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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    melbourne
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    14

    Default Manufacturing spoke weights. How were these made?

    Hi all,

    I'd like to start getting in to some hobby metalworking and I've found something I'd really like to be able to make. These spoke weights look to be fairly simple, and I'd like to understand what would be required to make them:

    Reusable-Motorcycle-Wheel-Balance-Weights-For-Spoke-Wheels.jpg_640x640.jpg

    I'm guessing there would be a lathe to turn the tapered end, and a milling machine to cut the channel that accommodates the spoke, as well as a drill and tap set for the grub screw. Have I got that right? I've looked at some of the hobby lathes on eBay for around the $750 mark which I'm sure could handle the job, are they OK or complete rubbish? I have zero experience with milling, are there such things as hobby mills? I've also seen reference to lathe-mill combo's, are they worth considering?

    Thanks very much in advance.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    35
    Posts
    1,522

    Default

    You have made the right assumptions there about process, with the right setup you can do some mill work on a lathe although those slots would not be easy.

    Lathe mill combos do exist but they have a reputation for being a very bad compromise. Hobby mills do exist and many people here would have a stronger opinion than I. Models like the rf-45. I would probably reccomend finding something better and bigger but thats a big forst step to take.

    If you wanted a kind of crash course in all this and aren't far from Mentone i could show you round my workshop.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Country West Oz
    Age
    77
    Posts
    169

    Default

    These are only a small simple item that you could easily make on a lathe/mill combination, however once you start doing this sort of stuff, you will probably get hooked and want to make bigger and better things.
    With that in mind I think maybe you should look at something a bit better than a combination, but then there is always the budget to consider, decisions, decisions.
    I will warn you this becomes never ending, tooling, measuring equipment, and heaps of other stuff you just have to have.
    Regards
    Bradford

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Hi gjws,
    I think it would be a great idea to just see how caskwarrior manages his metalwork and will be an advantage to get you pointed in the right direction.
    Mind you,all of us our different from each other in the type metalwork we do,let alone how we approach it.

    Certainly a lathe is called for and a smallish one would suit that particular job .Consider though other jobs you may want to tackle regards the ultimate size and cost of the lathe.

    The slots MIGHT be able to be cut with a doubled hacksaw blade with the material mounted in a good vice. I say might as I have never done it but once a way of securing the workpiece, it should not be too difficult.

    I do have a horizontal / vertical bandsaw and could hold the pieces in a vicegrip and cut the slots.

    People can be amazing. If you want to do make ,you will work out a way to do build it, in a lot of cases.

    I have a friend who built a muzzleloading flintlock rifle from all most scratch ( quite legally folks in those days when you could do it) and won 2 Australian class championships with it. All the parts except the barrel and triggers were hand made with no more than a drill press and hand tools. Its an amazing piece. as it is timed to fire so fast it can fire in the upside postion - that is to say the powder in the pan is ignited and fires the main charge in the barrel ,all before the priming powder in the pan can fall out. I saw it done.

    I threw that in to illustrate that one doesn't always need to have a fully equiped workshop. Sometimes theres just basic stuff available and people can make do when they have do.
    Sure if you the budget allows buy the tools and machines but don't get caught as so many do.Do some investagating and you eventually will find the tools and machines best suited for your needs.

    Congratulations on the start of your journey into metalwork.

    Grahame

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    melbourne
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by caskwarrior View Post
    You have made the right assumptions there about process, with the right setup you can do some mill work on a lathe although those slots would not be easy.

    Lathe mill combos do exist but they have a reputation for being a very bad compromise. Hobby mills do exist and many people here would have a stronger opinion than I. Models like the rf-45. I would probably reccomend finding something better and bigger but thats a big forst step to take.

    If you wanted a kind of crash course in all this and aren't far from Mentone i could show you round my workshop.
    Thanks caskwarrior, good to know I at least guessed the correct setup

    Looking at the RF-45 I'd say a milling machine isn't in my near future, that's an expensive piece of kit! I'll certainly keep my eyes peeled for something on the secondhand market though.

    I live about 15 minutes from Mentone, it would be great to take you up on your offer one day to see your setup!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    341

    Default

    Historically speaking, an RF45 is a very cheap mill, being only a couple of weeks wages. Not that long ago (decades) you would be looking at 10 weeks worth of wage.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    melbourne
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BRADFORD View Post
    These are only a small simple item that you could easily make on a lathe/mill combination, however once you start doing this sort of stuff, you will probably get hooked and want to make bigger and better things.
    With that in mind I think maybe you should look at something a bit better than a combination, but then there is always the budget to consider, decisions, decisions.
    I will warn you this becomes never ending, tooling, measuring equipment, and heaps of other stuff you just have to have.
    Yep, I can definitely see that happening, every time I look at my bike I find another item I'd like to make for it

    I'll see what I can find in the secondhand market, hopefully I can find something a little more flexible than the hobby lathe for a reasonable price.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    melbourne
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Grahame Collins View Post
    Hi gjws,
    I think it would be a great idea to just see how caskwarrior manages his metalwork and will be an advantage to get you pointed in the right direction.
    Mind you,all of us our different from each other in the type metalwork we do,let alone how we approach it.

    Certainly a lathe is called for and a smallish one would suit that particular job .Consider though other jobs you may want to tackle regards the ultimate size and cost of the lathe.

    The slots MIGHT be able to be cut with a doubled hacksaw blade with the material mounted in a good vice. I say might as I have never done it but once a way of securing the workpiece, it should not be too difficult.

    I do have a horizontal / vertical bandsaw and could hold the pieces in a vicegrip and cut the slots.

    People can be amazing. If you want to do make ,you will work out a way to do build it, in a lot of cases.

    I have a friend who built a muzzleloading flintlock rifle from all most scratch ( quite legally folks in those days when you could do it) and won 2 Australian class championships with it. All the parts except the barrel and triggers were hand made with no more than a drill press and hand tools. Its an amazing piece. as it is timed to fire so fast it can fire in the upside postion - that is to say the powder in the pan is ignited and fires the main charge in the barrel ,all before the priming powder in the pan can fall out. I saw it done.

    I threw that in to illustrate that one doesn't always need to have a fully equiped workshop. Sometimes theres just basic stuff available and people can make do when they have do.
    Sure if you the budget allows buy the tools and machines but don't get caught as so many do.Do some investagating and you eventually will find the tools and machines best suited for your needs.

    Congratulations on the start of your journey into metalwork.

    Grahame
    Thanks Grahame.

    I think I could work around the need for a mill on this project. I had a good look at my reciprocating saw this afternoon and with a metal blade installed I think I'd be able to achieve a reasonable result. If I have time I'll give it a shot over the weekend. Certainly building a flintlock rifle provides me with inspiration

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    melbourne
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pippin88 View Post
    Historically speaking, an RF45 is a very cheap mill, being only a couple of weeks wages. Not that long ago (decades) you would be looking at 10 weeks worth of wage.
    If you could come around and help me position this with my wife, that would be a great help

    I understand what you mean, I guess we're really pretty lucky that such equipment is within reach of the hobbyist this day and age.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Alexandra Vic
    Age
    69
    Posts
    654

    Default

    gjws, with reference to cheap hobby lathes on ebay, you should be aware that you would need a machine with a compound slide to machine the tapers present on most of the weights shown in your initial post, and many of the machines in the $750 price range do not have this, so would not do the initial task.

    Looking on ebay, the Sieg C2 has the compound slide while the C0 doesn't, I suggest that you look at both machines to see the difference. The C2 is listed for just under $750 as a bare bones machine or Around $910 for a starter kit with a range of essential kit.
    I used to be an engineer, I'm not an engineer any more, but on the really good days I can remember when I was.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,439

    Default

    Hi Gjws,

    Everything that you have shown it that picture can be easily done with a lathe and a bit of thought !

    Material: Brass round bar. Buy a length of the right diameter.

    Cut to length. You could use a hacksaw, or a parting tool on the lathe. I'm lazy and would part bits off to length.

    Making the tapered end: This is a bit more difficult, however a cheap carbide wood router bit used as a lathe tool would do that job.

    Now drilling and tapping for the grub screw: You could do this on the lathe, in the absence of a drill press, by putting the drill bit in the chuck and using a jig to hold the work using the tool post holder. Something simple like a block of wood, drilled so the workpiece can be held firmly. Drill the hole in the workpiece deep enough to go past the centre line without going right through. Swap the drill for a tap and start the tap then finish tapping the hole off the lathe. Doing the tapping by hand makes it less likely that you will break the tap.

    The through hole: Put the workpiece back in the lathe chuck and drill right through.

    NOTE: Remember to stone the sharp cutting edges off the drill. This is done to stop the drill grabbing the brass and breaking.
    Just a couple of rubs with a fine stone should be enough.

    The Slot: This is the most difficult part. You can either use a hacksaw, or band saw, even a file. A mill would normally be the tool to use for this job. On the lathe you could make a mandrel to hold a small circular saw blade and a jig to hold the workpiece. Using the lathe to turn the saw blade cut the slot with the workpiece on the crosslide. Again a wooden jig clamped to the crosslide would do the job, with the crosslide giving you fine control over the cut.

    Obviously there is a lot of detail that needs knowledge of your skill set and the tools at your disposal. But I hope that the above helps you.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    3,112

    Default

    It’s just a length of brass with a slot cut in it, don’t over-think it. Chuck some brass in a drill, take a double cut file and eyeball a taper. Hacksaw off and reverse in chuck, tidy up end. Cut slot, cross drill. Open beer. The end.

    For light weights jump online and buy some adhesive golf club weights, they look better as they stick to the rim and won’t fall off.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    If you have a drill press here is a little diy tool to help keep centre alignment for drilling the brass rod through the center lengthways.

    I have drilled this in steel rod well before owning my lathe.

    The best part is that you don,t have to own a lathe to make the tool.

    The(original) tapered point was produced by chucking a rod in the drill press and grinding it with a grinder. Naturally, you have to be very careful with this procedure.

    The setup is to align the pointer on the drill faceplate adjusting it to the centre of a similar pointer held in the drill chuck. Remove the drill chuck pointer and replace with a drill.

    Hold the brass rod wrapped with coarse sanding cloth(old linisher belt section) in vice grips.The center pop holes in the end of the rod do the job in centering the rod as it is drilled. The abrasive gives grip while preventing marring from the Vicegrip jaws. Again, use extreme caution and as the guys said dress the cutting edges of the drill to avoid it biting.

    I forgot I had this tool until I was rooting through the drill drawers last night looking for something else.

    Grahame

    DPress centerDrill aid.jpg

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,439

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Pete F View Post
    It’s just a length of brass with a slot cut in it, don’t over-think it. Chuck some brass in a drill, take a double cut file and eyeball a taper. Hacksaw off and reverse in chuck, tidy up end. Cut slot, cross drill. Open beer. The end.

    For light weights jump online and buy some adhesive golf club weights, they look better as they stick to the rim and won’t fall off.

    Hi Pete,
    Even easier, just wind some solder wire round the spoke until you have enough weight.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    melbourne
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BaronJ View Post
    Hi Pete,
    Even easier, just wind some solder wire round the spoke until you have enough weight.
    This is about starting off in metalworking with a small project, not about wheel balancing

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