# Wood Tumbler



## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

*Prepping the motor.....*

This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.

well I got my blender motor rigged up, built a little stand, and had everything running perfect…..UNTIL….

This was my first time working with a motor/trying to repurpose it. I had my first batch of beads almost done on the machine when the motor burned out. CRAP! All that hard work and nothing to show for it. It over heated. It got me thinking about what type of motor I could use that is meant to continuously run and not over heat….and not cost a fortune.

I found a ceiling fan at a thrift store for $6 the other day. What the heck…I'm going to give it another shot….

*AND HERE GOES…..*

The wood I show below that I glued together - once it was dry, I turned it on the lathe to make a perfect circle. Then I mounted it on the ceiling fan. This wood is what my sandpaper will attach to. I will have to shape it again once the ceiling fan is up and running to get symmetrical.

If anyone has any advice for me that'd be great. I have no plans…just kind of building as I go. I hope this motor wont over heat. Maybe i'll have to have another desktop fan blowing on it the whole time to keep it cool??? I'm also going to wire it for a ceiling fan switch (that goes on the wall) to adjust the speed of the fan. If you have an questions let me know. If you have any advice/comments I'd love to hear them! I will post the next update when I get more done! Enjoy.


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## kevinw (Feb 29, 2008)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Just watch out for high RPM, thin spindle motors. I have a scar on my chin to show for one of my experiments. No doubt you are much brighter than me!


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


I don't know what speed is required for this action, but if you use a wall dimmer switch with a ceiling fan, you lose a little and never get the top RPM like if you just used the 3 speed pull chain switch on the fan. I also don't know what running it upside down will do? Like is there a thrust bearing on top to use like if was hanging and using a thrust bearing on the bottom. Motors are purposed and designed for that service. You take your chances in using them for something else.
Good luck , Doug. And Merry Christmas, my friend!!


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## AttainableApex (Aug 24, 2010)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


a vacuum works really well to keep air flow going over and through the motor


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## jaxonquad (Apr 20, 2011)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Ill be watching this one!


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Thanks for ur responses guys!

Jim - the fan is actually right side up, so that (the upside down thing) shouldnt be an issue. But repurposing a motor does always come with its risks. Luckily Im not investing any real money in it - The fan for $6 is all I'm spending. Everything else will be from stuff I have laying around.

Wiring it to a dimmer switch does kind of scare me, except the switch is rated for a ceiling fan so hopefully it'll be alright. I might not even need it. If the fan is set to Low Speed it might be slow enough for this contraption.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


How long do they need to tumble? I honestly have not a clue about anything electrical but i love doin random things with stuff layin around.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Hey Chris. Check the link out that I posted above. It will tell u everything you need to know


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


First of all your way to fast on your RPM's..with that type of motor. Notice that he used a drill. You have a few choices. You can reduce the speed using a pulley or by placing the shaft against about a 5" rubber wheel. What your looking for is around 60rpm.. That motor you have use's "brushes" and runs at 1725 rpm.. Any motor that has brushes can use a controller which reduces the current to adjust the speed, without it though it's way too fast. If you want a continuous running motor.. use an old furnace fan motor or something similar and recduce the speed with pulleys or a rubber wheel. They also spin at 1725 rpm. but are made to run continuous. In my opinion the fan motor that your using is not what you want for this application, I would opt for the furnace motor. After looking at the other persons system I would also modify the can to have small holes either in the very bottom (maybe 1/4" in diameter) or all around the sides at the bottom going up maybe an inch or so.. to allow for the dust that accumulates to leave the can while it's in operation.. He mentioned he had to shut it off several times to empty the sawdust.. By drilling the hole's it would eliminate that… I might build one of those myself just to see how well they work..hmmm 
One final note.. I would use a rigid PLASTIC container.. NOT metal.. way less noise..
Anyhow that's my 2 cents on this… maybe someone else has a better suggestion?


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


David,
I set my fan on low and clocked it running at about 120-150 RPM. I'm not even sure if on high it could get up to 1750 RPM. I didn't take the time to clock it on medium but I'm guessing that even might be too slow. I do have a ceiling fan dimmer switch that I was going to hook up to it to help control the speed but I'm not even sure I'll need it. I can probabaly just control the speed by the 3 settings it already has (low, medium, high). A ceiling fan (like the furnace fan) is also made to run continuously, so I think I'm good there. I thought about using a furnace fan but didn't want to mess with the pulleys, etc. I'm also not sure that putting a rubber wheel against the shaft to slow it down is a good idea - wouldn't that burn the motor out?

Im not sure if you meant 60 or 600rpm? 60 rpm is WAY to slow. That's only 1 rotation per second. I've never seen a sander run that slowly

The plastic container is a great idea (you read my mind). I've got an empty plastic container that used to have pretzels in them that I think will work perfectly.


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


I stand corrected on your fan motor.. I've made slow wet grinders using the rubber wheel though, as a matter of fact that's what's inside of the TORMACK Sharpening System.. that's where I got the idea from…. I know for a fact those work.. Anyhow I'm thinking of trying to make one of these myself.. so we can compare notes when they're both done.. I like gadgets..LOL 60 rpm is whats used for slow sharpening systems (once again like the TormaK) and for Rock Tumblers.. I have an old fan motor.. never thought of using it because of the load factor but for this purpose you may be right.. I hate it when that happens.. LOL


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


I would love to compare notes and/or see your progress. Im just going by the seat of my pants; I've got no plans, so anything and everything helps! I appreciate u taking the time to give me ur input, I could use all the help I can get. I'm thinking the load on the motor will be pretty minimal. The blocks of wood shouldn't be that heavy!


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Well.. I'm going to start on one today. Like yourself I have NO plans .. just gonna wing it. I did see something similar to this a few years back where the guy used a larger Belt Sander… but it did not work that great.. I'm probably going to just go with a FAN motor at full speed and see what happens to start with. If it needs to be reduced then I can do it.. MAYBE it will simply speed up the whole process??


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


I'm about 50% done with mine..


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## thebigvise (Jun 17, 2010)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Check out www.surpluscenter.com. They have a variety of motors at very low cost. I have used them to make shop tools as well as elaborate shop-made gag gifts.


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## JamesVavra (Apr 27, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


I made a similar tumbler device after seeing Filinvested's project. I made mine to run off of my drill press, which was not the best idea, as the motor got quite warm and I had to shut it down several times to cool down:

I used a 1 gallon plastic bucket with a lid.
In the bottom of the bucket and the lid I drilled holes and inserted bronze flange bearings.
I cut a 6" wooden disc (out of 1/2" plywood) and adhered velcro to one side. I drilled a hole in the center and inserted a 1/4" ID T-Nut.
Through the t-nut I threaded a 12" long 1/4" piece of all thread. I locked down nuts on either side of the wooden disc so that the disc wouldn't "climb" up the shaft as it rotated. The shaft sticks out the bottom just enough to seat in the bottom flange bearing. It sticks out of the top lid by about 4"

After adhering hook and loop 6" 60-grit paper to the disc I chucked the all-thread in my drill press and gave it a whirl. I ran the thing for about 1 hour with hunks of different types of wood. All of the sanding dust ended up below the wooden disc. It took about 3-4 hours and several changes of 60-grit paper to get the beads mostly round. I then went to 120, 220, and 400 grit paper for about 20 minutes each. After the 400, I poured a bit of tung oil in and let it go for another 10 minutes. Finally, I used a buffing pad and a few chunks of carnuba wax for another 10 minutes.

The beads looked great. All together, including breaks to let the motor cool, I spent 14 hours on this endeavor. Most of the time I was working on other things in the shop while it ran. I might have spent an hour actually interacting with it.

Lessons learned:

- I need a dedicated motor that I don't care about burning out. The ceiling fan is brilliant - so much so that I'll start shopping for a used one.
- There is not enough abrasive contact area. This device would be far, far more effective turned 90' on it's side and rolling with the sandpaper covering the walls, not the bottom (basically, like a rock tumbler, or clothes dryer). Of course, I can't say that for sure - but I believe it to be the case. Also, sanding dust removal could be problematic in this configuration.

I've been meaning to post photos of the machine and the beads, but it will probably have to wait unitl after Christmas.

James


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Hi everyone..
Well I just wasted two days work .. using a fan motor.. I finally completed everything.. threw in my chunks of wood.. first few we're bouncing around like popcorn then as I added more it bogged down and would not run.. My fan motor could just not take the load.. So.. I'm starting all over tonight ..square 1 but I'm going to use a 1/4 hp blower motor this time. They wiegh so much I talked myself out of using it.. You need a heavy duty motor.. No question. The reason he is able to do it with a drill is they are a HIGH Torque gearbox even on low speed. I really question long term use of a drill though???? Lesson learned the hard way.. Oh well..
I will post some pictures of my USLELESS completed Fan Motor SYstem soon as I get over being pee'd off at myself.. I'm going to TOTALLY re-Design the whole system..


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


I've been having the same problems David. My ceiling fan motor ended up not working at all! Couldn't even get the damn thing to start. So that was about a days worth of work down the drain. Note to self…before basing a project around a motor, make sure the motor works first!! DOH! So then I went and got a box fan motor. It was nice because everything was ready to go once taken out of the fan. The cord, the speed control…everything. Got it running for like 10 minutes, and it burned out. DAMN!!!!!! Honestly it didnt seem like it was bogged down. I think it just over heated. I didnt put a ton of beads in it. What I think the problem is - when fan motors (like the ones I used) are running, there is a constant movement of air moving through them from the blades of the fan. This air movement keeps them from over heating, thats why they can run seemingly for ever. I didnt have any air movement so they over heated. Now maybe I'm wrong, and maybe it is just too bogged down… who knows

I have a furnace blower motor in the shop. That will be running at WAY to high of RPM for this project. How are you going to incorporate it into the "DEVICE"? Will my ceiling fan dimmer switch work with this kind of motor to slow it down? Or will that just ruin the motor? I want to keep it as simple as possible - not sure I want to mess with pulleys, etc.


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Hi, You cannot use a speed control on a "BRUSHLESS" motor… You have to use gear reduction of some sort.
To be honest now that I've delved into this, I really don't think high RPM's will do anything but SPEED UP the whole process. I'm going to try it first full speed and if necessary, I will then reduce the speed. What I've done so far is to put a drill chuck onto my blower motor. At least that way you can easily change out your grits and buffing wheels. There are quite a few modifications I made on my first attempt that improve the system which all worked.. it's just unfortunate the motor was not the right one for the project. Those beads look pretty cool in the pictures.. My wife said "what in the world are you going to do with them??" Good question I said but they look good..LOL Actually I've now sidetracked myself once again after finding your post and getting interested in this.. I'm also in the middle of making a Bottle Cutter along with a slow speed wet sander for it and.. I seen another YouTube video on Vacuum Molding with acrylics.. so I've got it in the works as well.. I may be retired but I'm not bored….


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Well I finished my Woody Wood Wacker..LOL And this time it works great.. The build itself is not that pretty but I was winging the design and was still not sure if it would even work..
It runs like a sawmill..lol You can read about it and watch the video here >>>> WOODY WOOD WACKER


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


ok, i'll check it out!


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## HamptonBay (Oct 7, 2012)

dakremer said:


> *Prepping the motor.....*
> 
> This journey started out with me asking a question about what I could do (woodworking related) with a blender motor I salvaged. See the forum topic here. Cranesgonewild (an LJ member) gave me a link to a project another LJ member had posted. Here is that project by Filinvested. The project is like a rock tumbler (for polishing rocks), but instead of rocks it takes cubes of wood and turns them into beads of wood. Pretty ingenious idea. So I decided to make one. My mother and stepmother are very religious so I thought it'd be an awesome idea for a Christmas present to make them each a handmade rosary out of the wooden beads I got from this contraption.
> 
> ...


Good one, making a fan motor is a job of expert, everyone can't do it. I just go through your link & found lots of stuff for fan motor. Thanks for sharing.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

*Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*

So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.

Here is a pic of the fan blades I made before they broke…...










Here is a video showing you how it works…..


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


Do you need to worry about dust collection? I would imagine that the dust will eventually gum up your motor.

If you look at how gumballs are made
you can see that they use spinning kettles tilted at 45 degrees to get the shine on them. I think you could replace the sandpaper with a metal coffee can and just tilt the whole contraption. The rolling action causes the balls to rub against each other so any finish that can be rubbed out should work. I would try shellac or some kind of wax.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


UNDER the "B 15 !" lol


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


I thought dust would get into the motor, but after an hour of running the motor was completely clean. The two fans around the motor keep the dust away. It goes everywhere else but the motor .

I thought about putting some buffing pads in the contraption instead of sandpaper. Then putting some wax in with it. Maybe that would do it? How would I stain them though?


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


I was goiing to comment on the first part of your blog but hesitated because I wasn't sure anything I had to say would be helpful. Now that I see your unit in operation, maybe my experience will add to what you have already made.

As some background, I used to operate a Scuba shop- when Scuba tanks were first made of steel. Due to the environment in which they were used, the tanks had a tendency to rust inside. If left unchecked the integrity of the tank could have been compromised- leading to an explosion. Periodically, the tanks had to be "tumbled" to remove the rust. The process involved partially filling the tank with an abrasive- I used quartz pebbles- and then the tank was placed- horizontally- on a rolling device. This "machine" was actually two old time wringer washing machine rollers connected to a 1/4 hp motor through a gearing train that ended up tumbling (spinning) the tank at about 6 rpms. The action of the sliding/tumbling quartz pebbles cleaned the rust from the steel surface. This could take several hours to a day or two depending on the severity of the rusted tank.

The point of this story is that over a period of time, the quartz pebbles became smooth and no longer cut and needed to be replaced. I later discovered that this was the same principle used to polish stones in the jewelry industry. The key to the polishing/shaping was the *slow* churning process. I noticed in your video that the wooden pieces were popping around in your machine. I wonder if you would slow down the motor even more and modify the orientation as mentioned by Sarit if it might not improve the shaping. Having the much slower mixing would keep the wooden pieces in more constant contact with each other and this may have the effect of speeding up the rounding process.

As for the finishing/staining- maybe a small sponge soaked in stain then wrapped in some cheese cloth (similar to a French Polish pad) tossed into the running machine may do it.

Just my 2¢

Lew


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


I agree Lew. With the polishing, it probably needs to be slowed down. However for the shaping it needs to be fast because I'm putting cubes into it and knocking the corners off with the sandpaper until they are round. If I slowed the motor down for that it'd take for ever!!! The bouncing around helps knock those corners off. But for the polishing u want a smoother ride, so way slower

Your suggestion for the staining is a great idea!! Maybe this contraption I made will have to be just for knocking off all the corners and turning them into spheres. Maybe like a hand cranked one at a 45 degree angle for staining/polishing


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## redryder (Nov 28, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


I enjoyed your video. When I saw you hooking up the electrodes I was reminded that this is how Dr. Frankenstein probably started. Don't give up…...............


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


Very interesting Doug. Looks like you've come up with a new machine for choosing lottery numbers.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


Now if it can just picking the winning numbers!!


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## thejaz (Aug 8, 2011)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


Hey Buddy!
I was wondering… Would an octagonal drum, with 80 grit abrasive on the on the walls, knock the corners off faster ?
Just thinkin' ;-)


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


yeah that might work! I was thinking about making something that I can attach to the lathe. Instead of having just the bottom turning - make the entire drum turn…..


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## CalgaryGeoff (Aug 10, 2011)

dakremer said:


> *Working Machine! ...and a problem solved*
> 
> So I redesigned my whole wood tumbler. The previous motor didnt work. Instead I found an old box fan motor that is working out great. To keep it from overheating, I hooked up a computer fan to the bottom of the wood frame. I got this computer fan for free at our city's recycling center! Before using this fan I had built a fan out of plywood to run on the shaft to get some air movement. Of course it broke - but I left it on there anyways cause there was still some air movement from it. I had the whole thing running today for about an hour straight - never even came close to over heating. next blog I'll show you some of the wooden balls I have made, and also gonna try to figure out what I can put in it to buff them out with wax, or apply a stain to them…... again any suggestions would be great.
> 
> ...


Hi Dakremer, I am just putting the finishing touches on a wood tumbler which attaches to a lathe. I plan to attach different sand paper grits onto the tumblers inside as well as through small pieces into the tumbling drum loose.

I saw another LJ (retiredcoastie I think) member post some pics of his tumbled wood and inspired me yet again. Thanks to you for sharing.


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