problem with chain drive

[pepa]

hi jmk, the size would be good but, on my layout, i would have to cut a hole large enough for rhe post to fit through the center of the wheel and that would destroy the wheel. thanks for the idea and keep them comming, we will whip this thing yet. pepa.

[alancorey]

What if the sprockets were on splined shafts, like the quill of a drill press?  They could float up and down the shafts to track the variations in the disk but still deliver drive to the motors.  Slightly less work might be to have one splined shaft and sprocket that can float and drive the motors off the bottom of that.  I'm not sure if gravity would let it float, and you'd have a bunch of wear on the bottom of the chain and sprocket.  Seems like the best answer would be to true up the disk somehow though.

  Alan

[thefinis]

The splined shaft idea is nifty but I think that it will have trouble. One problem you mentioned is that gravity will make it want to run at the bottom of the chain but a floating chain disk will have somewhat the same problem. I think that if there was much force against the splined shaft it would be harder to slide on just due to the amount of surface area. A smooth small bolt shaft in a smooth round hole should slide easy since it should not kink or bind.

I do not know what the size was but what about the gear ring on some of the old cement mixers. I seem to remember that some of them were a full circle.

Finis

[pepa]

you a right about trueing up the disk Allen, and i have done that by using wood shims between the layers of plywood that the disk is made from and adding extra cables between the two disk. now i have to make a dicision on mounting the chain. thanks for your time and thoughts, pepa

[pepa]

Finis, i agree with you that the splined shaft would probably bind more than a smooth bolt sliding inside a bushing and that may be the way to go. i found some 6" pipe nipples in the shop and the 1/4" lagg bolts slide easy inside the 1/4" black iron pipe and i will probly cut my bushings from those. i will have to find something to make the band with and buy a bunch of laggs. the way i figure it the chain with band and welded on bushings will be mounted on the four sprockets and run in a strait plane reguardless of any slight variation in the track of the disk as long as there is some room for the bolts to slide up or down in the bushings. the taper on the points of the sprockets will keep the chain lined up and running true. I HOPE. i am going to try this new setup with the original chain and sprockets because everything is already lined up, before i go to the bigger chain snd sprockets. BTW i found an odd way to get even more rpm's out of the blades in the same wind while i was adjusting the blade locations on the struts. will have to test further when the mill is back up, pepa.