that allows the builder to try out other skills in wood as well as metal.

Nearly all of Rudy's plans were void of written instructions as to the easiest sequence of construction or the best procedures to machine the more involved pieces. Rudy enjoyed the camaraderie of other miniature machinists and would spend as much time as necessary to assist those who embarked on the building of his designs. He would derive great satisfaction from explaining the particularities of each design as he sold the prospective builder a plan set. No longer having the luxury of being able to confer with the designer, we are left with only the drawings to guide us through the building of the various engines. As such, we are left to our own devices.

Other steam engine designs from Rudy are presented in The Shop Wisdom of Rudy Kouhoupt, The Shop Wisdom of Rudy Kouhoupt - Volume Two, and The Shop Wisdom of Rudy Kouhoupt - Volume Three, which are available through Village Press. At the time of this printing, the entire collection of Rudy's engines is on display in the Joe Martin Foundation Museum of Craftsmanship in Vista, California.

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