06-12-2021, 05:27 AM
I've been wanting to build a muller for a while, had a few bits put aside waiting for the right time. I had to cancel an outback trip due to COVID lockdown so made a start on the muller and I've been spending some time on it over the past week.
The base is a chunk of 12mm plate that came from a clearing sale. Should take a while to wear through that. A geared motor came from a friend who installs medical imaging equipment, think it was off the table lift for an MRI machine or similar. The motor is a flange mount so I bored a suitable hole in the plate to mount it
[attachment=17104]
[attachment=17105]
The output is 600RPM and I'm using a double-reduction belt drive to target about 50RPM in the muller. Cobbled together a countershaft assembly from some channel out of the scrap pile, a pair of flange-mount bearings and 1" shaft
[attachment=17106]
[attachment=17107]
This thing was on the motor that I used for my rotary phase converter, it seems to be cast steel and I've kept it aside for a muller wheel since building the RPC
[attachment=17108]
This is the general arrangement idea with the wheel cut off that casting and the big pipe offcut that will be the body of the muller.
[attachment=17109]
The central hub thingamajig that will have the wheel and scrapers suspended from it was fabricated using another bit of heavy-walled steel pipe that I grabbed from the scrappy for a crucible. It will form an umbrella over it's own hub bearing, I plan to be able to break out my poured moulds straight into the muller so everything has to be protected from sand from above. this is the hub assembly having a keyway cut in the shaper.
[attachment=17110]
I've seen a couple of builds on youtube with a trapdoor in the base for emptying the sand into a bucket; that seems like a better idea than having to tip this thing out considering it will weigh more than me by the time it's finished. I cut an opening in the base plate
[attachment=17111]
then mounted the plate in the mill and beveled the opening
[attachment=17112]
[attachment=17113]
then set the same cutter up in horizontal mode on the frankenmill to bevel the sliding piece
[attachment=17114]
The setup was nice and repeatable so I could test fit and sneak up on the finish width
[attachment=17115]
[attachment=17116]
then round the end and bevel the curve on the belt grinder to close the hole.
[attachment=17118]
[attachment=17117]
Will post more as I make more.
The base is a chunk of 12mm plate that came from a clearing sale. Should take a while to wear through that. A geared motor came from a friend who installs medical imaging equipment, think it was off the table lift for an MRI machine or similar. The motor is a flange mount so I bored a suitable hole in the plate to mount it
[attachment=17104]
[attachment=17105]
The output is 600RPM and I'm using a double-reduction belt drive to target about 50RPM in the muller. Cobbled together a countershaft assembly from some channel out of the scrap pile, a pair of flange-mount bearings and 1" shaft
[attachment=17106]
[attachment=17107]
This thing was on the motor that I used for my rotary phase converter, it seems to be cast steel and I've kept it aside for a muller wheel since building the RPC
[attachment=17108]
This is the general arrangement idea with the wheel cut off that casting and the big pipe offcut that will be the body of the muller.
[attachment=17109]
The central hub thingamajig that will have the wheel and scrapers suspended from it was fabricated using another bit of heavy-walled steel pipe that I grabbed from the scrappy for a crucible. It will form an umbrella over it's own hub bearing, I plan to be able to break out my poured moulds straight into the muller so everything has to be protected from sand from above. this is the hub assembly having a keyway cut in the shaper.
[attachment=17110]
I've seen a couple of builds on youtube with a trapdoor in the base for emptying the sand into a bucket; that seems like a better idea than having to tip this thing out considering it will weigh more than me by the time it's finished. I cut an opening in the base plate
[attachment=17111]
then mounted the plate in the mill and beveled the opening
[attachment=17112]
[attachment=17113]
then set the same cutter up in horizontal mode on the frankenmill to bevel the sliding piece
[attachment=17114]
The setup was nice and repeatable so I could test fit and sneak up on the finish width
[attachment=17115]
[attachment=17116]
then round the end and bevel the curve on the belt grinder to close the hole.
[attachment=17118]
[attachment=17117]
Will post more as I make more.