Tumbler - Just like home made apple pie - well maybe not...

After cruising the aisles of a few stores and the internet I decided a tumbler was a fairly simple build for a DIYer. Initially I was thinking of a pail style, but the roller style was so much more practical and looks a lot better.

12" x 24" frame with 8" motor stand
16175545821_9efb20b128_z.jpg


15991361799_a58f30a457_z.jpg


Undersized/cooled motor test. The hose would just not go on in one piece, so I had to put it on in small sections with WD-40
15990105910_4f130850ac_z.jpg


This container is about 7.25" d.
15557628093_0746dd92a6_z.jpg


Final version. It still needs a safety shield. This was a simple test of 430 9mm casings being spun in water without media for 3 hrs. It worked better than expected without paddles and media. There is no creep, the container stayed where it was put.
16177416735_064ed5f6e1_z.jpg



So what did it cost me so far? Most of the parts are from Princess Auto and not on sale.

4- 5/8" pillow blocks $48
1- 5/8" x 5' shaft 13
1 - 5" pulley $16
1 - 2" pulley $7
Paint $3
Bolts $12
5/8" hose $5
Tax $14
1/4hp 1725 RPM Emerson Motor (used) $40 bought locally through Kijiji.

$157

I had the steel, but you could factor in another $10-20 and about $1 worth of welding rod.

I still need to make a sturdy tank ($20-30) out of 6" sewer pipe (8" about $80), but the protein container actually works. The SS pins will be bought next week.

With the hose on the pipe it spins at 80 RPM, so I may go to a larger pulley to slow it down a bit.
 
Last edited:
That looks like a nice easy project to build. I bet I'd have almost all the materials here to make one. I can see me getting one put together before long.
 
Yes, with the right container, this could be shrunk considerably in length for a 500-1,000 round unit. However, with the right containers you could easily do 2,000 pistol shells at a time. If you want to store it. You can just stand it on edge or hang it on a wall. I initially was just going to buy a tumbler, but I thought they were just too fragile for the cost.

To go really cheap I could have just used wood and very simple bushings, or even just set the bearings into wood or strapped into place. I even saw a few that used wax and oil as a barrier with wood as as the bushing!
 
Back
Top Bottom