mia
starting to spend too much on rocks
As you travel on thru life, whatever be your goal. Keep your eye upon the donut, not upon the hole.
Member since January 2011
Posts: 150
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Post by mia on Oct 20, 2011 0:04:35 GMT -5
I am building a tabletop tumbler which will run off a 1/3 hp motor with a gear box. So no pully needed. Was suggested I use 3/4 black iron pipe for the rollers. I am thinking 6' long with a pillow block bearing one each end and one in the middle. Should hold 4 to 6 1 gallon size barrels. Any suggestions or thoughts? Pro or con? I have no idea where to get roll stock but Lowes has the black pipe.
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rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
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Post by rockhound97058 on Oct 20, 2011 0:20:32 GMT -5
Not sure if there's any advantage to roll stock compared to gas pipe, however if you have a local welding or machine shop they should carry raw steel. I see some people slide a piece of hose over the steel to act as traction for the barrel's.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Oct 20, 2011 4:58:38 GMT -5
Hi Mia
I use Auto rubber water pipe pipes for my tumblers works okslows the roler speed down also
Jack Yorkshire uk
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 20, 2011 7:31:52 GMT -5
If you want the bearings to last you will need to use shaft stock (cold rolled). The pipe won't be round or precise enough to fit the bearings.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Oct 20, 2011 7:45:37 GMT -5
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Oct 20, 2011 12:44:02 GMT -5
John is correct on the shaft stock - mcmaster.com has it. Or if you're willing to live with the impact on the bearings, HD and Lowes both have bar stock, which is what I used. It's cheaper than shaft stock, so it doesn't cost as much to replace when you have a barrel blowout that grinds a groove in the shaft.
Chuck
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 20, 2011 12:52:22 GMT -5
If you have a machine shop or metal dealer in your area, you can buy your shaft stock from them. They'll even cut it to length for you. Take one of your bearings with you and ask for cold rolled steel. Cold rolled steel will be very accurate in diameter. If they try to sell you hot rolled steel, it may be too tight or too loose in your bearings.
Don
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Oct 20, 2011 15:42:08 GMT -5
Speedy metals is great! But exactly as Don said, find one locally if you can. They'll be extremely helpful.
Nate
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Post by rocklicker on Oct 22, 2011 0:48:40 GMT -5
I built a tumbler with bar stock rollers from Home Depot. They work fine as shafts and are inexpensive but there is a definite jiggle. They are not true no matter how much bending I try to do to get them straight. Works fine for now but I will probably upgrade to cold rolled at some point. BTW I use black reinforced tubing over the shafts, the type for garage disposal air gaps. Steve
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 22, 2011 6:46:56 GMT -5
Any of the braided type hose works well over the shafts. I use Tygon (sold by the foot at Home Depot) but the regular garden hose with the fabric reinforcement works too. Gives more grip for the barrels than smooth tubing.
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Post by bobby1 on Oct 23, 2011 0:26:55 GMT -5
I use 1/2" shaft stock with heavy Tygon tubing slid over it. You need a rubber or tubing cover over the rollers to prevent wear on the barrels and to keep the noise down. Bob
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mia
starting to spend too much on rocks
As you travel on thru life, whatever be your goal. Keep your eye upon the donut, not upon the hole.
Member since January 2011
Posts: 150
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Post by mia on Oct 26, 2011 18:11:50 GMT -5
Lots of good information here. Thanks everyone. Checked at Lowes and tractor supply, they have the cold rolled bar but only 36" to 48" long. So I will have to hunt a machine shop or steel supply.
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mia
starting to spend too much on rocks
As you travel on thru life, whatever be your goal. Keep your eye upon the donut, not upon the hole.
Member since January 2011
Posts: 150
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Post by mia on Nov 13, 2011 7:06:33 GMT -5
Ongoing project here. I decided to go with 48" cold rolled bar stock I found at tractor supply. Ordered the bearings from surpluscenter.com . When everything arrived the bar stock would not slide into the bearings. DH said the Chinese dont manufacture to the same tolerance's that we do in the US. I maintained that the bar stock was oval, or egg shaped on the ends where it was cut off. After some judicious grinding on the stock we were able to drive the bearings onto the shaft. Not my idea, but they certainly wont come off. I slid 3/4 inch heater hose from the auto parts store onto the bar stock before putting the bearings on. The Pillow blocks will have to be raised to align with the geared motor shaft. This might be a challenge to get them perfectly aligned. Attachments:
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Post by johnjsgems on Nov 13, 2011 13:44:30 GMT -5
You should be able to find shims at hardware store to allign shaft to gear box. They will look like very thin washers.
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mia
starting to spend too much on rocks
As you travel on thru life, whatever be your goal. Keep your eye upon the donut, not upon the hole.
Member since January 2011
Posts: 150
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Post by mia on Nov 13, 2011 14:32:38 GMT -5
Oh good! Thanks John.... I learn something new everyday with this hobby.
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Post by connrock on Nov 15, 2011 9:12:47 GMT -5
mia,,, I know that you want to get your tumbler up and running but pounding the bearings onto the shafts isn't a very good idea. Bearings are "fit" onto shafts in many ways but in this case a nice "tap" fit is what you want. This is usually done by using a micrometer and or vernier caliper to measure the outside diameter of the shaft and the inside diameter of the bearing(s). The outside diameter of the shaft should only be about 0.001"-0.002" smaller then the inside diameter of the bearing(s) to get a nice smooth tap or "slide" fit. The shafts should be nice and smooth and almost look polished before fitting them to the bearing(s)
I know this is all difficult when using shafts that have been found to be "out of round" but by measuring and fitting them carefully,, it can be done.
If the shafts are not fit properly to the bearings and your rubber rollers wear out,you WILL have a difficult time getting the bearings off the shafts to replace the rubber rollers again. By the time you need new rollers you will have all sorts of dirt,grit,etc to contend with which will only add to the difficulty of removing the bearings.
I'm sorry for jumping in here so late but I just caught your post today.
connrock
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ctit101
starting to shine!
Member since May 2011
Posts: 38
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Post by ctit101 on Nov 15, 2011 21:32:39 GMT -5
I didn't have good luck with heater hose. Started breaking down and wore groves in it. Went to the clear hose with the braiding in it. No problem now.
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mia
starting to spend too much on rocks
As you travel on thru life, whatever be your goal. Keep your eye upon the donut, not upon the hole.
Member since January 2011
Posts: 150
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Post by mia on Nov 19, 2011 22:47:39 GMT -5
connrock, well I happen to think you are right however it is too late. My ummmm DH who can tear down a caterpiller motor and put it back together, for some reason decided to pound them onto the shafts. If these bearings fail or I need to replace the heater hose, I am afraid I am just S.O.L. and will have to replace the entire shaft. At which point I will look for bar stock that is round and not egged on the ends. However on a positive note, it is up and running. Attachments:
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Post by frane on Nov 28, 2011 21:19:02 GMT -5
Well, good for you! that looks like a great tumbler and as long as it is running, you are doing great! Fran
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