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I have lost a couple pillow block bearings way too soon, did good maintenance but I think as with so much other stuff now the quality has slipped. You sure did a nice job on that piece of furniture.
The pillow block failures is a bit distressing but unfortunately not too surprising in todays "throw-away" world. I suspect that a good percentage of small motor fails these days are due to poor bearings. Autopsies conducted on two small failed motors showed cheap bearings to be the issue. One was rebuilt with new better bearings and so far has held up.
My guess is the housing for the bearings themselves are the actual issue. They were on the motors which had pressed metal, instead of machined metal. Saves money and weight, but not a very good build.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I'm surprised after 4 months, I had to replace two pillow block bearings. I did that this morning. They had plenty of grease, and still spun freely, but there were metal shavings piling up around each, and they clunked a little on each rotation. Anyone else have this problem in a build of their own? A cheap fix, but didn't expect that.
Interesting. Do you think they were inferior bearings...or could they have been "off" a little?
The middle bearing was likely off a little. Even the new one I put in was a struggle to get true, and still didn't get it 100%. The wooden shelf flexes a tiny bit when the shaft turns. They claim to be self-leveling, but not so much. That one had huge metal shaving debris.
The top bearing, it had to have been faulty or something. It rolled true, but the metal dust/shavings were powdery.
Wow! That set up is amazing. I love how it looks completely finished on the outside and SO functional on the inside .
I appreciate that. It's been a fun challenge. It's been running great for the most part, especially after I finally eliminated most of the motor vibration (!!). I had to keep the belts and moving parts away from my curious cat and dogs, so it had to be pretty buttoned up and safe. Might as well make it look good too.
This board and its members have been inspiration to build my own tumbler. Drummond Island Rocks, Jugglerguy, and others, of course influenced this build. I started gathering parts around March, so it's been a long time in the works. I am NOT a woodworker, so this turned out even better than I could have imagined when I started.
I'm flagging this beautiful tumbler build for posting on the DIY Rotary Rock Tumblers page of the main website if you have no objections?
This board and its members have been inspiration to build my own tumbler. Drummond Island Rocks, Jugglerguy, and others, of course influenced this build. I started gathering parts around March, so it's been a long time in the works. I am NOT a woodworker, so this turned out even better than I could have imagined when I started.
I'm flagging this beautiful tumbler build for posting on the DIY Rotary Rock Tumblers page of the main website if you have no objections?
Post by Son Of Beach on Dec 31, 2023 1:43:40 GMT -5
mgroothuis Can you elaborate on your motor? I'm looking to build one, but I'm struggling with the motor. Were you able to source one that you could plug in right away or did you have to wire it yourself?
Last Edit: Dec 31, 2023 1:43:51 GMT -5 by Son Of Beach
Adversity is the first path to truth - Byron Follow your bliss - Joseph Campbell
mgroothuis Can you elaborate on your motor? I'm looking to build one, but I'm struggling with the motor. Were you able to source one that you could plug in right away or did you have to wire it yourself?
Sure. I struggled with that part too. I found a Dayton 5K191BG 1/4HP, 1725RPM, capacitor start motor on ebay for about $160 used from NRI Industrial. That's about $200 cheaper than new. It was wired for 220V when I got it, but there is a simple wiring diagram on the motor to change it back to 110V. It's super-easy. The school of YouTube eliminated all doubt since I am no expert in wiring. I also reversed the motor direction.
This was just me testing the connections. You can see the motor has great torque when kicked on. It is plenty powerful enough for my tumbler. Even with all 10 barrels full, they start turning immediately.
Last Edit: Dec 31, 2023 10:28:25 GMT -5 by mgroothuis
mgroothuis ok I didn't know of that was possible. It looks like you've wired to some kind of..is that called a "starter switch"?
Actually, that was just a toggle switch from a treadmill that I took apart. It was mounted in a metal L-bracket that was awkward, so I ended up direct-wiring the motor to a grounded plug I bought from the hardware store. That way, I could control the entire tumbler from a smart plug rather than a switch. I liked the idea of being able to turn it off remotely if necessary.
mgroothuis ok I didn't know of that was possible. It looks like you've wired to some kind of..is that called a "starter switch"?
Actually, that was just a toggle switch from a treadmill that I took apart. It was mounted in a metal L-bracket that was awkward, so I ended up direct-wiring the motor to a grounded plug I bought from the hardware store. That way, I could control the entire tumbler from a smart plug rather than a switch. I liked the idea of being able to turn it off remotely if necessary.
That's smart, I didn't know that was a thing either. I'm assuming you just have set screw sheave attached to the motor shaft? I don't know if mine will be 3 levels like yours so I might do a direct drive.
If I do go direct drive, jaw couplers would work, right?
Adversity is the first path to truth - Byron Follow your bliss - Joseph Campbell
That's smart, I didn't know that was a thing either. I'm assuming you just have set screw sheave attached to the motor shaft? I don't know if mine will be 3 levels like yours so I might do a direct drive.
If I do go direct drive, jaw couplers would work, right?
I've never actually used jaw couplers. I suppose they could work if you get a slow enough motor. If you are using a 1725RPM motor, you'll definitely need to step down the RPM with pulleys. My pulley sizes are 1.5" on the motor shaft (0.5" shaft), to a 10" drive wheel. The drive wheel is linked to 3" pulleys on all 0.75" barrel shafts. The shafts have a 0.125" vinyl tube covering them, making them 1" in diameter. It rotates the barrels at about 33RPM for the larger and 50ish for the 3lb barrels if my math is right.
The pulleys and belts are available from many local hardware stores. My pulleys are made by Chicago Diecasting.
This photo shows the 10" drive pulley directly from the motor.
This is the 1.5" pulley attached to the 0.5" drive shaft.
This space is for temporary chat only and all posts drop off automatically and are not saved.
Members with real questions or comments that need an actual response, please post on the main forum - not here! Casual PG-13 posts only, no politics or religion please!
Wooferhound: Does a Bear poop in the forest? . . . not Polar Bears
Dec 7, 2024 16:17:35 GMT -5
dfwrockstar: Ha! Noobs! I have the complete set... Twice!
Dec 7, 2024 17:30:58 GMT -5
RickB: You can catch a polar bear with a can of peas
Dec 7, 2024 20:24:04 GMT -5
amygdule: Frozen Peas will sting when fired from a Wrist Rocket
Dec 7, 2024 20:47:08 GMT -5
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gary95340: Hello, I read the Jasper Point post, 2009. I am part owner of the KAREN LYNN claim. It’s located in Hunters Valley. It’s a Jasper load claim. To my knowledge it is illegal to collect rocks in the Lake McClure area, owned by MID. Jasper Point is in MID
Dec 7, 2024 23:57:23 GMT -5
gary95340: New to this, I haven’t a clue on posting. I have about 1 ton of jasper, various sizes.
Dec 8, 2024 0:02:13 GMT -5
gary95340: No use to hang around, I’m out of here.
Dec 8, 2024 0:03:29 GMT -5
gary95340: Jasper point is a geographic location easily located on a topographical map. It obtained its name, because Jasper was mined there at the time of the railroad. I visited the site by boat during the end of the last drought.
Dec 8, 2024 0:08:15 GMT -5
rocknrob: One of my biggest wishes is for whirled peas. Much easier to eat than Jasper.
Dec 8, 2024 16:59:54 GMT -5
1dave: gary95340: No use to hang around, I’m out of here. You are Welcome This is just the chatter box!
Dec 8, 2024 20:29:57 GMT -5
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1dave: Nature is messy, don't expect it to be uniform and consistent. - Eldridge Moore
Dec 9, 2024 10:23:32 GMT -5
gary95340: How do I upload a photo? On this site
Dec 9, 2024 23:56:06 GMT -5
Rockoonz: gary95340 post on the forum in the introductions, if you ask the question there we can help you get started posting with either the cloudinary for PC or the tapatalk app for apple/android. Not sure if it's even possible to post pics in the shout-box.
Dec 10, 2024 11:17:30 GMT -5
1dave: If the earth is flat, what is on the bottom side?
Dec 10, 2024 11:24:45 GMT -5
1dave: Rockoonz, the image needs to be small, around 200dpi. Place img] before, and [/img] after.
Dec 10, 2024 11:31:02 GMT -5
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1dave: In the next ten yeas, our confusion will reach new heights of sophistication. - Alex McBirney
Dec 10, 2024 17:15:53 GMT -5
gary95340: Easy answer, go to FLICKR.COM. In the search bar enter “Jasper claim” that’s my name on that site. All photos were uploaded by me, years ago. Should be 64 photos, Helen Trumbull shows 4 photos. If you search Hornitos jasper you’ll see some jewelry I made,
Dec 10, 2024 23:30:23 GMT -5
1dave: How well does your expectations match reality? The Principle of least astonishment, or least surprise.
Dec 11, 2024 9:27:35 GMT -5
Welcome to the Rock Tumbling Hobby Forum where we share a love of rocks and a sense of community as enduring as the stones we polish.
The RTH Forum of www.RockTumbling.com is an Amazon Associate site and we earn money from
qualifying purchases you make after clicking on our links such as this
Rock Tumbling Supplies on Amazon
link for instance, or any of our various product ads and banners. By clicking our links every time you begin your Amazon shopping
experience, you are generating a bit of revenue for the forum which helps us cover our expenses. Thank you for your support!
. 
