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A Bramblebush Workshop Project
Ring and tire rollers
Miscellaneous information from the ArtMetal mail list
compiled by Gene Olson
after viewing any of the links, close the window and you'll automatically return to this page.
Here are the roller pictures that Kit sent me.
If you add or leave the T8a (odd combination is important for a key because short words are often found as parts of longer unrealated words and titles) to posts relating to the band, tire roller topic, they should all end up in one folder here, and Jim can use it as a target to test his program.
http://www.metalsmith.org/edu/equipment/rollers/old-tire-roller.html
Ok, so this is very similar to the one John Adams has.
Cast iron rollers and frame, Center and one end fixed in place and gear driven while the end idler roller is adjusted with a screw jack to change the dia.
The crank has multiple places it can be mounted, and may have even sported two at one time so it could be driven by a person on each side? ? ? or is this a concession to lefties or so that the machine could be mounted close to a wall or other obstruction on one side or the other.
Gene Olson
The bender has two cranks, high tech so two people can crank instead of just one. The other interesting feature is the horizontal slots in the turning mechanism into which a chisel end fits, making a nifty handle making tightening down a lot easier - using that I can handle the whole thing by myself and I am not a strong woman with male category upper body strength. The one thing I do wish for is a channel to keep the bar going through straight, since it likes to torque out if you are not careful - easy to fix but a pain.
Kit Wohl
.....It's almost identical to mine. i would be interested in seeing the pics of the home made one, as i have need for smaller rims than my bender can roll. in the 24" range is about as small as i can get. i have need for 12" rims.
dave mudge
Here're some historical and mechanical things I'm wondering about:
How early was this sort of machine used? 18?? or earlier?
Who would've used it? I see plenty of uses in ornamental metal.
How much gear reduction in that primary set? Looks like a good bit. Sure would beat trying to turn out multiple matching wagon tires by hammer and anvil.
I've just come back from my shop where I'm starting to build one of these from scratch. Rollers made from scrap 2" shaft with tapered lock rings on either side to locate the rollers in the frame and as guides for the metal being bent. 4" 5.4 channel for the backbone frame with the channel turned down, 1/2" flat for everything else. I plan to use roller chain drive to connect the 2 outside wheels and use the center wheel as the adjustable idler wheel to eliminate the need for gear drive. Also this arrangement will simplify the strength issues for me as far as the adjusting frame is concerned. I'm using a 'U' shaped sliding support, with a screw through a threaded hole in the bottom of the 'U' bearing against the floor of the support channel. A couple pieces of flat welded to the sides of the floor channel will keep the 'U' from moving other than vertically. Also I plan to use coil springs to keep tension on the adjustable frame to keep it from just falling when you roll the metal out.
Jim Sealy
for the metal being bent. 4" 5.4 channel for the backbone frame with > the channel turned down, 1/2" flat for everything else. I plan to use > roller chain drive to connect the 2 outside wheels and use the center > wheel as the adjustable idler wheel to eliminate the need for gear > drive.
The gear drive turns the rollers in opposite directions( thats what's needed to feed the stock in), chain will turn the rollers in the same direction, unless you loop around a idler.
Wray Schelin
Wray-
After re-reading Jim's description, I think he has it right. If he's using the two lower rollers (or outside wheels, as he called them) for drive wheels, then they will both need to turn in the same direction and at the same speed. If you are using one lower and one upper rollers for drive wheels, then they need to turn in opposite directions.
Just as a side note, at the historic park where I do a lot of my smithing, we also have a tire bender. It is a bit different than the ones described so far in that only the top wheel is driven. The fixed outside (lower) roller, and the adjustable outside (lower) roller are both free wheeling.
Dave Brown
So far as I know it was used expressly to make the metal tires for carriages, however, the other uses are obvious for today - I use mine to bend circles, which are cut in half as arches for oudoor metal frame gazabos, and full circles for some of my sculpture. First saw one at David Mudge's forge (drool) and went on an internet hunt in the blacksmith's junkyard and finally found one. I can get a circle down to about 24". Just did an S curve for a table base which was pretty nifty, just running it to the center of the bar, then turning it over and doing it in the other direction. David, however, it the real authority with this. I would love one that can do smaller circles as well.
Kit Wohl
To bend smaller circles, try this trick: After you roll the circle as tight as the bender will go, slip another piece of flat stock under the circle and roll it again. Just be careful not to exceed the capacity of the bender. You can also slip a larger diameter roller over one or more of the bending rollers to produce a tighter radius bend.
I have some pictures of my bending rolls on my web page,
http://home.earthlink.net/~xmas4lites/
Just be forewarned the page takes a long time to download.
Jay Hayes
This may have already come up in this thread but that outfit in Wyoming that makes the inexpensive benders also makes a tire roller. I lost the brochure so I can't say for sure but it seems to me like their tire bender can make circles as small as 8".
Larry Noller
Here you go, the tire roller:
Shop Outfitters
1200 Skyline Drive - Dept.MD35
Laramie WY 82070
(307)745-5999
Fax (307)742-5999
Rolls up to 3/8" x 2" HR
Somewhere around $690 as I recall w/ shipping free to lower 48.
Chris Worsley
Hmmm different address same phone #s
Try the following place:
Shop Outfitters
605 South Adams Street
Laramie, WY 82070
307-745-5999
307-742-5999 fax
Compact metal working tools including a bender with several (optional) attachments like scrollers and a bar twister, ring roller, and heavy stock brake.
Have fun!
Mark
I have a 'tire', or ring roller, that I picked up at an auction where a modern metal work shop went out of business. It is home made, and uses a small hydraulic jack to adjust the center roller to set the amount of bend. If anyone is also interested in this, I will get some pictures and scan them up.
Dave Brown
There was an article on makeing a circle bender that was published in the Northwestern Blacksmiths newsletter, (original article was from Calif. if I remember right)
the article was reprinted in "Metalsmith"(GoM version)
http://www.metalsmith.org/pub/mtlsmith/V20.3/roller.htm
In any event, we can post the pictures in the equipment section on the Guild site if you send them to me at: gene@mtn.org
It might be interesting to contrast the older versions with the handbuilt ones.
GeneOlson
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