Powered Bead Roller/Flanger

One thing is definately leading to another with the Egli build. The last diversion, building an English Wheel in order to do all the tinwork, took a couple of weeks or so.

Now I need a bead roller and flanger to finish up the fenders I made with the Ewheel for the Egli and a couple of other bikes. It will come in handy in the future too. Harbor Freight and Northern tool offer a similar plate type bead roller. From what I have read about them, the dies that come with it are terrific but the 1/2" plate isn't up to the job.

A lot of members on the metalshaping site have beefed up their bargain beadrollers. Some have added power as well. One fellow used a 1/2 drill for power. He uses the bead roller in his commercial operation and it has worked well for a couple of years or so. I thought his modifications were pretty good. So here is my stab at it. I used the Northern Tool version, it was $20 cheaper than Harbor Freight rig, it has grease fittings (the HF one doesn't) and delivery was free.

With a little luck I should have it up and running tomorrow.

Sweet idea!

I have also seen them powered using a wiper motor from a car. but your looks like a better opion, good leverage with the pulley sizes, and the variable speed with foot pedal will be awesome.

looking forward to see how it works. How bout a video?

sure I'll post a video once it's done.

Looks like I have to get a much longer belt and move the position of the drill down a bit. The current arrangement is using pulleys and a belt of my old Foley Bellsaw saw blade sharpener. It works with a very light load. With the bead roller on some 18 gauge steel the belt wanted to slip.

I think if I can mount the drill further down so that the belt wraps the small pulley better it should do the job.

Glen

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Originally Posted by worntorn

sure I'll post a video once it's done.

Looks like I have to get a much longer belt and move the position of the drill down a bit. The current arrangement is using pulleys and a belt of my old Foley Bellsaw saw blade sharpener. It works with a very light load. With the bead roller on some 18 gauge steel the belt wanted to slip.

I think if I can mount the drill further down so that the belt wraps the small pulley better it should do the job.

Glen

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Just add an idler pulley down near the drill on the slack side to create at least an 180 degree wrap on the small pulley.

that makes good sense. It'll be just like a rototiller clutch only always engaged.

here it is as of yesterday morning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OZxP_h7fcM

I've changed the base now, it was too tippy before. I copied the HF Planishing hammer stand for the location and spacing of the feet. Several people have modified these for use as a bead roller stand. I know these stands are cheap ($39?) but from what I can see here, they don't work well as a bead roller stand. Maybe they work OK with the planishing hammer on there, the balance might work out better somehow.

I thought with the three points it would act like a tripod and be very stable. Instead it teeter totters on the foot at the bottom of the vertical column. So that got cut off and a 24" long cross piece of 2" tubing got welded on. The cross piece has a foot at each end. I made one of these adjustable to fit whatever floor it sits on. Now it is very stable.

I also added a lift spring to the top roller so that the die lifts as the set screw is released. Next is to make a sliding fence for it.

As far as the drill powering the bead roller, that part works great, it will run as slow or fast as you want, very controllable.

here is the completed version, ready for paint:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuNydUSFZyU

Glen

Looks Good!

In looking through your photos, I got an idea. on the first photo, showing the back of the machine where you added the stiffeners. You could drill a vertical hole through the stiffening tubes and add in a removable ~3/4" or 1" diameter bolt, with a nut welded to the bottom, approximately 12 or do from the roller end. That way, if you need to do something that is probably a bit thicker than you should be with the size of the machine, but that has the bead work all right near the edge, the bolt would stiffen the frame a great deal and allow more force at the rolls.

I'm not sure if you "need" more stiffness, but if you did, and your throat didn't need to be so large, it would make it very rigid.
John

Very creative Glen. I like the trigger setup on the drill :D. Did it come from Northern with the pulley and you added a handle? You have some talent in making tools better. Did you draw anything up or make it as you went?

Not to highjack, but have you made a press brake? I am close to getting a 20 ton press today, last day on sale $169. If you have, maybe open a thread up for ideas.

I've been thinking along the same lines John. I was going to drill and tap a series of holes , maybe 4 sets in all, into the tubes, then bolt on a crossbar. Most of the time I plan to use it as an edge beader/flanger, so for that the crossbar could sit very close to the working end.

Mike, I made up a little pulley arbor for the drill then mounted a standard 5/8" bore aluminum pulley on there. The arbor has a flat on it for the set screw to bite into.

I didn't draw anything up on the bead roller conversion. Same as with the English wheel tho, if anyone wants dimensions I can measure it up and provide those.

I haven't done anything yet on a press brake. A friend gave me some very heavy duty press brake sections that are offcuts from the dies on a 150 ton 6' press brake. The offcuts are about a foot long and three inches square in section. They are made from high strength steel of some sort.
They require some machining to make them work with my press, haven't gotten around to it just yet.


Glen

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Originally Posted by worntorn

I haven't done anything yet on a press brake. A friend gave me some very heavy duty press brake sections that are offcuts from the dies on a 150 ton 6' press brake. The offcuts are about a foot long and three inches square in section. They are made from high strength steel of some sort.
They require some machining to make them work with my press, haven't gotten around to it just yet.
Glen

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That is a good score there. I am torn between swagoffroad kit and visiting a buds ironworks shop for a afternoon. Triyng to keep the cost down and DIY. Figure the press and the brake, looking at $400. And then to find room for it. haha..

Again, nice work on the roller project.