Assembling my Ametek DC Motor Mill

[valterra]

This was posted on the board, but since I'll want to include pictures of the final project, etc., I thought it'd be better placed in my diary.

Here's what I've come up with:

Here's the theory, so you'll understand what you're looking at. The blades and motor are there for reference. Also the diamond for the tail plate.

Some parts are drawn separated, to make more sense in the drawing.

The brown parts are made of wood.

Directly under the motor is a plank wide enough to mount the motor using large U-Brackets or a muffler mount or some such nonsense.

That plank is screwed directly into the larger rectangle piece of wood, which will be a 4x4 (6x6?) Think Mailbox Post.

Using a "doorknob hole" drill bit, I'll bore a hole into the bottom of that 4x4 hunk, and insert a section of pipe (colored black in the drawing).

The entire assembly will fit on top of a smaller-diameter pipe (colored grey) to allow horizontal rotation in the wind. I don't know if I can use a bearing easily here? I figured I'd use a plastic bushing (cap) or pump some grease in there, or both, to allow the big pipe to rotate around on the little pipe.

The tail's horizontal wood will be a large wooden dowel (think of the rod that you hang your clothes on in the closet), to which I'll attach the tail plate.

The tail assembly will be inserted into the 4x4 chunk via a hole, also bored with a "doorknob hole" drill bit. Of course, there'll be screws a'plenty to hold everything in place.

If all of that makes sense - does it look okay to you? Any (easy) suggestions?  Remember, no welding or extensive use of power tools.  I'm a real gimp at that stuff.    :-)

How long should the tail be? and how big should the plate be? Of course, I know I have to balance it, too.

[Chagrin]

Usually the motor is mounted to the side of the pole rather than directly/symmetrically  over the top.  In this way it will furl in high winds. It would also remove your need to drill into the endgrain of your on-the-pole block and allow a stronger joint.

With your plastic "bearing" between the wood block and the pole you only need something on the top of the pole and a small ring near the bottom of the block. Taking a large rod and drilling a hole up through the middle of it like you have pictured would just give you more surface area and more friction.

[valterra]

Please explain the part about needing something at the top, and a ring at

the bottom.

Instead of using a large pole sitting over a small pole, do you mean: Use

something like an L-bracket for a horizonal surface for the pole to sit against. And then use 1 or 2 U brackets or something similar - just barely larger than the pipe, to hold the whole thing up straight?

Like this?

[kenputer]

 here is the mount I use for the ametek motors,fits on 1" pipe with smaller hole in the top for wires to run down through. go to randysworkshop to get a better look at them.

[luckeydog]

randy pivot is nice with one exception.

the tail boom has a 1/2" pipe thread.

threads have a tendency to break.

if you use this type of pivot keep the tail light

or this will happen to you as it did me.

the tail boom broke off and came around and hit the spinning blades

and took them out also.

[luckeydog]

I think i would extend the pipe all the way through and install a lock collar or some type of berring

here is your drawing  modified

[valterra]

Luckeydog (or anyone),  I have a stupid question.  How do bearings work there?  I'm guessing that I would find a bearing set who's inner-diamter is the same as my mounting pipe.  Then I would have to bore the hole in the wood to be the same size as the Outer-diameter of the bearing ring?  Is that right?  

I can see how that would help with horizontal-rotational movement.  But, wouldn't most of the weight still be on the lock collar on the bottom, which would be the source of the most friction?

I'm totally confused about this part.  Perhaps unnecessarily.  I understand how bearings work.  I just don't know how to apply them practically into a project.  I don't know how many times I've stared at the Dans' mill pictures and tried to figure out what the heck I was looking at bearings-wise.  For example, I can find bearings all over Dexter Hubs' website - but cannot find any place to buy a "spindle."   Anywho - that's another post.

[valterra]

This looks very nice, and I may consider it.  But There's got to be SOME pride of me doing SOMETHING myself here!  :-)  But looks like Randy's got something I couldn't match with my skills.

[valterra]

RANDY'S MOUNT looks nice!  Not your poor mill!  Man, don't want THAT taken the wrong way!  :-)

[Norm]

But, wouldn't most of the weight still be on the lock collar on the bottom, which would be the source of the most friction?



 A nice smooth surface and some grease and the

friction is neglible...the leverage of the tail

in a 5mph wind should easily overcome that small

amount of friction...if the tail is big enough

and a long enough tail boom...that is....

                   ( :>) Norm