I hate it when a plan does not fall together. I have been working on a tumbler that uses a 5 gallon bucket. Got it all laid out, rollers, motor, pulleys, drive belt. Drive wheel. Get it all together 100%, wire up the motor, even did the calculations for the correct drive wheel diameter to get 33RPM to the bucket, but when I flipped the switch all the drive wheel did was spin. NO GRIP!!! UGH. So now guess I need to revise this so I actually have a belt around the bucket to another pulley instead of a drive wheel. I guess it is not a complete waste since I might be able to get this to work...
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my homemade tumbler did not work out so well...
- Thread starter gixxer
- Start date
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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If it is a bed type roller system ( two parallel rods with one driven) the drive wheel rod should have a friction surface. A piece of rubber hose will work. The barrel should not be too slippery, either. If it is a dry wall cement type bucket, make some "tires" for it by cutting 6" wide bands of rubber ( large truck inner tube) and stretching them over the outside of the bucket. If you check by a tire shop that does big trucks, you can probably get a bad innertube for free.
Also, make sure the idler rod ( the one not driven) is freely rolling. Putting skateboard wheels on it for the drum to ride on works well.
Stacy
Also, make sure the idler rod ( the one not driven) is freely rolling. Putting skateboard wheels on it for the drum to ride on works well.
Stacy
I hope you have baffles in the bucket, if you don't the stuff that you have in there will just sit on the bottom as it spins...
I built one many years ago, and used 3 angle irons set at 10, 2, and 6 o'clock positions, also depending on how you attach the angle irons, make sure you seal them at the attachment points....
I built one many years ago, and used 3 angle irons set at 10, 2, and 6 o'clock positions, also depending on how you attach the angle irons, make sure you seal them at the attachment points....
I have a bicycle innertube wrapped around the drive wheel, but nothing around my bucket. I did not think of truck innertubes. That is for sure easier than another belt. I took apart my rollerblades and used those wheels, so everything all the way around including the idler shaft is on bearings.
I used pieces of wood molding for my baffles.