TexA
Well-known member
Recently, I bought a BASIC/CHEAPIE Bead Roller. (EASTWOOD, I might add)
It is/was one of the "clamp-in-the-vise types.
I found that it would flex, under load, so I added some braceing made of 2 x 2 x 3/16" square tubing that follows the basic frame and that not only added more weight to the unit but also more strength to the frame of the tool.
Instead of putting it into my vise every time i wanted to use it, I found a 40" hunk of 3.5" x 3/16" steel pipe on which I mounted the Bead Roller using a short piece of 1/4" angle iron to connect/weld the two pieces together.
For a "stand or base", I found an old truck wheel-rim. Using a 8 x8" piece of 1/4" flat, I welded the plate to the center of the rim and the 3.5" pipe to the other side of the plate. There I now had a (heavy) moveable stand that I could use and roll out of the way (in my small shop) when I wasn't using it.
After "attempting" to use the unit to put some beads on my new floorboards of my 30 FORD Coupe, I realized "there had to be a better-way" of powering the unit than with the origional CRANK that came with it.
I bought a 10' piece of 1/2" galvanized steel conduit, cut out a 18" round piece of 3/4" plywood and use that as the form to bend the conduit into a circle/wheel shape. After getting a complete "O" bent, I cut off the remainder of the piece and bent/formed my "O" to as near-as I could and welded the two ends together, completeing the "O". It ended-up being 19" across, which was just fine.
I measured the distance across the inside of the "O", cut it off and filed the ends to match the inner contour of the "O" and Oxy-welded it in place on both ends.
Two more (the rest of the 10'-piece of couduit was cut into two pieces and I formed two more "spokes of the wheel, filed/ground them to fit inside the "O", also using the Oxy-weld and a piece of #11 black wire as a filler, to join the pieces together.
It turned out GREAT !!!!!!!!
I'm going to take a piece of 3/16" flat, about 3" on-a-side and weld that to the center portion ( x )of the 4 spokes , then take a piece of 1" (heavy walled) tubing and weld it in the center, crossing points of the spokes, add a locking bolt/nut to lock it in-place on the driving shaft of the roller with a 3/16" bolt/thread and complete the build of my "Specialized" BEADROLLER...
SORRY, I don't have any pix but I hope the explination is enough for someone to decipher and "build" your own CUSTOMIZED BEADROLLER for your shop.
Look-out sheet metal, here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is/was one of the "clamp-in-the-vise types.
I found that it would flex, under load, so I added some braceing made of 2 x 2 x 3/16" square tubing that follows the basic frame and that not only added more weight to the unit but also more strength to the frame of the tool.
Instead of putting it into my vise every time i wanted to use it, I found a 40" hunk of 3.5" x 3/16" steel pipe on which I mounted the Bead Roller using a short piece of 1/4" angle iron to connect/weld the two pieces together.
For a "stand or base", I found an old truck wheel-rim. Using a 8 x8" piece of 1/4" flat, I welded the plate to the center of the rim and the 3.5" pipe to the other side of the plate. There I now had a (heavy) moveable stand that I could use and roll out of the way (in my small shop) when I wasn't using it.
After "attempting" to use the unit to put some beads on my new floorboards of my 30 FORD Coupe, I realized "there had to be a better-way" of powering the unit than with the origional CRANK that came with it.
I bought a 10' piece of 1/2" galvanized steel conduit, cut out a 18" round piece of 3/4" plywood and use that as the form to bend the conduit into a circle/wheel shape. After getting a complete "O" bent, I cut off the remainder of the piece and bent/formed my "O" to as near-as I could and welded the two ends together, completeing the "O". It ended-up being 19" across, which was just fine.
I measured the distance across the inside of the "O", cut it off and filed the ends to match the inner contour of the "O" and Oxy-welded it in place on both ends.
Two more (the rest of the 10'-piece of couduit was cut into two pieces and I formed two more "spokes of the wheel, filed/ground them to fit inside the "O", also using the Oxy-weld and a piece of #11 black wire as a filler, to join the pieces together.
It turned out GREAT !!!!!!!!
I'm going to take a piece of 3/16" flat, about 3" on-a-side and weld that to the center portion ( x )of the 4 spokes , then take a piece of 1" (heavy walled) tubing and weld it in the center, crossing points of the spokes, add a locking bolt/nut to lock it in-place on the driving shaft of the roller with a 3/16" bolt/thread and complete the build of my "Specialized" BEADROLLER...
SORRY, I don't have any pix but I hope the explination is enough for someone to decipher and "build" your own CUSTOMIZED BEADROLLER for your shop.
Look-out sheet metal, here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!