Roller for bending flat bar

[chucketn]

Somewhere I recall seeing a write up on making a flywheel rim or maybe a traction engine wheel from flat stock by rolling it into a circle. Can anyone point me to such a build? What is that type of roller called? Any plans for such floating around?
Chuck

 

[canadianhorsepower]

Somewhere I recall seeing a write up on making a flywheel rim or maybe a traction engine wheel from flat stock by rolling it into a circle. Can anyone point me to such a build? What is that type of roller called? Any plans for such floating around?
Chuck

Hi Chuck

you can easily do that by putting your flat bar on top of
your vise jaw that you will open to the radius of the wheel you
want and the go at it gently with a hammer in the middle
of your opening and your circle will come like a miracle

cheers

 

[RonGinger]

Over on ModelEngineMaker there was a post just a day or two ago on bending a square brass bar into a flywheel http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php?topic=4629.msg103123;topicseen#new He made a former for the inside and just heated and bent and clamped it. A very nice bit of work.

 

[chucketn]

Is the benderthingy a slip roll?

Chuck

 

[Jasonb]

Ring Roller

How big a wheel do you want

http://www.fowlermodels.nl/index_bestanden/Page377.htm

 

[chucketn]

4", maybe 5". For flywheels and such.

Chuck

 

[bazmak]

If you are to machine it after then use a hammer and round bar former
you can get it reasonably accurate and machine out the marks later
Slip rollers are lmited at small dias and thin sections.You can make a simple fixed 3 wheel roller for not too wide sections.If its brass etc you can clamp to a piece of round bar,heat and pull round at just over one spring coil ,then cut and true up.Rough and ready is fine if you can machine true after.Accurate rolling of thin gauge sheetmetal is down to slip rollers.As an apprentice sheetmetalworker,i have in the past done many wierd and wonderful things
in order to fabricte complicated shapes. regards Barry

 

[Tin Falcon]

Grizzly tools has such a device as part of a 3 piece scroll work set
Not a bad price $192 for all three.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Metal-Craft-Tool-Set/H5502
Tin

 

[Tin Falcon]

Plans for a small ring roller here :http://www.msbn.com/Art/SV_Shop_Ring_Roller.pdf
Tin

 

[Wizard69]

4", maybe 5". For flywheels and such.

Chuck

The device you are looking for is often referred to as a ring roller. They are handy to have but maybe not idea for small rings like you are asking about. There are a wide variety of metal bending jigs out there than are handy for smaller stuff, these jigs are also handy to have.

However if you have neither, you can form materials manually around mandrels or cut blanks out of flat stock. Forming the part out of flat stock has some advantages as the rim is now one piece and you can machine to the precision you need.

By the way if you do an Internet search you should find plans for ring rollers and different types of bending jigs. As noted they are handy devices and easy projects for a home machine shop.

One other thing old brass plumbing parts can often be donor parts.

 

[chucketn]

Plans for a small ring roller here :http://www.msbn.com/Art/SV_Shop_Ring_Roller.pdf
Tin

Thanks, Tin. That's the kind I'm looking for.

Chuck

 

[dnalot]

I am in need of such a ring roller and I found this photo of a home made roller that I liked. Looks simple. Scale the design to whatever you need.

Mark

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Chuck--You won't be able to roll flatbar thick enough to form a proper flywheel rim with a ring roller, not in the diameters you want. Your best bet is to find a local machine shop/metal supplier and get "offcuts" of 4 or 5" diameter heavy wall pipe.---Brian

 

[gmac]

Chuck;
J.R. Bentley did it without rollers,

http://modelengines.info/goldeng/const/flywheel.html

Cheers Garry

 

[chucketn]

Thanks, Gary. Filed that away for future reference.

Chuck