Hi,

I'm trying to work out how much power I need to turn a rock tumbler
barrel, or more precisely how large a barrel I can turn with a
particular motor. I have a nice little shaded pole induction motor which
is rated at 30 W and runs at 1425 rpm (probably the full load speed is
somewhat lower). Does anyone own a small professional tumbler? If so I'd
be very grateful to know the information on the motor data plate, the
barrel capacity and barrel diameter. The Thumler Model B tumbler looks
to use a motor similar to mine and has a 15 lb capacity, but I can't
find an official figure for the motor rating anywhere. I was thinking of
perhaps two 1.5 lb barrels or two 2.25 kg barrels, depending on cost and
availability. The rubber barrels seem very expensive (£30 upwards for a
6"). Anyone know why or where I might get them cheaper in the UK?

There's a picture of my motor he
http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/...pole_motor.jpg

Ignoramus, let me know how your project goes. I'm planning on building a
nice desktop model rather than a hardcore redneck model (not enough
space in the shed!) but I'd be interested to share experiences and pictures.

Many thanks,

Chris

take a look at portable cement mixers for a starting point.

"Christopher Tidy" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm trying to work out how much power I need to turn a rock tumbler
barrel, or more precisely how large a barrel I can turn with a
particular motor. I have a nice little shaded pole induction motor which
is rated at 30 W and runs at 1425 rpm (probably the full load speed is
somewhat lower). Does anyone own a small professional tumbler? If so I'd
be very grateful to know the information on the motor data plate, the
barrel capacity and barrel diameter. The Thumler Model B tumbler looks
to use a motor similar to mine and has a 15 lb capacity, but I can't
find an official figure for the motor rating anywhere. I was thinking of
perhaps two 1.5 lb barrels or two 2.25 kg barrels, depending on cost and
availability. The rubber barrels seem very expensive (£30 upwards for a
6"). Anyone know why or where I might get them cheaper in the UK?

There's a picture of my motor he
http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/...pole_motor.jpg

Ignoramus, let me know how your project goes. I'm planning on building a
nice desktop model rather than a hardcore redneck model (not enough
space in the shed!) but I'd be interested to share experiences and
pictures.

Many thanks,

Chris

Blue Skies wrote:
take a look at portable cement mixers for a starting point.

These are a little bigger than the tumbler I'm planning to make! I'm
thinking of a desktop model with a barrel diameter of perhaps 6".

By the way, has anyone thought of making a wind powered rock tumbler?
You could perhaps have a wind turbine with a shaft descending to ground
level and driving a concrete mixer type drum? Just a thought...

Best wishes,

Chris

I have a Lortone QT12 12lb tumbler. The barrel is about 8"X 8". Don't
use it for rocks...
anyway, the less-than-totally-forthcoming motor plate says 115V .86A
JR
Dweller in the cellar

Christopher Tidy wrote:
Hi,

I'm trying to work out how much power I need to turn a rock tumbler
barrel, or more precisely how large a barrel I can turn with a
particular motor. I have a nice little shaded pole induction motor which
is rated at 30 W and runs at 1425 rpm (probably the full load speed is
somewhat lower). Does anyone own a small professional tumbler? If so I'd
be very grateful to know the information on the motor data plate, the
barrel capacity and barrel diameter. The Thumler Model B tumbler looks
to use a motor similar to mine and has a 15 lb capacity, but I can't
find an official figure for the motor rating anywhere. I was thinking of
perhaps two 1.5 lb barrels or two 2.25 kg barrels, depending on cost and
availability. The rubber barrels seem very expensive (£30 upwards for a
6"). Anyone know why or where I might get them cheaper in the UK?

There's a picture of my motor he
http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/...pole_motor.jpg

Ignoramus, let me know how your project goes. I'm planning on building a
nice desktop model rather than a hardcore redneck model (not enough
space in the shed!) but I'd be interested to share experiences and
pictures.

Many thanks,

Chris



--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth
If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes
Doubt yourself, and the real world will eat you alive
The world doesn't revolve around you, it revolves around me
No skeletons in the closet; just decomposing corpses
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dependence is Vulnerability:
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Open the Pod Bay Doors please, Hal"
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.."

The power required depends upon how unbalanced the barrel is also. One load
of rocks will probably just use a small motor while another load will need a
larger motor.
A 30W motor will probably turn an 8" barrel properly loaded without
problems.
I'll note that if you get some flat rubber, you can attach it to the two
sides and the round part without any problems. Don't try riveting or
screwing it to the barrel as the rivets or screws will just be eroded off.

--
Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

Bob May wrote:
The power required depends upon how unbalanced the barrel is also. One load
of rocks will probably just use a small motor while another load will need a
larger motor.
A 30W motor will probably turn an 8" barrel properly loaded without
problems.
I'll note that if you get some flat rubber, you can attach it to the two
sides and the round part without any problems. Don't try riveting or
screwing it to the barrel as the rivets or screws will just be eroded off.

Thanks to Bob and Jason - that's some useful information. It looks like
I'm looking the the right kind of motors. I also did a calculation which
suggests that a very badly loaded 6.5" drum weighing 3 kg and turning at
40 rpm requires about 10 W (not allowing for inefficiencies in the drive
train). I just need to decide between a motor which is 30 W at 1350 rpm
and one which needs some fixing but is 40 W at 850 rpm.

Thanks for the advice,

Chris

Bob May wrote:
The power required depends upon how unbalanced the barrel is also. One load
of rocks will probably just use a small motor while another load will need a
larger motor.
A 30W motor will probably turn an 8" barrel properly loaded without
problems.
I'll note that if you get some flat rubber, you can attach it to the two
sides and the round part without any problems. Don't try riveting or
screwing it to the barrel as the rivets or screws will just be eroded off.

Thanks to Bob and Jason - that's some useful information. It looks like
I'm looking the the right kind of motors. I also did a calculation which
suggests that a very badly loaded 6.5" drum weighing 3 kg and turning at
40 rpm requires about 10 W (not allowing for inefficiencies in the drive
train). I just need to decide between a motor which is 30 W at 1350 rpm
and one which needs some fixing but is 40 W at 850 rpm.

Thanks for the advice,

Chris