DIY Tank Tumbler

[Stone]

FredT once bubbled...
Try to kep the tank contact angles to the rollers at about 45° off of vertical. This causes the tank to "settle in' and not want to jump out, and also minimizes the middle idler or drive roller size if building a "double".

Fred,

Good advice as always.

One of my concerns was the "weight" of the tumbling media putting the center of gravity of the tank in a "less than optimum" place. I tend to over-analyze.

Thanks!

 

[Stone]

Here's a picture of the tumbler.

I let the materials in my garage dictate most of the design, i.e., scrap 1 X 8s and 2 X 4s.

I had to buy 2 pulleys, pillow bearings, a piece of 5/8 rod, and the drive belt. . . about $30.

The 220v motor was free (if you don't count the $4000 it cost for me to replace my home A/C a few years ago)

Note the skateboard wheels donated by my Son. The skateboard wheels are accidentially "high-tech" in this application because they have built-in bushings and bearings.

<edit> The first picture was out of focus. Another picture follows in the next Post</edit>

 

[Stone]

I remembered to turn off the macro on this one.

 

[jtsmith]

Good idea with the skateboard wheels. I was going to use trailer rollers.

For motors I have the cure! Go garage sale hunting and pick up a homeade icecream maker. You can then put it directly on the end of your tumbler shaft by squaring the end off. Ice cream makers are geared way down so they are really powerful and they are also continous duty so you don't have to worry about wearing it out.

~JT
http://ecra.emeraldcoastboating.net

 

[Stone]

jtsmith once bubbled...
For motors I have the cure! Go garage sale hunting and pick up a homeade icecream maker

I like the direct drive. If I didn't already have the fan motor, I'd be at the flea market. My motor is 1/3 hp and 220v

I found a rubber roller in the "boat trailer" section of Ace Hardware. It has a 5/8 inch hole, which is what I chose for my power roller shaft. I may end up gluing it to the shaft, but my preliminary tests show that the weight of the tank keeps it from slipping.

 

[FredT]

If you get a heavy wall rubber hose (heater hose?) with the same ID as your drive shaft it can either be bonded to the shaft with a urethane or epoxy or clamped to it at the ends outside the tank contact area. This make a full contact drive roller with a high friction coefficient. The smaller OD helps provide a signifcant "gear down" between the tank and the roller RPMs, so a smaller drive pully can be used.

I'll normally use a 3/4 or 1" drive shaft to help support shorter tanks.

 

[Stone]

FredT once bubbled...
If you get a heavy wall rubber hose (heater hose?) with the same ID as your drive shaft it can either be bonded to the shaft with a urethane or epoxy or clamped to it at the ends outside the tank contact area. This make a full contact drive roller with a high friction coefficient. The smaller OD helps provide a signifcant "gear down" between the tank and the roller RPMs, so a smaller drive pully can be used.

I'll normally use a 3/4 or 1" drive shaft to help support shorter tanks.

My Motor is 1075 rpm (vs 1750 rpm I often hear) , so I didn't have to gear down as much as some DIY tumblers. As a matter of fact, my first roller consisted of scrap 1.25 inch diameter PVC with a bicycle innertube "slid over it" (perfect fit). I needed at least 1.25 inch diameter to reach the lower end of the recommended tank rpm (about 30 rpm). The 2 inch store-bought roller gives me about 42 rpm.

 

[FredT]

Of how there is no "DIR" to maintenance gear.

"Junkyard wars" projects are always interesting no matter what the result. There are so many ways to skin a cat if you can keep the final target in mind and are constrained by what's at hand.

I have to admit a pair of 2" bearings would probably blow your budget.

I spent about a year and a half working on a Bahamian out island. The rule there was "If you didn't bring it with you, and can't make it from whats available, you can't have it for at least 3 months!" The advanced corollary to that was "If you need it earlier you should have ordered it in _____ !"(whatever month was 4 months ago) Needless to say the "scrounge" method of engineering was SOP for unexpected emergencies.

FT

 

[canuckdiver]

LOL fred! sounds exactly like my attitude!

 

[Stone]

FredT once bubbled...
Of how there is no "DIR" to maintenance gear.

"Junkyard wars" projects are always interesting no matter what the result. There are so many ways to skin a cat if you can keep the final target in mind and are constrained by what's at hand.

FT

I always start out constraining myself to what's on hand in the garage; however, I spend a fair amount of time walking the aisles in the hardware store just keeping an eye out for the perfect part, i.e., the part that is perfect for my application regardless of the part's intended purpose.

The guys at the local hardware store still ask me "what's it for", when I ask for a part or draw them a picture, but they know it's usually a waste of time. The tank tumbler was easy enough to explain, but the Nitrox Stik wasn't "inuitively obvious to the casual observer".