# wooden pulleys



## general1861 (Jan 22, 2010)

I was in the roundhouse chat a few weeks ago and someone was telling me they made thier own pulleys for a rope or chain.Would like more info or maybe a photo of how these can be made?. Thank you ..Travis


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

not for sure what they used but a wood lathe would be the best tool tool to make pulleys, one at a time. 
Dennis


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Easiest off the bat to me would be to cut a length of dowel and chuck it in your drill. Or lathe if you have one. 
Use the edge of a rasp or coarse file to cut a groove as the drill rotates the dowel. Once the groove is cut cut it off and shape the sides. Chuck the pulley and find the center by starting the drill and marking with a pencil or drill bit... 

John


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Mine don't actually roll, but I just sandwiched a piece of styrene tube between pieces of wood. Works great for a non-working chain that only gets moved once in a while.


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## Ironton (Jan 2, 2008)

This is the way I would go about it. First I would get a dowel of the appropriate diameter for the sides of the pulley. Next I would cut it to manageable lengths. If it is less than 3/8 inch in diameter the rest should work. I have a drill press so I would use it to start, but there is an alternative.

Step 1: Take a piece of scrap lumber and clamp it to the drill press. As I would use this multiple times I would clamp it so a corner was under the chuck. Then chuck in a drill bit of the same diameter as the dowel. Drill into the scrap part way but not all the way through. Remove the drill bit.


Step 2: For each length of dowel set it in the hole you just drilled. Chuck in a drill bit of the diameter of the hole in the middle of the pulley. Now drill into the end of the dowel. Presto, a perfectly centered axle hole.


Step 3: Clamp a hand drill into a vise to keep it from moving and chuck the freshly drilled dowel in the drill, with the drilled end out. Mark the width of the pulley on the dowel. You can probably get a few each time. Just make a pencil mark. Now take a razor saw and while the drill is spinning the dowel make a light cut at each mark. Just enough so you can see it. This should make a groove all the way around.

Step 4: Stop the drill and for each pulley marked out in step 3 mark the middle of the groove for the rope or cable. I do the marking at two different times so I don't have to remember which mark is for which. Take an appropriate file, I would probably use a rat tail, and while the drill is spinning hold it against the dowel to make the grooves. Make them as deep as you need.

Step 5: Pick up the razor saw and finish cutting the pulleys off. You should get basically identical pulleys.


Hope this helps.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

For a small pulley on the door of an ore bin, I used two HO plastic wheels, filled off the faces and glued them together with the flanges to the outside. A little paint and a chain completed the job. Alignment was easy, brass rod for a common axle and pushed together. I trimmed the rod and inserted the ends into the journal blocks (wood blocks) and glued them in place. 

John


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## Chrisp (Jan 3, 2008)

A wooden pulley could be made from a small thread spool sectioned in the middle and reattached. You could also make good metal pulley wheels using face to face car wheels (I did some rcently using ON30 wheels).


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## general1861 (Jan 22, 2010)

Thanks Fellas. All of the info from ya'll has provided me with several ways to try. I will probably go with the drill press way first and see what happens ..Thanks agian...Travis


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