Highover
07-16-2017, 12:07 AM
So while I wait till later this year to buy a excavator I have decided to build a conveyor belt to move dirt around. I started with a Bruder conveyor belt that I looked at for about five minutes, then proceed to destroy it and salvage the rollers and belt from it.
Next step was buying 3/16 ( 0.1875 ) brass tubing from the hobby shop for the new frame, 1" x 1/16" ( 0.0625 ) brass strip for bearing plates, and some sheet metal for a hopper.
I then set up my Bridgeport mill to mill four 21" tubes to length for the main rail of the new frame, and also to cut/notch the ends of all the tubes that would be used as spacers for the height and width of the frame.
Here are some pictures of the set-up and final product of my work.
http://i.imgur.com/sEHVsex.jpg?1
I used a scrap of the tubing against a vise stop to ensure that both notches were parallel with each other. To make the notches I used a 0.1875 endmill ( EM ) to drill a hole down the center of the tube and offset from my stop the length of the spacer I wanted.
http://i.imgur.com/T7pLWXB.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/ndUuCou.jpg?1
In all I had 4 - 21.00" main rails, 20 - 1.00" spacers, 11 - 2.125" spacers.
I spent my afternoon this weekend ( 7/15/17 ) soldering all the part together to make the two sides of the frame and also milled my 0.0625 bar stock to size to fit between my 1" spacers. I also made a spacer block to get a very consistent spacing of 2.375" between each tube center to center and also to keep them square to the frame rails.
Here are some picture of the frame as I assembled it.
http://i.imgur.com/OEWeo6u.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/riA20Zw.jpg?2
Here are pictures of the finished sides with the bearing plates.
http://i.imgur.com/BMg3Lg0.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/64ow5ik.jpg?1
Here I am soldering in the bearing plates, I used a piece of my 0.0625 brass stock to get the plates centered in the frames.
http://i.imgur.com/VdxOGYJ.jpg?1
The finished product.
http://i.imgur.com/idStF2m.jpg?2
My next steps will be to add in my 2.125" spacers and drill and bore the bearing plates to fit my flange bearings I bought as well to drill the clearance holes to allow me to bolt the gear motor on. I bought all my motion components from www.servocity.com, time will tell if these components hold up. the motor is a 195 RPM motor.
http://i.imgur.com/3D8EX0S.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/wAxR9n9.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/3lVbGn1.jpg?1
So this is my update for now, It will be a week or two before I get around to boring the holes for the bearings.
-Joe
Next step was buying 3/16 ( 0.1875 ) brass tubing from the hobby shop for the new frame, 1" x 1/16" ( 0.0625 ) brass strip for bearing plates, and some sheet metal for a hopper.
I then set up my Bridgeport mill to mill four 21" tubes to length for the main rail of the new frame, and also to cut/notch the ends of all the tubes that would be used as spacers for the height and width of the frame.
Here are some pictures of the set-up and final product of my work.
http://i.imgur.com/sEHVsex.jpg?1
I used a scrap of the tubing against a vise stop to ensure that both notches were parallel with each other. To make the notches I used a 0.1875 endmill ( EM ) to drill a hole down the center of the tube and offset from my stop the length of the spacer I wanted.
http://i.imgur.com/T7pLWXB.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/ndUuCou.jpg?1
In all I had 4 - 21.00" main rails, 20 - 1.00" spacers, 11 - 2.125" spacers.
I spent my afternoon this weekend ( 7/15/17 ) soldering all the part together to make the two sides of the frame and also milled my 0.0625 bar stock to size to fit between my 1" spacers. I also made a spacer block to get a very consistent spacing of 2.375" between each tube center to center and also to keep them square to the frame rails.
Here are some picture of the frame as I assembled it.
http://i.imgur.com/OEWeo6u.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/riA20Zw.jpg?2
Here are pictures of the finished sides with the bearing plates.
http://i.imgur.com/BMg3Lg0.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/64ow5ik.jpg?1
Here I am soldering in the bearing plates, I used a piece of my 0.0625 brass stock to get the plates centered in the frames.
http://i.imgur.com/VdxOGYJ.jpg?1
The finished product.
http://i.imgur.com/idStF2m.jpg?2
My next steps will be to add in my 2.125" spacers and drill and bore the bearing plates to fit my flange bearings I bought as well to drill the clearance holes to allow me to bolt the gear motor on. I bought all my motion components from www.servocity.com, time will tell if these components hold up. the motor is a 195 RPM motor.
http://i.imgur.com/3D8EX0S.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/wAxR9n9.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/3lVbGn1.jpg?1
So this is my update for now, It will be a week or two before I get around to boring the holes for the bearings.
-Joe