Anyone tried WOOD ?!

Yes. I believe Dimension Edge sells a wood roller. I also read a thread where some one used a hole saw to cut blanks.
 
I want to know if wood can be used as a spindle material?

As denny mentioned, DE has long been using wood for rollers on their drive shaft. They use Aspen but almost any wood will work, Rob sends six sizes with his kits from 7/8" to 1 1/2' and it takes about a minute to change them with one nut on the end of the drive shaft. I've had several of their kits and wood works very well for roller material, doesn't get hot like steel and is inexpensive to replace if needed.
 
What kind of wear characteristics does wood have on a tire? I'm wondering how many miles you could get on a roller before it would have to be replaced.

I would imagine the wood would wear a lot quicker than other drive spindle materials. But with the cost a person with a drill press and a wood lathe could crank out a bunch for very little money. You could also get creative and put some traction grooves on the roller fairly easily with the right tools. The amount of wear on the tire should be less than a steel roller too.

Carl
 
de wood

does any one know how the dimension edge makes the honda into a
direct drive spindle..
I like to be able too bump start when needed..
 
What kind of wear characteristics does wood have on a tire? I'm wondering how many miles you could get on a roller before it would have to be replaced.

I would imagine the wood would wear a lot quicker than other drive spindle materials. But with the cost a person with a drill press and a wood lathe could crank out a bunch for very little money. You could also get creative and put some traction grooves on the roller fairly easily with the right tools. The amount of wear on the tire should be less than a steel roller too.

Carl

Pluses and minuses, wood wears faster than steel but holds less heat on the tire especially on a hot summer road surface. Wood also conducts far less heat to support bearings, crankshaft and the engine itself. Different wood types and hardness might be considered and tried but I keep it simple and cost effective. A set of hole saws in sizes and a stick of 5/4 dimension lumber makes rollers dispensable and takes a minute to change, on the DE system anyway, with one nut at the shaft end. I have not found further machining of the rollers makes much appreciative difference.

does any one know how the dimension edge makes the honda into a
direct drive spindle..
I like to be able too bump start when needed..

For a Honda or any of the utility engines with the 76mm centrifugal clutch for that matter, they employ a steel pto shaft threaded into a round metal plate that bolts in place of the clutch shoes and that shaft is supported by two bearings where it bolts onto and enters the engine support channel. The drive rollers fit onto and then are locked into place on the shaft with a nut on the end.
 
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You don't need a drill press or a lathe, or even a hole saw to get excellent wood rollers for friction drive spindles.

All you need is a GoodWill store and a handsaw. Go to GoodWill, buy used rolling pins. They almost always have several, and they come in various diameters. Most of the time they are made from good quality hardwood, and usually long enough to get two rollers from each rolling pin.
 
Wood also expands and contracts with moisture level, and it swells more across the grain than with it... So, if you start out with a round roller, when it gets wet, it will be a little oblong, or, depending on the grain, a little egg-shaped...

I would think that the best roller would be one made from a trunk or branch a little bigger than the desired size, turned down to the needed diameter... That way, the grain would run around the roller, rather than cutting across it.
 
Maybe, if you mix polyurethane and sawdust, and cast a roller from it, you could get a stable, durable roller with good wet 'grip'...
 
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