Cheap DIY Wheel Lathe - Community Design Project

**PowerZot5000** · 03-08-2010 08:32 PM

subscribbbbed...

**ckpcw** · 03-08-2010 08:47 PM

The method I use to mount the wheel is 2 conical bushings inserted into the hub and tightened down. Never had issues melting the core. Others have used seized bearings as well.

Ideally, a chuck could be designed to lock into the ridges inside the wheel core - most wheels I own have plastic notches in the core, the most dramatic being the striker/powerball/centerset RF style core with 6 large notches. Many others have 3 shallower grooves.

**TM_Cruzer** · 03-08-2010 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by ckpcw

The method I use to mount the wheel is 2 conical bushings inserted into the hub and tightened down. Never had issues melting the core. Others have used seized bearings as well.

Ideally, a chuck could be designed to lock into the ridges inside the wheel core - most wheels I own have plastic notches in the core, the most dramatic being the striker/powerball/centerset RF style core with 6 large notches. Many others have 3 shallower grooves.

Good thinking regarding the notches.

Also, regarding my last post in this thread.

Any thoughts?

**ckpcw** · 03-08-2010 09:11 PM

I'm assuming the block pivots about the left "upright"?

Looks good, but depending on the method you use to "crank down" the cutting arm, you may encounter the same problems that earlier designs in this thread have faced, mainly wheel bounce.

A heavily flatspotted wheel will "kick" the cutting arm away in the thicker wheel regions as it spins. If you're applying pressure by hand, this can cause the flatspots to worsen (or create new nonuniformities in the wheel surface). Thats why the next thing I want to try is a spring to control the evenness of applied pressure and allow the cutting arm to be engaged slowly.

Here's a possible example using your design:

EDIT: I see that the uprights are part of your drill assembly. you get the picture though, right? The spring absorbs the flatspot kick. Also, this spring concept is better suited for a sanding-style cutter, rather than a blade. A blade would require an extremely solid mount (which I don't have)

**TM_Cruzer** · 03-08-2010 09:18 PM

Hmmm....
I completely overlooked that.

I could also lower the wheel down onto the blade, so it'd be kind of like Kraffffffffffffffffffft's post with the chisel a while back.

Another thought would be to have an incremental stop on the other upright that I could clamp the one with the blade against. Slowly move the blade in, while having it clamped so there wouldn't be any"bouncing" you are talking about, taking a little off of the "highest" points at a time. What do you think?

Edit: I see what you're saying in your edit. I could try that out too.

**ckpcw** · 03-08-2010 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by TM_Cruzer

Hmmm....
I completely overlooked that.

I could also lower the wheel down onto the blade, so it'd be kind of like Kraffffffffffffffffffft's post with the chisel a while back.

Another thought would be to have an incremental stop on the other upright that I could clamp the one with the blade against. Slowly move the blade in, while having it clamped so there wouldn't be any"bouncing" you are talking about, taking a little off of the "highest" points at a time. What do you think?

Edit: I see what you're saying in your edit. I could try that out too.

Hmm.. lowering the wheel down might just do the trick.. good idea!

As for the incremental clamping - it should work in theory - and it is the same concept that we started out with. What I'm saying is that it's very hard to eliminate all wheel bounce when using this technique. Your clamping mechanism, drill head, wheel mount, blade mount, etc all need to be VERY SOLID. On the designs I've attempted, there's always a bit of play somewhere (I mean, using bushings to mount the wheel isn't super solid in the first place).

Basically - you're ideas are good - just gotta try it out and see what happens!
I'm hoping to get back to this project soon myself

**TM_Cruzer** · 03-08-2010 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by ckpcw

Hmm.. lowering the wheel down might just do the trick.. good idea!

As for the incremental clamping - it should work in theory - and it is the same concept that we started out with. What I'm saying is that it's very hard to eliminate all wheel bounce when using this technique. Your clamping mechanism, drill head, wheel mount, blade mount, etc all need to be VERY SOLID. On the designs I've attempted, there's always a bit of play somewhere (I mean, using bushings to mount the wheel isn't super solid in the first place).

Basically - you're ideas are good - just gotta try it out and see what happens!
I'm hoping to get back to this project soon myself

I have the wheel held in place by washers clamping the core right now. Idk how it'll work once there's pressure against it...

I want to get it right the first time. I don't have to many set's of wheels to trash...

If the lever arm thingy works, it'll be really easy to convert the rig to making rain wheels, radiusing, etc...

**thokk2** · 03-09-2010 07:13 AM

Originally Posted by TM_Cruzer

I have the wheel held in place by washers clamping the core right now. Idk how it'll work once there's pressure against it...

I want to get it right the first time. I don't have to many set's of wheels to trash...

If the lever arm thingy works, it'll be really easy to convert the rig to making rain wheels, radiusing, etc...

I have two sets of 65mm sector 9 clear yellow/orange wheels what I'm not using. We should go out and flat spot them and then use them to test your machine on.

**TM_Cruzer** · 03-09-2010 09:55 AM

Sounds like a plan.

**thokk2** · 03-09-2010 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by TM_Cruzer

Sounds like a plan.

I'll bring them to Roma today.

**Camel** · 03-09-2010 10:56 AM

Heck, I just lean the wheel against a mounted bench grinder wheel when it's mounted on a truck and take a wood rasp to it. Cleans up flat spots in a matter of seconds. You don't even have to take it off the board.

**thokk2** · 03-12-2010 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by thokk2

I have two sets of 65mm sector 9 clear yellow/orange wheels what I'm not using. We should go out and flat spot them and then use them to test your machine on.

Working on flatspotting our testers.

This is my front wheel, the rear was far worse.

And that was only in a hour.

P.S. Crappy stock S9 wheels are pretty nice to slide.

**kraffft** · 03-12-2010 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Camel

Heck, I just lean the wheel against a mounted bench grinder wheel when it's mounted on a truck and take a wood rasp to it. Cleans up flat spots in a matter of seconds. You don't even have to take it off the board.

I'm curious to see pics of this method. I'm assuming it's easiest on decks with large cutouts? and might not remove heavy damage that easily?

**Kevin in Edmonton** · 03-29-2010 09:42 AM

Bump!

Tencharactersineedtocompletethispost

**TM_Cruzer** · 03-29-2010 11:04 AM

Haha, Yeah...
We still need to work on this...

**thokk2** · 03-29-2010 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by TM_Cruzer

Haha, Yeah...
We still need to work on this...

I've got some flat spotted wheels! Haha.

**shottyman0** · 03-29-2010 05:13 PM

I think a sooped up version of this would work:

It's an apple peeler =)

EDIT: And this one only costs $9.99

**speshlspeclsteak** · 03-29-2010 05:20 PM

those actually make apples into filing for stuff like pie and apple crisp i wouldnt want to put a wheel through one

**luftywaffles** · 03-29-2010 06:07 PM

i have one of those

they are indeed for peeling apples though

**anatharc** · 03-29-2010 06:16 PM

well if you placed a piece of low grit sandpaper where the blade is on the apple pealer and just ran a wheel back and forth over it at a certain "width" that might get rid of flatspots by just wearing off the extra urethane.

anyone whose semi decent at MS paint wanna throw up a concept drawing?