From The Flickr Pool: A Cheap(-Ass) Saw Feed Roller
By Chuck Cage
In the spirit of a true Toolmonger, TM reader and photo pool member Simple Simon posted this picture of his low-buck feed-roller solution. Made of “some cheapo wheels found at work” and what appear to be milk crates, it’ll clearly do the job.
If you keep an eye out, you can find wheels like this in bulk at the flea market, or sometimes even Harbor Freight, though they don’t really advertise the sales on these, so you have to keep an eye out at the store. The rest of the parts are easy to come by — assuming you don’t have them already.
Thumbs (and beers) up to Simon for this simple “hack.”
Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]
June 18th, 2007 at 11:40 am
I have a couple rolling pins that are in the tool drawer. Used them to press out vinyl tile, long ago, so don’t want to use them for food.
I keep considering making a stand to use them together as a wood roller…..
June 18th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Where would one go about getting old milk crates? And stealing them from behind an ice cream stand isn’t the answer I’m looking for.
June 18th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
1) You can buy them at http://www.containerstore.com
2) You can ask at the grocery store and they will probably give you a couple for free. Same with the dairy.
3) You can offer the grocery store a few bucks each if they won’t just give some to you. Same with the dairy.
4) You can just take them from behind the dairy knowing that there are millions of the things, and that they are not precious and guarded commodities.
5) You can make a reasonable copy (custom fit!) out of plywood.
June 18th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Don: Check out any college around the end of the semester and you can get all those ones the students bought from Container Store for free.
June 18th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
The plastic moulding companies that maked them will sell them to you for about $5 each - if you get a 100 or more - they will put your logo on them.
Stealing is wrong so I usually “borrow” them from someone else who stole them in the first place. The store bought ones are usually much weaker.
Simon
June 19th, 2007 at 9:38 am
just a thought…wouldn’t swivelling wheels be a little better? the fixed ones may have to be aligned accurately to the outfeed direction so that the work piece doesn’t creep to one side or another.
or am I just talking smack? the set up shown probably works pretty well.
June 19th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
re: Alistair Says:
Being cheap plastic, they are pretty slippery in any direction and that is what I found for free. It does not improve the quality of the cut but it’s main function is to hold up a heavy bit of ply while you fumble for the power switch.
June 19th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Good point Simon. I was engaging in that oh so easy habit of armchair criticism.
Please don’t come ’round my workshop unless your interested in a museum of jerry rigs
June 20th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
The previous shop I worked was the ultimate in Jerry rigged stuff - we built special effects for a TV show which were often quite dangerous in actual use since duct tape was our primary method of building contraptions.
June 21st, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Ooo. This would fit well in my garage shop. Small, portable, and looks like it’ll easily move out of the way when I’m done.