How to make a pulley without a lathe
Not being able to find and buy a pulley of the required size, you can make it yourself. To do this, you will need to cast an aluminum blank and grind it, which can be done even without a lathe.
To make a blank for a pulley you will need a mold for casting it. To do this, you need to prepare a mixture of clay and sand. They are sifted and then mixed.
You will need 1 part clay to 2-3 parts sand. The proportion depends on the fat content of the clay. It is important that the slightly moistened mixture can stick together into lumps.
To make an impression of the mold for pouring, you need to take a wooden cylinder slightly larger in diameter than the required pulley. A hole is made in the center. A tube is inserted into the hole, and into it any round timber with a diameter corresponding to the shaft on which the pulley will be installed.
Next, a frame for the mold is made from 4 bricks, a little molding mixture is poured into it and a template is installed on top.Then it is sprinkled with clay and sand. The mixture is compacted tightly.
After this, the template is removed with a slight twist so that the central round timber remains inside. It is advisable to make several of these molds in case of defects during casting.
A small stove is made from ordinary bricks. Grate bars are installed in it. The brick is laid on clean clay. To install the crucible, 2 rods are placed on top of the furnace.
Aluminum scrap for melting is placed in a homemade crucible. The crucible can be welded from a fire extinguisher, a large-diameter thick-walled pipe, or an electric motor stator. It is installed on the stove and lined with brick to retain heat. Next, the stove is lit with small wood chips. The flame temperature when burning wood chips is sufficient to melt aluminum even without air injection.
It is advisable to cover the crucible, at least with a brick. Before casting, slag is removed from above the molten metal. Next, the aluminum is poured into the mold.
After cooling, you need to knock out the round timber from the blank.
To do this, you will need to warm it up with a burner or in a fire. Then it will come out under the blows of the hammer without splitting the workpiece.
Then the blank is fixed to the electric motor shaft. To do this, a hole is drilled in its end and a thread is cut. This will allow you to clamp the blank with a bolt and nut. If the motor shaft turns out to be thinner than the bore diameter of the pulley, you can bend a sheet metal bushing to compensate for the difference.
The motor itself is screwed to a heavy stove or countertop. To groove the pulley, you will need to make a stop for the cutters. To do this, you can use a large corner and a plate. A simpler, cheaper solution would be a wooden stop made of a block and a board.
Cutters for turning work can be turned with a grinder from old files.Next, the engine with the blank is started and it is ground. This can be done quickly using a grinder with a sharpening wheel. After rough turning, fine processing is performed with homemade cutters. As work progresses, the groove of the pulley is checked by applying the belt under which it is made. You also need to remember to control the diameter of the pulley if it needs to be specific.
A pulley made in this artisanal way can be used on low-speed engines. If there are beats in it due to insufficient balancing, then this is not critical.
What you will need:
- clay, sand;
- bricks;
- grate;
- firewood;
- homemade crucible;
- aluminum scrap;
- a pair of old files;
- Bulgarian;
- electric motor;
- steel angle and plate.
Pulley manufacturing process
To make a blank for a pulley you will need a mold for casting it. To do this, you need to prepare a mixture of clay and sand. They are sifted and then mixed.
You will need 1 part clay to 2-3 parts sand. The proportion depends on the fat content of the clay. It is important that the slightly moistened mixture can stick together into lumps.
To make an impression of the mold for pouring, you need to take a wooden cylinder slightly larger in diameter than the required pulley. A hole is made in the center. A tube is inserted into the hole, and into it any round timber with a diameter corresponding to the shaft on which the pulley will be installed.
Next, a frame for the mold is made from 4 bricks, a little molding mixture is poured into it and a template is installed on top.Then it is sprinkled with clay and sand. The mixture is compacted tightly.
After this, the template is removed with a slight twist so that the central round timber remains inside. It is advisable to make several of these molds in case of defects during casting.
A small stove is made from ordinary bricks. Grate bars are installed in it. The brick is laid on clean clay. To install the crucible, 2 rods are placed on top of the furnace.
Aluminum scrap for melting is placed in a homemade crucible. The crucible can be welded from a fire extinguisher, a large-diameter thick-walled pipe, or an electric motor stator. It is installed on the stove and lined with brick to retain heat. Next, the stove is lit with small wood chips. The flame temperature when burning wood chips is sufficient to melt aluminum even without air injection.
It is advisable to cover the crucible, at least with a brick. Before casting, slag is removed from above the molten metal. Next, the aluminum is poured into the mold.
After cooling, you need to knock out the round timber from the blank.
To do this, you will need to warm it up with a burner or in a fire. Then it will come out under the blows of the hammer without splitting the workpiece.
Then the blank is fixed to the electric motor shaft. To do this, a hole is drilled in its end and a thread is cut. This will allow you to clamp the blank with a bolt and nut. If the motor shaft turns out to be thinner than the bore diameter of the pulley, you can bend a sheet metal bushing to compensate for the difference.
The motor itself is screwed to a heavy stove or countertop. To groove the pulley, you will need to make a stop for the cutters. To do this, you can use a large corner and a plate. A simpler, cheaper solution would be a wooden stop made of a block and a board.
Cutters for turning work can be turned with a grinder from old files.Next, the engine with the blank is started and it is ground. This can be done quickly using a grinder with a sharpening wheel. After rough turning, fine processing is performed with homemade cutters. As work progresses, the groove of the pulley is checked by applying the belt under which it is made. You also need to remember to control the diameter of the pulley if it needs to be specific.
A pulley made in this artisanal way can be used on low-speed engines. If there are beats in it due to insufficient balancing, then this is not critical.
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