The Makers Thread

[surferguy]

So a mechanical question:

I have a discontinued drum sander that I can no longer get replacement parts. In this case the motor that drives the conveyor belt.


The motor has a gear with a broken tooth, as the gears turn it gets to the broken tooth and subsequently spins free no longer driving the belt.

Parts are no longer available, I’ve got my dad checking with local gear shops in town today but my real question is -

If I cannot find a gear to replace this one, could/would a 3D printed gear work for something like this?

Mechanically I’m rather inept so I am really open to all options here. Let me know your thoughts.

Maybe I can get some pictures later but I won’t have a chance to fully respond to questions here for a while.

TIA

[Fuzz]

Does it look like a plastic gear or metal? I assume at minimum it would be glass fibre nylon, so a 3D printed plastic one wouldn't last long.


There are sites like this that have generic ones, you might be able to find a fit:
https://khkgears.net/new/how_to_select_gears.html

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Sunglasses holder dry enough to install. I thought this would be a quick project, but getting the dividers all spaced properly and cleaned up was a PITA. I'm sure there are better ways, but my manky cheap table saw made it tougher than it should have been. Must upgrade!

Spoiler!

Nicely done Fuzz.
I can already see many other uses including:
Glove stuffer
key hider
device holder
snack chutes
someone will eventually try to put shoe(s) in
any other knick knack holder
junk mail / receipt holder

beer and/or wine bottle rack (most likely end use)

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Does it look like a plastic gear or metal? I assume at minimum it would be glass fibre nylon, so a 3D printed plastic one wouldn't last long.


There are sites like this that have generic ones, you might be able to find a fit:
https://khkgears.net/new/how_to_select_gears.html

It is a metal gear. Forgot to include that.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by RichieRich

Nicely done Fuzz.
I can already see many other uses including:
Glove stuffer
key hider
device holder
snack chutes
someone will eventually try to put shoe(s) in
any other knick knack holder
junk mail / receipt holder

beer and/or wine bottle rack (most likely end use)

One cubby has already been filled with mini hand sanitizer bottles, and a couple others for masks.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by surferguy

It is a metal gear. Forgot to include that.

Ah, ya, I would think a good machine shop could reproduce it for you, not sure where to recommend though.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Ah, ya, I would think a good machine shop could reproduce it for you, not sure where to recommend though.

Dad is working on that for me at the moment. Hopefully we can find some answers today.

[#-3]

Originally Posted by surferguy

Dad is working on that for me at the moment. Hopefully we can find some answers today.

If it was a metal gear, I get a metal gear. printed plastic just wont hold up.

I'd think it's pretty unlikely a consumer product like that would have had a unique gear pitch, a place TSL, Motion, Wajax would be the types of places that could order random one off items out of a gear catalogue.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by #-3

If it was a metal gear, I get a metal gear. printed plastic just wont hold up.

I'd think it's pretty unlikely a consumer product like that would have had a unique gear pitch, a place TSL, Motion, Wajax would be the types of places that could order random one off items out of a gear catalogue.

Yeah, from an ease/cost point of view I think its pretty likely you could find a replacement gear as mentioned.

However, that sounds like less of an adventure than getting some wax, making an impression, then rotating it to repeat the impression (to cover the missing tooth). Then using the impression to cast a new gear.

[81MC]

Steel gear that’s broken? Probably not crazy precision for driving a conveyer, could probably quickly weld some material and file to shape. If it’s cast, pin+braze?

[Puppet Guy]

Nothing groundbreaking here, just a classic airplane.

I got inspired by a book I was reading and took this Spitfire out of my stash last weekend. Just picked away at it, painted up a wood plaque for the stand, something to look good on the shelf. I think there's an unspoken rule that every modelmaker has to have at least one Spitfire in their collection, and it'd been about 18 years since I did one, so I was due.

Spoiler!

[img]
https://scontent.fyyc2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/139751384_2808959156028048_2522546584672796972_o.j pg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=6ERDTj vUO5sAX_-iTOn&_nc_ht=scontent.fyyc2-1.fna&oh=2990e24d1cb454decf97cce90fbcde03&oe=60278 438[/img]

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by #-3

If it was a metal gear, I get a metal gear. printed plastic just wont hold up.

I'd think it's pretty unlikely a consumer product like that would have had a unique gear pitch, a place TSL, Motion, Wajax would be the types of places that could order random one off items out of a gear catalogue.

You could potentially get someone to CNC router a gear out of aluminum.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

Nothing groundbreaking here, just a classic airplane.

I got inspired by a book I was reading and took this Spitfire out of my stash last weekend. Just picked away at it, painted up a wood plaque for the stand, something to look good on the shelf. I think there's an unspoken rule that every modelmaker has to have at least one Spitfire in their collection, and it'd been about 18 years since I did one, so I was due.

Spoiler!

[img]
https://scontent.fyyc2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/139751384_2808959156028048_2522546584672796972_o.j pg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=6ERDTj vUO5sAX_-iTOn&_nc_ht=scontent.fyyc2-1.fna&oh=2990e24d1cb454decf97cce90fbcde03&oe=60278 438[/img]

Looks great! Now take a dremel to it and make it look like it’s seen some action.

[Fuzz]

Spoiler!

Built myself a shop clock. And I know, it's far from perfect. It's a shop clock. Big thanks to Surferguy for his brake rotor he didn't know I'd be re-using.

[surferguy]

Hey that’s pretty neat! Well done Fuzz! I like the numbers done in chain.

12 yr old me would have made a throwing star of some sort out of that rotor

[photon]

It clearly needed to be made into a glaive and displayed under the banner "Krull's Shop"

[combustiblefuel]

I like to make bikepacking bags, I have a paint booth,like to air brush, I like to do my own renos, I'm learning to make my own bike parts,( frame, fork and parts)from a friend who owns a local custom bike company here.