Drum Carder

Not sure where to put this one.
I milled the timber about 13 years ago, it has a built in tool box, there was turning involved, and lots of metal work components to fabricate, but anyway here goes.

About a month before Xmas 2020 I asked SWMBO if she would like a "Drum Carder" for Xmas. Carders are used by wool crafters tp process raw wool into more useable material for spinning etc.
Hand carders look like large combs and are used to process small amounts of wool at a time and require considerable use of hands/wrists and arms.
Drum carders can process larger amounts very quickly just by cranking a handle and feeding it raw wool.
I looked around at a few Drum Carders on the internet and half decent carders were in the $700+ range so I figured I could easily make one - Ha!

5 months later here it is. It’s based on a $5 Etsy plan, but uses different materials including proper ball bearings.

The most expensive parts are the 7” wide carding cloth (fine spiky wire covered cloth ~$100) and the stainless steel used for all the metal parts.
Based on the $700 RRP above I was working for much less than $5 and hour although I admit to having quite a bit of fun making it and I have never see one like this one, especially using all stainless steel parts.

Attachment 493973

Here's Photo of the other (not quite finished) side, I'm waiting for a 40" long 6mm diam PU belt to arrive and then I will add two SS belt tensioning pulleys and the tensioning mechanism. I have made all the pieces but can't fit them until i have the actual belt in my hands.
Attachment 493972


If anyone is interested I can provide more details.

That's a nice looking unit, brings back memories my Mum had one similar many may years ago, used to make her own tapestries, it was just a off the shelf not custom made it was operated by a treadle
"I was working for much less than $5 and hour although I admit to having quite a bit of fun making it"
I think we have all had that problem at some stage.
Re PU belts I am starting to mull over in my head an accurate joining jig, I have had enough of waiting 6 weeks for premade belts to arrive for my Unimat lathe.

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Originally Posted by China

That's a nice looking unit, brings back memories my Mum had one similar many may years ago, used to make her own tapestries, it was just a off the shelf not custom made it was operated by a treadle

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Thought about a treadle, maybe I'll motorise it instead.

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"I was working for much less than $5 and hour although I admit to having quite a bit of fun making it"
I think we have all had that problem at some stage.

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With me it seems more often than not

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Re PU belts I am starting to mull over in my head an accurate joining jig, I have had enough of waiting 6 weeks for premade belts to arrive for my Unimat lathe.

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The mob I ordered mine from in the UK (Spel-gate industrial) came highly recommended. Enquiry/quote/send message all within 2 hours, $15 including air freight. Supposed to be here 3 days ago - not worried yet.

The belt finally arrived and I finished the tensioning mechanism.

Attachment 494354

Attachment 494355

Just after taking the photos I realized the teeth on the big drum are he wrong way around but that's an easy fix - just flipping the drum will do it.

Excellent job.
My wife had one exactly the same design.
Wasn't impressed when I got overly eager and overloaded the large drum with carded wool.
The batt was really hard to get off.:C
I was banned from using it again. My cunning plan worked..... :U

More accessories for the drum carder.

A is a awl like tool with a 300mm long, 3/16" diameter SS, thick knitting needle like point and is used to remove wool from the carder in what is known as a batt..
B is a HD wool knot detangler used to partially manually detangle large knots of wool before putting these through the carder.
The metal hook and frame arrangement is SS welded using a TIG welder.
For small jobs like this no SS TIG filler rod is needed as enough of the SS sticks fuses between the pieces to provided sufficient strength for this purpose.
The detangled clips onto the carder main frame so can be located more or less anywhere around the frame.

Attachment 494881

Here it teh detangler is seen in its usual working position front of the feed in tray.
Attachment 494882
The green coloured wool is is a batch straight from the dyeing tubs and shows the typical uneven uptake of green dye.
Putting that wool through the carder will blend it into a uniform green

Last year while making the carding machine describe in this post I made the large diameter pulley (see below) from piece cut from a large Marri slab.

The piece of slab was 45mm thick so I split it in half to get 2 x 21.5mm thick pieces

https://www.woodworkforums.com/attac...5&d=1620625995

The piece with the fewest cracks was used to make the large pulley while the other piece lay ended up under a pile of other stuff.
Last week I found it again and decided it might make a good cheeseboard so the first thing was to fill the dozens of mainly tiny cracks. This wasn't so bad as I was filling a few other things with cracks as well an its always easier if one is going a job lot.

Attachment 513361

The other side is none too shabby either.
Attachment 513362

Not too shabby at all
Lovely wood Bob
The Drum Carder is brilliant..nice job indeed
Log Dog :)

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Originally Posted by Log Dog

Not too shabby at all
Lovely wood Bob
The Drum Carder is brilliant..nice job indeed
Log Dog :)

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Thanks LD I get dozens of these odd pieces of wood that end up in the chipper or fire wood pile which is a shame but I simply cannot keep everything. Even the cheeseboard is now going the be a birthday present for someone.

SWMBO has been needling (wool sculpting) again.
Attachment 517540
This is her interpretation of the Bronze (thats why she's browny red) sculpture of the Little Dancer Aged 14 by Degas. Originally sculpted by Degas in wax in the 1880 from which 25 bronzes were made in the years after his death and now on show at many art galleries.

I made the base - supposed to be reminiscent of late nineteenth century ballet school flooring. Wood is pistachio - very dense and sands very smooth, - doubt it's ever been used for ballet school flooring. The figure has a 1.5mm wire armature that also pokes out below the feet. I drilled 1.8mm holes in short (16mmLong) stubs of 1/4" brass all thread and epoxied them onto the wire. The brass allthread pokes though the floor and nuts just under the feet and under the boards and holds everything in place.