Special Projects
In 2006, the Joe Martin Foundation began a unique project that would be constructed and assembled in the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum shop. This project called upon the talents and skills of many different craftsman from all over the world to contribute parts for a scale model running internal combustion engine. The 4-cylinder, 15 cc Seal internal combustion engine was chosen, and over the course of a year and a half, our team of builders worked to produce a functional I.C. engine for display at the Craftsmanship Museum. We documented the build from start to finish, and have provided an abundance of photos and information as a teaching experience.
The completed Seal engine on a custom oak display base. A US quarter and one Euro coin provide scale reference. When it’s not being run, a plexiglas dust cover protects the engine. All in all, our build team did a fine job with this first Craftsmanship Museum shop project.
The finished Howell 90° V-4 engine in May, 2010. The engine has a solid look to it, and was beautifully machined and finished by our build team. The V-4 ran for the first time on March 16, 2010.
Following the succesful completion of the Seal engine, the Joe Martin Foundation decided to embark upon another Craftsmanship Museum shop team build. In 2007, we decided to build Jerry Howell’s V-4 internal combustion engine. The Howell V-4 project took another two and a half years to complete, but the end result was just as rewarding as the first. Both of these projects have been documented through their respective pages below. We thank all of the participating craftsmen for contributing to these unique collaborative projects in miniature engineering.