Firewood processor build thread

[CDN Farm Boy]

Getting there slowly.

I'd use the T key without hesitation, just keep a couple spare if you are worried about it. I wouldn't pay $100 for that either.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

How about a few careful minutes with a new flat file and widen the keyway on the sprocket yourself? Just would have to be sure to make straight strokes and not round the surfaces any and do equal strokes on both sides to remain centered. For an $8 sprocket and a $5 file might be worth it?

 

[kiotiken]

How about a few careful minutes with a new flat file and widen the keyway on the sprocket yourself? Just would have to be sure to make straight strokes and not round the surfaces any and do equal strokes on both sides to remain centered. For an $8 sprocket and a $5 file might be worth it?

Sometimes I feel so dumb. Here I was considering taking a Dremel to the key to make my own combination key! An $8 gamble with the hub might be worth it.

 

[mikehaugen]

We have a broach set at work but I've never used it. It has several short pieces of shaft that the broach slides in and then long broaches the push through the part, I assume it just goes in the press.

If I was more familiar with it I would offer to have you send me the part and I could broach it and send it back. It would definitely be less than $100 in shipping, but probably take more than a week.

Now you have me curious, I'll have to check it out more.

 

[kiotiken]

We have a broach set at work but I've never used it. It has several short pieces of shaft that the broach slides in and then long broaches the push through the part, I assume it just goes in the press.

If I was more familiar with it I would offer to have you send me the part and I could broach it and send it back. It would definitely be less than $100 in shipping, but probably take more than a week.

Now you have me curious, I'll have to check it out more.

I have to say how surprised I am that nobody around here has a broach. I'm in a big city, there are dozens of machine shops within 30 minutes, but none of them say they can do it.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

I have to say how surprised I am that nobody around here has a broach. I'm in a big city, there are dozens of machine shops within 30 minutes, but none of them say they can do it.

That is surprising. Probably too small of a job for them to be interested, hence the $100

 

[kiotiken]

That is surprising. Probably too small of a job for them to be interested, hence the $100

You're probably right, the shop that said a week and $100 didn't seem overly interested in doing it. I don't even time to get it over to them right now and getting out to pick up the combination key would be just as difficult. I'm going to stop by home depot, grab a new file, stick the hub in the vice and give your idea a try. The place that sells the combination key is on the way to PA anyway, so if I screw it up, it won't be a big deal to pick up a new one anyway.

 

[mx842]

That is surprising. Probably too small of a job for them to be interested, hence the $100

Yeah, it would take longer to set up a machine to do the job than to do the job itself. I think he is on the right track. I would file it to fit in a minute before I would let it tie me up for a week and lighten my pocket of $100.00. A hunard dollars will buy a lot of hydraulic fluid or other stuff he will need later on. I might try it out on something else besides the part first, just to get the feel for it then file it and make it work.

 

[kiotiken]

You're the man Jon!

I started with a new file and my angle grinder! I took the bottom edge off the file so I didn't cut any deeper.


With the motor mounted to the processor, I was able to take some large vice grips on the key and hammer it out of the motor. I set out with the modified file and the key and within 10-15 minutes, I had the keyway large enough for the key! The hub still wouldn't fit on the shaft so I used some coarse sanding drums (that I picked up with the file) on a Dremel and went to work on the inside of the hub. 30 minutes and a lot of back and forth and a little more filing later, the hub is on the shaft!

Unfortunately, in my zest to fit the hub to the shaft, I failed to weld on the sprocket to the hub and the hub fits so tightly now, I doubt they'll ever be separated again, so I stuck the sprocket on the hub and put a couple small welds on it. Not as pretty as it could have been, but it should work just fine.



Finally, I went about installing all the idler sprockets. They each needed a quick go over with the Dremel before I could get them to fit. Now that the chain system is in place, I can drill a hole through each roller and axle to add a pin and the chain drive will finally be done.

 

[mikehaugen]

The hub still wouldn't fit on the shaft so I used some coarse sanding drums (that I picked up with the file) on a Dremel and went to work on the inside of the hub. 30 minutes and a lot of back and forth and a little more filing later, the hub is on the shaft!

You are starting to make me wonder if the pump is actually metric? Maybe 32mm with 10mm key?