Anybody build their own rollers?

[Shamus]

Well sure I could go out and buy some used ones out there in the world, but where's the fun in that? I wanna cut some stuff up, maybe do a little welding, slap some parts together, etc. I've got some ideas, but its good to hear other ones too, especially from you folks what have forgotten more than I have learned! 

So have you built your own roller table for offloading from your mill, if so, what was your grand design, and were you happy with it?

Always curious...
 

[Frank_Pender]

Yes, and please think about useing octagon shafting so they do not roll along with the rollers.  In my two tables there are 18 3" rollers each with an octagon shaft.

[hillbilly]

                    I after the same thing Shamus I already have a couple of new sets and I need a couple more, Frank did you use some sort of big punch for your holes or did you drill round ones for the shafts?
                             hillbilly

[Frank_Pender]

I had the channel punched.

[D._Frederick]

Frank,

Need help understanding how your rollers work, are you using ball bearings for the bearings? Why use the octagon shaft?

[SwampDonkey]

I'm also curious, but on a smaller scale. I want to make out and in feed rollers for table saw and planer. Basically, a single roller mounted on an upright tri-pod stand. I think what I would do is turn the wooden part on the lathe and bore out the centre with a bit and run a shaft through with a bearing mounted on each end. 3/8's maybe Or maybe I could use something like below, instead of boring the centre out. Then mount into bearings.

[Shamus]

Frank,
     ok bear with me. The hexagonal shaft is solid? What thickness? The hex does not rotate, due to punched hex holes in table frame? You have bearings sitting on hex-shaft that are supporting  3" round pipe? How many bearing assemblies did you use per roller, just one at either end, or extras in the middle to prevent the pipe from bending?

So many questions...

Oh yeah, do your rollers sit flush or above the table top?

[Frank_Pender]

Shaft is 9/16
bearings at each end of tube; i believe 16"
just above the 3" channel frame by about 3/16; I have run 4 x 12s 24' on the rollers    without any problems of bending
Don, keeps things more stable.

You might check with a metal recycling location for sets of rollers or individual rollers.  I have some that are 6'  and 4' wide that I have never used.  They are 4" in diameter.

[Paul_H]

I went out to the mill and snapped a pic of one of the rollers with the hex shaft. I know for a fact that mine was punched,not bored.  

[Furby]

Yup, plenty of them at scrap yards and while they may not be supper cheap, they are MUCH cheaper then new.
I personally tossed TONS of them into the scrap metal dumpster at work.
Did manage to get a few, but not enough.

[Frank_Pender]

That is it, Paul.

[doublecut]

An easier way might be to drill a  round hole in the plate slip a shaft collar over the end of your shaft weld the shaft collar to the plate and drill hole through the shaft collar and shaft and pin it with a bolt.
doublecut

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Too much work. We welded nuts inside 2" pipe sections, 16" long, Drilled holes in 2" angle and screwed the ½" grade "8" bolts into the ends of the rollers. We also used them on 24' -6 X 8's. They roll plenty easily.

  We welded a couple of smaller Angles across the larger angles, to control twisting, to a point. The rollers stick up about 3/16" above the sides of the angle.

[Frickman]

I had to build a set of rollers for my mill one time, and found a local source for some aftermarket, generic ball bearings. I found a size that would slide inside 1 and 1/2" black iron pipe. Then I had the local hardware store cut me a number sections of pipe for the rollers. For the rails I got a local steel fabrication company to bend up some flat stock into U shapes the right size. I had to match up to another set of rolls and couldn't use stock channel iron. I cut some angle iron cross pieces and round rods for inside the bearings, and welded the whole thing together. It wasn't cheap, I had over $200.00 in eight or ten feet of rolls. It wasn't easy either, as I had a couple days work total in the project. It was strong though, and did the job well. Also, it was faster than trying to hunt down already made rolls that would fit.

[Bibbyman]

I know some of you guys like to “roll your own”.  But there are a couple of roller tables out there available from our sponsors that have some unique features. Maybe at least worth looking at for ideas.

The table by Wood-Mizer is made to fold up and adjustable for height and can be leveled on un-level ground.  I’ve seen it demoed and it works well with a WM mill equipped with a dragback. The last price I have on it is $749.00.

Wood-Mizer outfeed table

I was impressed by the one made by Baker.  It’s not nearly as portable and looks like it needs to be bolted down.  But the main difference is that it also has a “kicker” feature.  It’ll kick a board, flitch, or slab one way or another by stepping on a foot peddle.

I don’t remember now but at one time I thought I could just get a section of HD rollers and fabricate the kickers.  I checked on the price of a 10’ section of HD rollers and it was higher than what Baker was asking for the unit already made with the kickers.

Baker outfeed table

[mike_van]

Swampdonkey - I have two of those tripod stands w/ single rollers,  I don't know about the planer, but on a tablesaw they are a pain in the butt. If it isn't 100% square to the fence, it will "pull" the stock one way or the other.  I think the better set up is the one with seperate balls on it, or better yet if you have room is a long solid outfeed table.  The stand just stinks -

[isawlogs]

Mike
   I also have one of those tripod rollers .... Its in the back of the shop waiting to be refabricated into something useful 

[Shamus]

Good input, all. Deadheader, I'm liking your setup, cheap and simple, a potent combination. Its hard to abandon the exciting world of bearings, but I can see how she should work pretty good. How did you weld the nuts on square to the pipe? If you were to rebuild it, would you have gone with heavier angle for the 'rails'? Pipes haven't bent without the support of a shaft?

What is a good spacing for the rollers? Anyone feel free to chip in. I don't want to wear out Deadheader too badly on this one!

Would you rather have one 20 foot table or two 10 footers?

[Fla._Deadheader]

  2" galv. Pipe. Welded the nuts to washers that fit the pipe. (Forgot to add that in the first post) ?  We have 7 rollers in 10' of run.

  Laid the washers and nuts on a flat surface and weighted them, and tacked them. Set the washer flush to the piope and spotted them, the welded.

  Ain't much way to bend 16" X 2" Pipe. 10 footers are all ya wanna handle. Also, can tie them together to go round a corner 

  Plenty strong unless yer careless with the loader 

  If they wobble a little, who cares ??

[Shamus]

Heck, not me! Still seems wrong not to have to grease something...

I'll probably get over it.

[dail_h]

   I got 3 10'  sections plus a 2 ' section, plus about 15-20 loose roller from the local scrap yard. I think I paid $20 for the lot. All the frames are kinda bent,and the rollers are too close together,thinking about making some out of angle,spacing the rollers 6in apart.
   The neat thing about factory rollers that I haven't seen mentioned here is that one end is spring loaded for easier insertion in the frame.

[Minnesota_boy]

Heck, not me! Still seems wrong not to have to grease something...

Just drill through the lenght of the bolt, tap the end and insert a xerk.  If you give each end one pump per week, it will take years to fill the pipe so it spills out. 

[SwampDonkey]

Mike and Isawlogs, that'll save me frigging with a roller for the table saw.